The Residence Act of 1790: President Washington Chose the Capital Site, Not Congress

Correction: Congress did not select the permanent capital site in 1790.

The Residence Act (July 16, 1790) authorized President George Washington to choose a 10-mile-square district on the Potomac River (between the Potomac and Susquehanna/Anacostia). Washington selected the current site (Maryland/Virginia cessions), surveyed by Andrew Ellicott with Benjamin Banneker. The federal government moved from Philadelphia in 1800.