Western Expansion and the White House

The White House is located on the eastern coast of the United States in Washington, D.C. Today, most states are located west of the capital and the White House. When President George Washington chose the location for the new capital city in 1790, however, the United States was much smaller and situated on the Atlantic coast. As the nation grew and became more populous, presidents sought additional territory and expanded westward across the continent with little consideration for the Indigenous, or Native, Americans who already inhabited the land. Learn more about the White House, western expansion, and its consequences.