Washington, D.C.

{{Main|History of Washington, D.C.}}

{{For timeline|Timeline of Washington, D.C.}}

The Algonquian-speaking Piscataway people inhabited present-day Washington, D.C. and lands around the Potomac River when Europeans first arrived and colonized the region in the early 17th century. The Nacotchtank, also called the Nacostines by Catholic missionaries, maintained settlements around the Anacostia River in present-day Washington, D.C. Conflicts with European colonists and neighboring tribes ultimately displaced the Piscataway people, some of whom established a new settlement in 1699 near Point of Rocks, Maryland.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BaJrnQEACAAJ |title=Ancient Washington: American Indian Cultures of the Potomac Valley |last1=Humphrey |first1=Robert Lee |last2=Chambers |first2=Mary Elizabeth |date=1977 |publisher=George Washington University |isbn=978-1-888028-04-1 |access-date=March 6, 2018 |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126020432/https://books.google.com/books?id=BaJrnQEACAAJ |url-status=live }}

File:USCapitol1800.jpg began assembling in the new United States Capitol after the nation's capital was moved from Philadelphia, which served as the capital during the American Revolution and again from 1790 to 1800.]]

During the American Revolution and Revolutionary War, Nine cities served as capitals to the Continental Congress and under the Articles of Confederation. Following independence, New York City served briefly as the first capital following adoption of the Constitution before the capital returned to Philadelphia, where it remained from 1790 to 1800.{{Cite web |date= |title=The Nine Capitals of the United States |url=http://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_item/Nine_Capitals_of_the_United_States.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226113429/http://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_item/Nine_Capitals_of_the_United_States.htm |archive-date=2012-02-26 |access-date= |website=Senate.gov}}

On October 6, 1783, after the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 forced the capital to move briefly from Philadelphia to present-day Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, Congress resolved to consider a new location for it.{{cite journal |url=https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=lljc&fileName=025%2Flljc025.db&recNum=120&itemLink=r%3Fammem%2Fhlaw%3A%40field%28DOCID+%40lit%28jc02530%29%29%230250129&linkText=1 |journal=Journals of the Continental Congress |date=October 1783 |page=647 |title=October 6, 1783 |publisher=Library of Congress: American Memory |access-date=January 14, 2022 |archive-date=January 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115011035/https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=lljc&fileName=025%2Flljc025.db&recNum=120&itemLink=r%3Fammem%2Fhlaw%3A%40field%28DOCID+%40lit%28jc02530%29%29%230250129&linkText=1 |url-status=live }} The following day, Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts moved "that buildings for the use of Congress be erected on the banks of the Delaware near Trenton, or of the Potomac, near Georgetown, provided a suitable district can be procured on one of the rivers as aforesaid, for a federal town".{{cite journal |url=https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=lljc&fileName=025%2Flljc025.db&recNum=127&itemLink=r%3Fammem%2Fhlaw%3A%40field%28DOCID+%40lit%28jc02530%29%29%230250129&linkText=1 |journal=Journals of the Continental Congress |date=October 1783 |page=654 |title=October 7, 1783 |publisher=Library of Congress: American Memory |access-date=January 14, 2022 |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114184055/https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=lljc&fileName=025%2Flljc025.db&recNum=127&itemLink=r%3Fammem%2Fhlaw%3A%40field%28DOCID+%40lit%28jc02530%29%29%230250129&linkText=1 |url-status=live }}

In Federalist No. 43, published January 23, 1788, James Madison argued that the new federal government would need authority over a national capital to provide for its own maintenance and safety.{{cite web |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/home/fedpapers/fed_43.html |title=The Federalist No. 43 |access-date=September 5, 2011 |last=Madison |first=James |work=The Independent Journal |publisher=Library of Congress |archive-date=September 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914085128/http://thomas.loc.gov/home/fedpapers/fed_43.html |url-status=dead}} The Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 emphasized the need for the national government to not rely on any state for its own security.{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Q81AAAAIAAJ |title=Centennial History of the City of Washington, D.C. |last1=Crew |first1=Harvey W. |last2=Webb |first2=William Bensing |last3=Wooldridge |first3=John |publisher=United Brethren Publishing House |year=1892 |location=Dayton, OH |page=66 |chapter=IV. Washington Becomes The Capital |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=November 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118202557/https://books.google.com/books?id=5Q81AAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}

Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution 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".{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html |title=Constitution of the United States |access-date=July 22, 2008 |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |archive-date=August 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819235454/http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html |url-status=live }} The constitution, however, does not specify a location for the capital. In the Compromise of 1790, Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson agreed that the federal government would pay each state's remaining Revolutionary War debts in exchange for establishing the new national capital in the Southern United States.{{cite book |last1=Crew |first1=Harvey W. |last2=Webb |first2=William Bensing |last3=Wooldridge |first3=John |title=Centennial History of the City of Washington, D.C. |publisher=United Brethren Publishing House |year=1892 |location=Dayton, OH |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5Q81AAAAIAAJ |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5Q81AAAAIAAJ/page/n131 124]}}{{efn|By 1790, the Southern states had largely repaid their overseas debts from the Revolutionary War. The Northern states had not and wanted the federal government to take over their outstanding liabilities. Southern Congressmen agreed to the plan in return for establishing the new national capital at their preferred site on the Potomac River.}}

On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved creating a national capital on the Potomac River. Under the Residence Act, the exact location was to be selected by President George Washington, who signed the bill into law on July 16, 1790. Formed from land donated by Maryland and Virginia, the initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring {{convert|10|mi|km}} on each side and totaling {{convert|100|sqmi|km2|0}}.{{cite book |last1=Crew |first1=Harvey W. |last2=Webb |first2=William Bensing |last3=Wooldridge |first3=John |title=Centennial History of the City of Washington, D.C. |publisher=United Brethren Publishing House |year=1892 |location=Dayton, OH |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5Q81AAAAIAAJ |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5Q81AAAAIAAJ/page/n96 89]–92}}{{efn|The Residence Act allowed the President to select a location within Maryland as far east as the Anacostia River. However, Washington shifted the federal territory's borders to the southeast and rotated them to include Alexandria at the district's southern tip. In 1791, Congress amended the Residence Act to approve the new site, including territory ceded by Virginia.}}

Two pre-existing settlements were included in the territory, the port of Georgetown, founded in 1751,{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/Wash/dc15.htm |title=Georgetown Historic District |access-date=July 5, 2008 |publisher=National Park Service |archive-date=July 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702044337/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/wash/dc15.htm |url-status=live }} and the port city of Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1749.{{cite web |url=http://www.alexandriahistorical.org/history.html |title=Alexandria's History |access-date=April 4, 2009 |publisher=Alexandria Historical Society |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404012136/http://www.alexandriahistorical.org/history.html |archive-date=April 4, 2009}} In 1791 and 1792, a team led by Andrew Ellicott, including Ellicott's brothers Joseph and Benjamin and African American astronomer Benjamin Banneker, whose parents had been enslaved, surveyed the borders of the federal district and placed boundary stones at every mile point; many of these stones are still standing.{{cite book |last=Bordewich |first=Fergus M. |title=Washington: the making of the American capital |year=2008 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-084238-3 |pages=76–80 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kKKMJ7Rqta8C |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905234220/https://books.google.com/books?id=kKKMJ7Rqta8C |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.boundarystones.org/ |title=Boundary Stones of the District of Columbia |publisher=BoundaryStones.org |access-date=May 27, 2008 |archive-date=December 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217004724/http://boundarystones.org/ |url-status=live }} Both Maryland and Virginia were slave states, and slavery existed in the District from its founding. The building of Washington likely relied in significant part on slave labor, and slave receipts have been found for the White House, Capitol Building, and establishment of Georgetown University. The city became an important slave market and a center of the nation's internal slave trade.{{Cite news |last=Salentri |first=Mia |date=2020-07-21 |title=How many buildings in DC were built by slaves? |url=https://www.wusa9.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/q-and-a/dc-enslaved-labor-buildings-the-q-and-a/65-05b18bf4-f1db-46e2-8463-e14aa21b550b |access-date=2024-04-12 |work=WUSA |language=en-US |series=The Q&A}}{{Cite magazine |last=Davis |first=Damara |year=2010 |title=Slavery and Emancipation in the Nation's Capital |url=https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/spring/dcslavery.html# |access-date=2024-04-12 |magazine=Prologue Magazine |publisher=U.S. National Archives |edition=Spring |volume=42 |issue=1}}

After its survey, the new federal city was constructed on the north bank of the Potomac River, east of Georgetown and centered on Capitol Hill. On September 9, 1791, three commissioners overseeing the capital's construction named the city in honor of President Washington. The same day, the federal district was named Columbia, a feminine form of Columbus, which was a poetic name for the United States commonly used at the time.{{cite book |last1=Crew |first1=Harvey W. |last2=Webb |first2=William Bensing |last3=Wooldridge |first3=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Q81AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA101 |title=Centennial History of the City of Washington, D.C. |publisher=United Brethren Publishing House |place=Dayton, OH |page=101 |year=1892 |access-date=June 1, 2011 |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126020434/https://books.google.com/books?id=5Q81AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA101 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Get to Know D.C. |url=http://www.historydc.org/aboutdc.aspx |publisher=Historical Society of Washington, D.C. |access-date=July 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918042009/http://www.historydc.org/aboutdc.aspx |archive-date=September 18, 2010}} Congress held its first session there on November 17, 1800.{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Senate_Moves_to_Washington.htm |title=The Senate Moves to Washington |access-date=July 11, 2008 |date=February 14, 2006 |publisher=United States Senate |archive-date=July 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705105922/https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Senate_Moves_to_Washington.htm |url-status=live }}

Congress passed the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, which officially organized the district and placed the entire territory under the exclusive control of the federal government. The area within the district was organized into two counties, the County of Washington to the east and north of the Potomac River and the County of Alexandria to the west and south.{{cite book |last1=Crew |first1=Harvey W. |last2=Webb |first2=William Bensing |last3=Wooldridge |first3=John |title=Centennial History of the City of Washington, D.C. |chapter=IV. Permanent Capital Site Selected |publisher=United Brethren Publishing House |year=1892 |location=Dayton, Ohio |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Q81AAAAIAAJ |page=103 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=November 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118202557/https://books.google.com/books?id=5Q81AAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }} After the Act's passage, citizens in the district were no longer considered residents of Maryland or Virginia, and their representation in Congress ended.{{cite web |url=http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/migrated/poladv/letters/electionlaw/060914testimony_dcvoting.authcheckdam.pdf |title=Statement on the subject of The District of Columbia Fair and Equal Voting Rights Act |access-date=August 10, 2011 |date=September 14, 2006 |publisher=American Bar Association |archive-date=October 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016174336/http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/migrated/poladv/letters/electionlaw/060914testimony_dcvoting.authcheckdam.pdf |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Burning of Washington}}

File:British_Burning_Washington.jpg in 1814, the British Army burned the White House and other buildings during a one-day occupation of Washington, D.C.]]

On August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces invaded and occupied the city after defeating an American force in the war's Battle of Bladensburg. In retaliation for acts of destruction by American troops in the Canadas, British troops set fire to government buildings in the city, gutting the U.S. Capitol, the Treasury Building, and White House in what became known as the burning of Washington. The damage of the city's burning could have been more extensive, but a storm forced the British to evacuate the city after just 24 hours.{{cite web |url=http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_classroom/classroom_documents-1812.html |title=Saving History: Dolley Madison, the White House, and the War of 1812 |access-date=February 21, 2010 |publisher=White House Historical Association |archive-date=August 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810154832/http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_classroom/classroom_documents-1812.html |url-status=live }} Most government buildings were repaired quickly, but the Capitol, which was then still under construction, was not completed in its current form until 1868.{{cite web |url=http://www.aoc.gov/history/us-capitol-building |title=A Brief Construction History of the Capitol |access-date=December 2, 2012 |publisher=Architect of the Capitol |archive-date=December 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121210221221/http://www.aoc.gov/history/us-capitol-building |url-status=live }}

{{Main|District of Columbia retrocession|Washington, D.C., in the American Civil War}}

File:LincolnInauguration1861a.jpg was under construction during Lincoln's first inauguration on March 4, 1861, five weeks before the start of the American Civil War.]]

In the 1830s, the district's southern territory of Alexandria declined economically, due in part to its neglect by Congress.{{cite journal |last=Richards |first=Mark David |date=Spring–Summer 2004 |title=The Debates over the Retrocession of the District of Columbia, 1801–2004 |journal=Washington History |pages=54–82 |url=http://www.dcvote.org/pdfs/mdrretro062004.pdf |access-date=January 16, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090118053203/http://www.dcvote.org/pdfs/mdrretro062004.pdf |archive-date=January 18, 2009}} Alexandria was a major market in the domestic slave trade and pro-slavery residents feared that abolitionists in Congress would end slavery in the district. Alexandria's citizens petitioned Virginia to retake the land it had donated to form the district, a process known as retrocession.{{cite book |last=Greeley |first=Horace |title=The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States |publisher=G. & C.W. Sherwood |year=1864 |location=Chicago |url=https://archive.org/details/americanconflic06greegoog |pages=[https://archive.org/details/americanconflic06greegoog/page/n154 142]–144}}

The Virginia General Assembly voted in February 1846, to accept the return of Alexandria. On July 9, 1846, Congress went further, agreeing to return all territory that Virginia had ceded to the district during its formation. This left the district's area consisting only of the portion originally donated by Maryland. Confirming the fears of pro-slavery Alexandrians, the Compromise of 1850 outlawed the slave trade in the district, although not slavery itself.{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Compromise1850.html |title=Compromise of 1850 |access-date=July 24, 2008 |date=September 21, 2007 |publisher=Library of Congress |archive-date=September 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903103833/http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Compromise1850.html |url-status=live }}

The outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 led to the expansion of the federal government and notable growth in the city's population, including a large influx of freed slaves.{{cite book |last=Dodd |first=Walter Fairleigh |title=The government of the District of Columbia |publisher=John Byrne & Co. |year=1909 |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://archive.org/details/governmentdistr01doddgoog |pages=[https://archive.org/details/governmentdistr01doddgoog/page/n46 40]–45}} President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which ended slavery in the district, freeing about 3,100 slaves in the district nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation.{{cite web |url=http://emancipation.dc.gov/page/ending-slavery-district-columbia |title=Ending Slavery in the District of Columbia |access-date=May 12, 2012 |publisher=D.C. Office of the Secretary |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023225745/http://emancipation.dc.gov/page/ending-slavery-district-columbia |url-status=live }} In 1868, Congress granted the district's African American male residents the right to vote in municipal elections.

{{See also|City Beautiful movement}}

File:Army Headquarters in Washington - State, War, and Navy Building, c. 1888 (cropped).jpg, built between 1871 and 1888, was the world's largest office building until 1943, when it was surpassed by The Pentagon.]]

By 1870, the district's population had grown 75% in a decade to nearly 132,000 people,{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/working-papers/2002/demo/POP-twps0056.pdf|title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990 |access-date=November 6, 2023 |date=September 13, 2002 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804230047/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/tab23.pdf |archive-date=August 4, 2011}} yet the city still lacked paved roads and basic sanitation. Some members of Congress suggested moving the capital farther west, but President Ulysses S. Grant refused to consider the proposal.{{cite book |last=Bordewich |first=Fergus M. |title=Washington: the making of the American capital |year=2008 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-084238-3 |page=272 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kKKMJ7Rqta8C |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905234220/https://books.google.com/books?id=kKKMJ7Rqta8C |url-status=live }}

In the Organic Act of 1871, Congress repealed the individual charters of the cities of Washington and Georgetown, abolished Washington County, and created a new territorial government for the whole District of Columbia.{{cite web |title=An Act to provide a Government for the District of Columbia |url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=016/llsl016.db&recNum=0454 |work=Statutes at Large, 41st Congress, 3rd Session |access-date=July 10, 2011 |publisher=Library of Congress |archive-date=January 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120224357/http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=016%2Fllsl016.db&recNum=0454 |url-status=live }} These steps made "the city of Washington...legally indistinguishable from the District of Columbia."{{Cite web |last1=Tikkanen |first1=Amy |last2=Campbell |first2=Heather |last3=Goldberg |first3=Maren |last4=Wallenfeldt |first4=Jeff |last5=Augustyn |first5=Adam |date=May 4, 2023 |title=Washington, D.C. |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Washington-DC |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403141527/https://www.britannica.com/place/Washington-DC |archive-date=April 3, 2023 |access-date=May 5, 2023 |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en}}

In 1873, President Grant appointed Alexander Robey Shepherd as Governor of the District of Columbia. Shepherd authorized large projects that modernized the city but bankrupted its government. In 1874, Congress replaced the territorial government with an appointed three-member board of commissioners.{{cite book |last=Wilcox |first=Delos Franklin|author-link=Delos Franklin Wilcox |title=Great cities in America: their problems and their government |year=1910 |publisher=The Macmillan Company |pages=[https://archive.org/details/greatcitiesinam00wilcgoog/page/n43 27]–30 |url=https://archive.org/details/greatcitiesinam00wilcgoog}}

In 1888, the city's first motorized streetcars began service. Their introduction generated growth in areas of the district beyond the City of Washington's original boundaries, leading to an expansion of the district over the next few decades.{{cite book |title=Washington at Home: An Illustrated History of Neighborhoods in the Nation's Capital |year=2010 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=978-0-8018-9353-7 |pages=1–11 |edition=2 |editor=Kathryn Schneider Smith}} Georgetown's street grid and other administrative details were formally merged with those of the City of Washington in 1895.{{cite book |last=Tindall |first=William |title=Origin and government of the District of Columbia |year=1907 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=[https://archive.org/details/origingovernment02tind/page/26 26]–28 |url=https://archive.org/details/origingovernment02tind}} However, the city had poor housing and strained public works, leading it to become the first city in the nation to undergo urban renewal projects as part of the City Beautiful movement in the early 20th century.{{cite book |last=Ramroth |first=William |title=Planning for Disaster |year=2007 |publisher=Kaplan |isbn=978-1-4195-9373-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/planningfordisas0000ramr/page/91 91]| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgTpVyDyWDIC |chapter=The City Beautiful Movement |url=https://archive.org/details/planningfordisas0000ramr/page/91}}

The City Beautiful movement built heavily upon the already-implemented L'Enfant Plan, with the new McMillan Plan leading urban development in the city throughout the movement. Much of the old Victorian Mall was replaced with modern Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts architecture; these designs are still prevalent in the city's governmental buildings today.

Increased federal spending under the New Deal in the 1930s led to the construction of new government buildings, memorials, and museums in the district,{{cite book |last=Gelernter |first=Mark |title=History of American Architecture |year=2001 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-4727-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tCe8AAAAIAAJ |page=248 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905234845/https://books.google.com/books?id=tCe8AAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }} though the chairman of the House Subcommittee on District Appropriations, Ross A. Collins of Mississippi, justified cuts to funds for welfare and education for local residents by saying that "my constituents wouldn't stand for spending money on niggers."[https://books.google.com/books?id=feb5BE4wvq4C&dq=constituents%20wouldn't%20stand%20for%20spending%20money%20on%20niggers.&pg=PA94 Home Rule or House Rule? Congress and the Erosion of Local Governance in the District of Columbia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813155247/https://books.google.com/books?id=feb5BE4wvq4C&lpg=PA94&dq=constituents%20wouldn%27t%20stand%20for%20spending%20money%20on%20niggers.&hl=pt-BR&pg=PA94 |date=August 13, 2021 }} by Michael K. Fauntroy, University Press of America, 2003 at Google Books, page 94

World War II led to an expansion of federal employees in the city;{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Paul Kelsey |title=Washington, D.C.: the World War II years |year=2004 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-0-7385-1636-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GtVIlFGursEC |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906000441/https://books.google.com/books?id=GtVIlFGursEC |url-status=live }} by 1950, the district's population reached its peak of 802,178 residents.

{{See also|1968 Washington, D.C., riots|District of Columbia home rule}}

File:IhaveadreamMarines.jpg at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on August 28, 1963]]

The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in 1961, granting the district three votes in the Electoral College for the election of president and vice president, but still not affording the city's residents representation in Congress.{{cite web |title=Twenty-third Amendment |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/html/amdt23_user.html |work=CRS Annotated Constitution |publisher=Legal Information Institute (Cornell University Law School) |access-date=August 28, 2012 |archive-date=August 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830173738/http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/html/amdt23_user.html |url-status=live }}

After the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, riots broke out in the city, primarily in the U Street, 14th Street, 7th Street, and H Street corridors, which were predominantly black residential and commercial areas. The riots raged for three days until more than 13,600 federal troops and Washington, D.C., Army National Guardsmen stopped the violence. Many stores and other buildings were burned, and rebuilding from the riots was not completed until the late 1990s.{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Schwartzman |author2=Robert E. Pierre |title=From Ruins To Rebirth |date=April 6, 2008 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/05/AR2008040501607.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 6, 2008 |archive-date=May 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504041451/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/05/AR2008040501607.html |url-status=live }}

In 1973, Congress enacted the District of Columbia Home Rule Act providing for an elected mayor and 13-member council for the district.{{cite web |url=http://www.abfa.com/ogc/hract.htm |title=District of Columbia Home Rule Act |access-date=May 27, 2008 |date=February 1999 |publisher=Government of the District of Columbia |archive-date=August 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826223320/http://www.abfa.com/ogc/hract.htm |url-status=live }} In 1975, Walter Washington became the district's first elected and first black mayor.{{cite news |last=Mathews |first=Jay |title=City's 1st Mayoral Race, as Innocent as Young Love |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/2000/mayor101199.htm |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 11, 1999 |page=A1 |access-date=November 29, 2015 |archive-date=October 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014050258/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/2000/mayor101199.htm |url-status=live }}

{{main|District of Columbia statehood movement}}

Since the 1980s, the D.C. statehood movement has grown in prominence. In 2016, a referendum on D.C. statehood resulted in an 85% support among Washington, D.C., voters for it to become the nation's 51st state. In March 2017, the city's congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced a bill for statehood. Reintroduced in 2019 and 2021 as the Washington, D.C., Admission Act, the U.S. House of Representatives passed it in April 2021.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} After not progressing in the Senate, the statehood bill was introduced again in January 2023.{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/24/dc-statehood-senate-bill/ |title= D.C. leaders herald Senate statehood bill despite steep odds |newspaper= The Washington Post |first= Meagan |last= Flynn |date= January 24, 2023 |access-date= July 18, 2023 |archive-date= March 29, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230329171144/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/24/dc-statehood-senate-bill/ |url-status= live }}

The bill would have made D.C. into a state with one representative and two senators, with the name Washington, Douglass Commonwealth (thus keeping the same abbreviation Washington, D.C.).{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/dozens-constitutional-scholars-tell-congress-it-has-power-make-d-n1268282 |work=NBC |title=Dozens of constitutional scholars tell Congress it has power to make D.C. a state |first=Sahil |last=Kapur |date=May 24, 2021 |access-date=November 19, 2024}} The legalities, reasons, and impact of statehood have been heavily debated in the 2020s.{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/23/politics/washington-dc-statehood-101/index.html |title=DC statehood: Why it should (and should not) happen |date=April 23, 2021 |work=CNN |first=Zachary B. |last=Wolf |access-date=November 19, 2024}}

{{Main|Geography of Washington, D.C.}}

File:DC Cherry Blossom April 2018 03.jpg viewed from the Tidal Basin during the National Cherry Blossom Festival in April 2018]]

File:Washington, D.C. locator map.svg. It is bordered on three sides by Maryland and by Northern Virginia to its southwest.]]

Washington, D.C., is located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. East Coast. The city has a total area of {{convert|68.34|sqmi|km2|sigfig=3}}, of which {{convert|61.05|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|7.29|sqmi|km2}} (10.67%) is water.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-10.pdf |title=District of Columbia: 2010 |access-date=December 22, 2015 |date=June 2012 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |archive-date=June 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618075141/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-10.pdf |url-status=live }} The district is bordered by Montgomery County, Maryland, to the northwest; Prince George's County, Maryland, to the east; Arlington County, Virginia, to the west; and Alexandria, Virginia, to the south.

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.potomacriver.org/2012/facts-a-faqs/faqs |title=Facts & FAQs |publisher=Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin |access-date=March 31, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813114925/http://www.potomacriver.org/2012/facts-a-faqs/faqs |archive-date=August 13, 2012}} Tiber Creek, a natural watercourse that once passed through the National Mall, was fully enclosed underground during the 1870s.{{cite journal |last=Grant III |first=Ulysses Simpson |year=1950 |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |volume=50 |title=Planning the Nation's Capital |pages=43–58 |author-link=Ulysses S. Grant III}} The creek also formed a portion of the now-filled Washington City Canal, which allowed passage through the city to the Anacostia River from 1815 until the 1850s.{{cite journal |last=Heine |first=Cornelius W. |year=1953 |title=The Washington City Canal |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |volume=53 |pages=1–27 |jstor=40067664}} The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal starts in Georgetown and was used during the 19th century to bypass the Little Falls of the Potomac River, located at the northwest edge of the city at the Atlantic Seaboard fall line.{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/choh/historyculture/index.htm |title=C&O Canal National Historic Park: History & Culture |access-date=July 3, 2008 |publisher=National Park Service |archive-date=June 11, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611121022/http://www.nps.gov/choh/historyculture/index.htm |url-status=live }}

The highest natural elevation in the district is {{convert|409|ft|m}} above sea level at Fort Reno Park in upper northwest Washington, D.C.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/17/AR2008041703859.html |title=D.C.'s Puny Peak Enough to Pump Up 'Highpointers' |last=Dvorak |first=Petula |date=April 18, 2008 |newspaper=The Washington Post |pages=B01 |access-date=February 25, 2009 |archive-date=May 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504041548/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/17/AR2008041703859.html |url-status=live }} The lowest point is sea level at the Potomac River.{{cite book |last=Winegar |first=Deane |title=Highroad Guide to the Chesapeake Bay |year=2003 |publisher=John F. Blair |isbn=978-0-89587-279-1 |page=5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bMejFkODGIcC |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905233645/https://books.google.com/books?id=bMejFkODGIcC |url-status=live }} The geographic center of Washington is near the intersection of 4th and L streets NW.{{cite web |url=http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=DC |title=Science in Your State: District of Columbia |access-date=July 7, 2008 |date=July 30, 2007 |publisher=United States Geological Survey |archive-date=June 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627001203/http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=DC |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Reilly |first=Mollie |title=Washington's Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales—Some of Which Are True |url=http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/washingtons-myths-legends-and-tall-talessome-of-which-are-true/ |access-date=August 29, 2011 |newspaper=Washingtonian |date=May 12, 2012 |archive-date=April 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417214351/http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/washingtons-myths-legends-and-tall-talessome-of-which-are-true/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |first=John |last=Kelly |title=Washington Built on a Swamp? Think Again. |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 1, 2012 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/washington-built-on-a-swamp-think-again/2012/03/31/gIQA7BfBpS_story.html |access-date=November 29, 2015 |archive-date=December 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209115258/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/washington-built-on-a-swamp-think-again/2012/03/31/gIQA7BfBpS_story.html |url-status=live }}

File:Pine Trail - Flickr - treegrow (1).jpg, the city's largest park, stretches across Northwest.]]

File:Fountain at Meridian Hill Park (cropped2).jpg at Meridian Hill Park in Meridian Hill]]

There are many parks, gardens, squares, and circles throughout Washington. The city has 683 parks and greenspaces, comprising {{convert|7464|acre|km2}}, about 20% of its land area. Consequently, 99% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. According to the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, in 2023 Washington ranked first among the 100 largest U.S. cities for its public parks, based on indicators such as accessibility, the share of land reserved for parks, and the amount invested in green spaces.{{Cite web |url=https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2023/06/02/dc-public-parks-best |title=D.C. ranks top in the country for public parks |date=June 2, 2023 |access-date=March 19, 2024 |archive-date=March 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319084601/https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2023/06/02/dc-public-parks-best |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Romero |first1=Melissa |title=D.C. Named a Top City for Urban Forests|url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2013/02/05/dc-named-a-top-city-for-urban-forests/ |access-date=12 March 2025 |work=Washingtonian |date=5 February 2013}}{{cite news |last1=Austermuhle |first1=Martin |title=D.C. Parks Again Fare Well in National Rankings |url=https://dcist.com/story/12/05/23/dc-parks-again-fare-well-in-nationa/ |access-date=12 March 2025 |work=DCist |publisher=Gothamist LLC |date=2012-05-23 |language=en}}

The National Park Service manages most of the {{convert|9122|acre|km2}} of city land owned by the U.S. government.{{cite web |title=Comparison of Federally Owned Land with Total Acreage of States |url=http://www.blm.gov/public_land_statistics/pls99/99pl1-3.pdf |publisher=Bureau of Land Management |access-date=July 19, 2011 |year=1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016174341/http://www.blm.gov/public_land_statistics/pls99/99pl1-3.pdf |archive-date=October 16, 2011}} Rock Creek Park, located in Northwest D.C., is the largest park in the city, with {{convert|1754|acre|km2|adj=off}} of urban forest extending {{convert|9.3|mi|km}} through a stream valley that bisects the city. Established in 1890, it is the country's fourth-oldest national park and is home to a variety of plant and animal species, including raccoon, deer, owls, and coyotes.{{cite web |title=Rock Creek Park |url=http://www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/parks/rocr/index.cfm |work=Geology Fieldnotes |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=February 3, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204002946/http://www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/parks/rocr/index.cfm |archive-date=February 4, 2013}} Other National Park Service properties include the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, the National Mall and Memorial Parks, Fort Dupont Park, Meridian Hill Park, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, and Anacostia Park.{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/state/dc/list.htm |title=District of Columbia |access-date=October 16, 2011 |publisher=National Park Service |archive-date=October 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016040110/http://www.nps.gov/state/dc/list.htm |url-status=live }} The District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation maintains the city's {{convert|900|acres|km2}} of athletic fields and playgrounds, 40 swimming pools, and 68 recreation centers.{{cite web |title=FY12 Performance Plan |url=http://oca.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/oca/publication/attachments/DPR12.pdf |publisher=D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation |access-date=February 3, 2013 |archive-date=May 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509090305/http://oca.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/oca/publication/attachments/DPR12.pdf |url-status=live }} The U.S. Department of Agriculture operates the {{convert|446|acre|km2|adj=on}} United States National Arboretum, a dense arboretum in Northeast D.C. filled with gardens and trails. Its most notable landmark is the National Capitol Columns monument.{{cite web |title=U.S. National Arboretum |url=https://www.usna.usda.gov/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926234951/https://www.usna.usda.gov/ |archive-date=September 26, 2022 |access-date=September 10, 2022 |publisher=USDA}}{{cite web |url=http://www.usna.usda.gov/Information/historymissn.html |title=U.S. National Arboretum History and Mission |access-date=July 7, 2008 |date=October 16, 2007 |publisher=United States National Arboretum |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805235639/http://www.usna.usda.gov/Information/historymissn.html |archive-date=August 5, 2011}}{{Npsn|date=February 2025}}

There are several river islands in Washington, D.C., including Theodore Roosevelt Island in the Potomac River, which hosts the Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial and a number of trails.{{cite web |title=Theodore Roosevelt Island |url=https://www.nps.gov/this/index.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=September 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926231414/https://www.nps.gov/this/index.htm |url-status=live}} Columbia Island, also in the Potomac, is home to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove, the Navy – Merchant Marine Memorial, and a marina. Kingman Island, in the Anacostia River, is home to Langston Golf Course and a public park with trails.{{Cite web |title=Langston Golf Course |url=https://www.playdcgolf.com/langston-golf-course/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=playDCgolf |language=en-US |archive-date=March 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319084602/https://www.playdcgolf.com/langston-golf-course/ |url-status=live }}{{Npsn|date=February 2025}}

West Potomac Park includes the parkland that extends south of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, from the Lincoln Memorial to the grounds of the Washington Monument {{see above|{{slink||National Mall and Tidal Basin}} below}}.{{Cite web |title=East and West Potomac Parks Historic District - East and West Potomac Parks comprise a large portion of the Washington's monumental core, while at the same time providing recreational space for residents and tourists alike. |url=https://historicsites.dcpreservation.org/items/show/167 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=DC Historic Sites |language=en}}{{Npsn|date=February 2025}} Located on the northern side of the White House, Lafayette Square is a historic public square. It has been the site of many protests, marches, and speeches. The houses bordering Lafayette Square have served as the home to many notable figures.{{cite web |title=Lafayette Square, Washington, DC |url=https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/historic-preservation/explore-historic-buildings/heritage-tourism/our-capital/lafayette-square-washington-dc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630035218/https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/historic-preservation/explore-historic-buildings/heritage-tourism/our-capital/lafayette-square-washington-dc |archive-date=June 30, 2020 |access-date=September 10, 2022 |publisher=U.S. General Service Administration}}{{Npsn|date=February 2025}} Other parks, gardens, and squares include Dumbarton Oaks, Meridian Hill Park, the Yards, Lincoln Park, Franklin Square, McPherson Square, and Farragut Square.{{cite web |title=12 Top Washington DC Parks |url=https://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/12-best-parks-dc |publisher=Old Trolley Tours |access-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923154424/https://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/12-best-parks-dc |url-status=live }} There are a large number of traffic circles and circle parks in Washington, D.C., including Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, and Thomas Circle.{{cite web|url=https://ggwash.org/view/71396/the-fascinating-story-of-washington-dc-many-circles-and-squares-lenfant|title=What we can learn from the history of DC's circles and squares|first=Mark |last=Eckenwiler|date=2019-03-26|accessdate=2025-02-25|work=Greater Greater Washington}}

{{See also|Climate change in Washington, D.C.}}

File:Flickr_-_USCapitol_-_February_2010_Blizzard.jpg during the February 5–6, 2010 North American blizzard]]

Washington's climate is temperate humid subtropical (Köppen: Cfa).{{cite journal |url=https://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/files/40083/metz_Vol_15_No_3_p259-263_World_Map_of_the_Koppen_Geiger_climate_classification_updated_55034.pdf |title=World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated |journal=Meteorologische Zeitschrift |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=259 |date=November 6, 2008 |access-date=December 3, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224195637/https://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/40083/file/metz_Vol_15_No_3_p259-263_World_Map_of_the_Koppen_Geiger_climate_classification_updated_55034.pdf |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |bibcode=2006MetZe..15..259K |last1=Kottek |first1=Markus |last2=Grieser |first2=Jürgen |last3=Beck |first3=Christoph |last4=Rudolf |first4=Bruno |last5=Rubel |first5=Franz |doi=10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130 |issn=0941-2948}}{{Citation |last=Peterson |first=Adam |title=English: Trewartha climate types for the contiguous United States |date=September 22, 2016 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_trewartha.svg |access-date=March 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330195901/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_trewartha.svg |url-status=live |archive-date=March 30, 2019}}{{unreliable source|date=February 2025}} Winters are cool to cold with some snow of varying intensity, while summers are hot and humid. The district is in plant hardiness zone 8a near downtown, and zone 7b elsewhere in the city.{{cite web |url=http://www.arborday.org/media/zones.cfm |title=Hardiness Zones |year=2006 |publisher=Arbor Day Foundation |access-date=November 4, 2008 |archive-date=June 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629141838/https://www.arborday.org/media/zones.cfm |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Samenow |first1=Jason |title=D.C.-area forecast: Temperatures seesaw this week between mild and cool, while extreme winter weather stays away |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/02/17/dc-area-forecast-temperatures-seesaw-this-week-between-mild-cool-while-extreme-winter-weather-stays-away/ |access-date=September 4, 2020 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=February 17, 2020 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809181652/https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/02/17/dc-area-forecast-temperatures-seesaw-this-week-between-mild-cool-while-extreme-winter-weather-stays-away/ |url-status=live }}

Summers are hot and humid with a July daily average of {{convert|79.8|°F|1}} and average daily relative humidity around 66%, which can cause moderate personal discomfort. Heat indices regularly approach {{convert|100|°F|°C|0}} at the height of summer.{{cite news |title=Average Conditions: Washington DC, USA |work=BBC Weather |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/about/newsid_9390000/9390415.stm?tt=TT001140 |access-date=August 30, 2010 |archive-date=October 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030134530/http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/about/newsid_9390000/9390415.stm?tt=TT001140 |url-status=live }} The combination of heat and humidity in the summer brings very frequent thunderstorms, some of which occasionally produce tornadoes in the area.{{cite web |last=Iovino |first=Jim |title=Severe Storm Warnings, Tornado Watches Expire |url=http://www.nbcwashington.com/weather/stories/Cold-Front-Could-Bring-Storms-Today-95721304.html |work=NBCWashington.com |date=June 6, 2010 |access-date=August 30, 2010 |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514174511/http://www.nbcwashington.com/weather/stories/Cold-Front-Could-Bring-Storms-Today-95721304.html |url-status=live }}

Blizzards affect Washington once every four to six years on average. The most violent storms, known as nor'easters, often impact large regions of the East Coast.{{cite web |url=http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/winter/DC-Winters.htm |title=Washington Area Winters |access-date=September 17, 2010 |last=Watson |first=Barbara McNaught |date=November 17, 1999 |publisher=National Weather Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231041158/http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/winter/DC-Winters.htm |archive-date=December 31, 2010}} From January 27 to 28, 1922, the city officially received {{convert|28|in|cm}} of snowfall, the largest snowstorm since official measurements began in 1885.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/01/23/where-snowzilla-fits-into-d-c-s-top-10-snowstorms/ |title=Where Snowzilla fits into D.C.'s top 10 snowstorms |last1=Ambrose |first1=Kevin |last2=Junker |first2=Wes |date=January 23, 2016 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |access-date=May 13, 2016 |archive-date=May 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508031823/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/01/23/where-snowzilla-fits-into-d-c-s-top-10-snowstorms/ |url-status=live }} According to notes kept at the time, the city received between {{convert|30|and|36|in|cm}} from a snowstorm in January 1772.{{cite web |publisher=The Weather Doctor |url=http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/wjsnow1772.htm |title=The Washington and Jefferson Snowstorm of 1772 |first=Keith C. |last=Heidorn |date=January 1, 2012 |access-date=January 25, 2016 |archive-date=January 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124234846/http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/wjsnow1772.htm |url-status=live }}{{unreliable source|date=February 2025}}

Hurricanes or their remnants occasionally impact the area in late summer and early fall. However, they usually are weak by the time they reach Washington, partly due to the city's inland location.{{cite book |last=Schwartz |first=Rick |title=Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States |year=2007 |publisher=Blue Diamond Books |isbn=978-0-9786280-0-0 |page=9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t5U1CYKwQxcC |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906000512/https://books.google.com/books?id=t5U1CYKwQxcC |url-status=live }}{{unreliable source|date=February 2025}} 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 the Georgetown neighborhood of the city.{{cite news |last=Vogel |first=Steve |title=Bulk of Flooding Expected in Old Town, Washington Harbour |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/27/AR2006062701527.html |date=June 28, 2006 |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=B02 |access-date=July 11, 2008 |archive-date=October 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014050903/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/27/AR2006062701527.html |url-status=live }} Precipitation occurs throughout the year.

The highest recorded temperature was {{convert|106|F|0}} on August 6, 1918, and on July 20, 1930.{{cite news |title=Washington, D.C. shatters all-time June record high, sizzles to 104 |first=Jason |last=Samenow |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 29, 2012 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/washington-dc-ties-record-high-of-101/2012/06/29/gJQAiiRmBW_blog.html |access-date=November 29, 2015 |archive-date=December 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209173449/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/washington-dc-ties-record-high-of-101/2012/06/29/gJQAiiRmBW_blog.html |url-status=live }} The lowest recorded temperature was {{convert|−15|F|0}} on February 11, 1899, right before the Great Blizzard of 1899. During a typical year, the city averages about 37 days at or above {{convert|90|F|0}} and 64 nights at or below the freezing mark ({{convert|32|F|C|disp=or}}). On average, the first day with a minimum at or below freezing is November 18 and the last day is March 27.Grieser, Justin; Livingston, Ian (November 8, 2017). "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/11/08/the-falls-first-freeze-is-coming-saturday-and-for-most-of-the-d-c-area-its-historically-late/ The first freeze is coming Saturday and, for most of the D.C. area, it's historically late] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528215039/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/11/08/the-falls-first-freeze-is-coming-saturday-and-for-most-of-the-d-c-area-its-historically-late/ |date=May 28, 2018 }}". The Washington Post.Livingston, Ian; Grieser, Justin (April 3, 2018). "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/04/03/when-will-the-last-freeze-happen-around-the-d-c-region-and-when-is-it-safe-to-plant/ When will the last freeze happen around the D.C. region, and when is it safe to plant?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404044955/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/04/03/when-will-the-last-freeze-happen-around-the-d-c-region-and-when-is-it-safe-to-plant/ |date=April 4, 2018 }}" The Washington Post.

{{Clear}}

{{Washington, D.C. weatherbox}}

{{See also|Streets and highways of Washington, D.C.|Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.|List of tallest buildings in Washington, D.C.}}

File:Plan_of_the_city_intended_for_the_permanent_seat_of_the_government_of_the_United_States_-_projected_agreeable_to_the_direction_of_the_President_of_the_United_States..._(14726320702).jpg for the city, developed in 1791 by Pierre Charles L'Enfant]]

File:USA-Georgetown C&O Canal.jpg was extended to Georgetown.]]

File:2018.06.07 Capital Pride Heroes Gala, Washington, DC USA 02927 (41954942214).jpg in June 2018]]

Washington, D.C., was a planned city, and many of the city's street grids were developed in that initial plan. In 1791, President George Washington commissioned Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a French-born military engineer and artist, to design the new capital. He enlisted the help of Isaac Roberdeau, Étienne Sulpice Hallet and Scottish surveyor Alexander Ralston to help lay out the city plan.{{cite book |last=Coleman |first=Christopher Bush |title=Indiana Magazine of History |publisher=Indiana Historical Society |year=1920 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZY1AAAAIAAJ |page=109 |access-date=December 13, 2020 |archive-date=March 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327185145/https://books.google.com/books?id=wZY1AAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }} The L'Enfant Plan featured broad streets and avenues radiating out from rectangles, providing room for open space and landscaping.{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/lenfant.htm |title=The L'Enfant and McMillan Plans |access-date=May 27, 2008 |publisher=National Park Service |archive-date=August 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827160250/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/lenfant.htm |url-status=live }}

L'Enfant was also provided a roll of maps by Thomas Jefferson depicting Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Strasbourg, Paris, Orleans, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Turin, and Milan.Berg, Scott. "Grand Avenues." Pantheon Books, 2007. Page 87 L'Enfant's design also envisioned a garden-lined grand avenue about {{convert|1|mi|km}} long and {{convert|400|ft|m}} wide in an area that is now the National Mall inspired by the grounds at Versailles and Tuileries Gardens.{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/62wash/62locate1.htm |title=Map 1: The L'Enfant Plan for Washington |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=October 27, 2009 |archive-date=October 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020135549/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/62wash/62locate1.htm |url-status=live }} In March 1792, President Washington dismissed L'Enfant due to conflicts with the three commissioners appointed to supervise the capital's construction. Andrew Ellicott, who worked with L'Enfant in surveying the city, was then tasked with completing its design. Though Ellicott revised the original L'Enfant plans, including changing some street patterns, L'Enfant is still credited with the city's overall design.{{cite book |last1=Crew |first1=Harvey W. |last2=Webb |first2=William Bensing |last3=Wooldridge |first3=John |title=Centennial History of the City of Washington, D.C. |publisher=United Brethren Publishing House |year=1892 |location=Dayton, OH |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5Q81AAAAIAAJ |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5Q81AAAAIAAJ/page/n108 101]–103}}

By the early 20th century, however, L'Enfant's vision of a grand national capital was marred by slums and randomly placed buildings in the city, including a railroad station on National Mall. Congress formed a special committee charged with beautifying Washington's ceremonial core. What became known as the McMillan Plan was finalized in 1901 and included landscaping the Capitol grounds and National Mall, clearing slums, and establishing a new citywide park system. The plan is thought to have largely preserved L'Enfant's intended design for the city.

By law, the city's skyline is low and sprawling. The federal Height of Buildings Act of 1910 limits building height based on the width of the adjacent street, with maxima of {{convert|90|ft|m}} on residential streets and {{convert|130|ft|m}} on commercial ones.{{cite news |last=Schwartzman |first=Paul |title=High-Level Debate on Future of D.C. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/01/AR2007050101939.html |access-date=July 1, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 2, 2007 |archive-date=November 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113045109/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/01/AR2007050101939.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1= |title=Height of Buildings Act |url=https://www.ncpc.gov/about/authorities/hoba/ |publisher=National Capital Planning Commission |access-date=25 February 2025}} Despite popular belief, no law has ever limited buildings to the height of the United States Capitol or the {{convert|555|ft|m|adj=on}} Washington Monument, which remains the district's tallest structure. City leaders have cited the height restriction as a primary reason that the district has limited affordable housing and its metro area has suburban sprawl and traffic problems.

Washington, D.C., 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/visiting/one_item_and_teasers/layout_of_washington.htm |title=Layout of Washington DC |access-date=July 14, 2008 |date=September 30, 2005 |publisher=United States Senate |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331213926/https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/visiting/one_item_and_teasers/layout_of_washington.htm |url-status=live }} All road names include the quadrant abbreviation to indicate their location. House numbers generally correspond with the number of blocks away from the Capitol. Most streets are set out in a grid pattern with east–west streets named with letters (e.g., C Street SW), north–south streets with numbers (e.g., 4th Street NW), and diagonal avenues, many of which are named after states.

The City of Washington was bordered on the north by Boundary Street (renamed Florida Avenue in 1890), Rock Creek to the west, and the Anacostia River to the east. Washington, D.C.'s street grid was extended, where possible, throughout the district starting in 1888.{{cite book |title=Laws relating to the permanent system of highways outside of the cities of Washington and Georgetown |year=1908 |publisher=Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |page=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k4zVAAAAMAAJ |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906003349/https://books.google.com/books?id=k4zVAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }} Georgetown's streets were renamed in 1895. Some streets are particularly noteworthy, including Pennsylvania Avenue, which connects the White House to the Capitol; and K Street, which houses the offices of many lobbying groups.{{cite news |first=Jeffrey H. |last=Birnbaum |title=The Road to Riches Is Called K Street |date=June 22, 2005 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062101632.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=A01 |access-date=June 17, 2008 |archive-date=February 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216235548/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062101632.html |url-status=live }} Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue, located on the north and south sides of National Mall, respectively, are home to many of Washington's iconic museums, including many Smithsonian Institution buildings and the National Archives Building. Washington hosts 177 foreign embassies; these maintain nearly 300 buildings and more than 1,600 residential properties, many of which are on a section of Massachusetts Avenue informally known as Embassy Row.{{cite news |last=Van Dyne |first=Larry |title=Foreign Affairs: DC's Best Embassies |url=http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/foreign-affairs-dcs-best-embassies/ |access-date=June 17, 2012 |newspaper=Washingtonian Magazine |date=February 1, 2008 |archive-date=June 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614222252/http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/foreign-affairs-dcs-best-embassies/ |url-status=live }}

File:Rosie's Row.jpg|Anacostia

File:Bloomingdale row houses DC 05.jpg|Bloomingdale

File:DC Capitol Historic District.jpg|Capitol Hill

File:Washington DC Chinatown - a - Oct 2016.jpg|Chinatown

File:Columbia Heights market plaza (5081654910) (cropped).jpg|Columbia Heights

File:Dupont Circle Shops.jpg|Dupont Circle

File:MG 4844 (8326652403).jpg|Edgewood

File:4-9 Logan Circle NW Washington, D.C (cropped).jpg|Logan Circle

File:4th and Tingey Streets SE.jpg|Navy Yard

{{Main|Architecture of Washington, D.C.}}

File:Jefferson_Memorial_Washington_April_2017_002.jpg and many of the city's other major monuments are built in the Neoclassical style.]]

The architecture of Washington, D.C., varies greatly and is generally popular among tourists and locals. In 2007, six of the top ten buildings in the American Institute of Architects' ranking of America's Favorite Architecture were in the city:{{cite web |url=http://favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php |title=America's Favorite Architecture |access-date=July 3, 2008 |year=2007 |publisher=American Institute of Architects and Harris Interactive |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510113118/http://favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php |archive-date=May 10, 2011}} the White House, Washington National Cathedral, the Jefferson Memorial, the United States Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The neoclassical, Georgian, Gothic, and Modern styles are reflected among these six structures and many other prominent edifices in the city.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Many government buildings, monuments, and museums along the National Mall and surrounding areas are heavily inspired by classical Roman and Greek architecture. The designs of the White House, the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court Building, Washington Monument, National Gallery of Art, Lincoln Memorial, and Jefferson Memorial are all heavily drawn from these classical architectural movements and feature large pediments, domes, columns in classical order, and heavy stone walls. Notable exceptions to the city's classical-style architecture include buildings constructed in the French Second Empire style, including the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and the modernist Watergate complex.{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/sitelist.htm |title=Washington, D.C., List of Sites |access-date=December 12, 2010 |publisher=National Park Service |archive-date=November 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129073309/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/sitelist.htm |url-status=live }} The Thomas Jefferson Building, the main Library of Congress building, and the historic Willard Hotel are built in Beaux-Arts style, popular throughout the world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.{{cite web |url=https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/buildings-grounds/library-of-congress/thomas-jefferson-building |title=Thomas Jefferson Building |access-date=September 8, 2022 |publisher=Architect of the Capitol |archive-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714001104/https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/buildings-grounds/library-of-congress/thomas-jefferson-building |url-status=live }}Denby, Grand Hotels: Reality and Illusion, 2004, p. 221–222. Meridian Hill Park contains a cascading waterfall with Italian Renaissance-style architecture.{{cite web |url=https://tourwashingtondc.com/2017/11/15/meridian-hill-park/ |title=Meridian Hill Park |date=November 15, 2017 |access-date=September 8, 2022 |publisher=Tour Washington DC |archive-date=September 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909013922/https://tourwashingtondc.com/2017/11/15/meridian-hill-park/ |url-status=live }}

File:CityCenterDC courtyard in 2019.jpg at CityCenterDC in Downtown]]

Modern, Postmodern, contemporary, and other non-classical architectural styles are also seen in the city. The National Museum of African American History and Culture deeply contrasts the stone-based neoclassical buildings on the National Mall with a design that combines modern engineering with heavy inspiration from African art.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/us/23smithsonian.html |last=Taylor |first=Kate |title=The Thorny Path to a National Black Museum |work=The New York Times |date=January 23, 2011 |page=A1 |access-date=June 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729201515/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/us/23smithsonian.html?_r=0 |url-status=live }} The interior of the Washington Metro stations and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden are designed with strong influence from the 20th-century Brutalism movement.{{cite news|last=Ables|first=Kelsey|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/03/25/brutalist-architecture-washington-dc/ |title=Brutalist buildings aren't unlovable. You're looking at them wrong. |date=March 25, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=September 8, 2022}} The Smithsonian Institution Building is built of Seneca red sandstone in the Norman Revival style.{{cite news|last=Bisceglio|first=Paul|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-story-behind-smithsonian-castles-red-sandstone-17818600/|title=The Story Behind Smithsonian Castle's Red Sandstone|work=Smithsonian Magazine|access-date=September 8, 2022|archive-date=September 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909013907/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-story-behind-smithsonian-castles-red-sandstone-17818600/|url-status=live}} The Old Post Office building, located on Pennsylvania Avenue and completed in 1899, was the first building in the city to have a steel frame structure and the first to use electrical wiring in its design.{{cite news |last1=Paschall |first1=Valerie |title=A History of Resilience: The Old Post Office |url=https://dc.curbed.com/2013/9/18/10196536/a-history-of-resilience-the-old-post-office |access-date=31 August 2024 |work=Curbed DC |publisher=Vox Media |date=18 September 2013 |language=en}}

Notable contemporary residential buildings, restaurants, shops, and office buildings in the city include the Wharf on the Southwest Waterfront, Navy Yard along the Anacostia River, and CityCenterDC in Downtown. The Wharf has seen the construction of several high-rise office and residential buildings overlooking the Potomac River. Additionally, restaurants, bars, and shops have been opened at street level. Many of these buildings have a modern glass exterior and heavy curvature.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2017/10/05/what-to-expect-at-the-wharf-washingtons-newest-dining-and-entertainment-destination/ |title=What to expect at the Wharf, D.C.'s newest dining and entertainment hub |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 5, 2017 |access-date=July 19, 2020 |last1=Ramanathan |first1=Lavanya |last2=Simmons |first2=Holley |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222021931/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2017/10/05/what-to-expect-at-the-wharf-washingtons-newest-dining-and-entertainment-destination/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://wtop.com/dc/2017/09/the-wharf-dcs-most-ambitious-development-project-set-to-open/ |title=The Wharf: DC's most ambitious development project set to open |date=September 11, 2017 |agency=WTOP |access-date=July 19, 2020 |author=Clabaugh, Jeff |archive-date=February 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206010157/https://wtop.com/dc/2017/09/the-wharf-dcs-most-ambitious-development-project-set-to-open/ |url-status=live }} CityCenterDC is home to Palmer Alley, a pedestrian-only walkway, and houses several apartment buildings, restaurants, and luxury-brand storefronts with streamlined glass and metal facades.Dietsch, Deborah K. "Modernism's March on Washington." Washington Times. September 8, 2007.

File:Dupont Circle Historic District-2.jpg houses in Dupont Circle]]

Outside Downtown D.C., architectural styles are more varied. Historic buildings are designed primarily in the Queen Anne, Châteauesque, Richardsonian Romanesque, Georgian Revival, Beaux-Arts, and a variety of Victorian styles.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} Rowhouses are prominent in areas developed after the Civil War and typically follow Federal and late Victorian designs.{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/adecenter/essays/Scott.html |title=Residential Architecture of Washington, D.C., and Its Suburbs |access-date=June 5, 2008 |last=Scott |first=Pamela |year=2005 |publisher=Library of Congress |archive-date=April 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427174525/https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/adecenter/essays/Scott.html |url-status=live }} Georgetown's Old Stone House, built in 1765, is the oldest-standing building in the city.{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc17.htm |title=Old Stone House |access-date=August 13, 2011 |publisher=National Park Service |archive-date=November 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110225644/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc17.htm |url-status=live }} Founded in 1789, Georgetown University features a mix of Romanesque and Gothic Revival architecture. The Ronald Reagan Building is the largest building in the district with a total area of about 3.1 million square feet (288,000 m²).{{cite web |url=http://www.itcdc.com/About-Us/Our-Building.aspx |title=Our Building |access-date=January 6, 2013 |publisher=Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115081257/http://www.itcdc.com/About-Us/Our-Building.aspx |archive-date=January 15, 2013}} Washington Union Station is designed in a combination of architectural styles. Its Great Hall has elaborate gold leaf designs along the ceilings and the hall includes several decorative classical-style statues.{{cite news|last=Hudson|first=Stephen|url=https://ggwash.org/view/65707/building-of-the-week-washington-union-station|title=Building of the Week: Washington Union Station|work=Greater Greater Washington|access-date=September 8, 2022|archive-date=September 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909013909/https://ggwash.org/view/65707/building-of-the-week-washington-union-station|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Demographics of Washington, D.C.}}

{{US Census population

| 1800 = 8144

| 1810 = 15471

| 1820 = 23336

| 1830 = 30261

| 1840 = 33745

| 1850 = 51687

| 1860 = 75080

| 1870 = 131700

| 1880 = 177624

| 1890 = 230392

| 1900 = 278718

| 1910 = 331069

| 1920 = 437571

| 1930 = 486869

| 1940 = 663091

| 1950 = 802178

| 1960 = 763956

| 1970 = 756510

| 1980 = 638333

| 1990 = 606900

| 2000 = 572059

| 2010 = 601723

| 2020 = 689545

| estyear = 2024

| estimate = 702250

| estref =

| footnote = Source:{{cite web |title=2020 Census Apportionment Results |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/dec/2020-apportionment-data.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 26, 2021 |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426210008/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/dec/2020-apportionment-data.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=11 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130217133628/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=11 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 17, 2013 |title=Resident Population Data |year=2010 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 6, 2013}}{{efn|Apportionment totals are collected by combining Resident and Overseas population. (For D.C., this is 689545 residents and 1988 overseas population.)}} Note:{{efn|Until 1890, the Census Bureau counted the City of Washington, Georgetown, and unincorporated portions of Washington County as three separate areas. The data provided in this article from before 1890 are calculated as if the District of Columbia were a single municipality as it is today. Population data for each city prior to 1890 are available.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/twps0027.html |title=Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990 |access-date=July 29, 2008 |last=Gibson |first=Campbell |date=June 1998 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |archive-date=January 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102182532/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/twps0027.html |url-status=live }}}}
2010–2020

}}

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"

! Demographic profile

!2020{{cite web |url=https://planning.dc.gov/publication/2020-census-information-and-data |title=2020 Census: Information and Data |date=August 13, 2021 |access-date=October 24, 2021 |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111131651/https://planning.dc.gov/publication/2020-census-information-and-data |url-status=live }}!! 2010{{cite web |url=http://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/publication/attachments/Chapter%25202.pdf |title=Demographic Characteristics of the District and Metro Area |publisher=DC Office of Planning/State Data Center |access-date=July 7, 2018 |archive-date=March 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329013239/https://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/publication/attachments/Chapter%25202.pdf |url-status=live }}!! 1990{{cite web |title=District of Columbia—Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |access-date=April 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012 |url-status=dead}}!! 1970 !! 1940

|-

| White

|39.6%|| 38.5% || 29.6% || 27.7% || 71.5%

|-

| —Non-Hispanic whites

|38.0%|| 34.8% || 27.4% || 26.5%{{efn|name="fifteen"|Estimated using a 15% sub-sample}} || 71.4%

|-

| Black or African American

|41.4%|| 50.7% || 65.8% || 71.1% || 28.2%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

|11.3%|| 9.1% || 5.4% || 2.1%{{efn|name="fifteen"}} || 0.1%

|-

| Asian

|4.8%|| 3.5% || 1.8% || 0.6% || 0.2%

|}

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the district's population was 705,749 as of July 2019, up more than 100,000 people since the 2010 United States Census. When measured decade-over-decade, this shows growth since 2000, following a half-century of population decline.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/21/AR2010122102609.html |title=D.C. population soars past 600,000 for first time in years |last1=Morello |first1=Carol |date=December 22, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=August 26, 2011 |last2=Keating |first2=Dan |archive-date=January 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128182809/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/21/AR2010122102609.html |url-status=live }} Washington was the 24th-most populous place in the United States {{As of|2010|lc=y}}.{{cite web |title=Population Change for Places With Populations of 50,000 or More in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2000 to 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/cph-t/cph-t-3.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 21, 2011 |date=September 27, 2011 |archive-date=December 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215000355/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/cph-t/cph-t-3.html |url-status=live }} According to data from 2010, commuters from the suburbs boost the district's daytime population past one million.{{cite web |last=Austermuhle |first=Martin |title=D.C.'s Population Grows 79 Percent Every Workday, Outpacing Other Cities |url=http://wamu.org/news/13/05/31/dcs_population_grows_79_percent_every_workday_outpacing_other_cities |publisher=WAMU |access-date=June 1, 2013 |date=May 31, 2013 |archive-date=July 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703161028/http://wamu.org/news/13/05/31/dcs_population_grows_79_percent_every_workday_outpacing_other_cities |url-status=live }} If the district were a state, it would rank 49th in population, ahead of Vermont and Wyoming.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/DC |title=QuickFacts: District of Columbia |date=July 1, 2017 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=October 11, 2018 |archive-date=April 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426235924/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/dc |url-status=live }}

File:Race and ethnicity 2010- Washington, DC (5559893527).png, according to the 2010 U.S. census; each dot represents 25 people: White, Black, Asian, Hispanic or Other (yellow)]]

The Washington metropolitan area, which includes the district and surrounding suburbs, is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., with an estimated six million residents as of 2016.{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2016/PEPANNRES/310M300US47900 |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016 |access-date=March 6, 2018 |date=March 2017 |publisher=United States Census Bureau, Population Division |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213114548/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2016/PEPANNRES/310M300US47900 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead}} When the Washington area is included with Baltimore and its suburbs, it forms the vast Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. With a population exceeding 9.8 million residents in 2020, it is the third-largest combined statistical area in the country.{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2016/GCTPEPANNR.US41PR |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213004930/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2016/GCTPEPANNR.US41PR |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016—United States—Combined Statistical Area; and for Puerto Rico |access-date=March 6, 2018 |date=March 2017 |publisher=United States Census Bureau, Population Division}}

According to Department of Housing and Development's Annual Homeless Assessment Report in 2022, there were an estimated 4,410 homeless people in Washington, D.C.{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |access-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |access-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status=live }}

The city passed a law in 2013 that requires shelter to be provided to everyone in need when the temperature drops below freezing.[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-25/dcs-homeless-do-it-tough-as-winter-rolls-through/5113900 DC's homeless do it tough as winter rolls through]. 2013. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107160941/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-25/dcs-homeless-do-it-tough-as-winter-rolls-through/5113900 |date=January 7, 2016 }}. ABC News, November 25, 2013. Since D.C. does not have enough shelter units available, every winter it books hotel rooms in the suburbs with an average cost of around $100 for a night. According to the D.C. Department of Human Services, during the winter of 2012 the city spent $2,544,454 on putting homeless families in hotels,Wiener, Aaron. [http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2013/11/26/d-c-s-homeless-shelter-crisis-by-the-numbers/ D.C.'s Homeless Shelter Crisis, by the Numbers.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422103004/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2013/11/26/d-c-s-homeless-shelter-crisis-by-the-numbers/ |date=April 22, 2016 }} Washington City Paper, November 26, 2013. and budgeted $3.2 million on hotel beds in 2013.Wiener, Aaron. [http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2013/10/29/winters-coming-is-the-city-ready-to-shelter-its-homeless/ Winter's Coming. Is the City Ready to Shelter Its Homeless?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034609/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2013/10/29/winters-coming-is-the-city-ready-to-shelter-its-homeless/ |date=March 4, 2016 }} Washington City Paper, October 29, 2013.{{update inline|date=March 2025}}

According to 2020 Census Bureau data, the population of Washington, D.C., was 41.4% Black or African American, 39.6% White (37.9% non-Hispanic White), 4.9% Asian, 0.5% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 5.4% Some Other Race. Individuals from two or more races made up 8.1% of the population. Hispanics of any race made up 11.3% of the district's population.

File:Leffler - 1968 Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. riots.jpg.]]

Washington, D.C. has had a relatively large African American population since the city's foundation.{{cite book |last=Kolchin |first=Peter |title=American Slavery: 1619–1877 |publisher=Hill and Wang |location=New York |year=1994 |page=81}} African American residents composed about 30% of the district's total population between 1800 and 1940. The black population reached a peak of 70% by 1970 and has since declined as African Americans moved to the surrounding suburbs. Partly as a result of gentrification, there was a 31.4% increase in the non-Hispanic white population and an 11.5% decrease in the black population between 2000 and 2010.{{cite news |title=Number of black D.C. residents plummets as majority status slips away |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/black-dc-residents-plummet-barely-a-majority/2011/03/24/ABtIgJQB_story.html |access-date=March 25, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 24, 2011 |first1=Carol |last1=Morello |first2=Dan |last2=Keating |archive-date=May 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504041622/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/black-dc-residents-plummet-barely-a-majority/2011/03/24/ABtIgJQB_story.html |url-status=live }} According to a study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the city has experienced more gentrification than any other U.S. city, with 40% of neighborhoods gentrified.{{Cite web |date=April 18, 2019 |title='It's primarily racial': Study finds DC has the most intense gentrification in the country |url=https://wtop.com/dc/2019/04/its-primarily-racial-dc-has-the-most-intense-gentrification-in-the-country-study-found/ |access-date=June 12, 2020 |website=WTOP |language=en |archive-date=February 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217013221/https://wtop.com/dc/2019/04/its-primarily-racial-dc-has-the-most-intense-gentrification-in-the-country-study-found/ |url-status=live }}

As of 2010, about 17% of Washington, D.C. residents were age 18 or younger, which is lower than the U.S. average of 24%. However, at 34 years old, the district had the lowest median age compared to the 50 states as of 2010.{{cite web |title=Age and Sex Composition: 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-03.pdf |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 17, 2011 |page=7 |date=May 2011 |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116205037/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-03.pdf |url-status=live }} {{As of|2010}}, there were an estimated 81,734 immigrants living in Washington, D.C.{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/DP02/0400000US11 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212084753/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/DP02/0400000US11 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |title=Selected Social Characteristics in the United States |work=American Community Survey 2010 |access-date=January 21, 2012 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}} Major sources of immigration include El Salvador, Ethiopia, Mexico, Guatemala, and China, with a concentration of Salvadorans in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood.{{cite web |url=http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2001/04/washington-dc-singer |title=The World in a Zip Code: Greater Washington, D.C. as a New Region of Immigration |publisher=The Brookings Institution |last=Singer |first=Audrey |year=2001 |access-date=May 12, 2012 |display-authors=etal |archive-date=January 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116133407/http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2001/04/washington-dc-singer |url-status=live }}

As of 2010, there were 4,822 same-sex couples in the city, about 2% of total households, according to Williams Institute.{{cite web |url=http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Census2010Snapshot_DC_v2.pdf |title=District of Columbia Census Snapshot: 2010 |access-date=November 12, 2011 |last=Gates |first=Gary J. |author2=Abigail M. Cooke |date=September 2011 |publisher=The Williams Institute |archive-date=April 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407025129/http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Census2010Snapshot_DC_v2.pdf |url-status=dead}} Legislation authorizing same-sex marriage passed in 2009, and the district began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in March 2010.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030300654.html |title=D.C. begins licensing same-sex marriages |last=Alexander |first=Keith L. |author2=Anne E. Marimow |date=March 4, 2010 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 4, 2010 |archive-date=July 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720091514/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030300654.html |url-status=live }}

{{multiple image

| perrow = 2

| total_width = 400

| header = Notable religious buildings in Washington, D.C.

| image1 = Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington.jpg

| image2 = Islamic Center, Washington, D.C LCCN2011630761.jpg

| image3 = 6th&ISynagogue.jpg

| image4 = St. John's Episcopal Church Lafayette Square.jpg

| footer = Left to right from the top: The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; Islamic Center of Washington; Sixth & I Historic Synagogue; and St. John's Episcopal Church

}}

As of 2007, about one-third of Washington, D.C., residents were functionally illiterate, greater than the national rate of about one-fifth. The city's relatively high illiteracy rate is attributed partly to immigrants who are not proficient in English.{{cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_re_us/adult_literacy |title=Study Finds One-third in D.C. Illiterate |date=March 19, 2007 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=August 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070322164359/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_re_us/adult_literacy |archive-date=March 22, 2007 |url-status=dead |publisher=Yahoo! News}} {{As of|2011}}, 85% of D.C. residents age{{nbsp}}5 and older spoke English at home as a primary language.{{cite web |last=Ryan |first=Camille |title=Language Use in the United States: 2011 |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acs-22.pdf |work=American Community Survey |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=August 11, 2013 |date=August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205101044/http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acs-22.pdf |archive-date=February 5, 2016 |url-status=dead}} Half of residents had at least a four-year college degree in 2006. In 2017, the median household income in D.C. was $77,649; also in 2017, D.C. residents had a personal income per capita of $50,832 (higher than any of the 50 states).{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_17_5YR_B19301&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214060841/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_17_5YR_B19301&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 14, 2020 |work=American FactFinder |title=Per Capita Income in the Past 12 Months (in 2017 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars) 2013–2017 American Community Survey 5-Year estimates. (Geography set to "District of Columbia") |access-date=July 3, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008/tables/08s0659.pdf |title=Personal Income Per Capita in Current and Constant (2000) Dollars by State: 2000 to 2006 |date=April 2007 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 27, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228053245/http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008/tables/08s0659.pdf |archive-date=December 28, 2008}} However, 19% of residents were below the poverty level in 2005, higher than any state except Mississippi. In 2019, the poverty rate stood at 14.7%.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008/tables/08s0687.pdf |title=Individuals and Families Below Poverty Level—Number and Rate by State: 2000 and 2005 |year=2005 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 27, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228053242/http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008/tables/08s0687.pdf |archive-date=December 28, 2008}}{{efn|The territories of the United States have the highest poverty rates in the United States.{{cite web |url=https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10240r.pdf |work=GAO |title=Poverty Determination In U.S. Insular Areas |access-date=July 3, 2019 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412032339/https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10240r.pdf |url-status=dead}}}}{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-people.html |title=Historical Poverty Tables: People and Families—1959 to 2018 |year=2018 |access-date=October 8, 2019 |archive-date=September 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922124430/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-people.html |url-status=live }}

{{as of|2010}}, more than 90% of Washington, D.C., residents had health insurance coverage, the second-highest rate in the nation. This is due in part to city programs that help provide insurance to low-income individuals who do not qualify for other types of coverage.{{cite web |last=Reed |first=Jenny |title=National Health Care Reform is a Win for DC |url=http://www.dcfpi.org/national-health-care-reform-is-a-win-for-dc |publisher=DC Fiscal Policy Institute |access-date=August 17, 2011 |date=April 21, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002180131/http://www.dcfpi.org/national-health-care-reform-is-a-win-for-dc |archive-date=October 2, 2011}}{{Better source needed|date=August 2024}} A 2009 report found that at least three percent of Washington, D.C., residents have HIV or AIDS, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) characterizes as a "generalized and severe" epidemic.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/14/AR2009031402176_pf.html |title=HIV/AIDS Rate in D.C. Hits 3% |last=Vargas |first=Jose Antonio |author2=Darryl Fears |date=March 15, 2009 |newspaper=The Washington Post |pages=A01 |access-date=March 21, 2009 |archive-date=February 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204182824/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/14/AR2009031402176_pf.html |url-status=live }}

As of 2020, according to the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, 56% of the city's residents were adherents{{efn|Defined as "members, children who are not members, and others who are not members but are considered participants in the congregation"}} of a religious body. The largest tradition represented was Evangelical Protestantism (15% of total population), followed by Catholicism (12%), Black Protestantism (10%), Mainline Protestantism (10%), Judaism (3%), Orthodox Christianity (2%), Buddhism (1%), and Islam (1%), with several other groups numbering less than 1%. Mainline Protestants were the largest group in 2010, Catholics in 2000, and Black Protestants in 1990.{{cite web |last1= |title=Congregational Membership Reports |url=https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&t=0&c=11001 |website=Association of Religion Data Archives |access-date=31 August 2024}} The city is populated with many religious buildings, including Washington National Cathedral, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which comprises the largest Catholic church building in the United States, and the Islamic Center of Washington, which was the largest mosque in the Western Hemisphere when it opened in 1957. St. John's Episcopal Church, located off Lafayette Square, has held services for every U.S. president since James Madison. The Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, built in 1908, is a synagogue located in the Chinatown section of the city. The Washington D.C. Temple is a large Mormon temple located just outside the city in Kensington, Maryland. Viewable from the Capital Beltway, the temple is the tallest Mormon temple in existence and the third-largest by square footage.{{cite web |last=Benedi |first=Jamle |title=10 beautiful houses of worship in D.C., mapped |url=https://dc.curbed.com/maps/church-cathedral-synagogue-dc-map |publisher=Curbed Washington DC |access-date=September 9, 2022 |date=November 19, 2019 |archive-date=September 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908234656/https://dc.curbed.com/maps/church-cathedral-synagogue-dc-map |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Washington D.C. Temple |url=https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/washington-d.c.-temple/ |publisher=Curbed Washington DC |access-date=September 9, 2022 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603090039/https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/washington-d.c.-temple/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Economy of the Washington metropolitan area}}

File:Ec 05 (26114196145) (cropped).jpg on Constitution Avenue, home of the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States]]

{{As of|2011|post=,}} the Washington metropolitan area, including the District of Columbia as well as parts of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia, was the nation's eighth-largest metropolitan economy. Its growing and diversified economy has an increasing percentage of professional and business service jobs in addition to more traditional jobs rooted in tourism, entertainment, and government.{{cite news |last=Florida |first=Richard |title=What Housing Crisis? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/06/02/double-dip-not-in-washington-dc/what-housing-crisis |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 15, 2011 |date=June 2, 2011 |archive-date=December 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201091216/http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/06/02/double-dip-not-in-washington-dc/what-housing-crisis |url-status=live }}{{Obsolete source|date=July 2023}}

Between 2009 and 2016, gross domestic product per capita in Washington, D.C., consistently ranked at the very top among U.S. states.{{cite web |title=Per capita real GDP by state (chained 2009 dollars) |url=https://www.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=70&step=10&isuri=1&7003=200&7035=-1&7004=sic&7005=1&7006=xx&7036=-1&7001=1200&7002=1&7090=70&7007=-1&7093=levels#reqid=70&step=10&isuri=1&7003=1000&7004=naics&7035=-1&7005=1&7006=xx&7001=11000&7036=-1&7002=1&7090=70&7007=-1&7093=levels |website=Bureau of Economic Analysis |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce |access-date=August 29, 2017 |archive-date=August 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831043848/https://www.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=70&step=10&isuri=1&7003=200&7035=-1&7004=sic&7005=1&7006=xx&7036=-1&7001=1200&7002=1&7090=70&7007=-1&7093=levels#reqid=70&step=10&isuri=1&7003=1000&7004=naics&7035=-1&7005=1&7006=xx&7001=11000&7036=-1&7002=1&7090=70&7007=-1&7093=levels |url-status=live }} In 2016, at $160,472, its GDP per capita was almost three times greater than that of Massachusetts, which was ranked second in the nation (see List of U.S. states and territories by GDP).

{{as of|2022}}, the metropolitan statistical area's unemployment rate was 3.1%, ranking 171 out of the 389 metropolitan areas as defined by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.{{cite web|url=https://www.bls.gov/web/metro/laummtrk.htm|title=Unemployment Rates for Metropolitan Areas |website=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |date=November 2022|access-date=January 8, 2023|archive-date=January 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108210943/https://www.bls.gov/web/metro/laummtrk.htm|url-status=live}} The District of Columbia itself had an unemployment rate of 4.6% during the same time period.{{cite web |url=https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm |title=Unemployment Rates for States |date=November 2022 |publisher=United States Bureau of Labor Statistics |access-date=January 8, 2023 |archive-date=April 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401122314/https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm |url-status=live }} In 2019, Washington, D.C., had the highest median household income in the U.S. at $92,266.{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/map?q=S1901%3A%20INCOME%20IN%20THE%20PAST%2012%20MONTHS%20%28IN%202018%20INFLATION-ADJUSTED%20DOLLARS%29&table=S1901&tid=ACSST1Y2018.S1901&hidePreview=false&cid=S1901_C01_001E&vintage=2018&lastDisplayedRow=93&layer=state&g=0400000US10,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,53,54,55,56,72,05,02,08,01,06,09,04|title=S1901: income in the past 12 months (in 2018 inflation-adjusted dollars)|date=December 19, 2019|website=data.census.gov|access-date=February 26, 2022|archive-date=March 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306105619/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/map?q=S1901%3A%20INCOME%20IN%20THE%20PAST%2012%20MONTHS%20%28IN%202018%20INFLATION-ADJUSTED%20DOLLARS%29&table=S1901&tid=ACSST1Y2018.S1901&hidePreview=false&cid=S1901_C01_001E&vintage=2018&lastDisplayedRow=93&layer=state&g=0400000US10,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,53,54,55,56,72,05,02,08,01,06,09,04|url-status=live}}

According to the District's comprehensive annual financial reports, the top employers by number of employees in 2022 included Georgetown University, Children's National Medical Center, Washington Hospital Center, George Washington University, American University, Georgetown University Hospital, Booz Allen & Hamilton, Insperity PEO Services, Universal Protection Service, Howard University, Medstar Medical Group, George Washington University Hospital, Catholic University of America, and Sibley Memorial Hospital."[https://cfo.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ocfo/publication/attachments/FY%202022%20DC%20ACFR.pdf Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2022] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806165625/https://cfo.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ocfo/publication/attachments/FY%202022%20DC%20ACFR.pdf |date=August 6, 2023 }}". Government of the District of Columbia. January 24, 2023. p. 231.

{{Main|Federal government of the United States}}

File:Aerial view showing top of Washington Monument, Washington, D.C LCCN2010630904 (cropped).tiff, a historic hub of executive departments of the U.S. federal government]]

As of July 2022, 25% of people employed in Washington, D.C., were employed by the federal government.{{cite web|url=https://does.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/does/page_content/attachments/CESdcJuly22%5B3%5D.pdf|title=District of Columbia Wage and Salary Employment by Industry and Place of Work|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022020302/https://does.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/does/page_content/attachments/CESdcJuly22%5B3%5D.pdf|archive-date=2022-10-22|publisher=District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, Office of Labor Market Research and Information|date=2022}} Many of the region's residents are employed by companies and organizations that do work for the federal government, seek to influence federal policy, or are otherwise related to its work, including law firms, defense contractors, civilian contractors, nonprofit organizations, lobbying firms, trade unions, industry trade groups, and professional associations, many of which have their headquarters in or near the city for proximity to the federal government.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

{{Category see also|Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.}}

File:"The Conservative Sensibility" event at AEI.jpg, one of the city's many think tanks]]

Washington, D.C., is a leading center for national and international research organizations, especially think tanks engaged in public policy.{{cite web|url=https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=think_tanks&emci=9f8b1916-7161-eb11-9889-00155d43c992&emdi=71ad824c-7761-eb11-9889-00155d43c992&ceid=22832|title=2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report|last=McGann|first=James|date=January 28, 2021|work=University of Pennsylvania|access-date=February 28, 2022|archive-date=February 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228175616/https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=think_tanks|url-status=live}} As of 2020, 8% of the country's think tanks are based in the city, including many of the largest and most widely cited,{{cite web |last=Luxner |first=Larry |date=February 5, 2021 |title=DC-based organizations dominate 2020 list of world's top think tanks |url=https://washdiplomat.com/dc-based-organizations-dominate-2020-list-of-worlds-top-think-tanks/#:~:text=Washington%2Dbased%20think%20tanks%20among,for%20American%20Progress%2C%20or%20CAP%20( |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228175631/https://washdiplomat.com/dc-based-organizations-dominate-2020-list-of-worlds-top-think-tanks/#:~:text=Washington%2Dbased%20think%20tanks%20among,for%20American%20Progress%2C%20or%20CAP%20( |archive-date=February 28, 2022 |access-date=February 28, 2022 |work=Washington Diplomat}} including the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Peterson Institute for International Economics, The Heritage Foundation, and Urban Institute.[https://guides.library.upenn.edu/c.php?g=1035991&p=7509974 "Public Policy Research Think Tanks 2019"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203154727/https://guides.library.upenn.edu/c.php?g=1035991&p=7509974 |date=December 3, 2022 }}, University of Pennsylvania

Washington, D.C. is home to many non-profit organizations that engage with issues of domestic and global importance by conducting advanced research, running programs, or public advocacy. Among these organizations are the UN Foundation, Human Rights Campaign, Amnesty International, and the National Endowment for Democracy.{{Cite web |title=Contact Us |url=https://www.ned.org/contact/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY |language=en-US |archive-date=March 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319194919/https://www.ned.org/contact/ |url-status=live }} Major medical research institutions include the MedStar Washington Hospital Center and the Children's National Medical Center.{{cite web |year=2010 |title=Top 200 Chief Executive Officers of the Major Employers in the District of Columbia 2009 |url=http://does.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/does/publication/attachments/DOES_Top200.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115081218/http://does.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/does/publication/attachments/DOES_Top200.pdf |archive-date=January 15, 2013 |access-date=September 6, 2012 |publisher=D.C. Department of Employment Services}}

The city is the country's primary location for international development firms, many of which contract with the D.C.-based United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. federal government's aid agency. The American Red Cross, a humanitarian agency focused on emergency relief, is also based in the city.{{Cite web |title=Charity Navigator - Rating for American Red Cross |url=https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/530196605 |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=www.charitynavigator.org |archive-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119120209/https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/530196605 |url-status=live }}

{{see also|Category:Companies based in Washington, D.C.|Washington metropolitan area#Primary industries}}

According to statistics compiled in 2011, four of the largest 500 companies in the country were based in Washington, D.C.{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2011/states/DC.html |title=Fortune 500 2011: States: District Of Columbia Companies |access-date=November 12, 2011 |date=May 23, 2011 |work=Fortune Magazine |publisher=CNNMoney.com |archive-date=October 31, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111031162201/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2011/states/DC.html |url-status=live }} In the 2023 Global Financial Centres Index, Washington was ranked as having the 8th most competitive financial center in the world, and fourth most competitive in the United States (after New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles).{{cite web |url=https://www.longfinance.net/media/documents/GFCI_29_Full_Report_2021.03.17_v1.1.pdf |title=The Global Financial Centres Index 29 |date=March 2021 |access-date=July 27, 2021 |archive-date=March 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322132130/https://www.longfinance.net/media/documents/GFCI_29_Full_Report_2021.03.17_v1.1.pdf |url-status=dead}} Among the largest companies based in Washington, D.C., are Fannie Mae, Amtrak, Danaher Corporation, FTI Consulting, and Hogan Lovells.{{Cite news |url=https://builtin.com/washington-dc/companies-in-washington-dc |title=30 Top Companies in Washington, D.C., Shaping the Nation's Business Landscape |newspaper=Built In |date=October 4, 2021 |language=en |last1=McClure |first1=Olivia |access-date=September 8, 2022 |archive-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304220913/https://builtin.com/washington-dc/companies-in-washington-dc |url-status=live }}{{Better source needed|date=August 2024}}

File:World War II Memorial Wade-47.JPG, one of many popular tourist sites located on the National Mall]]

Tourism is the city's second-largest industry, after the federal government. In 2012, some 18.9 million visitors contributed an estimated $4.8 billion to the local economy.{{cite news |url=http://washingtonexaminer.com/d.c.-sets-tourism-record-with-19m-visitors-in-2012/article/2529134 |title=D.C. sets tourism record with 19 m visitors in 2012 |first=Matt |last=Connolly |date=May 7, 2013 |access-date=May 8, 2013 |work=The Washington Examiner |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103040727/http://washingtonexaminer.com/d.c.-sets-tourism-record-with-19m-visitors-in-2012/article/2529134 |archive-date=November 3, 2013}} In 2019, the city saw 24.6 million tourists, including 1.8 million from foreign countries, who collectively spent $8.15 billion during their stay.{{citation|url=https://washington-org.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2019_washington_dc_visitor_statistics.pdf|title=2019 VISITOR STATISTICS WASHINGTON, DC|date=2019|work=Discover DC|access-date=February 28, 2022|archive-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922034448/https://washington-org.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2019_washington_dc_visitor_statistics.pdf|url-status=live}} Tourism helps many of the region's other industries, such as lodging, food and beverage, entertainment, shopping, and transportation.

The city and the larger Washington metropolitan area have an array of attractions for tourists, including monuments, memorials, museums, sports events, and trails. Within the city, the National Mall serves as the center of the tourism industry. It is there that many of the city's museums and monuments are located. Adjacent to the mall sits the Tidal Basin, where several major national memorials and monuments are located, including the popular Jefferson Memorial. Washington Union Station is a popular tourist spot with its multitude of restaurants and shops.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

{{Main|Culture of Washington, D.C.}}

{{Infobox region symbols|country=United States

|region = District of Columbia

|bird = Wood Thrush

|tree = Scarlet Oak

|flower = American Beauty rose

|beverage = Rickey{{cite web |author=Jamie R. Liu |title=Rickey Named Official D.C. Cocktail |work=DCist |date=July 14, 2011 |url=http://dcist.com/2011/07/rickey_named_dcs_cocktail.php |access-date=July 14, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014163359/http://dcist.com/2011/07/rickey_named_dcs_cocktail.php |archive-date=October 14, 2011}}

|dinosaur = Capitalsaurus

|food = Cherry

|rock = Potomac bluestone

|dance = Hand dancing

|slogan = Federal City

|image_route = {{infobox road/shieldmain/USA|state=DC|type=DC|route=295}}

|image_quarter = 2009 DC Proof.png

|quarter_release_date = 2009

|mammal=Little brown bat

|fish=American shad

|crustacean=Hay's Spring amphipod

}}

{{Main|Theater in Washington, D.C.}}

File:Moulin Rouge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts audience perspective.jpg at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]]

Washington, D.C., is a national center for the arts, home to several concert halls and theaters. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is home to National Symphony Orchestra, 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. This ceremony is often attended by the sitting U.S. president and other dignitaries and celebrities.{{cite web |url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/about/home.html |title=About the Kennedy Center Honors |access-date=June 29, 2008 |publisher=The Kennedy Center |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516004214/http://kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/about/home.html |archive-date=May 16, 2008}} The Kennedy Center also awards the annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.{{Cite web |title=The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor |url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/marktwain/ |access-date=June 15, 2024 |publisher=The Kennedy Center}}

The historic Ford's Theatre, the site of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, continues to function as a theatre and as a museum.{{cite news |last=Rothstein |first=Edward |title=Where a Comedy Turned to Tragedy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/arts/design/07linc.html |access-date=April 2, 2011 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 6, 2009 |archive-date=May 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512181850/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/arts/design/07linc.html |url-status=live }}

The Marine Barracks near Capitol Hill houses the United States Marine Band; founded in 1798, it is the country's oldest professional musical organization.{{cite web |title=Who We Are |url=http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/WHO_WE_ARE/ensembles/marine_band/index.htm |publisher=United States Marine Band |access-date=July 23, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019060441/http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/WHO_WE_ARE/ensembles/marine_band/index.htm |archive-date=October 19, 2012}} American march composer and Washington-native John Philip Sousa led the Marine Band from 1880 until 1892.{{cite journal |last=Davison |first=Marjorie Risk |title=Excerpts from the History of Music in the District of Columbia |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |year=1969 |volume=66–68 |page=183 |jstor=40067254}} Founded in 1925, the United States Navy Band has its headquarters at the Washington Navy Yard and performs at official events and public concerts around the city.{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.navyband.navy.mil/History.shtml |publisher=United States Navy Band |access-date=July 23, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716081210/http://www.navyband.navy.mil/History.shtml |archive-date=July 16, 2011}}

Founded in 1950, Arena Stage achieved national attention and spurred growth in the city's independent theater movement, which now includes the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Studio Theatre.{{cite book |last=Wilmeth |first=Don B. |title=The Cambridge history of American theatre |year=2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=232 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mnRa7u3-T2IC |author2=C.W.E. Bigsby |isbn=978-0-521-66959-7 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906002902/https://books.google.com/books?id=mnRa7u3-T2IC |url-status=live }} Arena Stage reopened after a renovation and expansion in the city's emerging Southwest waterfront area in 2010.{{cite news |last=Kravitz |first=Derek |title=The emerging Southwest: Transformation underway |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/23/AR2010092307325.html |access-date=April 2, 2001 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 26, 2010 |archive-date=February 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216174004/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/23/AR2010092307325.html |url-status=live }} The GALA Hispanic Theatre, now housed in the historic Tivoli Theatre in Columbia Heights, was founded in 1976 and is a National Center for the Latino Performing Arts.{{cite web |title=Gala Theatre History |url=http://galatheatre.org/history.php |publisher=GALA Hispanic Theatre |access-date=April 2, 2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830222103/http://www.galatheatre.org/history.php |archive-date=August 30, 2009}}

Other performing arts spaces in the city include the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Federal Triangle, the Atlas Performing Arts Center on H Street, the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Rock Creek Park, Constitution Hall in Downtown, the Keegan Theatre in Dupont Circle, the Lisner Auditorium in Foggy Bottom, the Sylvan Theater on the National Mall, and the Warner Theatre in Penn Quarter.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} National Theatre in Downtown, which opened in 1835, is the second-longest continuously operating theater in the nation after Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, which opened in 1808.{{Cite news |last=Fruehling|first=Douglas|date=May 29, 2024 |title=D.C. is buying the National Theatre. Here's why.|work=Washington Business Journal |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2024/05/29/national-theatre-renovations-dc.html |access-date=August 20, 2024 |archive-date=May 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240531102759/https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2024/05/29/national-theatre-renovations-dc.html#selection-929.0-936.0 |url-status=live }}

U Street Corridor in Northwest is home to Howard Theatre and Lincoln Theatre, which hosted music legends such as Washington, D.C. natives Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis.{{cite news |first=Dan |last=Levin |title=Lights Return to 'Black Broadway' in Northwest Washington, D.C. |date=September 10, 2006 |url=http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/09/10/travel/10surfacing.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 20, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610144435/http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/09/10/travel/10surfacing.html?ref=travel |archive-date=June 10, 2011}} Just east of U Street is Shaw, which also served as a major cultural center during the jazz age. Intersecting with U Street is Fourteenth Street, which was an extension of the U Street cultural corridor during the 1920s through the 1960s. The collection of Fourteenth Street, U Street, and Shaw was the location of the Black Renaissance in D.C., which was part of the larger Harlem Renaissance. The area starting at Fourteenth Street downtown going north through U Street and east to Shaw boasts a high concentration of bars, restaurants, and theaters, and is among the city's most notable cultural and artistic areas.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), a group of more than 65 film critics, holds an annual awards ceremony.{{cite web|title=About|url=http://www.wafca.com/about/index.htm|website=wafca.com|publisher=Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association|access-date=March 11, 2024|archive-date=December 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209235303/http://www.wafca.com/about/index.htm|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Music of Washington, D.C.}}

File:Chuck Brown (5318700369).jpg performing go-go music]]

Columbia Records, a major music record label in the US, was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1889.{{cite journal |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |title=A Directory to Columbia Recording Artists |journal=ARSC Journal |date=1979 |volume=11 |issue=2–3 |pages=102–138 |url=https://www.arsc-audio.org/journals/v13/v11/v11n2-3p102-138.pdf |access-date=31 August 2024}}{{rp|p=105}}

The city grew into being one of America's most important music cities in the early jazz age. Duke Ellington, among the most prominent jazz composers and musicians of his time, was born and raised in Washington, and began his music career in the city. The center of the city's jazz scene during those years was U street and Shaw. Among the city's major jazz locations were the Lincoln Theatre and the Howard Theatre.

{{cite web|url=http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/info-url3948/info-url_show.htm?doc_id=204895&attrib_id=7970

|title=Howard Theatre|department=African American Heritage Trail Database|website=Cultural Tourism DC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018042614/http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/info-url3948/info-url_show.htm?doc_id=204895&attrib_id=7970|archive-date=2006-10-18}}

Washington has its own native music genre called go-go; a post-funk, percussion-driven flavor of rhythm and blues that was popularized in the late 1970s by D.C. band leader Chuck Brown.{{cite news |first=Alona |last=Wartofsky |title=What Go-Goes Around ... |date=June 3, 2001 |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=G01}}

The district is an important center for indie culture and music in the United States. The DC-based label Dischord Records, formed by Ian MacKaye, frontman of Fugazi, was one of the most crucial independent labels in the genesis of 1980s punk and eventually indie rock in the 1990s.{{cite book |last=Constantinou |first=Costas M. |title=Cultures and politics of global communication |year=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=203 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xpJ0_WQIbZoC |isbn=978-0-521-72711-2 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905235914/https://books.google.com/books?id=xpJ0_WQIbZoC |url-status=live }} Modern alternative and indie music venues like The Black Cat and the 9:30 Club bring popular acts to the U Street area.{{cite news |title=Black Cat: A changing club with a changing scene in a changing city |date=September 9, 2001 |url=http://www.georgetownvoice.com/2004/09/09/black-cat-a-changing-club-with-a-changing-scene-in-a-changing-city/ |work=The Georgetown Voice |access-date=June 10, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513133855/http://georgetownvoice.com/2004/09/09/black-cat-a-changing-club-with-a-changing-scene-in-a-changing-city/ |archive-date=May 13, 2011}} The hardcore punk scene in the city, known as D.C. hardcore, is an important genre of D.C.'s contemporary music scene. Starting in the 1970s and flourishing in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, it is considered to be one of the most influential punk music movements in the country.{{cite web |last=Norton |first=Justin M. |date=October 17, 2012 |url=http://www.stereogum.com/1179562/13-essential-dc-hardcore-albums/franchises/list/ |title=13 Essential DC Hardcore Albums |website=Stereogum |access-date=April 11, 2016 |archive-date=October 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022183326/https://www.stereogum.com/1179562/13-essential-dc-hardcore-albums/franchises/list/ |url-status=live }}

File:Ethiopian vegetarian sampler.jpg served at Das Ethiopian Cuisine on 28th Street Northwest, one of the city's Ethiopian cuisine restaurants]]

Washington, D.C., is rich in fine and casual dining; some consider it among the country's best cities for dining.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/dining/best-restaurants-in-dc.html |title=10 Reasons Washington Is a Great Restaurant City |author=Anderson, Brett |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 29, 2019 |access-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-date=November 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123020212/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/dining/best-restaurants-in-dc.html |url-status=live }} The city has a diverse range of restaurants, including a wide variety of international cuisines. The city's Chinatown, for example, has more than a dozen Chinese-style restaurants. The city also has many Middle Eastern, European, African, Asian, and Latin American cuisine options.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} D.C. is known as one of the best cities in the world for Ethiopian cuisine, due largely to Ethiopian immigrants who arrived in the 20th century.{{cite web |url=https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/dining-out/ethiopian-food-restaurants-washington-dc |title=The Best Ethiopian Restaurants in Washington, D.C. |author=Hutcherson, Aaron |date=October 10, 2019 |access-date=September 9, 2022 |archive-date=September 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909014815/https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/dining-out/ethiopian-food-restaurants-washington-dc |url-status=live }} A part of the Shaw neighborhood in central D.C. is known as "Little Ethiopia" and has a high concentration of Ethiopian restaurants and shops.{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/10/22/little.ethiopia.washington/index.html |title=Inside Washington, D.C.'s 'Little Ethiopia' |author=Showalter, Misty |website=CNN |date=October 22, 2010 |access-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030164404/http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/10/22/little.ethiopia.washington/index.html |url-status=live }} The diversity of cuisine is also reflected in the city's many food trucks, which are particularly heavily concentrated along the National Mall, which has few other dining options.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Among the most notable Washington, D.C.-born foods is the half-smoke, a half-beef, half-pork sausage placed in a hotdog-style bun and topped with onion, chili, and cheese.{{cite web|url=https://washington.org/visit-dc/dc-signature-half-smoke-all-you-need-to-know|title=Everything You Need to Know About DC's Signature Dish: The Half-Smoke|access-date=March 28, 2021|archive-date=February 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209041338/https://washington.org/visit-dc/dc-signature-half-smoke-all-you-need-to-know|url-status=live}} The city is also the birthplace of mumbo sauce, a condiment similar to barbecue sauce but sweeter in flavor, often used on meat and french fries.{{Cite news|url=https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/mumbo-mambo-sauce-washington-dc-article|title=This Secret Sauce From D.C. Belongs on Everything|work=Epicurious|access-date=February 14, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=February 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215084228/https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/mumbo-mambo-sauce-washington-dc-article|url-status=live}}{{cite web |first=Ashlie D. |last=Stevens |date=January 17, 2021 |url=https://www.salon.com/2021/01/17/the-story-of-mambo-or-mumbo-sauce-the-condiment-that-likely-fueled-the-civil-rights-movement/ |title=The Story of Mambo (or Mumbo) Sauce, the Condiment That Likely Fueled the Civil Rights Movement |website=Salon.com |access-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118000230/https://www.salon.com/2021/01/17/the-story-of-mambo-or-mumbo-sauce-the-condiment-that-likely-fueled-the-civil-rights-movement/ |url-status=live }} Washington, D.C. is known for popularizing the jumbo slice pizza, a large New York-style pizza{{cite book |title=Pizza, A Slice of American History |author=Liz Barrett |year=2014 |publisher=Quarto Publishing group |location=Minneapolis |isbn=978-0-7603-4560-3 |page=135 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vPCuBAAAQBAJ&q=jumbo+slice&pg=PA135 |access-date=January 13, 2017 |archive-date=February 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208222232/https://books.google.com/books?id=vPCuBAAAQBAJ&q=jumbo+slice&pg=PA135#v=snippet&q=jumbo%20slice&f=false |url-status=live }}{{cite book |title=Lexicon of Real American Food |author1=Jane Stern |author2=Michael Stern |year=2011 |publisher=Lyons Press |location=Guilford, Connecticut |isbn=978-0-7627-6094-7 |page=163 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0nCFBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT169 |access-date=January 13, 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://wamu.org/story/19/09/26/jumbo-slice/ |title=Jumbo Slice |date=September 26, 2019 |access-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209041325/https://wamu.org/story/19/09/26/jumbo-slice/ |url-status=live }} with roots in the Adams Morgan neighborhood.{{cite news |title=Pie Fight; Pizza signs try to top each other. |last1=Jamieson |first1=Dave |url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/26773/pie-fight |newspaper=Washington City Paper |date=July 25, 2003 |access-date=May 1, 2016 |archive-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006031227/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/26773/pie-fight |url-status=live }}

File:2020.03.19 DC People and Places, Washington, DC USA 080 30017 (49679399691).jpg on U Street, known for its half-smoke, a historic staple of the city's cuisine]]

Among the city's signature restaurants is Ben's Chili Bowl, located on U Street since its founding in 1958. The restaurant rose to prominence as a peaceful escape during the violent 1968 race riots in the city. Famous for its chili dogs and half-smokes, it has been visited by numerous presidents and celebrities over the years.{{cite news|url=http://blogs.reuters.com/frontrow/2009/01/10/dc-diner-adds-obama-to-list-of-famous-patrons|title=Diner adds Obama to list of famous patrons, Reuters Blogs|publisher=Blogs.reuters.com|date=January 10, 2009|access-date=July 15, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124165931/http://blogs.reuters.com/frontrow/2009/01/10/dc-diner-adds-obama-to-list-of-famous-patrons/|archive-date=January 24, 2009}} The Georgetown Cupcake bakery became famous through its appearance on the reality T.V. show DC Cupcakes. Another culinary hotspot is Union Market in Northeast D.C., a former farmer's market and wholesale that now houses a large, gourmet food hall.{{Cite news |date=2021-12-05 |title=Food-oriented apartment complex to open near D.C.'s Union Market |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/where-we-live/wp/2017/05/11/food-oriented-apartment-complex-to-open-near-d-c-s-union-market/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=August 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824022855/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/where-we-live/wp/2017/05/11/food-oriented-apartment-complex-to-open-near-d-c-s-union-market/ |url-status=live }}

As of 2024, 25 restaurants{{efn|Including one restaurant in Virginia, The Inn at Little Washington}} have received stars in the D.C. Michelin Guide.{{cite news |last1=Sidman |first1=Jessica |title=Michelin Adds 5 New Restaurants to Its DC Guide |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/06/12/michelin-adds-5-new-restaurants-to-its-dc-guide/ |access-date=31 August 2024 |work=Washingtonian |date=12 June 2024}} This represents the most starred restaurants per capita for any U.S. city, and the third-most in the world.{{cite news |last1= |title=Cities & Countries with the Most Michelin Restaurants per Capita |url=https://www.chefspencil.com/cities-countries-with-the-most-michelin-restaurants-per-capita/ |access-date=31 August 2024 |work=Chef's Pencil |date=11 June 2024}} Several celebrity chefs have opened restaurants in the city, including José Andrés,{{cite web |url=https://www.mashed.com/210675/the-untold-truth-of-jose-andres/ |title=The Untold Truth Of José Andrés |author=Furdyk, Brent |date=May 19, 2020 |access-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209041322/https://www.mashed.com/210675/the-untold-truth-of-jose-andres/ |url-status=live }} Kwame Onwuachi,{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/dining/kwame-onwuachi-leaving-kith-and-kin.html |title=Kwame Onwuachi Is Leaving Kith and Kin in Washington |author=Wells, Pete |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 6, 2020 |access-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209041325/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/dining/kwame-onwuachi-leaving-kith-and-kin.html |url-status=live }} Gordon Ramsay,{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/05/24/gordon-ramsay-is-opening-an-all-you-can-eat-slice-joint-in-downtown-dc/ |title=Gordon Ramsay Is Opening an All-You-Can-Eat Slice Joint in Downtown DC |author=Spiegel, Anna |newspaper=The Washingtonian |date=May 24, 2022 |access-date=October 26, 2022 |archive-date=October 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026032929/https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/05/24/gordon-ramsay-is-opening-an-all-you-can-eat-slice-joint-in-downtown-dc/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://dc.eater.com/2022/10/25/23422763/celebrity-chef-gordon-ramsay-wharf-sea-of-fish-and-chips-dc-restaurant-openings|publisher=Eater DC|title=Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay Pulls Up to the Wharf With a Sea of Fish and Chips|author=Plumb, Tierney|date=October 25, 2022|access-date=October 26, 2022|archive-date=October 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026013345/https://dc.eater.com/2022/10/25/23422763/celebrity-chef-gordon-ramsay-wharf-sea-of-fish-and-chips-dc-restaurant-openings|url-status=live}} and previously Michel Richard.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/michel-richard-innovative-chef-who-made-dc-a-capital-of-dining-dies-at-68/2016/08/13/ed504bec-615e-11e6-8e45-477372e89d78_story.html|title=Michel Richard, innovative chef who made D.C. a capital of dining, dies at 68|last=Schudel|first=Matt|date=August 13, 2016|access-date=2024-06-15|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|newspaper=The Washington Post}}

{{See also|List of museums in Washington, D.C.}}

File:Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History (7508870948).jpg, the third-most visited museum in the U.S. in 2023, with 4.4 million visitors]]

File:National Gallery of Art.jpg, the fourth-most visited art museum in the United States in 2023 with nearly four million visitors]]

Washington, D.C. is home to several of the country's and world's most visited museums. In 2022, the National Museum of Natural History and the National Gallery of Art were the two most visited museums in the country. Overall, Washington had eight of the 28 most visited museums in the U.S. in 2022. The same year, the National Museum of Natural History was the fifth-most-visited museum in the world and the National Gallery of Art was the eleventh.TEA-AECOM Museum Index 2022, published June 2023

{{See also|List of Smithsonian museums}}

The Smithsonian Institution, an educational foundation chartered by Congress in 1846 and the world's largest research and museum complex, is responsible for maintaining most of the city's official museums and galleries.{{Cite web |date=September 20, 2012 |title=Top 10 Museums and Galleries |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/museum-galleries/ |website=National Geographic |access-date=February 23, 2018 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032056/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/museum-galleries/ |url-status=dead }} The U.S. government partially funds the Smithsonian, and its collections are open to the public free of charge.{{cite web |url=http://www.si.edu/about/ |title=About the Smithsonian |access-date=May 27, 2008 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |archive-date=June 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617164004/http://www.si.edu/About |url-status=live }} The Smithsonian's locations had a combined total of 30 million visits in 2013. The most visited museum is the National Museum of Natural History on National Mall.{{cite web |url=http://newsdesk.si.edu/about/stats |title=Visitor Statistics |access-date=February 20, 2014 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |archive-date=February 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208195916/http://newsdesk.si.edu/about/stats |url-status=live }} Other Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries on the Mall include 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 focus on Asian art and culture; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; the Arts and Industries Building; the S. Dillon Ripley Center; and the Smithsonian Institution Building, which serves as the institution's headquarters.{{cite web |url=http://newsdesk.si.edu/factsheets/ |title=Museum and Program Fact Sheets |access-date=August 13, 2011 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |archive-date=August 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826102406/http://newsdesk.si.edu/factsheets |url-status=live }}

The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery are housed in the Old Patent Office Building near Washington's Chinatown.{{cite web |last=Goodheart |first=Adam |title=Back to the Future |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/back-to-the-future-122460718/ |work=Smithsonian Magazine |access-date=September 9, 2012 |year=2006 |archive-date=May 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520013421/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/back-to-the-future-122460718/ |url-status=live }} Renwick Gallery is part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and is located in a separate building near the White House. Other Smithsonian museums and galleries include Anacostia Community Museum in Southeast Washington, the National Postal Museum near Washington Union Station, and the National Zoo in Woodley Park.

File:National law enforcement officers memorial.jpg]]

The National Gallery of Art is on the National Mall near the Capitol and features American and European artworks. The U.S. government owns the gallery and its collections. However, they are not a part of the Smithsonian Institution.{{cite web |url=http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/about.html |title=About the National Gallery of Art |access-date=April 28, 2013 |publisher=National Gallery of Art |archive-date=September 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140922015956/http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/about.html |url-status=live }} The National Building Museum, which occupies the former Pension Building near Judiciary Square, was chartered by Congress and hosts exhibits on architecture, urban planning, and design.{{cite web |url=http://www.nbm.org/about-us/about-the-museum/ |title=About the National Building Museum |publisher=National Building Museum |access-date=November 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104214726/http://www.nbm.org/about-us/about-the-museum/ |archive-date=November 4, 2010}} The Botanic Garden is a botanical garden and museum operated by the U.S. Congress that is open to the public.{{cite web |url=https://www.usbg.gov/ |title=United States Botanic Garden |publisher=USBG |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=August 6, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020806200311/https://www.usbg.gov/ |url-status=live }}

There are several private art museums in Washington, D.C., that house major collections and exhibits open to the public, such as the National Museum of Women in the Arts and The Phillips Collection in Dupont Circle, the first museum of modern art in the United States.{{cite web |url=http://www.phillipscollection.org/about/about-the-phillips/index.aspx |title=About The Phillips Collection |access-date=December 2, 2012 |publisher=The Phillips Collection |archive-date=November 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130212702/http://www.phillipscollection.org/about/about-the-phillips/index.aspx |url-status=dead}} Other private museums in Washington include the O Street Museum, the International Spy Museum, the National Geographic Society Museum, and the Museum of the Bible. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum near the National Mall maintains exhibits, documentation, and artifacts related to the Holocaust.{{cite web |url=http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/faq/details.php?lang=en&topic=06 |title=Frequently Asked Questions |access-date=May 27, 2008 |date=January 14, 2008 |publisher=U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum |archive-date=April 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407224922/http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/faq/details.php?lang=en&topic=06 |url-status=live }}

{{See also|List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C.|National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington, D.C.}}

File:Aerial view National Mall 12 2014 DC 711.JPG, a landscaped park extending from the Lincoln Memorial to the United States Capitol]]

File:Vietnam Veterans Memorial reflection.jpg, a {{convert|2|acre|m2|adj=on|spell=in}} site featuring two black granite walls engraved with the names of those service members who died or remain missing in the Vietnam War designed by Maya Lin, was initially controversial for its lack of heroic iconography, a departure from earlier memorial designs.]]

The National Mall is a park near Downtown Washington that stretches nearly two miles from the Lincoln Memorial to the United States Capitol. The mall often hosts political protests, concerts, festivals, and presidential inaugurations. The Capitol grounds host the National Memorial Day Concert, held each Memorial Day, and A Capitol Fourth, a concert held each Independence Day. Both concerts are broadcast across the country on PBS. In the evening on the Fourth of July, the park hosts a large fireworks show.{{Cite web |title=Washington, DC, Fourth of July Celebration (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalmall4th/index.htm |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en |archive-date=March 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320154430/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalmall4th/index.htm |url-status=live }}

The Washington Monument and the Jefferson Pier are near the center of the mall, south of the White House. Directly northwest of the Washington Monument is Constitution Gardens, which includes a garden, park, pond, and a memorial to the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence.{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/coga/index.htm|title=Constitution Gardens|access-date=September 9, 2022|publisher=National Park Service|archive-date=September 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921230547/https://www.nps.gov/coga/index.htm|url-status=live}} Just north of Constitution Gardens is the Lockkeeper's House, which is the second-oldest building on the mall after the White House. The house is operated by the National Park Service (NPS) and is open to the public. Also on the mall is the National World War II Memorial at the east end of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool; the Korean War Veterans Memorial; and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/nama/historyculture/index.htm |title=National Mall & Memorial Parks: History & Culture |access-date=February 18, 2012 |date=September 28, 2006 |publisher=National Park Service |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629074322/http://www.nps.gov/nama/historyculture/index.htm |url-status=live }}

South of the mall is the Tidal Basin, a human-made reservoir surrounded by pedestrian paths lined by Japanese cherry trees. Every spring, millions of cherry blossoms bloom, attracting visitors from across the world as part of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival.{{cite web |title=History of the Cherry Trees |url=http://www.nps.gov/cherry/cherry-blossom-history.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=August 19, 2011 |archive-date=August 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805101552/http://www.nps.gov/cherry/cherry-blossom-history.htm |url-status=live }} The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, George Mason Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the District of Columbia War Memorial are around the Tidal Basin.

File:-i---i- (52380995447).jpg in June 2022]]

Numerous historic landmarks are located outside the National Mall. Among these are the Old Post Office,{{cite web |title=Old Post Office, Washington, DC |url=https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/old-post-office-washington-dc |publisher=U.S. General Services Administration |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=November 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126033353/https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/old-post-office-washington-dc |url-status=live }} the Treasury Building,{{cite web |title=The Treasury Building: A National Historic Landmark |url=https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/301/web%20version%20Architectural%20History%20Treasury%20Building_0.pdf |publisher=The United States Treasury |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=August 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805214410/https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/301/web%20version%20Architectural%20History%20Treasury%20Building_0.pdf |url-status=live }} Old Patent Office Building,{{cite web |title=The List: From Ballroom to Hospital, Five Lives of the Old Patent Office Building |url=https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/old-post-office-washington-dc |work=Smithsonian Magazine |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=November 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126033353/https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/old-post-office-washington-dc |url-status=live }} the Washington National Cathedral,{{cite web |title=Visiting the Washington National Cathedral |url=https://washington.org/visit-dc/washington-national-cathedral |publisher=Visit DC |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=September 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911040502/https://washington.org/visit-dc/washington-national-cathedral |url-status=live }} the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception,{{cite web |title=Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception |url=https://washington.org/find-dc-listings/basilica-national-shrine-immaculate-conception |publisher=Visit DC |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=September 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911182719/https://washington.org/find-dc-listings/basilica-national-shrine-immaculate-conception |url-status=live }} the National World War I Memorial,{{cite web |title=World War I Memorial |url=https://www.nps.gov/places/000/national-world-war-i-memorial-future-site.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=September 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911163936/https://www.nps.gov/places/000/national-world-war-i-memorial-future-site.htm |url-status=live }} the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site,{{cite web |title=Frederick Douglass National Historic Site |url=https://www.nps.gov/frdo/index.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-date=September 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926231249/https://www.nps.gov/frdo/index.htm |url-status=live }} Lincoln's Cottage,{{cite web |title=Lincoln's Cottage |url=https://www.lincolncottage.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsrWZBhC4ARIsAGGUJuplaLQpGlwCftRBBte7eYxNVLBB4iHMpnwO5e7WXX07kmo4Xe7KOBgaAogOEALw_wcB |publisher=President Lincoln's Cottage |access-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923154420/https://www.lincolncottage.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsrWZBhC4ARIsAGGUJuplaLQpGlwCftRBBte7eYxNVLBB4iHMpnwO5e7WXX07kmo4Xe7KOBgaAogOEALw_wcB |url-status=live }} the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, and the United States Navy Memorial.{{cite web |title=U.S. Navy Memorial |url=https://washington.org/find-dc-listings/us-navy-memorial |publisher=Visit DC |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=September 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911040502/https://washington.org/find-dc-listings/us-navy-memorial |url-status=live }} The Octagon House, which was the building that President James Madison and his administration moved into following the burning of the White House during the War of 1812, is now a historic museum and popular tourist destination.{{cite web |title=The Octagon House |work=Architects Foundation |url=https://architectsfoundation.org/octagon-museum/ |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=September 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927141759/https://architectsfoundation.org/octagon-museum/ |url-status=live }}

The National Archives is headquartered in a building just north of the National Mall and houses thousands of documents important to American history, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/nae/visit/rotunda.html |title=Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom |access-date=June 28, 2008 |publisher=The National Archives |archive-date=August 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828044549/http://www.archives.gov/nae/visit/rotunda.html |url-status=live }} Located in three buildings on Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress is the largest library complex in the world with a collection of more than 147 million books, manuscripts, and other materials.{{cite web |title=General Information |url=https://www.loc.gov/about/generalinfo.html |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=July 9, 2011 |date=February 1, 2011 |archive-date=February 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224004300/http://www.loc.gov/about/generalinfo.html |url-status=live }} The United States Supreme Court is located immediately north of the Library of Congress. The United States Supreme Court Building was completed in 1935; before then, the court held sessions in the Old Senate Chamber of the Capitol.{{cite web |title=The Court Building |url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/courtbuilding.aspx |publisher=Supreme Court of the United States |access-date=August 19, 2011 |archive-date=September 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901235715/http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/courtbuilding.aspx |url-status=live }}

Chinatown, located just north of the National Mall, houses Capital One Arena, which serves as the home arena to the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association, and serves as the city's primary indoor entertainment arena. Chinatown includes several Chinese restaurants and shops. The Friendship Archway is one of the largest Chinese ceremonial archways outside of China and bears the Chinese characters for "Chinatown" below its roof.{{cite web |title=Chinatown's Friendship Archway |url=https://ggwash.org/view/8237/chinatowns-friendship-archway |publisher=Greater Greater Washington |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=September 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911182732/https://ggwash.org/view/8237/chinatowns-friendship-archway |url-status=live }}

The Southwest Waterfront along the Potomac River has been redeveloped in recent years and now serves as a popular cultural center. The Wharf, as it is called, contains the city's historic Maine Avenue Fish Market. This is the oldest fish market currently in operation in the entire United States.{{cite web |title=The Municipal Fish Market |url=https://www.wharfdc.com/fish-market/ |publisher=The District Wharf |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=September 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220912223922/https://www.wharfdc.com/fish-market/ |url-status=live }} The Wharf also has many hotels, residential buildings, restaurants, shops, parks, piers, docks and marinas, and live music venues.

{{Main|Sports in Washington, D.C.}}

File:Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Bryan Rust (33744033514).jpg in the city's Chinatown section hosts the Washington Capitals, an NHL team (pictured), and the Washington Wizards, an NBA team]]

File:2014 Marine Corps Marathon in front of US Botoanic Garden.jpg, held annually in October in Washington, D.C. and Arlington County, is the largest non-prize money marathon in the country.{{cite news |url= https://dcist.com/story/19/10/23/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-marine-corps-marathon-this-weekend/ |title= What You Need To Know About The Marine Corps Marathon This Weekend |website= DCist |date= October 23, 2019 |first= Natalie |last= Delgadillo |access-date= July 18, 2023 |archive-date= July 18, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230718171348/https://dcist.com/story/19/10/23/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-marine-corps-marathon-this-weekend/ |url-status= live }}]]

Washington, D.C. has four major professional men's sports teams and two major professional women's teams. The Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball are the most popular sports team in the District, as of 2019.{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/11/21/washington-favorite-team-nationals-redskins-poll/ |title= Nationals are D.C.'s favorite team, Post poll finds, as Redskins' popularity plummets |first1= Rick |last1= Maese |first2= Emily |last2= Guskin |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= November 21, 2019 |access-date= July 18, 2023 |archive-date= April 17, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220417053039/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/11/21/washington-favorite-team-nationals-redskins-poll/ |url-status= live }} They play at Nationals Park, which opened in 2008. The Washington Commanders (previously Redskins) of the National Football League play at Northwest Stadium in nearby Landover, Maryland. The Washington Wizards (previously Bullets) of the National Basketball Association and the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League play at Capital One Arena. The Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association play at CareFirst Arena. D.C. United of Major League Soccer and the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League play at Audi Field.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The city's teams have won a combined 14 professional league championships over their respective histories. The Washington Commanders have won two NFL Championships and three Super Bowls;{{cite web |title=History by Decades |url=http://www.redskins.com/team/history/history-by-decades.html |publisher=Washington Redskins |access-date=May 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322043657/http://www.redskins.com/team/history/history-by-decades.html |archive-date=March 22, 2011 |url-status=dead}} D.C. United has won four;{{cite web |title=D.C. United History & Tradition |publisher=D.C. United |url=http://www.dcunited.com/club |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-date=August 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828071255/http://www.dcunited.com/club |url-status=live }} and the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics, Washington Nationals, and Washington Spirit have each won a single championship.{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/history/finals/champions.html |title=NBA Finals: All-Time Champions |access-date=June 29, 2008 |year=2008 |publisher=National Basketball Association |archive-date=August 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824083052/http://www.nba.com/home/index.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/06/07/2018-nhl-stanley-cup-finals-capitals-golden-knights-game-5/ |title=Capitals win Stanley Cup, Washington's first major sports championship since 1992 |last1=Khurshudyan |first1=Isabelle |date=June 8, 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 12, 2018 |last2=Stubbs |first2=Roman |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |last3=Dougherty |first3=Jesse |last4=Allen |first4=Scott |last5=Greenberg |first5=Neil |last6=Steinberg |first6=Dan |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612205557/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/06/07/2018-nhl-stanley-cup-finals-capitals-golden-knights-game-5/ |url-status=live }}{{Additional citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Other professional and semi-professional teams in Washington, D.C. include DC Defenders of the XFL, Old Glory DC of Major League Rugby, the Washington Kastles of World TeamTennis, and the D.C. Divas of the Independent Women's Football League. The William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park hosts the Washington Open, a joint men's ATP Tour 500- and women's WTA Tour 500-level tennis tournament, every summer in late July and early August. Washington, D.C. has two major annual marathon races, the Marine Corps Marathon, held every autumn, and the Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon, held each spring.{{Cn|date=March 2025}} The Marine Corps Marathon began in 1976 and is sometimes called "The People's Marathon" because it is the largest marathon that does not offer prize money to participants.{{cite web |title=MCM History |url=http://www.marinemarathon.com/MCM_Vault/MCM_History.htm |publisher=Marine Corps Marathon |access-date=May 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119081010/http://www.marinemarathon.com/MCM_Vault/MCM_History.htm |archive-date=January 19, 2015}}{{Independent source inline|date=March 2025}}

The district's four NCAA Division I teams are the American Eagles of American University, George Washington Revolutionaries of George Washington University, the Georgetown Hoyas of Georgetown University, and the Howard Bison and Lady Bison of Howard University. The Georgetown men's basketball team is the most notable and also plays at Capital One Arena.{{Cn|date=March 2025}} Washington, D.C. area's regional sports television network is Monumental Sports Network.{{cite web|title=NBC Sports Washington is Becoming Monumental Sports Network|url=https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/nbc-sports-washington-is-becoming-monumental-sports-network/c-344952710|publisher=Washington Capitals|date=June 21, 2023|access-date=June 21, 2023|archive-date=June 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621173603/https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/nbc-sports-washington-is-becoming-monumental-sports-network/c-344952710|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Government of the District of Columbia}}

{{Main|Elections in the District of Columbia}}

{{See also|District of Columbia home rule|List of District of Columbia symbols}}

File:John A. Wilson Building west side.jpg on Pennsylvania Avenue, headquarters for much of the Government of the District of Columbia, including the offices of the mayor and D.C. Council]]

Article One, Section Eight of the United States Constitution grants the United States Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the city. The district did not have an elected local government until passage of the 1973 Home Rule Act, which devolved certain Congressional powers to an elected mayor and a 13-member Council of the District of Columbia. However, Congress retains the right to review and overturn laws created by the council and intervene in local affairs.{{cite web |url=http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/pages/dc-home-rule |title=DC Home Rule |publisher=Council of the District of Columbia |access-date=December 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117031522/http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/pages/dc-home-rule |archive-date=November 17, 2011}} Washington, D.C., is overwhelmingly Democratic, having voted for Democratic presidential candidates consistently since it was granted electoral votes in the 1964 presidential election.{{Cite web |title=Presidential voting trends in the District of Columbia |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_voting_trends_in_the_District_of_Columbia |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}

Each of the city's eight wards elects a single member of the council and residents elect four at-large members to represent the district as a whole. The council chair is also elected at-large.{{cite web |url=http://www.dcboee.org/candidate_info/elected_officials/elected.asp |title=Current Elected Officials in DC |access-date=January 11, 2012 |publisher=D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics |archive-date=December 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111213133659/http://www.dcboee.org/candidate_info/elected_officials/elected.asp |url-status=live }} There are 37 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) elected by small neighborhood districts. ANCs can issue recommendations on all issues that affect residents; government agencies take their advice under careful consideration.{{cite web |url=http://anc.dc.gov/page/about-anc |title=About ANC |access-date=September 22, 2012 |publisher=Government of the District of Columbia |archive-date=September 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915003209/http://anc.dc.gov/page/about-anc |url-status=live }} The attorney general of the District of Columbia is elected to a four-year term.{{cite web |title=§ 1–204.35. Election of the Attorney General. |url=http://dccode.org/simple/sections/1-204.35.html |website=Code of the District of Columbia (Unofficial) |publisher=Open Law DC |access-date=January 2, 2015 |archive-date=January 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102183010/http://dccode.org/simple/sections/1-204.35.html |url-status=live }}

Washington, D.C., observes all federal holidays and also celebrates Emancipation Day on April 16, which commemorates the end of slavery in the district. The flag of Washington, D.C., was adopted in 1938 and is a variation on George Washington's family coat of arms.{{cite book |last=Glaser |first=Jason |title=Washington, D.C. |year=2003 |publisher=Capstone |isbn=978-0-7368-2204-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/washingtondc0000glas/page/55 55] |url=https://archive.org/details/washingtondc0000glas |url-access=registration}}

Washington, D.C., has been a member state of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) since 2015.{{Cite web |title=UNPO: District of Columbia (Washington, DC) |work=unpo.org |access-date=November 4, 2021 |url=https://unpo.org/members/18770 |date=December 4, 2015 |archive-date=October 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023192317/https://unpo.org/members/18770 |url-status=live }}

The idiom "Inside the Beltway" is a reference used to describe discussions of national political issues inside of Washington, D.C., by way of geographically demarcating the region inside the Capital's Beltway, the city's highway loop constructed in 1964. The phrase is used as a title for a number of political columns and news items by publications, including The Washington Times.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-beltway-as-a-target-of-populists-1510871274|title=Why 'Inside the Beltway' Is a Target of Populists|date=November 17, 2017|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=April 8, 2022|archive-date=May 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511141050/https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-beltway-as-a-target-of-populists-1510871274|url-status=live}}

File:Muriel Bowser official photo.jpg, the city's mayor since 2015]]

The mayor and council set local taxes and a budget, which Congress must approve. The Government Accountability Office and other analysts have estimated that the city's high percentage of tax-exempt property and the Congressional prohibition of commuter taxes create a structural deficit in the district's local budget of anywhere between $470 million and over $1 billion per year. Congress typically provides additional grants for federal programs such as Medicaid and the operation of the local justice system; however, analysts claim that the payments do not fully resolve the imbalance.{{cite web |title=Building the Best Capital City in the World |url=http://www.dcappleseed.org/library/DC%20Appleseed%20Report.FINAL.pdf |publisher=DC Appleseed |access-date=February 5, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511193725/http://www.dcappleseed.org/library/DC%20Appleseed%20Report.FINAL.pdf |archive-date=May 11, 2011}}{{cite web |title=District of Columbia Structural Imbalance and Management Issues |url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03666.pdf |publisher=Government Accountability Office |date=May 2003 |access-date=February 5, 2011 |archive-date=February 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202235328/http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03666.pdf |url-status=live }}

The city's local government, particularly during the mayoralty of Marion Barry, has been criticized for mismanagement and waste.{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Powell |title=Poor Management, Federal Rule, Undermine Services |date=July 20, 2007 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/dc/mismanage/manage20.htm |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=A01 |access-date=June 10, 2008 |archive-date=May 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504041509/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/dc/mismanage/manage20.htm |url-status=live }} During Barry's term as mayor, Washington Monthly magazine labeled the city "the worst city government in America" in 1989.{{cite news |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+worst+city+government+in+America-a06977500 |title=The worst city government in America. |last=DeParle |first=Jason |date=January 1, 1989 |work=The Washington Monthly |access-date=June 6, 2009 |archive-date=April 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430052114/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+worst+city+government+in+America-a06977500 |url-status=live }} In 1995, at the start of Barry's fourth term, Congress created the District of Columbia Financial Control Board to oversee all municipal spending.{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Janofsky |title=Congress creates board to oversee Washington, D.C. |date=April 8, 1995 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7DB1739F93BA35757C0A963958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 27, 2008 |archive-date=September 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919021500/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE7DB1739F93BA35757C0A963958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |url-status=live }} Mayor Anthony Williams won election in 1998 and oversaw a period of urban renewal and budget surpluses.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

The district regained control over its finances in 2001 and the oversight board's operations were suspended.{{cite news |last=DeBonis |first=Mike |title=After 10 years, D.C. control board is gone but not forgotten |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/30/AR2011013003901.html |access-date=July 11, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 30, 2011 |archive-date=October 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016220602/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/30/AR2011013003901.html |url-status=live }}

The district has a federally funded "Emergency Planning and Security Fund" to cover security related to visits by foreign leaders and diplomats, presidential inaugurations, protests, and terrorism concerns. During the Trump administration, the fund has run with a deficit. Trump's January 2017 inauguration cost the city $27 million; of that, $7 million was never repaid to the fund. Trump's 2019 Independence Day event, "A Salute to America", cost six times more than Independence Day events in past years.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/trumps-july-fourth-event-and-weekend-protests-bankrupted-dc-security-fund-mayor-says/2019/07/10/fb0d1de4-a316-11e9-b732-41a79c2551bf_story.html |title=Trump's July Fourth event and weekend protests bankrupted D.C. security fund, mayor says |last=Jamison |first=Peter |date=July 10, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=July 10, 2019 |archive-date=July 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710182846/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/trumps-july-fourth-event-and-weekend-protests-bankrupted-dc-security-fund-mayor-says/2019/07/10/fb0d1de4-a316-11e9-b732-41a79c2551bf_story.html |url-status=live }}

File:French ambassador's residence - Washington, D.C..jpg in the Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District]]

As the national capital, Washington, D.C. hosts about 185 foreign missions, including embassies, ambassador's residences, and international cultural centers.{{Cite web |title=Embassies & Foreign Missions |url=https://www.ncpc.gov/topics/embassies/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319194924/https://www.ncpc.gov/topics/embassies/ |archive-date=March 19, 2024 |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=www.ncpc.gov}} Many are concentrated along a stretch of Massachusetts Avenue known informally as Embassy Row.{{cite book |last1=Goldchain |first1=Michelle |title=DC by Metro: A History & Guide |date=2019 |publisher=The History Press |isbn=9781467140140 |location=Charleston, South Carolina |pages=51–53}} Washington, D.C., hosts a number of internationally themed festivals and events, often in collaboration with foreign missions or delegations.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} The city government maintains an Office of International Affairs to liaise with the diplomatic community and foreign delegations.{{Cite web |title=Office of International Affairs {{!}} os |url=https://os.dc.gov/service/office-international-affairs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319194924/https://os.dc.gov/service/office-international-affairs |archive-date=March 19, 2024 |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=os.dc.gov}} D.C. has 15 official sister city agreements or protocols of friendship.{{efn|Listed in the order each agreement was first established, D.C.'s sister cities are Bangkok, Thailand; Dakar, Senegal; Beijing, China; Brussels, Belgium; Athens, Greece; Paris, France; Pretoria, South Africa; Seoul, South Korea; Accra, Ghana; Sunderland, United Kingdom; Rome, Italy; Ankara, Turkey; Brasília, Brazil; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and San Salvador, El Salvador. Each of the listed cities is a national capital except for Sunderland, which includes the town of Washington, the ancestral home of George Washington's family.{{cite web |title=DC Sister Cities |url=http://os.dc.gov/service/dc-sister-cities |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104133547/http://os.dc.gov/service/dc-sister-cities |archive-date=November 4, 2015 |access-date=August 13, 2019 |publisher=D.C. Office of the Secretary}}}}

{{See also|District of Columbia voting rights|Political party strength in Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia federal voting rights}}

File:Washington, D.C. license plate, 2017.png, which calls for an end to taxation without representation]]

File:WashMonument WhiteHouse.jpg (forefront) and White House (center) in September 2003. Since 1961, the city's residents can vote for the U.S. president and vice president, who also serves as President of the Senate.]]

File:Abraham Lincoln v2.jpg at the Lincoln Memorial in September 2016]]

Congress controlled the Federal District from its establishment, and did not make a provision for federal representation of the people living there. That changed in 1961, when the 23rd amendment was ratified by the states, and Washington, D.C. was granted three electoral college votes in each presidential election. In 1978 another amendment was passed but not ratified by the states to grant D.C. congressional representation. In 2021, a bill to make D.C. a state passed the House of Representatives but not Senate. Congress has the power to add a state, but an amendment must be ratified by the states.

Washington, D.C. is not a state and therefore has no federal voting representation in Congress. The city's residents elect a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives (D.C. at-large), who may sit on committees, participate in debate, and introduce legislation, but cannot vote on the House floor. The district has no official representation in the United States Senate. Neither chamber seats the district's elected "shadow" representative or senators. Unlike residents of U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico or Guam, which also have non-voting delegates, D.C. residents are subject to all federal taxes.{{cite web |url=https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Individuals-Living-or-Working-in-U.S.-Possessions |title=Individuals Living or Working in U.S. Possessions |access-date=December 2, 2012 |publisher=Internal Revenue Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202114846/http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Individuals-Living-or-Working-in-U.S.-Possessions |archive-date=December 2, 2012}} In the financial year 2012, D.C. residents and businesses paid $20.7 billion in federal taxes, more than the taxes collected from 19 states and the highest federal taxes per capita.{{cite web |url=https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/12db05co.xls |title=Internal Revenue Gross Collections, by Type of Tax and State, Fiscal Year 2012 |access-date=September 5, 2013 |format=XLS |publisher=Internal Revenue Service |archive-date=October 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020202246/http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/12db05co.xls |url-status=live }}

A 2005 poll found that 78% of Americans did not know residents of Washington, D.C., have less representation in Congress than residents of the 50 states.{{cite web |url=http://www.dcvote.org/newsletter/spring05.pdf |title=Poll Shows Nationwide Support for DC Voting Rights |access-date=May 29, 2008 |year=2005 |work=DC Vote Voice |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624204729/http://www.dcvote.org/newsletter/spring05.pdf |archive-date=June 24, 2008}} Efforts to raise awareness about the issue have included campaigns by grassroots organizations and featuring the city's unofficial motto, "End Taxation Without Representation", on D.C. vehicle license plates.{{cite web |url=http://dmv.dc.gov/node/156462 |title='Taxation without Representation' Tags |access-date=December 2, 2012 |publisher=District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115081252/http://dmv.dc.gov/node/156462 |archive-date=January 15, 2013}} There is evidence of nationwide approval for D.C. voting rights; various polls indicate that 61 to 82% of Americans believe D.C. should have voting representation in Congress.{{cite news |title=Washington Post Poll: D.C. Voting Rights |date=April 23, 2007 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_042307.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 10, 2008 |archive-date=May 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504041611/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_042307.html |url-status=live }}

Opponents to federal voting rights for Washington, D.C., 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 the District of Columbia a state say such a move would destroy the notion of a separate national capital and that statehood would unfairly grant Senate representation to a single city.{{cite news |first=John |last=Fortier |title=The D.C. colony |date=May 17, 2006 |url=http://thehill.com/component/content/article/275-john-fortier/4948-the-dc-colony |work=The Hill |access-date=October 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112065946/http://thehill.com/component/content/article/275-john-fortier/4948-the-dc-colony |archive-date=November 12, 2010}}

The District was granted presidential voting rights by the 23rd Amendment in 1961.{{cite news |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/american-democracy/online/vote-voice/getting-vote/sometimes-it-takes-amendment/twenty-third |title=The Twenty-Third Amendment, 1961 |website=National Museum of American History |access-date=November 19, 2024}} The 23rd Amendment was ratified which granted the people of the Washington, D.C., the right to vote for the president. This was done by giving them electoral college votes they would get if they were a state, but it must be no more than the least a state has; this works out to three electoral college votes. The amendment reads, ".. A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State".{{cite web |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-23/ |title=Twenty-Third Amendment |website=Congress.gov |access-date=November 19, 2024}} The 23rd Amendment could complicate statehood, because it would apply even if the federal district was shrunk, and undoing the amendment requires another amendment. Congress must operate from a district it controls, but it can be no larger than ten miles on a side; the 2021 statehood bill got around this by proposing the federal district be shrunk to an area roughly the size of the national mall.

In 1978, the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment was passed, which would have granted D.C. Congressional representation, but it expired in 1986 without being ratified into law.{{cite news |url=https://www.history.com/news/washington-dc-statehood-reconstruction |title=Why Isn't Washington, D.C. a State? |date=August 11, 2023 |orig-date=First published June 17, 2020 |website=History.com |first=Becky |last=Little |access-date=November 19, 2024}} In 2021, a bill was introduced to congress for retroceding the district to Maryland.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2021/04/22/gop-senator-introduces-bill-to-give-dc-to-maryland-as-statehood-bill-heads-to-senate/|title=GOP Senator Introduces Bill To Give D.C. To Maryland As Statehood Bill Heads To Senate|first=Andrew|last=Solender|website=Forbes}} The idea was that by returning the area to Maryland, the residents would have normal State representation.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/this-man-wants-to-make-the-district-the-24th-county-in-maryland-heres-how-his-plan-would-work/2019/10/13/b291fed4-de50-11e9-be96-6adb81821e90_story.html]

{{See also|District of Columbia Public Schools|List of parochial and private schools in Washington, D.C.}}

File:Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Georgetown, Washington, DC (39642750063) (cropped).jpg, a public magnet school in the city]]

District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), the sole public school district in the city,{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st11_dc/schooldistrict_maps/c11001_district_of_columbia/DC20SD_C11001.pdf|title=2020 Census – School District Reference Map: District of Columbia, DC|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 22, 2022|archive-date=July 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725195926/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st11_dc/schooldistrict_maps/c11001_district_of_columbia/DC20SD_C11001.pdf|url-status=live}} – [https://archive.today/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st11_dc/schooldistrict_maps/c11001_district_of_columbia/DC20SD_C11001_SD2MS.txt Text list] operates the city's 123 public schools.{{cite web |title=2010–2011 School Opening Report |url=http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/About+DCPS/Strategic+Documents/School+Opening+Report/2010-2011+School+Opening+Report |publisher=District of Columbia Public Schools| access-date=November 12, 2011| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119043507/http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/About+DCPS/Strategic+Documents/School+Opening+Report/2010-2011+School+Opening+Report| archive-date=January 19, 2012 }} The number of students in DCPS steadily decreased for 39 years until 2009. In the 2010–11 school year, 46,191 students were enrolled in the public school system.{{cite web |title=DC Public School Enrollment Up for Third Straight Year |url=http://osse.dc.gov/release/dc-public-school-enrollment-third-straight-year |publisher=Office of the State Superintendent of Education |access-date=November 12, 2011 |date=November 7, 2011 |archive-date=January 31, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131112705/http://osse.dc.gov/release/dc-public-school-enrollment-third-straight-year |url-status=live }} DCPS has one of the highest-cost, yet lowest-performing school systems in the country, in terms of both infrastructure and student achievement.{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/2007/07/05/schools-taxes-education-biz-beltway_cz_cs_0705schools_2.html |title=Best And Worst School Districts for the Buck |access-date=June 10, 2008 |last=Settimi |first=Christina |date=July 5, 2007 |work=Forbes |archive-date=May 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527012448/http://www.forbes.com/2007/07/05/schools-taxes-education-biz-beltway_cz_cs_0705schools_2.html |url-status=dead }} Mayor Adrian Fenty's administration made sweeping changes to the system by closing schools, replacing teachers, firing principals, and using private education firms to aid curriculum development.{{cite news |first=V. Dion |last=Haynes |author2=Bill Turque |title=Rhee Offers Plan To Improve D.C.'s Troubled Schools |date=May 16, 2008 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/15/AR2008051502354.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=B01 |access-date=June 3, 2008 |archive-date=May 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080518160139/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/15/AR2008051502354.html |url-status=live }}

The District of Columbia Public Charter School Board monitors the 52 public charter schools in the city.{{cite web |url=http://www.dcpubliccharter.com/Enrollment-and-Demographics/SY2010-002D-2011-Charter-School-Profile.aspx |title=SY2010–2011 Charter School Profile |publisher=D.C. Public Charter School Board |access-date=January 8, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109204056/http://www.dcpubliccharter.com/Enrollment-and-Demographics/SY2010-002D-2011-Charter-School-Profile.aspx |archive-date=January 9, 2011}} Due to the perceived problems with the traditional public school system, enrollment in public charter schools had by 2007 steadily increased.{{cite news |first=V. Dion |last=Haynes |author2=Theola Labbe |title=A Boom for D.C. Charter Schools |date=April 25, 2007 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/24/AR2007042402542.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |pages=A01 |access-date=July 25, 2008 |archive-date=May 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504041416/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/24/AR2007042402542.html |url-status=live }} As of 2010, D.C., charter schools had a total enrollment of about 32,000, a 9% increase from the prior year. The district is also home to 92 private schools, which enrolled approximately 18,000 students in 2008.{{cite web |url=http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/tables/table_2008_15.asp |title=Table 15. Number of private schools, students, full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers, and 2006–07 high school graduates, by state: United States, 2007–08 |year=2008 |publisher=National Center for Education Statistics |access-date=November 12, 2011 |archive-date=March 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309224531/http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/tables/table_2008_15.asp |url-status=live }}

{{See also|List of colleges and universities in Washington, D.C.}}

File:Healy Hall Georgetown University.jpg, founded in 1789, the city's oldest university]]

The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public land-grant university providing undergraduate and graduate education.{{cite web |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/university-of-district-of-columbia-admissions-788152 |title=University of the District of Columbia |website=ThoughtCo |first=Allen |last=Grove |access-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-date=February 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203044757/https://www.thoughtco.com/university-of-district-of-columbia-admissions-788152 |url-status=live }} Federally chartered universities include American University (AU), Gallaudet University, George Washington University (GWU), Georgetown University (GU), and Howard University (HU). Other private universities include the Catholic University of America (CUA), the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and Trinity Washington University. The Corcoran College of Art and Design, the oldest art school in the capital, was absorbed into the George Washington University in 2014, now serving as its college of arts.{{cite news |first=David |last=Montgomery |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/corcoran-gallery-of-art-and-college-to-be-taken-over-by-the-national-gallery-of-art-and-george-washington-university/2014/02/19/a236132e-9994-11e3-b88d-f36c07223d88_story.html |title=Corcoran Gallery of Art and College to split apart, partnering with National Gallery, GWU |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 19, 2014 |access-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-date=October 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017214354/http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/corcoran-gallery-of-art-and-college-to-be-taken-over-by-the-national-gallery-of-art-and-george-washington-university/2014/02/19/a236132e-9994-11e3-b88d-f36c07223d88_story.html |url-status=live }}

The city's medical research institutions include Washington Hospital Center and Children's National Medical Center. The city is home to three medical schools and associated teaching hospitals: George Washington, Georgetown, and Howard universities.{{cite web |last=Bowman |first=Inci A. |title=Historic Medical Sites in the Washington, DC Area |url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/medtour/intro.html |publisher=U.S. National Library of Medicine |access-date=August 17, 2011 |archive-date=August 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805094828/http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/medtour/intro.html |url-status=live }}

Washington, D.C., has dozens of public and private libraries and library systems, including the District of Columbia Public Library system.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} Folger Shakespeare Library, a research library and museum located on Capitol Hill, houses the world's largest collection of material related to William Shakespeare.{{cite web |url=https://www.folger.edu/about |title=About the Folger |date=January 21, 2015 |access-date=February 12, 2022 }}{{Primary source inline|date=February 2025}}

File:LOC Main Reading Room Highsmith.jpg, the world's largest library, has more than 173 million items.{{Efn|The collection includes: 25 million catalogued books, 15.5 million other print items, 4.2 million recordings, 74.5 million manuscripts, 5.6 million maps, and 8.2 million sheet music pieces.{{cite web |title=Year 2020 at a Glance |url=https://www.loc.gov/about/general-information/ |date=2020 |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-date=February 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223101833/https://www.loc.gov/about/general-information/ |url-status=live }}}}]]

The Library of Congress is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States. It is a complex of three buildings: Thomas Jefferson Building, John Adams Building and James Madison Memorial Building, all located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The Jefferson Building houses the library's reading room, a copy of the Gutenberg Bible, Thomas Jefferson's original library, and several museum exhibits.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

The District of Columbia Public Library operates 26 neighborhood locations including the landmark Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.{{cite web |title=In Your Neighborhood |url=http://www.dclibrary.org/about/neighborhood |publisher=D.C. Public Library |access-date=August 14, 2011 |archive-date=August 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808164832/http://dclibrary.org/about/neighborhood |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Media in Washington, D.C.}}

{{See also|List of newspapers in Washington, D.C.|List of films set in Washington, D.C.|List of television shows set in Washington, D.C.}}

File:Franklin Park & One Franklin Square - Washington, D.C..jpg in Downtown houses the headquarters of The Washington Post, the nation's third-largest newspaper by circulation as of 2023]]

Washington, D.C., is a prominent center for national and international media. The Washington Post, founded in 1877, is the city's most-read local daily newspaper{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} and one of the preeminent newspapers in the United States.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-17 |title=The Washington Post |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Washington-Post |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Brittanica.com |language=en}} It had the sixth-highest readership of all news dailies in the country in 2011.{{cite web |last=Edmonds |first=Rick |title=Newspapers: By the Numbers |url=http://stateofthemedia.org/2012/newspapers-building-digital-revenues-proves-painfully-slow/newspapers-by-the-numbers/ |work=The State of the News Media 2012 |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=September 9, 2012 |author2=Emily Guskin |author3=Tom Rosenstiel |author4=Amy Mitchell |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907081344/http://stateofthemedia.org/2012/newspapers-building-digital-revenues-proves-painfully-slow/newspapers-by-the-numbers/ |archive-date=September 7, 2012 |url-status=dead}} The Post previously also published the Spanish-language newspaper El Tiempo Latino, which it sold to El Planeta Media in 2016.{{Cite web |last=Caycho |first=Victor |date=2016-12-09 |title=El Tiempo Latino ya no es del Washington Post |url=https://washingtonhispanic.com/metro/el-tiempo-latino-ya-no-es-del-washington-post/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |language=es}} The city is served by two local NPR affiliates, WAMU and WETA.{{cite news |url=https://www.insideradio.com/free/charlottes-wfae-is-latest-pubcaster-to-unionize-with-sag-aftra/article_8b46c780-ae0b-11ee-9257-efcc18feeecb.html |title= Charlotte's WFAE Is Latest Pubcaster To Unionize With SAG-AFTRA |date=January 8, 2024 |website=Inside Radio |access-date=February 2, 2024 |quote=public radio station ... others include ... WAMU and WETA Washington DC }}

The Washington Times is a general interest daily newspaper and popular among conservatives.{{cite web |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/04/bush-sr-celebrate-rev-sun-myung-moon-again |title=Bush Sr. To Celebrate Rev. Sun Myung Moon—Again |access-date=July 9, 2018 |archive-date=July 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720194958/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/04/bush-sr-celebrate-rev-sun-myung-moon-again/ |url-status=live }} The alternative weekly Washington City Paper, with a circulation of 47,000, is also based in the city and has a substantial readership in the Washington area.{{cite news |title=Times circulation climbs to buck trend |date=May 18, 2005 |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/may/18/20050518-120247-7729r/ |work=The Washington Times |access-date=September 2, 2008 |archive-date=December 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201130324/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/may/18/20050518-120247-7729r/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.altweeklies.com/aan/Company?oid=oid%3A95 |title=Washington City Paper |access-date=August 12, 2011 |publisher=Association of Alternative Newsweeklies |archive-date=August 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812040929/http://www.altweeklies.com/aan/Company?oid=oid:95 |url-status=live }} The Atlantic magazine, which has covered politics, international affairs, and cultural issues since 1857, was previously headquartered at the Watergate complex but is now headquartered in a building at the Wharf in Washington.{{cite web |title=The Atlantic's address and phone number |url=https://support.theatlantic.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011517854-The-Atlantic-s-address-and-phone-number |publisher=The Atlantic |access-date=June 25, 2023 }} The headquarters of Voice of America, the U.S. government's international news service, is near the Capitol in Southwest Washington, D.C.{{cite web |title=About VOA |url=http://www.insidevoa.com/info/about_us/1673.html |publisher=Voice of America |access-date=December 2, 2012 |archive-date=December 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225143334/http://www.insidevoa.com/info/about_us/1673.html |url-status=live }}

Several community and specialty papers focus on neighborhood and cultural issues, including the weekly Washington Blade and Metro Weekly, which focus on LGBT issues; the Washington Informer and The Washington Afro American, which highlight topics of interest to the black community; and neighborhood newspapers published by The Current Newspapers. Congressional Quarterly, The Hill, Politico, and Roll Call newspapers focus exclusively on issues related to Congress and the federal government. Other publications based in Washington include the National Geographic magazine and political publications such as The Washington Examiner, The New Republic, and Washington Monthly.{{cite web |title=District of Columbia, 2010–2011 |url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/results/?state=District+of+Columbia&year1=2010&year2=2011 |work=Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=August 17, 2011 |archive-date=December 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111226065150/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/results/?state=District+of+Columbia&year1=2010&year2=2011 |url-status=live }}

File:BB DC set election 11.16.jpg reporting from the city during the 2016 U.S. presidential election]]

The Washington metropolitan area is the ninth-largest television media market in the nation, with two million homes, representing approximately 2% of the country's television market.{{cite web |url=http://www.marketingcharts.com/television/us-tv-households-up-15-asian-hispanic-households-triple-that-5846/nielsen-top-30-local-television-market-universe-estimates-2008-2009jpg/ |title=US TV Households Up 1.5%—Asian, Hispanic Households Triple That |date=September 27, 2008 |publisher=Nielsen Media Research |access-date=October 10, 2009 |archive-date=April 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414201559/http://www.marketingcharts.com/television/us-tv-households-up-15-asian-hispanic-households-triple-that-5846/nielsen-top-30-local-television-market-universe-estimates-2008-2009jpg |url-status=live }} Several media companies and cable television channels have their headquarters in the area, including USA Today, the largest newspaper in the country as measured by circulation.{{cite web |title=Tysons Corner CDP, Virginia |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/ |website=United States Census Bureau}}"[http://www.gannett.com/contactus.htm Contact Us] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126044018/http://gannett.com/contactus.htm |date=January 26, 2011 }}."

{{Main|Transportation in Washington, D.C.}}

{{Main|Streets and highways of Washington, D.C.}}

{{See also|List of circles in Washington, D.C.}}

File:View down Pennsylvania Avenue NW from the Old Post Office Tower -01- (12798494884).jpg, one of the city's most prominent streets, connects the U.S. Capitol and White House.]]

There are {{convert|1500|mi|km}} of streets, parkways, and avenues in the district.{{cite web |title=Public Road Length |url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs06/htm/hm10.htm |work=Highway Statistics 2006 |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |access-date=September 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122121841/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs06/htm/hm10.htm |archive-date=November 22, 2012}} Due to the freeway revolts of the 1960s, much of the proposed interstate highway system through the middle of Washington was never built. Interstate 95 (I-95), the nation's major east coast highway, therefore bends around the district to form the eastern portion of the Capital Beltway. A portion of the proposed highway funding was directed to the region's public transportation infrastructure instead.{{cite book |last=Schrag |first=Zachary |title=The Great Society Subway |year=2006 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vDQI-02wki0C |chapter=Chapter 5: The Bridge |isbn=978-0-8018-8906-6 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=November 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118202247/https://books.google.com/books?id=vDQI-02wki0C |url-status=live }} The interstate highways that continue into Washington, including I-66 and I-395, both terminate shortly after entering the city.I-66: {{Hanging indent| {{cite news |last1=Kozel |first1=Scott M. |title=Interstate 66 in Virginia |url=http://www.roadstothefuture.com/I66_VA_Desc.html |access-date=April 22, 2017 |publisher=Roads to the Future |date=May 31, 2000 |archive-date=April 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422214116/http://www.roadstothefuture.com/I66_VA_Desc.html |url-status=live }}}}{{unreliable source|date=February 2025}} I-395: {{Hanging indent| {{cite book |last1=BMI |title=I-95/i-395 Hov Restriction Study |date=February 1999 |publisher=Virginia Department of Transportation |pages=70 |url=http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/resources/studynova-hov395Final.pdf |access-date=April 22, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525021506/http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/resources/studynova-hov395Final.pdf |archive-date=May 25, 2017 }}}}

According to a 2010 study, Washington-area commuters spent 70 hours a year in traffic delays, which tied with Chicago for having the nation's worst road congestion.{{cite news |first=Ashley |last=Halsey III |title=Washington area tied with Chicago for traffic congestion, study finds |date=January 20, 2011 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/20/AR2011012000056.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=August 15, 2011 |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706091805/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/20/AR2011012000056.html |url-status=live }} However, 37% of Washington-area commuters take public transportation to work, the second-highest rate in the country.{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2007/06/13/real_estate/public_transit_commutes/index.htm |title=New Yorkers are top transit users |access-date=July 15, 2008 |last=Christie |first=Les |date=June 29, 2007 |publisher=CNNMoney |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516222801/http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/13/real_estate/public_transit_commutes/index.htm |url-status=live }} An additional 12% of D.C. commuters walked to work, 6% carpooled, and 3% traveled by bicycle in 2010.{{cite web |title=District of Columbia Commuting Characteristics by Sex |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S0801/0400000US11 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212094909/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_1YR/S0801/0400000US11 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |work=2010 American Community Survey |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=October 16, 2011}}

File:Capital Bikeshare DC 2010 10 545.JPG rental station near McPherson Square]]

In May 2022, the city celebrated the expansion of its bike lane network to {{convert|104|mi}}, a 60 percent increase from 2015. Of those miles, {{convert|24|mi}} were protected bike lanes. It also boasted {{convert|62|mi}} of bike trails.{{cite press release |author= |title=Mayor Bowser and DDOT Celebrate 100 Miles of DC Bike Lanes on Bike to Work Day |url=https://ddot.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-and-ddot-celebrate-100-miles-dc-bike-lanes-bike-work-day |publisher=District Department of Transportation |date=May 20, 2022 |access-date=January 12, 2023}} {{As of|2023|March}}, the city has {{convert|108|mi}} of bike lanes, with {{convert|30|mi}} of them protected bike lanes.{{cite news |author= |title=Capital Bikeshare Getting 700 New E-Bikes; Bowser Celebrates Completion of 9th Street Bikeway |work=DCist |date=March 20, 2023 |url=https://dcist.com/story/23/03/20/capital-bikeshare-getting-700-new-e-bikes-bowser-celebrates-completion-of-9th-street-bikeway/ |access-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321002101/https://dcist.com/story/23/03/20/capital-bikeshare-getting-700-new-e-bikes-bowser-celebrates-completion-of-9th-street-bikeway/ |url-status=live }}

D.C. is part of the regional Capital Bikeshare program. Started in 2010, it is one of the largest bicycle sharing systems in the country. {{As of|2024|February}}, the program had 6,372 bicycles and 395 stations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbsc.com/cities/washington-dc-bike-share|title=Washington DC Bike Share Program|website=PBSC Urban Solutions|language=en-US|access-date=February 2, 2024}} A preceding SmartBike DC pilot program had begun in 2008.{{cite news |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dr-gridlock/2010/12/sun_sets_on_smartbikes.html |title=Sun sets on SmartBikeDC |date=December 17, 2010 |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Luke |last=Rosiak |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009121629/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dr-gridlock/2010/12/sun_sets_on_smartbikes.html |archive-date=October 9, 2012 }}

A 2021 study by Walk Score ranked Washington, D.C. the fifth-most walkable city in the country. According to the study, the most walkable neighborhoods are U Street, Dupont Circle, and Mount Vernon Square.{{cite web |url=https://www.walkscore.com/DC/Washington_D.C. |title=Living in Washington D.C. |publisher=Walk Score |date=2021 |access-date=March 19, 2023}} In 2013, the Washington Metropolitan Area had the eighth lowest percentage of workers who commuted by private automobile (75.7 percent), with 8{{nbsp}}percent of area workers traveling via rail transit.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/acs/acs-32.pdf |title=Who Drives to Work? Commuting by Automobile in the United States: 2013 |series=American Survey Reports |access-date=December 26, 2017 |date=August 2015 |author=McKenzie, Brian |archive-date=December 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221064610/https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/acs/acs-32.pdf |url-status=live }}

{{See also|List of crossings of the Potomac River|List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.}}

File:Memorial Bridge sunrise.jpg, connecting the city across the Potomac River with Arlington County]]

Bridges that cross the Potomac and Anacostia rivers include Arlington Memorial Bridge, 14th Street Bridges, Francis Scott Key Bridge, Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and Frederick Douglass Bridge.{{cite web |title=Washington DC Bridges: A Guide to River Crossings |url=https://www.tripsavvy.com/washington-dc-bridges-1040468 |publisher=Trip Savvy |access-date=September 17, 2022 }}

{{See also|List of railroads in Washington, D.C.}}

File:L'Enfant Plaza cross vault and escalators, March 2019.jpg, the second-busiest rapid rail system in the U.S. based on average weekday ridership, is known for its iconic vaulted ceilings]]

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) operates Washington Metro, the city's rapid transit rail system, which serves Washington, D.C. and its Maryland and Northern Virginia suburbs. Metro opened on March 27, 1976, and consists of six lines, 98 stations, and {{convert|129|mi}} of track.{{cite press release |url=http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=5749 |title=Metro launches Silver Line, largest expansion of region's rail system in more than two decades |date=July 25, 2014 |access-date= August 4, 2014 |publisher=Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140801205217/http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=5749 |archive-date= August 1, 2014 }} Metro is the second-busiest rapid transit system in the country and fifth-busiest in North America.{{cite web |url=https://ggwash.org/view/90163/soaring-ridership-leads-transit-recovery-in-us|title=With soaring Metro, DC Streetcar, and VRE ridership, Washington region leads transit recovery in US |date=July 6, 2023 |access-date=July 6, 2023 |publisher=Greater Greater Washington }} It operates mostly as a deep-level subway in more densely populated areas, while most of the suburban tracks are at surface level or elevated. Metro is known for its iconic brutalist-style vaulted ceilings in the interior stations.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} The longest single-tier escalator in the Western Hemisphere, spanning {{convert|230|ft}}, is located at Metro's Wheaton station in Maryland.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmata.com/about/upload/2019-Metro-Snapshot-Fact-Sheet.pdf|title=Metro Facts 2018|website=WMATA|access-date=November 14, 2019|archive-date=July 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711072813/https://www.wmata.com/about/upload/2019-Metro-Snapshot-Fact-Sheet.pdf|url-status=live}}

Washington Union Station, the city's main train station, serves approximately 70,000 passengers daily and is Amtrak's second-busiest station with 4.6 million passengers annually and the southern terminus for the Northeast Corridor. Amtrak's Northeast Regional provides service northbound transportation to Baltimore Penn Station, New York Penn Station in Manhattan, 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, South Station in Boston, and other stops.{{Cn|date=February 2025}} Maryland's MARC and Virginia's VRE commuter trains and the Metrorail Red Line also provide service into Union Station.{{cite web |date=November 2010 |title=District of Columbia Amtrak Fact Sheet FY 2010 |url=http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/DC10.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119183510/http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/DC10.pdf |archive-date=January 19, 2012 |access-date=July 19, 2011 |publisher=Amtrak}} As of 2023, Union Station is the ninth-busiest rail station in the nation and tenth-busiest in North America.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Washington, D.C.'s streetcars, which were a prominent form of 19th and early transportation, were dismantled in the 1960s. In 2016, however, the city brought back a streetcar line, DC Streetcar, which is a single line system in Northeast Washington, D.C., along H Street and Benning Road, known as the H Street/Benning Road Line.{{cite news |first=Michael|last=Laris |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/dc-streetcar-makes-its-first-voyages-on-h-street-is-it-really-happening/2016/02/27/bd0c3234-dd5b-11e5-891a-4ed04f4213e8_story.html |title=D.C. streetcar makes its first voyages on H Street. 'Is it really happening?' |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 27, 2016 |access-date=September 17, 2022}}

File:WMATA 2015 New Flyer XDE60 5462.jpg, operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]]

Two main public bus systems operate in Washington, D.C. Metrobus, operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), is the primary public bus system in Washington, D.C. Serving more than 400,000 riders each weekday, it is one of the nation's largest bus systems by annual ridership.{{cite web |url=http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2009_q2_ridership_APTA.pdf |title=Estimated Unliked Transit Passenger Trips |access-date=October 10, 2009 |last=Dawson |first=Christie R. |date=August 21, 2009 |publisher=American Public Transport Association |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828143620/http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2009_q2_ridership_APTA.pdf |archive-date=August 28, 2011 |url-status=dead}} The city also operates its own DC Circulator bus system, which connects commercial and touristic areas within central Washington.{{cite web |title=About DC Circulator |url=http://www.dccirculator.com/Home/About.aspx |work=DC Circulator |access-date=March 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415081625/http://www.dccirculator.com/Home/About.aspx |archive-date=April 15, 2012}} The DC Circulator costs only $1 to ride and is composed of six distinct routes that cover central D.C. and suburban Rosslyn, Virginia. The DC Circulator is run via a public-private partnership between the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, WMATA, and DC Surface Transit, Inc. (DCST). The bus system services each stop approximately every 10 minutes.{{cite web |url=https://www.dccirculator.com/connect/about-us/# |title=About Us |work=Washington D.C. Circulator |access-date=September 17, 2022 |publisher=DC Circulator }}

There are also numerous commuter buses that residents of the wider Washington region take to commute into the city for work or other events, such as the Loudoun County Transit Commuter Bus and the Maryland Transit Administration Commuter Bus.{{cite web |url=https://www.commuterpage.com/ways-to-get-around/commuter-buses/ |title=Commuter Buses |access-date=September 17, 2022 |publisher=Arlington County Commuter Services }} The city also has several bus lines used by tourists and others visiting the city, including Big Bus Tours, Old Town Trolley Tours, and DC Trails. Many tourists also arrive via charter buses.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} Following renovations in 2011, Union Station became Washington's primary intercity bus transit center.{{cite web |date=November 15, 2011 |title=Union Station gets new bus depot |url=http://www.wjla.com/articles/2011/11/union-station-gets-new-bus-depot-69175.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030065252/http://www.wjla.com/articles/2011/11/union-station-gets-new-bus-depot-69175.html |archive-date=October 30, 2012 |access-date=June 19, 2012 |publisher=WJLA-TV}}

{{See also|Aviation in Washington, D.C.|List of airports serving Washington, D.C.|List of heliports in Washington, D.C.}}

File:NewConcourse-RonaldReaganWashingtonNationalAirport.jpg in Arlington, Virginia is the closest airport to the city among the three major Washington metropolitan area airports.]]

Three major airports serve the district, though none are within the city's borders. Two of these major airports are located in suburban Northern Virginia and one in suburban Maryland. The closest is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which is located in Arlington County, Virginia, just across the Potomac River about {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} from downtown Washington, D.C. This airport provides primarily domestic flights and has the lowest number of passengers of the three airports in the region. The busiest by number of total passengers is Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland about {{convert|30|mi|km|0}} northeast of the city.{{Cite web |title=Commercial Service Airport Ranking, FAA |url=https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/media/cy18-commercial-service-enplanements.pdf |date=December 20, 2019 |website=Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) |access-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-date=November 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102133933/https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/media/cy18-commercial-service-enplanements.pdf |url-status=live }} The busiest by international flights and the largest by land size and amount of facilities is Washington Dulles International Airport, located in Dulles, Virginia, about {{convert|24|mi|km|0}} west of the city.{{Citation |title=MWAA Air Traffic Statistics |date=December 1, 2018 |url=https://www.mwaa.com/sites/default/files/12-18_ats_report_v2.pdf |work=Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority |language=en |access-date=August 16, 2019 |archive-date=March 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190318194548/https://www.mwaa.com/sites/default/files/12-18_ats_report_v2.pdf |url-status=live }} Dulles has the most international passenger traffic of any airport in the Mid-Atlantic outside the New York metropolitan area, including approximately 90% of the international passenger traffic in the Washington-Baltimore region.{{cite web |url=https://www.transportation.gov/office-policy/aviation-policy/us-international-passenger-freight-statistics-2011-2015-passengers |title=U.S. International Air Passenger and Freight Statistics Report |publisher=Office of the Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Transportation |access-date=December 25, 2016 |archive-date=December 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225215408/https://www.transportation.gov/office-policy/aviation-policy/us-international-passenger-freight-statistics-2011-2015-passengers |url-status=dead }} Each of these three airports also serves as a hub for a major American airline: Reagan National Airport is a hub for American Airlines,{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/12/06/fleet-and-hubs-american-airlines-numbers/95014004/ |title=The fleet and hubs of American Airlines, by the numbers |date=December 6, 2016 |work=USA Today |first=Ben |last=Mutzabaugh |access-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225031122/http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/12/06/fleet-and-hubs-american-airlines-numbers/95014004/ |url-status=live }} Dulles is a major hub for United Airlines and Star Alliance partners,{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2017/01/26/fleet-and-hubs-united-airlines-numbers/96983530/ |title=The fleet and hubs of United Airlines, by the numbers |date=January 26, 2017 |work=USA Today |first=Ben |last=Mutzabaugh |access-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-date=February 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212041159/https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2017/01/26/fleet-and-hubs-united-airlines-numbers/96983530/ |url-status=live }} and BWI is an operating base for Southwest Airlines.{{cite magazine |url=https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/southwest-opens-ft-lauderdale-international-gateway-focus-city/ |title=Southwest Opens Ft Lauderdale International Gateway Focus City |date=August 8, 2016 |magazine=Airways Magazine |first=Chris |last=Sloan |access-date=November 8, 2021 |quote=Ft. Lauderdale is destined to join Houston Hobby, Baltimore, and Los Angeles as a key focus gateway city |archive-date=October 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001085639/https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/southwest-opens-ft-lauderdale-international-gateway-focus-city/ |url-status=live }} In 2018, the Washington, D.C. area was the 18th-busiest airport system in the world by passenger traffic, accumulating over 74 million passengers between its three main commercial airports; by 2022 it had climbed to 13th-busiest for passenger traffic, even though passenger numbers decreased to less than 69 million.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

The President of the United States does not use any of these airports for travel. Instead, the U.S. president typically travels by Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House to Joint Base Andrews in suburban Maryland. From there, he takes Air Force One to his destination.{{cite web |url=https://www.jba.af.mil/About/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/336384/joint-base-andrews-history/ |title=Factsheet: Joint Base Andrews History |date=September 21, 2012 |website=Joint Base Andrews |access-date=January 31, 2024 }}

File:Blue_Plains_WWTP_-_aerial_2016.jpg in D.C. is the largest advanced wastewater treatment facility in the world.{{cite news |last1=Pipkin |first1=Whitney |title=DC water treatment plant powers up for cleaner energy |url=https://www.bayjournal.com/news/energy/dc-water-treatment-plant-powers-up-for-cleaner-energy/article_812d51e0-f67b-11ec-9809-d7e7eeae2b0e.html |access-date=21 March 2024 |work=Bay Journal |date=29 June 2022 |language=en}}]]

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, also known as WASA or D.C. Water, is an independent authority of the Washington, D.C., government that provides drinking water and wastewater collection in the city. WASA purchases water from the historic Washington Aqueduct, which is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. The water, sourced from the Potomac River, is treated and stored in the city's Dalecarlia, Georgetown, and McMillan reservoirs. The aqueduct provides drinking water for a total of 1.1 million people in the district and Virginia, including Arlington, Falls Church, and a portion of Fairfax County.{{cite web |title=The Washington Aqueduct System |url=http://www.nps.gov/choh/historyculture/thewashingtonaqueductsystem.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=January 5, 2014 |archive-date=January 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107020849/http://www.nps.gov/choh/historyculture/thewashingtonaqueductsystem.htm |url-status=live }}

Pepco is the city's electric utility and services 793,000 customers in the district and suburban Maryland.{{cite web |title=Welcome to Pepco |url=http://www.pepco.com/welcome/ |work=January 5, 2014 |publisher=Pepco |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106040826/http://www.pepco.com/welcome/ |archive-date=January 6, 2014}} An 1889 law prohibits overhead wires within much of the historic City of Washington. As a result, all power lines and telecommunication cables are located underground in downtown Washington, and traffic signals are placed at the edge of the street.{{cite news |last=Rein |first=Lisa |title=D.C. streetcar project may get hung up on overhead wires |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/05/AR2010040502927.html |access-date=January 5, 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 6, 2010 |archive-date=June 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627065720/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/05/AR2010040502927.html |url-status=live }} The D.C. Public Service Commission approved a seven-year, $500 million plan in 2017 to bury more lines underground; construction started in 2019.{{cite news |last1=Morehouse |first1=Catherine |title=With storm hardening 'a larger focus', DC approves PEPCO underground distribution lines |url=https://www.utilitydive.com/news/with-storm-hardening-a-larger-focus-dc-approves-pepco-underground-distri/550233/ |access-date=1 March 2025 |work=Utility Dive |publisher=Informa TechTarget |date=2019-03-12}}{{cite news |last1=Segraves |first1=Mark |title=Pepco Begins 7-Year Project to Put DC Power Lines Underground |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/pepco-begins-7-year-project-to-put-dc-power-lines-underground/149140/ |access-date=1 March 2025 |work=NBC4 Washington |date=14 June 2019}}

Washington Gas is the city's natural gas utility and serves more than a million customers in the district and its suburbs.{{cite web |title=Company Profile / History |url=http://www.washingtongas.com/pages/CompanyProfileHistory |publisher=Washington Gas Light Co. |access-date=January 5, 2014 |archive-date=January 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106031709/http://www.washingtongas.com/pages/CompanyProfileHistory |url-status=live }}{{npsn|date=March 2025}}

{{Main|Crime in Washington, D.C.}}

{{See also|List of law enforcement agencies in the District of Columbia}}

File:MPDC.MFL.WDC.19January2018 (39879686101).jpg on Harley-Davidson motorcycles escorting the March for Life protest on Constitution Avenue in January 2018]]

Washington has historically endured high crime, particularly violent offences. The city was once described as the "murder capital" of the United States during the early 1990s.{{cite news |last=Urbina |first=Ian |date=July 13, 2006 |title=Washington Officials Try to Ease Crime Fear |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/us/13deecee.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416000938/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/us/13deecee.html |archive-date=April 16, 2009 |access-date=June 10, 2008 |work=The New York Times}} The number of murders peaked in 1991 at 479, but then began to decline,{{cite news |last1=Klein |first1=Allison |last2=Zapotosky |first2=Matt |date=December 31, 2011 |title=As homicides fall in D.C., rise in Prince George's, numbers meet in the middle |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/as-homicides-fall-in-dc-rise-in-prince-georges-numbers-meet-in-the-middle/2011/12/21/gIQAjopBTP_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105123813/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/as-homicides-fall-in-dc-rise-in-prince-georges-numbers-meet-in-the-middle/2011/12/21/gIQAjopBTP_story.html |archive-date=January 5, 2012 |access-date=January 2, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} reaching a historic low of 88 in 2012, the lowest total since 1961.{{cite news |last=Mollenbeck |first=Andrew |date=January 3, 2013 |title=District celebrates historically low homicide rate |url=http://www.wtop.com/109/3180337/District-celebrates-historically-low-homicide-rate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117060430/http://www.wtop.com/109/3180337/District-celebrates-historically-low-homicide-rate |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2013 |newspaper=Wtop News |publisher=WTOP}} In 2016, the district's Metropolitan Police Department tallied 135 homicides, a 53% increase from 2012 but a 17% decrease from 2015.{{cite web |title=District Crime Data |url=http://mpdc.dc.gov/page/district-crime-data-glance |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103063228/http://mpdc.dc.gov/page/district-crime-data-glance |archive-date=January 3, 2016 |access-date=December 11, 2015 |publisher=Mpdc.dc.gov}} By 2019, citywide reports of both property and violent crimes declined from their most recent highs in the mid-1990s.{{Cite web |title=District of Columbia 1960 to 2019 |url=https://www.disastercenter.com/crime/dccrime.htm |access-date=January 21, 2023 |website=www.disastercenter.com}}{{Better source needed|date=August 2024}}{{unreliable source|date=February 2025}} However, both 2021 and 2022 saw over 200 homicides each, reflecting an upward trends from prior decades.{{Cite web |title=District Crime Data at a Glance {{!}} mpdc |url=https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/district-crime-data-glance |access-date=January 21, 2023 |website=mpdc.dc.gov}} In 2023, D.C. recorded 274 homicides, a 20-year high and the fifth-highest murder rate among the nation's largest cities.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/interactive/2024/dc-crime-homicide-victims-shooting-violence/ |title=2023 was District's deadliest year in more than two decades |date=January 1, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |first1=Emily |last1=Davies |first2=John D. |last2=Harden |first3=Peter |last3=Hermann |access-date=February 11, 2024 }}

Many D.C. residents began to press the city government for refusing to prosecute nearly 70% of arrested offenders in 2022. After months of criticism, the rate of unprosecuted cases dropped to 56% by October 2023—albeit still higher than nine of the past 10 years and almost twice what it was in 2013.{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/more-dc-arrests-prosecuted-as-us-attorney-pushes-back-on-criticism/3448952/ |title=More DC arrests prosecuted as US attorney pushes back on criticism |date=October 19, 2023 |work=WRC-TV |first=Ted |last=Oberg |access-date=February 11, 2024 }} In February 2024, the Council of the District of Columbia passed a major bill meant to reduce crime in the city by introducing harsher penalties for arrested offenders.{{cite news |url=https://www.fox5dc.com/news/secure-dc-crime-bill-council-unanimously-passes-legislation-to-reduce-crime-in-the-district |title=Secure DC Crime Bill: Council unanimously passes legislation to reduce crime in the District |date=February 6, 2024 |work=WTTG |first1=Bob |last1=Bernard |first2=Jillian |last2=Smith |access-date=February 11, 2024 }} Rising crime and gang activities contributed to some local businesses leaving the city.{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsMkRrhRsO8 |title=Crime, costs continue to push businesses out of the District |date=November 10, 2023 |work=WTTG |type=Television production |via=YouTube |access-date=February 11, 2024 }}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/12/21/the-caps-and-wizards-are-leaving-dc-whos-to-blame/ |title=The Caps and Wizards Are Leaving DC: Who's to Blame? |date=December 12, 2023 |magazine=Washingtonian |first1=Luke |last1=Mullins |first2=Patrick |last2=Hruby |access-date=February 11, 2024 }}

According to a 2018 report, 67,000 residents, or about 10% of the population, are ex-convicts.{{Cite web |title=Obstacles to employment for returning citizens in D.C. |url=https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/publications/barriers-to-employment-for-returning-citizens-in-d-c/ |access-date=January 21, 2023 |publisher=D.C. Policy Center |date=August 17, 2018 |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121203200/https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/publications/barriers-to-employment-for-returning-citizens-in-d-c/ |archive-date=January 21, 2023 |url-status=live}} An estimated 2,000–2,500 offenders return to the city from prison every year.{{Cite web |title=Reentry in the District of Columbia: Supporting Returning Citizens' Transitions into the Community {{!}} cjcc |url=https://cjcc.dc.gov/page/reentry-district-columbia-supporting-returning-citizens-transitions-community |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=cjcc.dc.gov}}

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 violated the right to keep and bear arms as protected under the Second Amendment.{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Barnes |title=Supreme Court Strikes Down D.C. Ban on Handguns |date=June 26, 2008 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062600615.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 27, 2008 |archive-date=June 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627080423/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062600615.html |url-status=live }} However, a number of gun control measures remain in place, including those requiring firearm registration and banning assault weapons.{{cite news |first=David |last=Nakamura |title=D.C. Attorney General: All Guns Must Be Registered |date=June 26, 2008 |url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dc/2008/06/dc_attorney_general_all_guns_m.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011085230/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dc/2008/06/dc_attorney_general_all_guns_m.html |archive-date=October 11, 2008}}

In addition to the Metropolitan Police Department, several federal law enforcement agencies have jurisdiction in the city, including the U.S. Park Police, founded in 1791.{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/uspp/tauthorit.htm |title=U.S. Park Police Authority and Jurisdiction |access-date=August 13, 2011 |date=August 13, 2011 |publisher=National Park Service |archive-date=June 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620140714/http://www.nps.gov/uspp/tauthorit.htm |url-status=live }} Because the D.C. National Guard serves a federal district, the president of the United States—and not city officials—has power to deploy it. The president also has the power to take over the police force in emergency situations.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/25/trump-security-dc-police-force/ |title=Trump nearly took over the D.C. police force. City leaders pushed back. |date=October 26, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |first1=Peter |last1=Hermann |first2=Perry |last2=Stein |access-date=November 21, 2024}}

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• Index of Washington, D.C.–related articles
• List of people from Washington, D.C.
• Outline of Washington, D.C.
• USS District of Columbia

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{{Sister project links|voy=Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C.}}

• {{official website|https://dc.gov/}}
• {{osmrelation-inline|162069}}
• {{GNIS|1702382|District of Columbia (civil)}}
• [https://www.zipdatamaps.com/en/us/zip-maps/dc/city/borders/washington-zip-code-map Washington DC ZIP Code Map]
• [https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/dc/home.html Guide to Washington, D.C.] from the Library of Congress

{{externalvideo|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYbfGcAIWTA 1960s Washington DC, 4K from 35 mm Kinolibrary]}}

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