History

James Madison first suggested 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. An attack on the Congress at Philadelphia in June 1783 by a mob of angry soldiers emphasized the need for the government to see to its own security. In what later became known as the Compromise of 1790, Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson came to an agreement that the federal government would assume war debt carried by the states, on the condition that the new national capital would be located in the South.

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

The initial shape of the federal district was a diamond, measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side, totaling 100 square miles (260 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 on the north bank of the Potomac, and Alexandria County on the south bank. During 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 these are still standing.

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. Although plans for the new City of Washington placed it in the geographic center of the federal territory, other communities such as Georgetown were also located in the District of Columbia .

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. Most government buildings were quickly repaired, but the Capitol, which was at the time largely under construction, would not be completed until 1868.

In the 1830s the District's southern county of Alexandria went into economic decline, due in part to heavy competition from 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 1846, partly 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. Congress complied on July 9 of that year. Four years later, the Compromise of 1850 outlawed the slave trade in the District, though not slavery itself.

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. By 1870, the District's population had grown to nearly 132,000. 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.

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. 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 ($357 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.

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 activity, adding to the number of federal employees in the capital; by 1950, the District's population reached a peak of 802,178 residents.

After the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, riots broke out in the District, 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 were not rebuilt until the late 1990s. 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.

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. In 1975, Walter Washington became the first elected and first black mayor of the District. In 1979, Marion Barry was elected, serving three successive four-year terms. Due to legal problems, Barry decided not to run for reelection and in 1991 Sharon Pratt Kelly became the first black woman to lead a U.S. city of Washington's size. Barry was elected again in 1994 and soon after the city became nearly insolvent. In 1995, Congress created an appointed financial control board, which had the authority to oversee all city spending; however, in September 2001, the District regained control over its finances and the oversight board's operations were suspended.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and deliberately crashed the plane into The Pentagon, located outside the city in Arlington, Virginia. Either the White House or the United States Capitol was another intended target for United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Geography

Washington, D.C. is located at 38°53′42″N, 77°02′11″W (the coordinates of the Zero Milestone, on the Ellipse). The city has a total area of 68.3 square miles (177 km²), of which 61.4 square miles (159 km²) is land and 6.9 square miles (18 km²) (10.16%) is water. The District is no longer 100 square miles (260 km²) due to the retrocession of the southern portion of the District back to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1846. The District's current area consists only of territory ceded by the state of Maryland.

Washington is surrounded by the states of Maryland to the southeast, northeast, and northwest and Virginia to the southwest. The District interrupts those states' common border, the Potomac River, both upstream and downstream from the District. 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. While wetlands did cover areas along the Potomac River, the District's territory consisted mostly of farmland and tree-covered hills. In fact, urban planners at the time of the city's founding had no objections to the location of the new capital.

The highest natural point in the District of Columbia is 409 feet (125 m) above sea level in Tenleytown. The lowest point is sea level at the Potomac River. The geographic center of Washington is located near 4th and L Streets NW.

Cityscape

Washington, D.C. is a planned city. In 1791, Pierre L'Enfant drew up a basic plan modeled in the Baroque style, which incorporated broad avenues radiating out from traffic circles, providing for maximum open space and landscaping. However, at the start of the 20th century, L'Enfant's vision of a capital with open parks and grand national monuments had become 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.

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 (6.1 m). Today the skyline remains low and sprawling, in 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 limited affordable housing and traffic problems as a result of urban sprawl. To escape the District's height restriction, taller buildings close to downtown are often constructed across the Potomac River in Rosslyn, Virginia.

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. All road names include the quadrant abbreviation to indicate their location. 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) and north-south streets with numbers (e.g. 4th Street NW). 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 streets were simply extended, where possible. 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 lobbying groups. Washington hosts 172 foreign embassies, 57 of which are located on a section of Massachusetts Avenue informally known as Embassy Row.

Architecture

The architecture of Washington, D.C. varies greatly. 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 include buildings constructed in the French Second Empire style such as the Old Executive Office Building and Library of Congress.

Outside downtown Washington, architectural styles are even more varied. In parts of the "Old City" (the area planned by L'Enfant), 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. Georgetown has the most cohesive architecture in the city; most homes reflect the late Victorian style from the 1870s. Georgetown University, however, is more distinct, with a mix of Romanesque and Gothic Revival architecture.

Natural features

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 only significant area of natural habitat not managed by the National Park Service is the U.S. National Arboretum, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Great Falls of the Potomac River are located upstream (i.e. northwest) of Washington. During the 19th century, the C&O Canal, which starts in Georgetown, was used to allow barge traffic to bypass the falls.

President Lyndon Johnson called the Potomac River a "national disgrace" in 1965, and used the river to illustrate the need for the Clean Water Restoration Act of 1966. The river is now home to a vibrant warm-water fishery and naturally reproducing Bald Eagles have returned to its banks. 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. The National Park Service's Center For Urban Ecology is a regional source of expertise and applied science for the region.

Climate

Washington has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa), typical of Mid-Atlantic U.S. areas removed from bodies of water, with four distinct seasons. Spring and fall are mild, with low humidity, while winter brings sustained cool temperatures and annual snowfall averaging 16.6 inches (420 mm). Average winter lows tend to be 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. Summers tend to be hot and humid, with daily high temperatures in July and August averaging in the high 80s to low 90s °F (about 30 to 33 °C). The combination of heat and humidity in the summer brings very frequent thunderstorms, some of which occasionally produce tornadoes in the area. The average annual rainfall is 39.3 inches (1,000 mm).

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.

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 (−26.1 °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.

Demographics

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. During the workweek, however, the number of commuters from the suburbs into the city swells the District's population by an estimated 71.8%, to a daytime population of over one million people. 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.

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). Even though they comprise the city's largest ethnic group, Washington has a steadily declining black population, due to many 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. 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.

The 2000 census revealed that there were an estimated 33,000 gay, lesbian, or bisexual adults in the District of Columbia, about 6% of the city's population; twice the national average of 2.9%. 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. However, Washington's domestic partnership law does provide same-sex couples legal recognition similar to civil unions offered in other jurisdictions.

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% of the District's population but are not proficient in English. However, while one-third are functionally illiterate, 45% 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. A 2005 study shows that 85.16% of Washington, D.C. residents age five and older speak only English at home and 8.78% speak Spanish. French is the third-most-spoken language at 1.35%. In 2000 more than half of District residents identify themselves as Christian; 28% of residents are Catholic, 6.8% are Southern Baptist, 1.3% are Eastern Orthodox, and 21.8% are members of other Protestant denominations. Residents who practice Islam make up 10.6% of the population, and followers of Judaism comprise 4.5%. 26.8% of residents do not practice a religion.

Crime

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. 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. Other forms of property crime, including thefts and robberies, also declined by similar percentages. 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. 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.

On June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court of the United States held in District of Columbia v. Heller that the city's 1976 handgun ban violates the Second Amendment right to gun ownership. 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.

Economy

Washington, D.C. has a growing, diversified economy with an increasing percentage of professional and business service jobs. The gross state product of the District in 2007 was $93.8 billion, ranking at number 35 when compared with the fifty states. As of March 2008, the federal government accounted for about 27% of the jobs in Washington, D.C. 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.

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. As of March 2008, the Washington Metropolitan Area had an unemployment rate of 3.4%; the lowest rate among the 40 largest metro areas in the nation. It is also significantly lower than the national average unemployment rate during the same period of 5.2%.

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. There are five Fortune 1000 companies based in Washington, of which two are also Fortune 500 companies. The city has become a leader in global real estate investment, behind London, New York City, and Paris. In 2006, Expansion Magazine ranked D.C. among the top ten areas in the nation favorable to business expansion. Washington has the third-largest downtown in the United States in terms of commercial office space, directly behind New York City and Chicago.

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. A new shopping mall opened in Columbia Heights in March 2008 represents the first new major retail center in the District in 40 years.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. 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% in affluent Ward 4 to 16.3% in Ward 8 in August 2006 (see graphic). 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.

Culture

Historic sites and museums

The National Mall is a large, open park area in the center of the city. Located in the center of the Mall is the Washington Monument. Also located on the mall are the Lincoln Memorial, the National World War II Memorial at the east end of the reflecting pool, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Albert Einstein Memorial. The National Archives houses thousands of documents important to American history including the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

Located directly south of the mall, the Tidal Basin features rows of Japanese cherry blossom trees that were presented as gifts from the nation of Japan. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and the District of Columbia War Memorial are located around the Tidal Basin.

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational foundation chartered by Congress in 1846 that maintains most of the nation's official museums and galleries in Washington, D.C. The U.S. government partially funds the Smithsonian, thus making its collections open to the public free of charge. The most visited of the Smithsonian museums is the National Museum of Natural History located on the National Mall. Other Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries located on the mall are: the National Air and Space Museum; the National Museum of African Art; the National Museum of American History; the National Museum of the American Indian; the Sackler and Freer galleries, which both focus on Asian art and culture; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; the Arts and Industries Building; and the Smithsonian Institution Building (also known as "The Castle"), which serves as the Smithsonian Institution's headquarters

The Smithsonian American Art Museum (formerly known as the National Museum of American Art) and the National Portrait Gallery are located in the same building, the Donald W. Reynolds Center, near Washington's Chinatown. The Renwick Gallery is officially part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum but is located in a separate building near the White House. The Reynolds Center was known as the Old Patent Office Building until 2006, and many still refer to the building using its former name. Other Smithsonian museums and galleries include: the Anacostia Community Museum in Southeast Washington; the National Postal Museum near Union Station; and the National Zoo in Woodley Park.

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall near the Capitol, but is not a part of the Smithsonian Institution. It is instead wholly owned by the U.S. government; thus admission to the gallery is free. The gallery's west wing features the nation's collection of American and European art through the 19th century. The east wing, designed by architect I.M. Pei, features works of modern art.[89] The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery are often confused with the National Gallery of Art when they are in fact entirely separate institutions. The National Building Museum, located near Judiciary Square, was chartered by Congress and hosts temporary and traveling exhibits.

There are many private art museums in the District of Columbia, which house major collections and exhibits open to the public such as: the National Museum of Women in the Arts; the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the largest private museum in Washington; and The Phillips Collection in Dupont Circle, the first museum of modern art in the United States.[90] Other private museums in Washington include the Newseum, the International Spy Museum, the National Geographic Society museum, and the Marian Koshland Science Museum. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum located near the National Mall maintains exhibits, documentation, and artifacts related to The Holocaust.

Performing arts and music

Washington, D.C. is a national center for the arts. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is home to the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, and the Washington Ballet. The Kennedy Center Honors are awarded each year to those in the performing arts who have contributed greatly to the cultural life of the United States. The President and First Lady typically attend the Honors ceremony, as the First Lady is the honorary chair of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees.

Arena Stage, one of the nation's first non-profit regional theaters, produces an eight-show season that features classic works and new American plays. The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre founded in 1985, which critics regard as "one of the world's three great Shakespearean theatres" for its reinterpretations and production of classical plays.

The U Street Corridor in Northwest Washington, known as "Washington's Black Broadway", is home to institutions like Bohemian Caverns and the Lincoln Theatre which hosted music legends such as Washington-native Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. Other jazz venues feature modern blues such as Madam's Organ in Adams Morgan and Blues Alley in Georgetown.

D.C. has its own native music genre called go-go; a post-funk, percussion-driven flavor of R&B that blends live sets with relentless dance rhythms, so called because they "go and go and go". The most accomplished practitioner was D.C. band leader Chuck Brown, who brought go-go to the brink of national recognition with his 1979 LP Bustin' Loose.

Washington is also an important center for indie culture and music in the United States. The label Dischord Records, formed by Ian MacKaye, was one of the most crucial independent labels in the genesis of 1980s punk and eventually indie rock in the 1990s. Washington's indie label history includes TeenBeat, Dischord Records, Simple Machines, and ESL Music among others. Modern alternative and indie music venues like The Black Cat and the 9:30 Club near U Street bring popular acts to smaller more-intimate venues.

Media

Washington, DC is a prominent center for national and international media. The Washington Post, founded in 1877, is the oldest and most-read local daily newspaper in Washington. It is probably most notable for its coverage of national and international politics as well as for exposing the Watergate scandal. "The Post", as it is popularly called, continues to print only three main editions; one each for the District, Maryland, and Virginia. Even without expanded national editions, the newspaper has the sixth-highest circulation of all news dailies in the country as of March 2008. USA Today, the nation's largest daily newspaper by circulation, is headquartered in nearby McLean, Virginia.

The Washington Post Company has a daily free commuter newspaper called the Express, which summarizes events, sports and entertainment, as well as the Spanish-language paper El Tiempo Latino. Another local daily, The Washington Times, and the weekly alternative Washington City Paper have substantial readership in the Washington area as well. A number of community and specialty papers focus on neighborhood and cultural issues including: the weekly Washington Blade and Metro Weekly, which focus on LGBT issues; and the Washington Informer and The Washington Afro American, which highlight topics of interest to the black community. Two Washington newspapers, The Hill and Roll Call, focus exclusively on issues related to Congress and the federal government.

The Washington Metropolitan Area is the ninth-largest television media market in the U.S. with 2,308,290 homes (2.05% of the U.S. population). Several media companies and cable television channels have their headquarters in Washington, D.C. including: C-SPAN; Black Entertainment Television (BET); the National Geographic Channel; Smithsonian Networks; XM Satellite Radio; National Public Radio (NPR); Discovery Communications (in Silver Spring, Maryland); and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (in Alexandria, Virginia). The headquarters of Voice of America, the U.S. government's international news service, is located near the Capitol in Southwest Washington. The D.C. area is also home to Radio One, the nation's largest African American media conglomerate, founded by media mogul Cathy Hughes.

Sports

Washington, D.C. is home to five major professional mens' teams. The Washington Wizards (National Basketball Association) and the Washington Capitals (National Hockey League) both play at the Verizon Center (right) in Chinatown. Nationals Park, which opened in Southeast D.C. in 2008, is home to the Washington Nationals (Major League Baseball). The D.C. United (Major League Soccer) play at RFK Stadium. The Washington Redskins (National Football League) play at nearby FedExField in Landover, Maryland.

The Washington area is also home to a number of women's professional sports teams. The Washington Mystics (WNBA) play at the Verizon Center and the Washington Glory (National Pro Fastpitch Softball) play at Westfield H.S. Sports Complex in Fairfax County, Virginia. The Washington Freedom are set to be revived in 2009 within the Women's Professional Soccer league, the successor to the WUSA. Other professional and semi-professional teams based in Washington include: the Washington Bayhawks (Major League Lacrosse), who play at George Mason Stadium; the Washington D.C. Slayers (American National Rugby League); the Potomac Mavericks (PIHA); the Baltimore Washington Eagles (USAFL); the D.C. Divas (NWFA); the D.C. Explosion (Minor League Football); and the Washington RFC (Rugby Super League).

Washington is one of only 13 cities in the United States with a team from all four major mens' sports: football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. When soccer is included, Washington is one of only 8 cities to have all five professional mens' sports. D.C. teams have won a combined 11 professional league championships: the D.C. United has won four (the most in MLS history); the Washington Redskins have won three; the Washington Bayhawks have won two; and the Washington Wizards and the Washington Glory have each won a single championship. The William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park hosts the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. The Marine Corps Marathon and the National Marathon are both held annually in Washington. The D.C. area is home to one regional sports television network, Comcast SportsNet (CSN), based in Bethesda, Maryland.

Government

Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution grants the U.S. Congress ultimate authority over the District of Columbia. The 1973 Home Rule Act devolved certain Congressional powers over the District to a local government administered by an elected mayor, currently Adrian Fenty, and the thirteen-member Council of the District of Columbia. However, Congress retains the right to review and overturn laws created by the city council and intervene in local affairs. Each of the city's eight wards elects a single member of the council and five members, including the chairman, are elected at large. There are 37 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) elected by small neighborhood districts. ANCs traditionally wield a great deal of influence and the city government routinely takes their suggestions into careful consideration.

The mayor and council adopt a budget, which Congress has the right to change. Local income, sales, and property taxes provide most of the revenue to fund city government agencies and services. Like the 50 states, D.C. receives funds for federal grants and assistance programs like Medicare. Congress also appropriates money directly to the D.C. government to help offset some of the city's costs; these funds totaled $38 million in 2007, approximately 0.5% of the District's budget. However, in addition to those funds, the Federal government operates the District's court system, which had a budget of $272 million in 2008, and federal law enforcement agencies like the U.S. Park Police help provide security in the city.

Historically, the city's local government has earned a reputation for mismanagement and waste, particularly during the mayoralty of Marion Barry. A front-page story in the July 20, 1997 Washington Post reported that Washington had some of the highest-cost yet lowest-quality services in the entire region. The administration of Mayor Anthony Williams oversaw a period greater prosperity, urban renewal, and budget surpluses starting in the late 1990s that continues on today. In late 2007, investigators found that employees at the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue embezzled over $44 million in city funds by writing fraudulent tax refund checks. The scandal resulted in a black mark for the Fenty administration, which had made regaining the public trust a top priority.

Washington, D.C. observes all Federal holidays. The District also celebrates Emancipation Day on April 16, which commemorates the signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, nine months prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. The Act ended slavery in the District of Columbia and freed about 3,100 enslaved persons.[123]

Federal representation and taxation

Citizens of the District of Columbia have no voting representation in Congress. They are represented in the House of Representatives by a non-voting delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C. At-Large), who may sit on committees, participate in debate, and introduce legislation, but cannot vote on the House floor. D.C. has no representation in the Senate. Unlike U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico or Guam, which also have non-voting delegates, citizens of the District of Columbia are subject to all U.S. federal laws and taxes. In the financial year 2005, D.C. residents and businesses paid $18.1 billion in federal taxes; higher than the federal taxes collected from 20 states. The District also pays the most federal taxes per capita.

A 2005 poll found that 78% of Americans did not know that residents of the District of Columbia have less representation in Congress than residents of the 50 states. Efforts to raise awareness about the issue have included campaigns by grassroots organizations as well as featuring the city's unofficial motto, "Taxation Without Representation", on D.C. vehicle license plates. In a show of support for the city, President Bill Clinton used the "Taxation Without Representation" plates on the presidential limousine; however, President George W. Bush had the tags replaced to those without the motto shortly upon taking office.

There is evidence of nationwide approval for DC voting rights; various polls indicate that 61 to 82% of Americans believe that D.C. should have voting representation in Congress. Despite public support, attempts to grant the District voting representation, including the D.C. statehood movement and the proposed District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment, have been unsuccessful. Opponents of D.C. voting rights propose that the Founding Fathers never intended for District residents to have a vote in Congress since the Constitution makes clear that representation must come from the states. Those opposed to making D.C. a state claim that such a move would destroy the notion of a separate national capital and that statehood would unfairly grant Senate representation to a single city. District residents were barred from voting for the President of the United States until 1961; the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution grants the District three votes in the Electoral College.

Education and healthcare

District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) operates the city's public school system, which consists of 167 schools and learning centers. In the 2007–08 school year, 49,076 students were enrolled in the public school system. Enrollment in DCPS has been steadily decreasing, and by next year the city expects total enrollment to fall to 47,700. DCPS has one of the highest-cost yet lowest-performing school systems in the country, both in terms of infrastructure and student achievement. DCPS had only one school in the U.S. News and World Report's 2008 ranking of the nation's top 100 high schools. By comparison, suburban Washington public school systems had a total of 14 schools on the list. The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) provides public postsecondary education.

Under a massive restructuring of the city's school system in 2007, the D.C. Council granted the mayor's office near-total authority over D.C. public schools. Mayor Fenty's new superintendent of DCPS, Chancellor Michelle Rhee, has made sweeping changes to the school system by cutting administration staff, firing principals, ending teacher seniority, and even closing schools altogether. Due to the problems with the D.C. public school system, enrollment in public charter schools has increased 13% each year since 2001. As of fall 2007, D.C. charter schools had a total enrollment of 21,859 students. The District of Columbia Public Charter School Board monitors the 56 public charter schools in the city. The District also has some of the nation's most renowned private high schools. Many important political figures and their children have attended St. Albans and Sidwell Friends, including Chelsea Clinton who attended Sidwell during her father's presidency.

Washington is home to many notable universities, including The George Washington University (GW), Georgetown University (GU), American University (AU), The Catholic University of America (CUA), Howard University, Gallaudet University, and The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). The Corcoran College of Art and Design provides specialized arts instruction and other higher-education institutions offer continuing, distance and adult education.

The District is a national center for patient care and medical research. There is a total of 16 medical centers and hospitals located within the District of Columbia. The National Institutes of Health is located in nearby Bethesda, Maryland. Washington Hospital Center (WHC), the largest hospital campus in the District, is both the largest private and the largest non-profit hospital in the Washington area. Immediately adjacent to the WHC is the Children's National Medical Center. Children's is among the highest ranked pediatric hospitals in the country according to U.S. News and World Report. Many of the city's prominent universities, including George Washington, Georgetown, and Howard have medical schools and associated teaching hospitals. Walter Reed Army Medical Center is located in Northwest Washington and provides care for active-duty and retired personnel and their dependents.

Transportation

Washington, D.C. is often cited as having some of the nation's worst traffic and congestion. In 2008, Forbes magazine found that Washington commuters spend 60 hours a year in traffic, which tied Atlanta, Georgia for having the worst traffic in the country after Los Angeles. However, the Washington area has the second-highest number of commuters in the country who walk, bike, carpool, or take public transportation.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) operates the city's rapid transit system, Metrorail (most often referred to as simply "the Metro"), as well as Metrobus. The subway and bus systems serve both the District of Columbia and the immediate Maryland and Virginia suburbs. Metrorail opened on March 27, 1976 and presently consists of 86 stations and 106.3 miles (171.1 km) of track. With an average 950,000 trips each weekday in 2008, Metrorail is the nation's second-busiest rapid transit system in the country, after the New York City Subway.

Due to population growth in the Washington area, WMATA expects an average one million Metrorail riders daily by 2030. The need to increase capacity has pushed up plans to add 200 trains to the system, reroute subway cars to alleviate congestion at the busiest stations, and construct two additional Metro lines. The surrounding jurisdictions in the Washington area have local bus systems, such as Montgomery County's Ride On, which compliment service provided by WMATA. Metrorail, Metrobus and all local public bus systems accept SmarTrip, a reloadable transit pass.

Union Station is the second-busiest train station in the United States, after Penn Station in New York, and serves as the southern terminus of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and Acela Express service. Maryland's MARC and Virginia's VRE commuter trains and the Metrorail Red Line also provide service into Union Station. Intercity bus service is available from the Greyhound Lines terminal in Northeast D.C. Other private bus lines, such as the low-cost "Chinatown" buses, mainly provide service between Washington and New York City.

Three major airports, one in Maryland and two in Virginia, serve Washington, D.C. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, located just across the Potomac River from downtown D.C. in Arlington County, Virginia, is the only Washington-area airport that has its own Metrorail station. Given its proximity to the city, Reagan National has noise restrictions and extra security precautions as required by the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). Additionally, Reagan National does not have U.S. Customs and Border Protection and therefore can only provide international service to airports that permit United States border preclearance, including: Nassau, Bahamas; Bermuda; Toronto; Ottawa; and Montréal.

Major international flights arrive and depart from Washington Dulles International Airport, located 26.3 miles (42.3 km) west of the city in Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia. Dulles serves as the major east coast airline hub for United Airlines. Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, located 31.7 miles (51.0 km) northeast of the city in Anne Arundel County, Maryland is a hub for Southwest and Airtran airlines.