Washington, D.C.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the capital of the United States. For the state on the U.S
. West Coast, see Washington (state). For other uses, see United States capital
(disambiguation) and Washington (disambiguation).
Washington, D.C.
Federal district
District of Columbia
Clockwise from top right: United States Capitol, Washington Monument, the White
House, Smithsonian Institution Building, Lincoln Memorial and Washington Nation
al Cathedral
Clockwise from top right: United States Capitol, Washington Monument, the White
House, Smithsonian Institution Building, Lincoln Memorial and Washington Nationa
l Cathedral
Flag of Washington, D.C.
Flag Official seal of Washington, D.C.
Seal
Nickname(s):
Main article: Nicknames of Washington, D.C.
Motto: Justitia Omnibus (English: Justice for All)
Location of Washington, D.C., in the contiguous United States and in relation to
Maryland and Virginia.
Location of Washington, D.C., in the contiguous United States and in relation to
Maryland and Virginia.
Coordinates: 3854'17?N 7700'59?WCoordinates: 3854'17?N 7700'59?W
Country United States
Approved 1790
Organized 1801
Consolidated 1871
Granted limited self-government 1973
Named for George Washington
Government
Mayor Muriel Bowser (D)
D.C. Council
Council members[show]
U.S. House Eleanor Holmes Norton (D),
Delegate (At-large)
Area
Federal district 68.34 sq mi (177.0 km2)
Land 61.05 sq mi (158.1 km2)
Water 7.29 sq mi (18.9 km2)
Highest elevation 409 ft (125 m)
Lowest elevation 0 ft (0 m)
Population (2016 estimate)[3][4]
Federal district 681,170
Rank 22nd, U.S. as of 2015 incorporated places estimate
Density 11,158/sq mi (4,308/km2)
Metro 6,097,684 (6th, U.S.)
CSA 9,625,360 (4th, U.S.)
Demonym Washingtonian[1][2]
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code(s) 20001-20098, 20201-20599
Area code(s) 202
Website www.dc.gov
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as
"Washington", "the District", or simply "D.C.", is the capital of the United Sta
tes.
The signing of the Residence Act on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of a ca
pital district located along the Potomac River on the country's East Coast. The
U.S. Constitution provided for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdicti
on of the Congress and the District is therefore not a part of any state. The st
ates of Maryland and Virginia each donated land to form the federal district, wh
ich included the pre-existing settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria. Named in
honor of President George Washington, the City of Washington was founded in 179
1 to serve as the new national capital. In 1846, Congress returned the land orig
inally ceded by Virginia; in 1871, it created a single municipal government for
the remaining portion of the District.
Washington had an estimated population of 681,170 as of July 2016. Commuters fro
m the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city's population to m
ore than one million during the workweek. The Washington metropolitan area, of w
hich the District is a part, has a population of over 6 million, the sixth-large
st metropolitan statistical area in the country.
The centers of all three branches of the federal government of the United States
are in the District, including the Congress, President, and Supreme Court. Wash
ington is home to many national monuments and museums, which are primarily situa
ted on or around the National Mall. The city hosts 176 foreign embassies as well
as the headquarters of many international organizations, trade unions, non-prof
it organizations, lobbying groups, and professional associations.
A locally elected mayor and a 13-member council have governed the District since
1973. However, the Congress maintains supreme authority over the city and may o
verturn local laws. D.C. residents elect a non-voting, at-large congressional de
legate to the House of Representatives, but the District has no representation i
n the Senate. The District receives three electoral votes in presidential electi
ons as permitted by the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution
, ratified in 1961.
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Foundation
1.2 Retrocession and the Civil War
1.3 Growth and redevelopment
1.4 Civil rights and home rule era
2 Geography
2.1 Climate
3 Cityscape
3.1 Architecture
4 Demographics
4.1 Crime
5 Economy
6 Culture
6.1 Historic sites and museums
6.2 Arts
6.3 Sports
7 Media
8 Government and politics
8.1 Politics
8.2 Budgetary issues
8.3 Voting rights debate
8.4 Sister cities
9 Education
10 Infrastructure
10.1 Transportation
10.2 Utilities
11 See also
12 Notes
13 References
14 External links
History
Further information: History of Washington, D.C. and Timeline of Washington, D.C
.
Various tribes of the Algonquian-speaking Piscataway people (also known as the C
onoy) inhabited the lands around the Potomac River when Europeans first visited
the area in the early 17th century. One group known as the Nacotchtank (also cal
led the Nacostines by Catholic missionaries) maintained settlements around the A
nacostia River within the present-day District of Columbia. Conflicts with Europ
ean colonists and neighboring tribes forced the relocation of the Piscataway peo
ple, some of whom established a new settlement in 1699 near Point of Rocks, Mary
land.[5]
In his Federalist No. 43, published January 23, 1788, James Madison argued that
the new federal government would need authority over a national capital to provi
de for its own maintenance and safety.[6] Five years earlier, a band of unpaid s
oldiers besieged Congress while its members were meeting in Philadelphia. Known
as the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, the event emphasized the need for the nation
al government not to rely on any state for its own security.[7]
Article One, Section Eight, of the Constitution permits the establishment of a "
District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular state
s, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the Unit
ed States".[8] However, the Constitution does not specify a location for the cap
ital. In what is now known as the Compromise of 1790, Madison, Alexander Hamilto
n, and Thomas Jefferson came to an agreement that the federal government would p
ay each state's remaining Revolutionary War debts in exchange for establishing t
he new national capital in the Southern United States.[9][a]
Foundation
Map of the District of Columbia in 1835, prior to the retrocession
On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation
of a national capital on the Potomac River. The exact location was to be selecte
d by President George Washington, who signed the bill into law on July 16. Forme
d from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, the initial shape of
the federal district was a square measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side, tota
ling 100 square miles (259 km2).[10][b]
Two pre-existing settlements were included in the territory: the port of Georget
own, Maryland, founded in 1751,[11] and the city of Alexandria, Virginia, founde
d in 1749.[12] During 1791 92, Andrew Ellicott and several assistants, including a
free African American astronomer named Benjamin Banneker, surveyed the borders
of the federal district and placed boundary stones at every mile point.[13] Many
of the stones are still standing.[14]
A new federal city was then constructed on the north bank of the Potomac, to the
east of Georgetown. On September 9, 1791, the three commissioners overseeing th
e capital's construction named the city in honor of President Washington. The fe
deral district was named Columbia, which was a poetic name for the United States
commonly in use at that time.[15][16] Congress held its first session in Washin
gton on November 17, 1800.[17]