ZIP Code 20011

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia, is the capital city and federal district of the United States. It is located on the east bank of the Potomac River, which forms its southwestern and southern border with the U.S. state of Virginia. The city is divided into quadrants centered on the Capitol, and there are as many as 131 neighborhoods. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 689,545, making it the third most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic. Washington is home to many national monuments and museums, primarily situated on or around the National Mall. It hosts 177 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of many international organizations, trade unions, non-profits, lobbying groups, and professional associations. There have been efforts to make the city into a state since the 1880s, a movement that has gained momentum in recent years, and a statehood bill passed the House of Representatives in 2021. Over 54 million people live within 250 mi (400 km) of the District. The three branches of the federal government are centered in the district: Congress (legislative), the president (executive), and the Supreme Court (judicial). Washington is one of the most visited cities in the U.,S. with over 20 million annual visitors as of 2016. The District ofColumbia is named after Columbia, the female personification of the nation, and the city is an important world political capital. A locally elected mayor and a 13-member council have governed the district since 1973. The City of Washington was founded in 1791 and Congress held its first session there in 1800.

History

Piscataway people lived in the area around the Potomac River when Europeans first visited the area in the early 17th century. In 1788, James Madison argued that the new federal government would need authority over a national capital to provide for its own maintenance and safety. The Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, emphasized the need for the national government not to rely on any state for its Own security. On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of the national capital on the PotOMac River. The exact location was to be selected by President George Washington, who signed the bill into law on July 16. The federal district was named Columbia (a feminine form of "Columbus"), which was a poetic name for the United States commonly in use at that time. The Capitol, Treasury, and White House were burned during the War of 1812, but most buildings were repaired quickly; however, the Capitol was largely under construction and was not completed until 1868. In the 1830s, the district's southern territory of Alexandria went into economic decline due to neglect by Congress. The city of Alexandria was a major market in the domestic slave trade, and pro-lavery residents feared that abolitionists in Congress would end slavery in the district. In July 1846, Congress agreed to return the land to Virginia to take back the land it had donated to the district through a process known as retrocession. The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801 officially organized the district and placed the entire territory under the exclusive control of the federal government.

Geography

Washington, D.C., is located in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. East Coast. The city has a total area of 68.34 square miles (177 km²), of which 61.05 sq miles (158.1 km²) is land and 7.29sq miles (18.9 sq km) (10.67%) is water. The highest natural elevation in the district is 409 feet (125 m) above sea level at Fort Reno Park in upper northwest Washington. The district has 7,464 acres of parkland, about 19% of the city's total area and the second-highest percentage among high-density U.S. cities. Washington is 38 miles from Baltimore, 124 miles from Philadelphia, 227 miles from New York City, 242 miles from Pittsburgh, 384 miles from Charlotte, and 439 miles from Boston. It is in the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen: Cfa). Winters are cool to cold with light snow more common but heavy snow not uncommon, and summers are hot and humid. The most violent storms are called "nor'easters", which often affect Washington, on average, once every four to six years. From January 27 to February 28, 1922, the city received 28 inches (71 cm) of snow, the largest snowfall since official measurements began in 1885. The average annual snowfall is 15.5 inches (39.5 cm), which can cause moderate personal discomfort.

Cityscape

In 1791, President Washington commissioned Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant, a French-born architect and city planner, to design the new capital. He enlisted Scottish surveyor Alexander Ralston to help lay out the city plan. Many of the District's streets are on a grid extending from that of the original city. Six of the top 10 buildings in the American Institute of Architects' 2007 ranking of "America's Favorite Architecture" are the District of Columbia: the White House, the Washington National Cathedral, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Capitol. The neoclassical, Georgian, gothic, and modern architectural styles are all reflected among those six structures and many other prominent structures and monuments in Washington. The district is divided into four quadrants of unequal area: Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), and Southwest (SW) All road names include the quadrant abbreviation to indicate their location and house numbers generally correspond with the number of blocks away from the U.S. Capitol. Some streets are particularly noteworthy, such as Pennsylvania Avenuewhich connects the. White House to the Capitol, and K Streetwhich houses the offices of many lobbying groups. Washington hosts 177 foreign embassies, constituting approximately 297 buildings beyond the more than 1,600 residential properties owned by foreign countries. Despite popular belief, no law has ever limited buildings to the height of the United States Capitol or the 555-foot (169 m) Washington Monument.

Demographics

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the district's population was 705,749 as of July 2019, an increase of more than 100,000 people compared to the 2010 United States Census. If the district were a state it would rank 49th in population, ahead of Vermont and Wyoming. The Washington metropolitan area, which includes the district and surrounding suburbs, is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with an estimated six million residents. According to a study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, D.C. has experienced more "intense" gentrification than any other American city. The city is populated with many religious buildings, including the National Cathedral, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. As of 2011, 85% of residents age 5 and older spoke English at home as a primary language. 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, residents had a personal income per capita of $50,832 (higher than any of the 50 states). However, 19% ofResidents were below the poverty level in 2005, higher than any state except Mississippi. In 2019, the poverty rate stood at 14.7%. As of 2010, more than 90% of D. c. residents had health insurance coverage, the second-highest rate in the nation.

Economy

The Washington, D.C. region has one of the country's largest and most advanced economies. 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. As of 2011, the Washington Metropolitan Area had an unemployment rate of 6.2%; the second-lowest rate among the 49 largest metro areas in the nation. The city also hosts nearly 200 foreign embassies and international organizations. The Federal Reserve, which is the central bank for the United States of America, is located along Constitution Avenue. Many prominent global financial and diplomatic institutions are headquartered in the city. Many of the city's think tanks are partisan in nature, while many others work as non-partisan centers for research and policy formation. Many other non-profits engage with issues of domestic and global importance by conducting advanced research, running programs, and advocating on behalf of people. In 2019, the city will have the highest median household income in the U.S. at $92,266. In 2016, at $160,472, its GDP per capita is almost three times as high as that of Massachusetts, which was ranked second in the country. In 2008, the foreign diplomatic corps in Washington employed about 10,000 people and contributed an estimated $400 million annually to the local economy. In July 2022, 25% of D.c. employees were employed by the federal government. The vast majority of these government employees serve in various Executive Branch departments, agencies, and institutions, while only a small percentage serve as temporary staff for presidents.

Culture

The National Mall is a large, open park in Downtown Washington between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol. Located on the mall directly northwest of the Washington Monument is Constitution Gardens, which includes a garden, park, pond, and a memorial to the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The National Archives is headquartered in a building just north of the National Mall and houses thousands of documents important to American history. 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. 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, which is the oldest fish market currently in operation in the entire United States. Several other landmarks are located in neighboring Northern Virginia, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, The Pentagon, the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, Old Town Alexandria, and Mount Vernon. There are also numerous parks, gardens, and squares that have become notable landmarks, such as Rock Creek Park, located in Northwest D.C., and Lafayette Square, a historic public square named after the American Revolutionary War commander during the French and Indian War. The national Spelling Bee is held annually since 2011 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor. The U.S. Supreme Court Building was completed in 1935; before then, the court held sessions in the Old Senate Chamber of the Capitol.

City government and politics

Washington, D.C., is not a state and therefore has no voting representation in Congress. The city's mayor and council set local taxes and a budget, which Congress must approve. 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. The flag of the District of Columbia was adopted in 1938 and is a variation on George Washington's family coat of arms. The idiom "Inside the Beltway" is a reference used by media to describe discussions of national political issues inside of Washington, by way of geographical demarcation regarding the region inner to the Capital's Beltway, Interstate 495, the city's highway loop (beltway) constructed in 1964. A poll found that 78% of Americans did not know that residents of the district have less representation than fifty states in Congress; there is evidence of nationwide approval for DC. residents to vote for a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives (D.C. At-Large) The city observes all federal holidays and also celebrates Emancipation Day on April 16, which commemorates the end of slavery in the district. In the year 2012, residents and businesses paid $20.7 billion in federal taxes, more than 19 states and 19 states per capita. The City of Washington is overwhelmingly Democratic, having voted for the Democratic presidential candidate solidly since it was granted electoral votes in 1964, and voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

Education

District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is the sole public school district in the city. In the 201011 school year, 46,191 students were enrolled in the public school system. DCPS has one of the highest-cost, yet lowest-performing school systems in the country. 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. 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. The city is home to three medical schools and associated teaching hospitals: George Washington, Georgetown, and Howard universities. The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public land-grant university providing undergraduate and graduate education. 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. The District ofColumbia Public Library operates 25 neighborhood locations including the landmark Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. It also operates the Washington Hospital Center and Children's National Medical Center. It is the only public library in Washington, DC with a budget of more than $1.5 million per year. It has a library system that covers more than 1,000 square miles (3,000 km) of land.

The most recent state population of 689,545 individuals with a median age of 35.5 age the population grows by 3.64% in District of Columbia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 11,280.71 residents per square mile of area (4,355.39/km²). There are average 2.57 people per household in the households with an average household income of a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 12.10% of the available work force and has dropped -5.29% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 17.32%. The number of physicians in Washington, D.C. per 100,000 population = 477.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in District of Columbia = 43.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 14 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 113. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 202. 87.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 25.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 41, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in District of Columbia which are owned by the occupant = 36.50%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 56 years with median home cost = $346,700 and home appreciation of -7.07%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $6.16 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $8,030 per student. There are 11.4 students for each teacher in the school, 1449 students for each Librarian and 989 students for each Counselor. 2.75% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 18.33% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 21.33% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).