What Does the Dc in Washington Stand for

Washington, D.C.
Federal capital city and federal district
District of Columbia
Clockwise from top right: United States Capitol, Washington Monument, the White House, Smithsonian Institution Building, Lincoln Memorial and Washington National Cathedral
Flag Seal
Motto(s): Justitia Omnibus (English: Justice for All)
Anthem: "Our Nation's Capital"[1]
Washington, D.C. Location within the United States Show map of the United States Washington, D.C. Location within North America Show map of North America
Coordinates: 38°54′17″N 77°00′59″W  /  38.90472°N 77.01639°W  / 38.90472; -77.01639 Coordinates: 38°54′17″N 77°00′59″W  /  38.90472°N 77.01639°W  / 38.90472; -77.01639
Country	United States
Residence Act	1790
Organized	1801
Consolidated	1871
Home Rule Act	1973
Named for	George Washington, Christopher Columbus
Government
• Mayor	Muriel Bowser (D)
• D.C. Council	List Phil Mendelson (D), Chairman Anita Bonds (D), At‑large David Grosso (I), At‑large Robert White (D), At‑large Elissa Silverman (I), At‑large Brianne Nadeau (D), Ward 1 Vacant Ward 2 Mary Cheh (D), Ward 3 Brandon Todd (D), Ward 4 Kenyan McDuffie (D), Ward 5 Charles Allen (D), Ward 6 Vincent C. Gray (D), Ward 7 Trayon White (D), Ward 8
• U.S. House	Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), Delegate (At-large)
Area
• Federal capital city and federal district	68.34 sq mi (177.0 km2)
• Land	61.05 sq mi (158.1 km2)
• Water	7.29 sq mi (18.9 km2)
Highest elevation	409 ft (125 m)
Lowest elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Population (2019)[2]
• Federal capital city and federal district	705,749
• Rank	20th, U.S. as of 2018[update]
• Density	11,506/sq mi (4,442/km2)
• Metro	6,216,589 (6th U.S.)
• CSA	9,665,892 (4th U.S.)
Demonym(s)	Washingtonian[3] [4]
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	20001–20098, 20201–20599
Area code(s)	202
Major airports	Washington Dulles Reagan National Baltimore–Washington
Commuter rail
Rapid transit
Abbreviations	DC, D.C.
Website	dc.gov

Washington, D.C. state symbols
Living insignia
Bird	Wood Thrush
Flower	American Beauty rose
Tree	Scarlet Oak
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Rickey[5]
Dinosaur	Capitalsaurus
Food	Cherry
Rock	Potomac bluestone
Slogan	Federal City
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2009
Lists of United States state symbols

Washington, D.C. (also known as simply Washington or D.C., and officially as the District of Columbia) is the capital of the United States. It is a federal district. The President of the USA and many major national government offices are in the territory. This makes it the political center of the United States of America.

Washington was named after the first U.S. President George Washington. "D.C." stands for "District of Columbia". At first, it was made up of a piece from Virginia south of the Potomac River and a piece from Maryland north of the Potomac River. In 1847, Virginia's piece was returned to it, and is now Arlington County and part of the city of Alexandria. Since 1847, all of the District of Columbia is on the north side of the Potomac River. The District of Columbia used to have other small towns which used "D.C.".

Since 1800, the District of Columbia has been the home of all three branches of the U.S. government: Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court. All of the major political parties are based here. It is also the headquarters of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Organization of American States (OAS). Because it is the home of the President and is important to American politics, many groups often hold large demonstrations and protests here. These are often at the National Mall, a large open park which has many monuments and museums. The District of Columbia's many museums and monuments make it a popular place for tourists to visit.

In 2005, the United States Census Bureau showed that 582,049 people resided within the District of Columbia.

History [change | change source]

When English people first came to the area, there was a Native American village on the spot called Nakochtank. This name survives in the name of the Anacostia River. This river was known for the healing properties of its pure water and it is recorded that the Emperor Powhatan, who lived in what is now Richmond, Virginia, made the trip all the way to Nakochtank once for this reason.

The 1789 United States Constitution said that a capital city would be created in a district, but did not say where it should be. James Madison and others thought it should be far away from other states and cities. This way, it would be independent and not controlled by any state. In 1790, a compromise was reached and capital was placed between Virginia and Maryland. It was a square, ten miles (16 km) long on each side, and split by the Potomac River, which separated the two states. Half of the district was in Maryland and the other half was in Virginia, and the two states gave this land to the government. In 1791, it was named Washington, the District of Columbia to honor George Washington. Columbia was another name for North America.

City design [change | change source]

L'Enfant's plan for Washington, D.C., as revised by Andrew Ellicott (1792)

Washington, D.C. was planned before it was built. Pierre L'Enfant drew a plan for the city that said where all the streets, parks, and important buildings would be. Unlike most cities in the United States, D.C. has many roundabouts or traffic circles. The city was supposed to have long and wide avenues, and many open spaces for monuments and parks. The National Mall is an example of this.

Representation [change | change source]

Local Government [change | change source]

Washington, D.C. is not a state. Its citizens have less control over their city than most Americans, but D.C. has had an elected mayor and a city council since 1973. But Congress can make it so that a local law doesn't happen. The current mayor of Washington, D.C. is Muriel Bowser, a Democrat.^[6]

In Congress [change | change source]

The license plates on the cars in Washington, D.C. say, "Taxation Without Representation." This is a protest from people who live in Washington, D.C. about having to pay taxes to the United States without having a vote in the United States House of Representatives. It resembles the protest made by colonists before the American Revolution about having to pay taxes to Great Britain. Some people are against letting Washington, D.C. have a Congressman or Congresswoman because the Constitution only allows states to have Congressmen or Congresswomen.

Culture [change | change source]

Performing arts and music [change | change source]

Washington, D.C. is the center of the nation for its arts. The National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, and the Washington Ballet are all inside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The Kennedy Center Honors are given every year to the people who have greatly helped the cultural life of the United States.^[7] The President and First Lady usually go to the Honors ceremony.^[8]

Media [change | change source]

As the national capital of the United States, Washington, D.C. has numerous media outlets in various mediums. Some of these media are known throughout the United States, including The Washington Post and various broadcasting networks headquartered in D.C.

Newspapers [change | change source]

The Washington Post is the oldest and most-read daily newspaper in Washington, and it has developed into one of the most reputable daily newspapers in the U.S. It is most notable for exposing the Watergate scandal, among other achievements. The Washington Post Company has multiple media holdings, including a daily free newspaper called the Express, the Washington Post News Service with Bloomberg News, Fashion Washington, El Tiempo Latino (a Spanish-language publication), the Slate Group, The Daily Herald (in Washington state), as well as the education company Kaplan, Inc. The Washington Post emphasizes national and political news coverage but also covers regional and local stories. Headquartered in downtown Washington, the newspaper employs journalists at 11 regional bureaus in Maryland and Virginia and 14 international bureaus. Content is shared across titles within the Washington Post Company, and the Express, in particular, often reprints content from the Associated Press, Getty Images, and other wire sources.^[9]

Washington Times and Washington City Paper also have substantial readership in the District. On February 1, 2005, the free daily tabloid Washington Examiner debuted, having been formed from a chain of suburban newspapers known as the Journal Newspapers.

Washington Blade and Metro Weekly focus on gay issues and the Washington Sun, the Washington Informer, and also Washington Afro on African American issues. Bi-weekly Street Sense focuses on issues of homelessness poverty, and life on the streets. Other special-interest papers include Roll Call, a daily paper focused on politics.

Many neighborhoods in the District have their own community newspapers. Some of these include The Current Newspapers, which has editions serving Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, Chevy Chase and Upper Northwest, and a Capitol Hill paper called The Capitol Hill Current/Voice of the Hill. Additional papers include In-Towner (Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and Adams Morgan), Hill Rag (Capitol Hill), East of the River (Anacostia) and D.C. North (Northeast D.C.). In addition, several specialty newspapers serve the U.S. Congress; most notable are Roll Call, The Hill, and Politico.

Television [change | change source]

As of 2008, the Washington Metropolitan Area was the 9th largest designated market area in the United States, with 2,321,610 television homes (2.028% of the U.S. population).^[10] The following is a list of television stations serving the metro area:

Digital Channel	Digital Subchannel	Analog Channel	Callsign [11]	Network [12]	City of License	Notes
4 (Virtual); 48	4.1	-	WRC-TV	NBC	Washington, D.C.	-
	4.2			Cozi TV
5 (Virtual); 36	5.1	-	WTTG-TV	Fox	Washington, D.C.	-
-	-	6	WDCN-LP	-	Fairfax, Virginia	Spanish audio only
7	7.1	-	WJLA-TV	ABC	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Arlington, Virginia
	7.2			MeTV
	7.3			Live Well Network
9	9.1	-	WUSA-TV	CBS	Washington, D.C.	-
	9.2			Bounce TV
14 (Virtual); 15	15.1	-	WFDC-DT	Univision	Arlington, Virginia	Broadcasts from Washington
20 (Virtual); 35	20.1	-	WDCA	MyNetworkTV	Washington, D.C.	-
22 (Virtual); 42	22.1	-	WMPT	PBS	Annapolis, Maryland	-
	22.2			-		MPT2
	22.3			V-me		-
-	-	23	WDDN-LD	Daystar	Washington, D.C.	-
-	-	25	WZDC-CD	Telemundo	Washington, D.C.	-
26 (Virtual); 27	26.1	-	WETA-TV	PBS (HD)	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Arlington, Virginia
	26.2			Create
	26.3			-		WETA Kids Channel; Broadcasts from Arlington, Virginia
	26.4			PBS (SD)		Broadcasts from Arlington, Virginia
30 (Virtual); 24	30.1	-	WNVC	MHz Worldview	Fairfax, Virginia	Broadcasts from Falls Church, Virginia
	30.2			NHK World
	30.3			Metro Chinese Network
	30.4			RT (English)
	30.5			Al Jazeera English
30	30.6	-	WNVT	Euronews/VTV4	Goldvein, Virginia	Broadcasts from Falls Church, Virginia
	30.7			France 24
	30.8			RT (Spanish)
	30.9			Arirang
	30.10			ETV
32 (Virtual); 33	32.1	-	WHUT-TV	PBS (HD)	Washington, D.C.	Howard University
	32.2			PBS (SD)
47 (Virtual); 8	47.1	-	WMDO-CA	UniMás	Washington, D.C.	-
	47.2			LATV
50	50.1	-	WDCW-TV	CW	Washington, D.C.	-
	50.2			Antenna TV
	50.3			This TV
-	-	58	WIAV-LD	AsiaVision	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Greenbelt, Maryland
66 (Virtual); 43	66.1	-	WPXW-TV	ION	Manassas, Virginia	Broadcasts from Fairfax Station, Virginia
	66.2			qubo
	66.3			ION Life

Most Baltimore area television stations can be seen in the Washington region. Besides being viewed clearly in the District, they can especially be seen in the suburbs of the Interstate 95 corridor between both cities. They are: WMAR 2 (ABC), WBAL 11 (NBC), WJZ 13 (CBS), WMPT 22 / WMPB 67 (PBS/MPB), WUTB 24 (MyNetwork TV), WBFF 45 (FOX), and WNUV 54 (The CW). A DC-MD-VA regional news station, TBD TV, is carried on Channel 8 on all cable systems in Washington, D.C. and surrounding communities.

Public, educational, and government access (PEG) on cable television is provided by the Public Access Corporation of the District of Columbia on two channels simulcast to both local cable television systems. One channel is devoted to religious programming and the other channel provides a diversity of offerings. The District's two Public, educational, and government access (PEG) Channels are DCTV, a non-profit media outlet that provides training and production opportunities to local residents, and OCT TV-16, which provides information about government programs, services, and related opportunities.

Major national broadcasters and cable outlets including NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and CNN maintain a significant presence in Washington, as do those from around the world including the BBC, CBC, and Al Jazeera. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Also, several cable television networks have their headquarters in the Washington area, including:

• BET
• C-SPAN
• Discovery Channel in Silver Spring, Maryland
• National Geographic Channel
• Travel Channel in Chevy Chase, Maryland

America's Most Wanted is the only network primetime program produced in Washington.

Radio [change | change source]

As of 2008, the Washington Metropolitan Area was the 9th largest radio market in the United States with a Metro 12+ Population of 4,238,100. The following is a list of radio stations serving the metro area:

AM [change | change source]

Frequency	Callsign	Format	City of License	Notes
540	WGOP	Adult Standards/MOR	Pocomoke City, Maryland	Broadcasts from Damascus, Maryland
570	WSPZ	Sports	Bethesda, Maryland	Broadcasts from Rockville, Maryland
630	WMAL	News/Talk	Washington, D.C.	-
730	WTNT	Talk	Alexandria, Virginia	Broadcasts from Rockville, Maryland
780	WAVA	Christian	Arlington, Virginia	-
900	WILC	Spanish Contemporary	Laurel, Maryland	-
950	WCTN	Spanish Contemporary	Potomac, Maryland	-
980	WTEM	Sports	Washington, D.C.	ESPN Radio; Broadcasts from Rockville, Maryland
1030	WWGB	Spanish Christian	Indian Head, Maryland	Broadcasts from Suitland, Maryland
1050	WZAA	News/Talk	Silver Spring, Maryland	Broadcasts from Washington
1120	WUST	World Ethnic	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Falls Church, Virginia
1160	WMET	Variety	Gaithersburg, Maryland	Broadcasts from Silver Spring, Maryland
1220	WFAX	Christian	Falls Church, Virginia	-
1260	WWRC	News/Talk	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Rockville, Maryland
1310	WDCT	Korean	Fairfax, Virginia	-
1340	WYCB	Urban Gospel	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Lanham, Maryland
1390	WZHF	News	Arlington, Virginia	Voice of Russia English language service; Broadcasts from Rockville, Maryland
1450	WOL	News/Talk	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Lanham, Maryland
1460	WKDV	Spanish Variety	Manassas, Virginia	-
1480	WPWC	Mexican Regional	Dumfries, Virginia	Broadcasts from Woodbridge, Virginia
1500	WFED	News/Talk	Washington, D.C.	-
1540	WACA	Spanish Contemporary	Wheaton, Maryland	-
1560	WKIK	Country	La Plata, Maryland	Broadcasts from Mechanicsville, Maryland
1580	WJFK	News/Talk	Morningside, Maryland	Broadcasts from Lanham, Maryland
1600	WLXE	Spanish	Rockville, Maryland	-

FM [change | change source]

Frequency	Callsign	Format	City of License	Notes
88.1	WMUC-FM	Freeform	College Park, Maryland	UMD college radio
88.5	WAMU	News/Talk	Washington, D.C.	NPR
89.3	WPFW	Jazz	Washington, D.C.	-
90.1	WCSP-FM	News/Talk	Washington, D.C.	C-SPAN
90.9	WETA	Classical	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Arlington, Virginia
91.9	WGTS	Contemporary Christian	Takoma Park, Maryland	-
92.7	WWXT	Sports	Prince Frederick, Maryland	Repeater of WTEM
93.9	WKYS	Urban Contemporary	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Lanham, Maryland
94.7	WIAD	Hot Adult Contemporary	Bethesda, Maryland	Broadcasts from Silver Spring, Maryland
95.5	WPGC-FM	Rhythmic CHR	Morningside, Maryland	Broadcasts from Lanham, Maryland
96.3	WHUR-FM	Urban Adult Contemporary	Washington, D.C.	-
97.1	WASH-FM	Adult Contemporary	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Rockville, Maryland
98.7	WMZQ-FM	Country	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Rockville, Maryland
99.1	WNEW-FM	News/Talk	Bowie, Maryland	Broadcasts from Lanham, Maryland
99.5	WIHT	Pop CHR	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Rockville, Maryland
100.3	WBIG-FM	Classic Hits	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Rockville, Maryland
101.1	WWDC	Alternative Rock	Washington, D.C.	Broadcasts from Rockville, Maryland
102.3	WMMJ	Urban Adult Contemporary	Bethesda, Maryland	Broadcasts from Lanham, Maryland
103.5	WTOP-FM	News	Washington, D.C.	-
104.1	WPRS-FM	Urban Gospel	Waldorf, Maryland	Broadcasts from Lanham, Maryland
105.1	WAVA-FM	Contemporary Christian	Arlington, Virginia	-
105.9	WMAL-FM	News/talk	Woodbridge, Virginia	Broadcasts from Washington
106.7	WJFK-FM	Sports	Manassas, Virginia	Broadcasts from Fairfax, Virginia
107.3	WRQX	Pop CHR	Washington, D.C.	-
107.9	WLZL	Spanish Tropical	Annapolis, Maryland	-

Transportation [change | change source]

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.^[13] However, 37% of Washington-area commuters take public transportation to work, the second-highest rate in the country.^[14] An additional 12% of D.C. commuters walked to work, 6% carpooled, and 3% traveled by bicycle in 2010.^[15]

Washington has very few freeways. The funds that had been dedicated for freeway construction were instead redirected to the region's public transportation infrastructure.^[16] The interstate highways that do continue into Washington, including Interstate 66 and Interstate 395, both terminate shortly upon entering the city.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) operates the Washington Metro, the city's rapid transit system, as well as Metrobus. Both systems serve the District and its suburbs. Metro opened on March 27, 1976 and presently consists of 86 stations and 106.3 miles (171.1 km) of track.^[17] With an average of about one million trips each weekday, Metro is the second-busiest rapid transit system in the country, after the New York City Subway. Metrobus serves over 400,000 riders each weekday, making it the nation's sixth-largest bus system.^[18] The city also operates its own DC Circulator bus system, which connects commercial areas within central Washington.^[19]

Union Station is a transportation hub for passengers on Amtrak, commuter rail lines, and the Washington Metro

Union Station is the main train station in Washington, D.C., and handles about 70,000 people each day. It is Amtrak's second-busiest station with 4.6 million passengers annually and serves as the southern terminus for the Northeast Corridor and Acela Express routes. Maryland's MARC and Virginia's VRE commuter trains and the Metrorail Red Line also provide service into Union Station.^[20] Expansion plans announced in 2011 will make Union Station the city's primary intercity bus transit center.^[21] A new streetcar system opened in 2016.

Three major airports serve The District. The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is across from downtown Washington in Arlington, Virginia and has its own Metrorail station. Major international flights arrive and depart from Washington Dulles International Airport, 26.3 miles (42.3 km) west of the District in Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia. Dulles gained its own Metrorail station in 2016. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is 31.7 miles (51.0 km) northeast of the District in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

References [change | change source]

1. ↑ Imhoff, Gary (October 1999). "Our Official Songs". DC Watch . Retrieved February 7, 2012.
2. ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: District of Columbia". www.census.gov.
3. ↑ "Demonyms for people from the USA". www.geography-site.co.uk . Retrieved April 12, 2017.
4. ↑ "Demonym". addis.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
5. ↑ Jamie R. Liu (July 14, 2011). "Rickey Named Official D.C. Cocktail". DCist. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
6. ↑ "Mayoral election in Washington, D.C. (2018)". Ballotpedia . Retrieved 2019-05-24 .
7. ↑ "About the Kennedy Center Honors". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved 2008-06-29 .
8. ↑ "The Board of Trustees". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved 2008-06-29 .
9. ↑ Kristine Gloria and Kara Hadge, "An Information Community Case Study: Washington, DC, Archived 2013-09-09 at the Wayback Machine" Washington, DC: New America Foundation, 2010, http://mediapolicy.newamerica.net/publications/policy/an_information_community_case_study_washington_dc Archived 2013-09-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 Sept. 2010.
10. ↑ "Local Television Market Universe Estimates" (PDF). Nielsen. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-07-11. Retrieved 2009-11-01 .
11. ↑ "TVQ TV Database Query". Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2009-11-01 .
12. ↑ "Stations for Washington, District of Columbia". RabbitEars.Info. Retrieved 2011-05-16 .
13. ↑ Halsey III, Ashley (January 20, 2011). "Washington area tied with Chicago for traffic congestion, study finds". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 15, 2011.
14. ↑ Christie, Les (June 29, 2007). "New Yorkers are top transit users". CNNMoney. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
15. ↑ "District of Columbia Commuting Characteristics by Sex". 2010 American Community Survey. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
16. ↑ Schrag, Zachary (2006). "Chapter 5: The Bridge". The Great Society Subway. Johns Hopkins University Press.
17. ↑ "WMATA Facts" (PDF). WMATA. August 2008. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
18. ↑ Dawson, Christie R. (August 21, 2009). "Estimated Unliked Transit Passenger Trips" (PDF). American Public Transport Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 23, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
19. ↑ "About DC Circulator". DC Circulator . Retrieved August 31, 2010.
20. ↑ "District of Columbia Amtrak Fact Sheet FY 2010" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
21. ↑ Thomson, Robert (July 30, 2011). "Union Station to become intercity bus center". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 17, 2011.

Other websites [change | change source]

Find more about Washington, D.C. at Wikipedia's sister projects
	Definitions from Wiktionary
	Media from Commons
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks
	Learning resources from Wikiversity

• Official website
• Guide to Washington, D.C., materials from the Library of Congress

What Does the Dc in Washington Stand for

Source: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.

Share :