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Washington D.C. is one of the most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million annual tourists.<\/p>\n
The signing of the Residence Act on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of a capital district located along the Potomac River<\/a> on the country’s East Coast. \u00a0The U.S. Constitution provided for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress, and the District is therefore not a part of any state. \u00a0The states of Maryland<\/a> and Virginia<\/a> each donated land to form the federal district, which included the pre-existing settlements of Georgetown<\/a> and Alexandria<\/a>. \u00a0The City of Washington D.C. was founded in 1791 to serve as the new national capital. \u00a0In 1846, Congress returned the land originally ceded by Virginia; in 1871, it created a single municipal government for the remaining portion of the District.<\/p>\n All three branches of the U.S. federal government are centered in the District: U.S. Congress<\/a> (legislative), President<\/a> (executive), and the U.S. Supreme Court<\/a> (judicial). \u00a0Washington D.C. is home to many national monuments and museums, which are primarily situated on or around the National Mall.<\/p>\n The city hosts 177 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of many international organizations, trade unions, non-profit, lobbying groups, and professional associations.<\/p>\n A locally elected mayor and a 13\u2011member council have governed the District since 1973. \u00a0However, Congress maintains supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. \u00a0D.C. residents elect a non-voting, at-large congressional delegate to the House of Representatives<\/a>, but the District has no representation in the Senate<\/a>. \u00a0The District receives three electoral votes in presidential elections as permitted by the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution<\/a>, ratified in 1961.<\/p>\n Various tribes of the Algonquian-speaking<\/a> Piscataway<\/a> people inhabited the lands around the Potomac River when Europeans first visited the area in the early 17th century. \u00a0One group known as the Nacotchtank<\/a> maintained settlements around the Anacostia River<\/a> within the present-day District of Columbia. \u00a0Conflicts with European colonists and neighboring tribes forced the relocation of the Piscataway people, some of whom established a new settlement in 1699 near Point of Rocks, Maryland<\/a>.<\/p>\n In his Federalist No. 43<\/a>, published January 23, 1788, James Madison<\/a> argued that the new federal government would need authority over a national capital to provide for its own maintenance and safety.<\/p>\n Five years earlier, a band of unpaid soldiers besieged Congress while its members were meeting in Philadelphia<\/a>. \u00a0Known as the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783<\/a>, the event emphasized the need for the national government not to rely on any state for its own security.<\/p>\n Article One, Section Eight, of the Constitution<\/a> permits the establishment of a “District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States”.\u00a0 However, the Constitution does not specify a location for the capital. \u00a0In what is now known as the Compromise of 1790<\/a>, Madison, Alexander Hamilton<\/a>, and Thomas Jefferson<\/a> came to an agreement that the federal government would pay each state’s remaining Revolutionary War<\/a> debts in exchange for establishing the new national capital in the southern United States.<\/p>\n On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act<\/a>, which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River. \u00a0The exact location was to be selected by President George Washington, who signed the bill into law on July 16. \u00a0Formed from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, the initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring 10 miles on each side, totaling 100 square miles.<\/p>\n Two pre-existing settlements were included in the territory: the port of Georgetown, Maryland, founded in 1751, and the city of Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1749.\u00a0 During 1791\u201392, Andrew Ellicott<\/a> and several assistants surveyed the borders of the federal district and placed boundary stones at every mile point.\u00a0 Many of the stones are still standing.<\/p>\n A new federal city was then constructed on the north bank of the Potomac, to the east of Georgetown. \u00a0On September 9, 1791, the three commissioners overseeing the capital’s construction named the city in honor of President Washington.<\/p>\n The federal district was named Columbia<\/a> (a feminine form of “Columbus”), which was a poetic name for the United States commonly in use at that time.\u00a0 Congress held its first session in Washington D.C. on November 17, 1800.<\/p>\n Congress passed the Organic Act of 1801<\/a>, which officially organized the District and placed the entire territory under the exclusive control of the federal government. \u00a0Further, the unincorporated area within the District was organized into two counties: the County of Washington<\/a> to the east of the Potomac and the County of Alexandria to the west.\u00a0 After the passage of this Act, citizens living in the District were no longer considered residents of Maryland or Virginia, which therefore ended their representation in Congress.<\/p>\n On August 24\u201325, 1814, in a raid known as the Burning of Washington D.C<\/a>., British forces invaded the capital during the War of 1812<\/a>. \u00a0The Capitol<\/a>, Treasury<\/a>, and White House<\/a> were burned and gutted during the attack.\u00a0 Most government buildings were repaired quickly; however, the Capitol was largely under construction at the time and was not completed in its current form until 1868.<\/p>\n In the 1830s, the District’s southern territory of Alexandria went into economic decline partly due to neglect by Congress.\u00a0 The city of Alexandria was a major market in the American slave trade, and pro-slavery residents feared that abolitionists in Congress would end slavery in the District, further depressing the economy. \u00a0Alexandria’s citizens petitioned Virginia to take back the land it had donated to form the District, through a process known as retrocession<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Virginia General Assembly voted in February 1846 to accept the return of Alexandria and on July 9, 1846, Congress agreed to return all the territory that had been ceded by Virginia. \u00a0Therefore, the District’s current area consists only of the portion originally donated by Maryland.<\/p>\n By 1870, the District’s population had grown 75% from the previous census to nearly 132,000 residents.\u00a0 Despite the city’s growth, Washington D.C. still had dirt roads and lacked basic sanitation. \u00a0Some members of Congress suggested moving the capital further west, but President Ulysses S. Grant<\/a> refused to consider such a proposal.<\/p>\n Congress passed the Organic Act of 1871<\/a>, which repealed the individual charters of the cities of Washington D.C. and Georgetown, and created a new territorial government for the whole District of Columbia.\u00a0 President Grant appointed Alexander Robey Shepherd<\/a> to the position of governor in 1873.<\/p>\n Shepherd authorized large-scale projects that greatly modernized Washington, but ultimately bankrupted the District government. \u00a0In 1874, Congress replaced the territorial government with an appointed three-member Board of Commissioners.<\/p>\n The city’s first motorized streetcars began service in 1888 and generated growth in areas of the District beyond the City of Washington D.C.’s original boundaries. \u00a0Washington’s urban plan was expanded throughout the District in the following decades.\u00a0 Georgetown was formally annexed by the City of Washington in 1895.\u00a0 However, the city had poor housing conditions and strained public works. \u00a0Washington was the first city in the nation to undergo urban renewal projects as part of the “City Beautiful movement” in the early 1900s.<\/p>\n Increased federal spending as a result of the New Deal<\/a> in the 1930s led to the construction of new government buildings, memorials, and museums in Washington D.C. .\u00a0 World War II<\/a> further increased government activity, adding to the number of federal employees in the capital; by 1950, the District’s population reached its peak of 802,178 residents.<\/p>\n The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in 1961, granting the District three votes in the Electoral College<\/a> for the election of president and vice president, but still no voting representation in Congress.<\/p>\n In 1973, Congress enacted the District of Columbia Home Rule Act<\/a>, providing for an elected mayor and 13-member council for the District.<\/p>\n Washington, D.C., is located in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. East Coast<\/a>. \u00a0Due to the District of Columbia retrocession, the city has a total area of 68.34 square miles.\u00a0 The District is bordered by Montgomery County, Maryland<\/a>, to the northwest; Prince George’s County, Maryland<\/a>, to the east; and Arlington<\/a> and Alexandria, Virginia, to the south and west.<\/p>\n The south bank of the Potomac River forms the District’s border with Virginia and has two major tributaries: the Anacostia River and Rock Creek<\/a>.\u00a0 Tiber Creek<\/a>, a natural watercourse that once passed through the National Mall<\/a>, was fully enclosed underground during the 1870s.\u00a0 The creek also formed a portion of the now-filled Washington City Canal<\/a>, which allowed passage through the city to the Anacostia River from 1815 until the 1850s.\u00a0 The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal<\/a> starts in Georgetown and was used during the 19th century to bypass the Little Falls of the Potomac River<\/a>, located at the northwest edge of Washington D.C. at the Atlantic Seaboard fall line<\/a>.<\/p>\n The highest natural elevation in the District is 409 feet above sea level at Fort Reno Park<\/a> in upper northwest Washington D.C. .\u00a0 The lowest point is sea level at the Potomac River.\u00a0 The geographic center of Washington is near the intersection of 4th and L Streets NW.<\/p>\n Washington\u00a0D.C. has a growing, diversified economy with an increasing percentage of professional and business service jobs.<\/p>\n In December 2017, 25% of the employees in Washington, D.C., were employed by a federal governmental agency.<\/p>\n This is thought to immunize Washington, D.C., to national economic downturns because the federal government continues operations even during recessions.\u00a0 Many organizations such as law firms, defense contractors, civilian contractors, nonprofit organizations, lobbying firms, trade unions, industry trade groups, and professional associations have their headquarters in or near Washington, D.C., in order to be close to the federal government.<\/p>\n Tourism is Washington D.C.’s second-largest industry. \u00a0Approximately 18.9 million visitors contributed an estimated $4.8 billion to the local economy in 2012.\u00a0 The District also hosts nearly 200 foreign embassies and international organizations such as the World Bank<\/a>, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)<\/a>, the Organization of American States<\/a>, the Inter-American Development Bank<\/a>, and the Pan American Health Organization<\/a>. \u00a0In 2008, the foreign diplomatic corps in Washington employed about 10,000 people and contributed an estimated $400 million annually to the local economy.<\/p>\n The District has growing industries not directly related to government, especially in the areas of education, finance, public policy, and scientific research. \u00a0Georgetown University<\/a>, George Washington University<\/a>, Washington Hospital Center<\/a>, Children’s National Medical Center<\/a> and Howard University<\/a> are the top five non-government-related employers in the city as of 2009.<\/p>\n There are 1,500 miles of streets, parkways, and avenues in the District.\u00a0 Due to the freeway revolts of the 1960s, much of the proposed interstate highway system through the middle of Washington D.C. was never built. \u00a0Interstate 95 (I-95)<\/a>, the nation’s major east coast highway, therefore bends around the District to form the eastern portion of the Capital Beltway<\/a>. \u00a0A portion of the proposed highway funding was directed to the region’s public transportation infrastructure instead.\u00a0 The interstate highways that continue into Washington, including I-66<\/a> and I-395<\/a>, both terminate shortly after entering the city.<\/p>\n The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)<\/a> operates the Washington D.C. Metro<\/a>, the city’s rapid transit system, as well as Metrobus<\/a>. \u00a0Both systems serve the District and its suburbs. \u00a0Metro opened on March 27, 1976 and, as of July 2014, consists of 91 stations and 117 miles of track.\u00a0 With an average of about one million trips each weekday, Metro is the second-busiest rapid transit system in the country. \u00a0Metrobus serves over 400,000 riders each weekday and is the nation’s fifth-largest bus system.\u00a0 The city also operates its own DC Circulator<\/a> bus system, which connects commercial areas within central Washington.<\/p>\n Union Station<\/a> is the city’s main train station and services approximately 70,000 people each day.<\/p>\n It is Amtrak’s<\/a> second-busiest station with 4.6 million passengers annually and is the southern terminus for the Northeast Corridor<\/a> and Acela Express<\/a> routes. \u00a0Maryland’s MARC<\/a> and Virginia’s VRE<\/a> commuter trains and the Metrorail Red Line also provide service into Union Station.\u00a0 Following renovations in 2011, Union Station became Washington D.C.’s primary intercity bus transit center.<\/p>\n Three major airports serve the District. \u00a0Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport<\/a> is across the Potomac River from downtown Washington in Arlington, Virginia and primarily handles domestic flights. \u00a0Major international flights arrive and depart from Washington Dulles International Airport<\/a>, 26.3 miles west of the District in Fairfax<\/a> and Loudoun<\/a> counties in Virginia.<\/p>\n Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport<\/a> is 31.7 miles northeast of the District in Anne Arundel County<\/a>, Maryland.<\/p>\n An expected 32% increase in transit usage within the District by 2030 has spurred the construction of a new DC Streetcar system<\/a> to interconnect the city’s neighborhoods.\u00a0 Construction has also started on an additional Metro line that will connect Washington, D.C. to Dulles airport.<\/p>\n The flag of Washington, D.C., consists of three red stars above two red bars on a white background.<\/p>\n It is an armorial banner based on the design of the coat of arms of George Washington, first used to identify the family in the 12th century, when one of George Washington’s ancestors took possession of Washington Old Hall<\/a>, County Durham<\/a>, northeast England<\/a>.<\/p>\n As elements in heraldry, the stars are properly called mullets.<\/p>\n For over a century, the District of Columbia was without an official flag and flew several unofficial banners\u2014usually the flag of the D.C. National Guard<\/a>. \u00a0In 1938, Congress established a commission to choose an official, original flag design. \u00a0The commission held a public competition, and picked the submission of graphic designer Charles A. R. Dunn<\/a>, who had first proposed his design in 1921.<\/p>\n Dunn’s design was officially adopted on October 15, 1938.<\/p>\n In 2002, the D.C. Council<\/a> debated a proposal to change the flag in protest of the District’s lack of voting rights in Congress<\/a>. \u00a0The new design would have added the letters “D.C.” to the center star and the words “Taxation Without Representation” in white to the two red bars, a slogan already in use on the District’s license plates.<\/p>\n![\"Famous](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/03\/Famous-Sites-in-Washington-DC-214x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
History:<\/h2>\n
Early History:<\/h3>\n
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Foundation:<\/h3>\n
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Retrocession and the Civil War:<\/h3>\n
Growth and Redevelopment:<\/h3>\n
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Civil Rights and Home Rule Era:<\/h3>\n
Geography:<\/h2>\n
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Economy:<\/h2>\n
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Transportation:<\/h2>\n
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Flag of Washington, D.C.<\/h2>\n
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