Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. — officially the District of Columbia — is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River across from Virginia and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east. It was named after George Washington, a Founding Father and the first president of the United States. As of the 2020 census, the city’s population was 689,545. During the workweek, commuters from the city’s Maryland and Virginia suburbs increase the city’s daytime population to more than one million. The Washington metropolitan area, which includes parts of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, is the country’s seventh-largest metropolitan area, with a 2023 population of 6.3 million residents.

Founding and History

The U.S. Constitution in 1789 called for the creation of a federal district under exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress. The Residence Act, adopted on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of the capital district along the Potomac River, and is considered the city’s founding date. Designed in 1791 by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the city is split into quadrants that meet at the Capitol Building, with 131 neighborhoods overall.

In 1800, when the capital was moved from Philadelphia, the 6th Congress started meeting in the then-unfinished Capitol Building, and the second president, John Adams, moved into the newly finished White House. In 1801, the District of Columbia, formerly part of Maryland and Virginia and including the existing settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria, was officially made the federal district. In 1846, Congress reduced the size of the district when it returned the land that Virginia had ceded, including the city of Alexandria. In 1871, it made the entire district into a single municipality.

The capital was burned by British forces during the War of 1812, an event that nearly destroyed the young city before reconstruction began. Washington grew dramatically through the Civil War era as the Union’s command center and expanded dramatically in the 20th century with the growth of the federal government through the New Deal, World War II, and the postwar era. In the postwar era, the percentage of African Americans in the District steadily increased as its total population declined as a result of suburbanization, supported by federal highway construction, and white flight. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 triggered riots that devastated several neighborhoods. Since the 2000 U.S. census, the District has added more than 120,000 residents and reversed some of the population losses seen in previous decades.

There have been several failed efforts to admit the rest of the district as a state since the 1880s, including a statehood bill that passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but was not adopted by the U.S. Senate.

Geography

Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia, is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River across from Virginia and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east. The district covers approximately 68 square miles of land, divided by L’Enfant’s original grid of diagonal avenues overlaid on a street grid, producing the city’s distinctive pattern of traffic circles and radiating boulevards. The city is divided into four quadrants — Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast — with the Capitol Building at the central point. The Anacostia River runs through the eastern portion of the district, separating much of Southeast DC from the rest of the city. Rock Creek Park, a 1,754-acre national park running north-south through the city, serves as a major natural amenity and recreational corridor.

Demographics

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, and 0.5% American Indian or Alaska Native. Hispanics of any race made up 11.3% of the district’s population. Between 2010 and the 2020 census, the Black population experienced a notable decline, with Blacks comprising fewer than half of the population for the first time since the late 1950s, though still the largest group. The district has long had one of the highest rates of LGBTQ+ residents of any major American city. Income inequality is pronounced, with some of the wealthiest ZIP codes in the nation in upper Northwest DC and some of the highest poverty rates in quadrants east of the Anacostia River.

Government

A locally elected mayor and 13-member council have governed the district since 1973, though Congress retains the power to overturn local laws. Washington, D.C., residents do not have voting representation in Congress, but elect a single non-voting congressional delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. The city’s voters choose three presidential electors in accordance with the Twenty-third Amendment, passed in 1961.

Muriel Bowser is the seventh elected mayor of Washington, DC. She has served her hometown in elected office since 2004 as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (2004–2006), Member of the DC Council (2007–2015) and as Mayor since 2015. She became only the second person elected three times as mayor of Washington, DC, and is the first African American woman to be elected to three four-year terms as mayor of an American city. Bowser declined to run for re-election in 2026, meaning the 2026 mayoral election will produce the district’s next chief executive. DC’s FY26 budget faces significant economic challenges, with the Chief Financial Officer forecasting revenues to be reduced by $1 billion over the next four years, driven by the expected loss of 40,000 federal government-related jobs, reduced income, and lower consumer spending.

The district is governed at the national level by Congress, which exercises ultimate authority over DC law and budget. The lack of full congressional representation has long been a central grievance of DC residents and advocates, who note that the district’s population exceeds that of Wyoming and Vermont.

Economy

Washington’s economy is anchored by the federal government and the vast ecosystem of organizations that orbit it. As of July 2022, 25% of people employed in Washington, D.C., were employed by the federal government. 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.

According to the District’s comprehensive annual financial reports, the top non-governmental employers in 2022 included Georgetown University, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington Hospital Center, George Washington University, American University, Georgetown University Hospital, Booz Allen & Hamilton, Howard University, MedStar Medical Group, and Catholic University of America.

Washington, D.C., is a leading center for national and international research organizations, especially think tanks engaged in public policy, including the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Peterson Institute for International Economics, The Heritage Foundation, and the Urban Institute. Tourism is a major economic driver; millions of visitors annually attend the National Mall monuments and the Smithsonian museums, which are free to the public. The district’s overall cost of living is substantially above the national average, driven especially by housing costs.

Education

DC is served by DC Public Schools (DCPS), one of the most closely watched urban school systems in the country, as well as a large network of public charter schools. The district has been cited as having one of the fastest-improving urban school districts in recent years. Higher education is a defining feature of the city. Georgetown University, founded in 1789, is the oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Other major institutions include George Washington University, American University, Howard University (a historically Black research university founded in 1867), Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University (the world’s premier institution for the deaf and hard of hearing), and the University of the District of Columbia. Washington is renowned for three medical schools and associated teaching hospitals at George Washington, Georgetown, and Howard universities.

Culture and Landmarks

Washington’s cultural landscape is defined first by its monumental core. The National Mall stretches from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol and is flanked by the monuments to Washington, Jefferson, FDR, the Korean War Veterans, and Vietnam Veterans, among others. The National Archives houses thousands of documents important to American history, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

The Smithsonian Institution operates 19 museums and galleries in the district, all free to the public, including the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The Library of Congress, the world’s largest library, sits adjacent to the Capitol. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is the nation’s performing arts center, home to the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera, and dozens of other companies.

Washington has its own native music genre called go-go, a post-funk, percussion-driven flavor of rhythm and blues popularized in the late 1970s by DC bandleader Chuck Brown. The Shaw and U Street neighborhoods were once known as “Black Broadway” and are where Duke Ellington grew up and first played jazz. Ben’s Chili Bowl, located on U Street since its founding in 1958, rose to prominence as a peaceful escape during the violent 1968 race riots. Famous for its chili dogs and half-smokes, it has been visited by numerous presidents and celebrities.

The city’s distinct neighborhoods give Washington much of its character. Capitol Hill contains the legislative buildings and charming 19th-century rowhouses. Georgetown is the city’s oldest neighborhood, with colonial-era architecture, the C&O Canal, and high-end retail along M Street and Wisconsin Avenue. Adams Morgan is one of Washington’s most ethnically and economically diverse communities, known for its nightlife, restaurants, and creative spirit. Dupont Circle is home to embassies, the Phillips Collection, and a vibrant LGBTQ+ community. The Wharf, on the Southwest waterfront, is a major recent development that has transformed DC’s relationship with the Potomac River.

Washington’s professional sports teams include the Washington Commanders (NFL), Washington Capitals (NHL), Washington Nationals (MLB), Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Spirit (NWSL), and DC United (MLS).

Notable People

Washington has been home to a vast number of transformative figures in American public life. Among those born, raised, or most closely associated with the city: Duke Ellington (1899–1974) — Jazz composer and bandleader, born in DC’s Shaw neighborhood. Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) — Abolitionist and statesman who lived and is memorialized in DC. Marvin Gaye (1939–1984) — Soul music legend born in Washington. John Philip Sousa (1854–1932) — “The March King,” born in DC. J. Edgar Hoover (1895–1972) — Long-serving FBI Director, born in DC. Goldie Hawn (b. 1945) — Actress, born in Washington. Dave Chappelle (b. 1973) — Comedian raised in DC. Taraji P. Henson (b. 1970) — Academy Award-nominated actress, born in DC. Additionally, every U.S. President since John Adams has lived and worked in the city, making it inseparable from the biographies of the nation’s entire executive leadership.

At a Glance