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District of Columbia
Flag Seal
Nickname: DC, The District
Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All)
Location of Washington, D.C. in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia
Coordinates: 38°53'42.4?N 77°02'12.0?W? / ?38.895111, -77.036667
Country	United States
Federal district	District of Columbia
Government
- Mayor	Adrian Fenty (D)
- D.C. Council	Chairperson: Vincent Gray (D)
Area
- City	68.3 sq mi (177.0 km²)
- Land	61.4 sq mi (159.0 km²)
- Water	6.9 sq mi (18.0 km²)
Elevation	0–409 ft (0–125 m)
Population (2007)[1][2]
- City	588,292
- Density	9,015/sq mi (3,481/km²)
- Metro	5.30 million
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Website: http://www.dc.gov/

Washington, D.C. (pronounced /'w????t?n di?si?/) (commonly referred to as Washington; the District; or simply D.C.) is the capital of the United States founded on July 16, 1790. Washington (the city) covers the same area as (i.e. is coterminous with) the District of Columbia and they are considered to be the same entity. The District of Columbia is located on the banks of the Potomac River and bordered by the states of Virginia to the southwest and Maryland to the northwest, northeast, and southeast. Washington has a resident population of 588,292; however, the city's population rises to over one million people during the workweek due to commuters from the surrounding suburbs. The Washington Metropolitan Area has a population of 5.3 million, the eighth-largest in the country.

Article One of the United States Constitution provides for a federal district, distinct from the states, to serve as the permanent national capital. The centers of all three branches of the federal government of the United States are located in the District, as are many of the nation's monuments and museums. Washington, D.C. hosts 172 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank, and other national and international institutions, including trade unions and professional associations.

The United States Congress has supreme authority over Washington, D.C., which results in residents of the city having less self-governance than residents of the states. The District has a non-voting at-large Congressional delegate, but no senators. If Washington, D.C. were a state, it would rank last in area (behind Rhode Island), second to last in population (ahead of Wyoming), first in population density, 35th in gross state product, and first in percentage of African Americans, which would make Washington, D.C. a minority-majority state.

[edit] History

Main articles: History of Washington, D.C. and Washington, D.C. in the American Civil War

Pierre Charles L'Enfant's Plan of the City of Washington, as revised by Andrew Ellicott

James Madison first brought up the need for a Federal district in The Federalist No. 43. He argued that the national capital needed to be distinct from the states in order to provide for its own maintenance and safety.^[3] An attack on the Congress at Philadelphia in June 1783 by a mob of angry soldiers emphasized the need for the government to provide for its own security.^[4] Madison and Alexander Hamilton agreed upon the location of the new capital at a dinner hosted by Thomas Jefferson.^[5] This Compromise of 1790 approved Hamilton's plan to allow the Federal government to assume war debt carried by states. In return, Madison and Jefferson were able to ensure that the new national capital would be located in the South.^[4]

On July 16, 1790, the Residence Act established the District as the new permanent capital to be located on the Potomac River.^[6] George Washington chose the exact site for the city and it was named in his honor on September 9, 1791.^[7] The federal district was named the District of Columbia because Columbia was a poetic name for the United States used at the time.^[8]

The initial plan for the "Federal District" was a diamond, measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side, totaling 100 square miles (259 km²). As originally platted, both Maryland and Virginia ceded portions of their territory to form the District, which Congress organized into two separate counties; the County of Washington was on the north bank of the Potomac and Alexandria County was on the south bank. In 1791–92, Andrew Ellicott and Benjamin Banneker surveyed the border of the District with both Maryland and Virginia, placing boundary stones at every mile point; many of which are still standing.^[9]

The plans for the City of Washington were largely the work of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French-born architect, engineer, and city planner who first arrived in the American colonies as a military engineer with Major General Lafayette.^[10] Although plans for the new City of Washington placed it in the geographic and geometric center of the federal territory, there were also a number of other communities located in the District of Columbia including Georgetown, "Tennally's Town" (i.e., Tenleytown), and a village commonly known today as Anacostia. In time, all of these communities would be annexed by the City of Washington.^[11]

On August 24, 1814, British forces burned the capital during the most notable raid of the War of 1812, in retaliation for the sacking and burning of York (modern-day Toronto). Initially, the British had approached the city hoping to secure a truce but were fired upon, which ultimately led to the sacking of government buildings. The Capitol, Treasury and White House were burned and gutted.^[12] Most government buildings were quickly repaired but the Capitol, which was still largely under construction, would not be completed until 1868.^[13]

Ford's Theatre in the 19th century

In the 1830s, the District's southern county of Alexandria went into economic decline due in part to heavy competition by the port of Georgetown, which was further inland and on the C&O Canal. At the time, Alexandria was a major market in the American slave trade, but rumors circulated that abolitionists were attempting to end slavery in the nation's capital. In part to avoid an end to the lucrative slave trade, a referendum to ask for the retrocession of Alexandria back to the Commonwealth of Virginia succeeded in 1846 and Congress complied on July 9 of that year.^[8] Six years later, the Compromise of 1850 outlawed the slave trade in the District, though not slavery.

The enormous complex of defenses that protected Washington, D.C. (1865)

Washington remained a small city until the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. The significant expansion of the federal government as a result of the war led to notable growth in the city's population, as did a large influx of freed slaves.^[14] By 1870, the District's population had grown to nearly 132,000.^[1] Despite the city's growth, Washington still had dirt roads and lacked basic sanitation; the situation was so bad that some members of Congress proposed moving the capital elsewhere.^[15] In 1871, Congress passed the District of Columbia Organic Act, which created a single municipal government for the entire District; effectively annexing Georgetown and other areas. In the same Act, Congress also appointed a Board of Public Works charged with modernizing the city.^[16] In 1873, President Grant appointed the board's most influential member, Alexander Shepherd, to the new post of governor. That year, Shepherd spent $20 million on public works ($342 million in 2007), which modernized Washington but also bankrupted the city. In 1874, Congress abolished Shepherd's office in favor of direct rule that would continue for a century.^[15]

Crowds surrounding the Reflecting Pool, during the 1963 March on Washington

The District's population remained relatively stable until the Great Depression in the 1930s when President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal legislation expanded the bureaucracy in Washington. World War II further increased government expenditures and the number of federal employees in the capital;^[14] by 1950, the District's population reached a peak of 802,178 residents.^[17]

After the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, riots broke out, primarily in the U Street, 14th Street, and 7th Street corridors in Northwest Washington. The violence raged for four days and many stores and other buildings were burned; most remained in ruins and have only recently been rebuilt.^[18] President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered over 13,000 federal and national guard troops to occupy the city in order to quell the violence — the largest occupation of an American city since the Civil War.^[19]

In 1973, Congress enacted the District of Columbia Self-Rule and Governmental Reorganization Act, providing for an elected mayor and city council for the District.^[20] With this change, Walter Washington became the first elected and first African American mayor of Washington, D.C. in 1975. In 1979, Marion Barry was elected mayor and then reelected twice more, serving three successive four-year terms. After his arrest for drug use in a Federal Bureau of Investigation sting operation on January 18, 1990, and sentence to a six-month jail term, Barry did not seek re-election.^[21] His successor, Sharon Pratt Kelly, became the first black woman to lead a U.S. city of Washington's size.^[22] Barry ran again in 1994, defeating Kelly in the Democratic primary and winning the general election for mayor. During his fourth term, the city became nearly insolvent and Congress forced the city to give up some home rule to an appointed financial control board.^[23]

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and at 9:37AM deliberately crashed the Boeing 757 into the Pentagon, just across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia. The impact caused a partial collapse of one side of the building. September 11 planners Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh claim in taped interviews that the United States Capitol was another intended target for the hijacked plane.^[24] Al-Qaeda leader Abu Zubaydah told American interrogators that the White House was the target of another flight that same day, United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.^[25]

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. is divided into four quadrants.

Washington, D.C. is located at 38°53'42?N, 77°02'11?W (the coordinates of the Zero Milestone, on the Ellipse). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 68.3 square miles (177.0 km²). 61.4 square miles (159.0 km²) of it is land and 6.9 square miles (18.0 km²) of it (10.16%) is water.^[26]

Washington is surrounded by the states of Maryland (on its southeast, northeast and northwest sides) and Virginia (on its western side). The District interrupts those states' common border, the Potomac River, both upstream and downstream from the District. The Potomac River, as it passes Washington, is almost entirely within the District of Columbia. Washington has three major natural flowing streams: the Potomac River, the Anacostia River and Rock Creek. The Anacostia River and Rock Creek are tributaries of the Potomac River.^[27] There are three man-made reservoirs located in the city: Dalecarlia Reservoir, which crosses over the northwest border of the District into Maryland; McMillan Reservoir near Howard University; and Georgetown Reservoir.

The highest natural point in the District of Columbia is 409 feet (125 m) above sea level in Tenleytown.^[28] The lowest point is sea level, which occurs along all of the Anacostia shore and all of the Potomac shore except the uppermost portion (the Little Falls area, upstream of Chain Bridge). The geographic center of the District of Columbia is located near 4th Street NW, L Street NW, and New York Avenue NW.

[edit] Cityscape

See also: List of neighborhoods of the District of Columbia by ward and Streets and highways of Washington, D.C.

Panoramic view of Washington, D.C. from Arlington

Washington, D.C. is a planned city. In 1791 Pierre L'Enfant drew up a basic plan for the city modeled in the Baroque style, which incorporated broad avenues radiating out from traffic circles, providing for maximum open space and landscaping.^[10] However, at the start of the 20th century, L'Enfant's vision of a capital with open parks and grand national monuments was marred by slums and randomly-placed buildings, including a railroad station on the National Mall. In 1900, Congress formed a joint committee, headed by Senator James McMillan, charged with beautifying Washington's ceremonial core. What became known as the McMillan Plan was finalized in 1901 and included the re-landscaping of the Capitol grounds and Mall, constructing new Federal buildings and monuments, clearing slums, and establishing a new citywide park system. Architects recruited by the committee kept the city's original layout and their work is thought to be the grand completion of L'Enfant's intended design.^[10]

After the construction of the twelve-story Cairo Apartment Building in 1899, Congress passed the Heights of Buildings Act, which declared that no building could be taller than the Capitol. The Act was amended in 1910 to restrict building height to the width of the adjacent street, plus 20 feet (6 meters).^[29] Today the skyline remains low and sprawling, keeping with Thomas Jefferson's wishes to make Washington an "American Paris" with "low and convenient" buildings on "light and airy" streets. As a result, the Washington Monument remains the District's tallest structure. However, Washington's height restriction has been assailed as a primary reason why the city has inflated rents, limited affordable housing, and traffic problems as a result of urban sprawl. To escape the District's height restriction, architects wishing to construct higher buildings close to downtown often do so in Rosslyn, Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Georgetown.^[29]

The District is divided into four quadrants of unequal area: Northwest (NW); Northeast (NE); Southeast (SE); and Southwest (SW). The axes bounding the quadrants radiate from the U.S. Capitol building. In most of the city, the streets are set out in a grid pattern with east-west streets named with letters (e.g. C Street SW, L Street NE, etc.) and north-south streets with numbers (e.g. 4th Street NW, 18th Street NW, etc.). The avenues radiating from the traffic circles are primarily named after the states; all 50 states are included in the street nomenclature. As the city grew, the street names were simply extended, where possible. It is important to note that all road names include the quadrant abbreviation to indicate their location.^[10] For example, R Street NW and R Street SE are two entirely different streets. Some Washington streets are particularly noteworthy such as Pennsylvania Avenue, which connects the White House with the Capitol, and K Street, which houses the offices of many think tanks and lobbying groups.^[30] Washington hosts 172 foreign embassies; 57 of which are located on a section of Massachusetts Avenue informally known as Embassy Row.^[31]

[edit] Architecture

The U.S. Capitol sits prominently east of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The architecture of Washington, D.C. varies greatly; in fact, it can be said that there is no single architectural theme in the city apart from building height. Even so, six of the top ten buildings in the American Institute of Architects' 2007 ranking of "America's Favorite Architecture" are located in the District of Columbia, including: the White House; the Washington National Cathedral; the Thomas Jefferson Memorial; the United States Capitol; the Lincoln Memorial; and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The neoclassical, Georgian, gothic, and modern architectural styles are all reflected among those six buildings and many other prominent government buildings in Washington. Notable exceptions to this include buildings constructed in the French Second Empire style such as the Old Executive Office Building and Library of Congress.^[32]

Outside of downtown Washington, architectural styles are even more varied. In parts of the "Old City" (the area part of L'Enfant's original plans), historic buildings are designed primarily in the Queen Anne, Châteauesque, Richardsonian Romanesque, Georgian revival, and Beaux-Arts styles, as well as other varieties of Victorian architecture. Rowhouses from the 19th century are especially prominent in areas of the Old City and typically follow Federalist and late Victorian designs.^[33] Outside of the city's main grid system, housing designs are less regular and vary not only between neighborhoods but often between city blocks as well. Georgetown has the most prominent remaining style; most homes reflect late Victorian architecture from the 1870s. Georgetown University, however, is more distinct with a mix of Romanesque and Gothic Revival architecture.^[32]

[edit] Nature

See also: List of parks in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area

The C&O Canal as it passes through Georgetown

The U.S. National Park Service manages most of the natural habitat in Washington, D.C., including Rock Creek Park, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, the National Mall, Theodore Roosevelt Island, and Anacostia Park. The U.S. Department of Agriculture operates the U.S. National Arboretum while various other federal agencies, both military and civilian, have minor holdings of wild land within the District. The Great Falls of the Potomac River are located upstream (i.e. northwest) of Washington. George Washington once surveyed this area for a "Pawtomack" Canal that would allow barge traffic to bypass the falls. The Potomac Gorge, also known as Mather Gorge, cuts into hard metamorphic bedrock and extends from Great Falls downstream to Georgetown, Rosslyn, Virginia, and Theodore Roosevelt Island, all located at the boundary between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain.^[34]

The Potomac River was once called a "national disgrace" by President Lyndon Johnson, who lobbied for the passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act in 1966.^[35] The river is now home to a vibrant warm-water fishery and naturally reproducing Bald Eagles have returned to its banks.^[36] Despite its intensely urbanized landscape, the District of Columbia is a center for research on urban wildlife management, invasive species management, urban stream restoration, and the aquatic ecology of urban streams.^[37] The National Park Service's Center For Urban Ecology is a regional source of expertise and applied science for the region.^[38]

[edit] Climate

Washington has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa). Its climate is typical of Mid-Atlantic U.S. areas removed from bodies of water, with four distinct seasons. Spring and fall are mild with low humidity and high temperatures in April and October averaging in the high 60s to low 70s in °F (about 20 °C). Winter brings sustained cool temperatures and occasional snowfall. Average highs tend to be in the low 40s (6 to 8 °C) and lows in the mid 20s (-5 to -2 °C) from mid-December to mid-February. Additionally, Arctic air can lower nighttime lows into the teens, even in the city. Summer tends to be hot and humid with daily high temperatures in July and August averaging in the high 80s to low 90s (about 30 to 33 °C).^[39] The combination of heat and humidity in the summer brings very frequent thunderstorms, some of which occasionally produce tornadoes in the area.

While hurricanes (or their remnants) occasionally track through the area in late summer and early fall, they have often weakened by the time they reach Washington partly due to the city's inland location. Flooding of the Potomac River, however, caused by a combination of high tide, storm surge, and runoff, has been known to cause extensive property damage in Georgetown as well as in nearby Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.^[40]

The average annual rainfall is 39.3 inches (998 mm) and average annual snowfall is 16.6 inches (422 mm). Some outlying suburbs to the north and west receive upwards of six more inches of snowfall each year. The average annual temperature is 57.5 °F (14.1 °C). The highest recorded temperature was 106 °F (41 °C) on July 20, 1930 and August 6, 1918, while the lowest recorded temperature was -15 °F (-26 °C) on February 11, 1899, during the Great Blizzard of 1899. The city averages 36.7 days hotter than 90 °F (32 °C), and only 64.4 nights below freezing.^[39][41]

[edit] Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Washington, D.C.

The current 2007 U.S. Census Bureau data estimates the District's population at 588,292 residents, continuing a trend of population growth in the city since the 2000 Census. The trend reverses what had been a 50-year decline in the District's population.^[1] During the workweek, however, the number of commuters from the suburbs into the city swells the District's population an estimated 71.8% to a daytime population of over one million people.^[43] The Washington Metropolitan Area, which includes the surrounding counties in Maryland and Virginia, is the eighth-largest in the United States with more than five million residents. When combined with Baltimore and its suburbs, the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area has a population exceeding eight million residents, the fourth-largest in the country.^[44]

"Friendship Arch" in Chinatown

In 2006, the population distribution was 55.5% African American, 34.5% Caucasian, 8.2% Hispanic (of any race), 5.1% other (including Native Americans, Alaskans, Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders), 3.4% Asian, and 1.5% mixed (two or more races).^[45] Even though they comprise the city's largest ethnic group, Washington has a steadily declining African American population, due to many middle-class and professional African Americans leaving the city for suburbs. At the same time, the city's white population has steadily increased, in part due to effects of gentrification in many of Washington's traditionally black neighborhoods.^[46] This is evident in a 4.6% decrease in the African American population, and a corresponding 3.7% increase in the Caucasian population since 2000.^[45] The 2006 American Community Survey found that only 40% of current D.C. residents were born in the District, 16% below the national average.^[47]

Also using data from the 2000 census, research shows that there are an estimated 33,000 gay, lesbian, or bisexual adults in the District of Columbia, about 6% of the city's population;^[48] twice the national average of 2.9%.^[49] Despite the city's sizable LGBT population and liberal political climate, same-sex marriage is not legal in the District; due in part to opposition in Congress.^[50] However, Washington's domestic partnership law does provide same-sex couples legal recognition similar to civil unions offered in other jurisdictions.^[50]

A 2007 report found that about one-third of Washington residents are functionally illiterate, compared to a national rate of about one in five. This is attributed in part to Hispanic, Ethiopian, and Eritrean immigrants that make up 12.7 percent of the District's population but are not proficient in English.^[51] However, while one-third are functionally illiterate, 45 percent of D.C. residents have at least a four-year college degree, the fourth-highest rate in the nation, which further illustrates the social divide present in the city.^[47] A 2000 study shows that 83.42% of Washington, D.C. residents age 5 and older speak only English at home and 9.18% speak Spanish. French is the third-most-spoken language at 1.67%.^[52] Nearly three out of four District residents identify themselves as Christian; 27% of residents are Catholic, 19% are Baptist, and 26% are members of other Protestant denominations. Followers of Buddhism make up 4% of the population, Islam 2%, and Judaism 1%. 13% of residents do not practice a religion.^[53]

[edit] Crime

Crime in the District of Columbia is least common in Northwest Washington and becomes more widespread further east.

Main article: Crime in Washington, D.C.

See also: Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia

During the violent crime wave of the early 1990s, Washington, D.C. was known as the "murder capital" of the United States and often rivaled New Orleans in the number of homicides.^[54] The number of murders peaked in 1991 at 482, but the level of violence declined drastically in the 1990s. By 2006, the annual murder count in the city had declined to 169.^[55] Other forms of property crime, including thefts and robberies, also declined by similar percentages.^[56] Despite the declining trends, the FBI's 2006 Uniform Crime Report still ranks overall crime in Washington as the seventh-highest in the nation among cities with populations over 250,000.

Like most large cities, crime is highest in areas associated with illegal drugs and gangs. The more affluent neighborhoods of Northwest Washington experience low levels of crime, but the incidence of crime increases as one goes further east (see map at right). Once plagued with violent crime, many D.C. neighborhoods such as Columbia Heights and Logan Circle are becoming safe and vibrant areas due to the effects of gentrification. As a result, crime in the District is being displaced even further east and across the border into Prince George's County, Maryland.^[57]

On June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court of the United States held that the District of Columbia's 1976 handgun ban violates the Second Amendment right to gun ownership.^[58] However, the ruling does not prohibit all forms of gun control; laws requiring firearm registration remain in place as does the city's assault weapon ban.^[59] The case is District of Columbia v. Heller.

[edit] Economy

See also: Category:Companies based in Washington, D.C.

Unemployment in the District of Columbia

Washington, D.C. has a growing, diversified economy with an increasing percentage of professional and business service jobs.^[60] The gross state product of the District in 2007 was $93.8 billion, ranking at number 35 when compared with the fifty states.^[61] As of March 2008, the federal government accounted for about 27 percent of the jobs in Washington, D.C.^[62] Many other businesses such as law firms, independent contractors (both defense and civilian), nonprofit organizations, lobbying firms, national associations of labor and professional groups, catering, and administrative services companies are directly or indirectly sustained by the federal government. Washington is thought to be relatively immune to downturns in the national economy because the federal government, and those who work with it, continue operations even during economic recessions.^[63]

The District serves as an economic anchor to the metropolitan area. Many of the jobs in D.C. are filled by commuters from the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, thereby contributing to the economic growth of both states. Further, the presence of many major government agencies outside of the District, including the Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration, has led to additional economic development in the D.C. area. As of March 2008, the Washington Metropolitan Area had an unemployment rate of 3.4 percent; the lowest rate among the 40 largest metro areas in the nation. It is also significantly lower than the national average unemployment rate of 5.2 percent.^[64]

Washington has growing industry unrelated to government, especially in the areas of education, finance and scientific research. The George Washington University, Georgetown University, Washington Hospital Center, Howard University, and Fannie Mae are the top five non-government-related employers in the city.^[65] There are five Fortune 1000 companies based in Washington, of which two are also Fortune 500 companies.^[66] The city has become a leader in global real estate investment, behind London, New York City, and Paris.^[67] In 2006, Expansion Magazine ranked D.C. among the top ten areas in the nation favorable to business expansion.^[68] Washington has the third-largest downtown in the United States in terms of commercial office space, directly behind New York City and Chicago.^[69]

Gentrification efforts are taking hold in Washington, D.C., reviving once-decaying neighborhoods into thriving urban centers. Most notable are the changes made in the U Street Corridor, Logan Circle, the 14th Street Corridor, Shaw, and Columbia Heights.^[70] A new shopping mall opened in Columbia Heights in March 2008 represents the first new major retail center in the District in 40 years.^[71] Gentrification, however, while helping revitalize the city's economy, is not directly helping poor communities as much as it is replacing them with new higher-income residents.^[70] Further, the benefits of economic growth are not evenly distributed throughout the city. For example, the District's unemployment rate fluctuates greatly within the city from 1.5 percent in affluent Ward 4 to 16.3 percent in Ward 8 (see graphic).^[72] According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2005, when compared with the states, the District has the highest personal income per capita in the country but also has the highest poverty rate, which further serves to highlight the economic disparities still present in the city.^[26]

[edit] Culture

Main article: Culture of Washington, D.C.

[edit] Historic sites and museums

See also: List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C. and List of museums in Washington, D.C.

The Jefferson Memorial at dusk

Washington has numerous national landmarks. The National Mall is a large, open park area in the center of the city featuring many monuments to American leaders. Located prominently in the center of the Mall is the Washington Monument. Other notable poi