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Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union, ending slavery, and rededicating the nation to nationalism, equal rights, liberty and democracy. Reared in a poor family on the western frontier, he was mostly self-educated and became a country lawyer, an Illinois state legislator, and a one-term member of the United States House of Representatives, but failed in two attempts at a seat in the United States Senate. He was an affectionate, though often absent, husband, and father of four children.
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African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans or Afro-Americans, and formerly as American Negroes) are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry.
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Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 – July 12, 1804) was the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, and political philosopher. Aide-de-camp to General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, he was a leader of nationalist forces calling for a new Constitution; he was one of America's first Constitutional lawyers, and wrote most of the Federalist Papers, a primary source for Constitutional interpretation. Hamilton was the primary author of the economic policies of the George Washington Administration, especially the funding of the state debts by the Federal government, the establishment of a national bank, a system of tariffs, and friendly trade relations with Britain. He created and dominated the Federalist Party, and was opposed by Thomas Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican Party. Jefferson denounced Hamilton as too loose with the Constitution, too favorable to Britain, to monarchy and to the moneyed interests of the cities, but Hamilton's policies went into effect. A believer in a militarily strong national government, Hamilton helped defeat the tax revolt of western farmers in 1794, and built a new army to oppose France in the Quasi War of 1798, but Federalist President John Adams found a diplomatic solution that avoided war. Hamilton helped defeat Adams' reelection bid in 1800, but realizing that Aaron Burr would be a dangerous president, Hamilton threw his weight behind Jefferson who was chosen president in 1801. Tensions with Burr escalated to a duel, in which Hamilton was killed.
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Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American Native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples. This grouping consists of peoples that speak Algonquian languages.
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Andrew Ellicott
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Anthony A. Williams
Anthony Allen "Tony" Williams (born July 28, 1951, in Los Angeles, California) is an American politician who served as the fifth mayor of the District of Columbia for two terms, from 1999 to 2007. He had previously served as chief financial officer for the District, managing to balance the budget and achieve a surplus within two years of appointment. He held a variety of executive posts in cities and states around the country prior to his service in the D.C. government.
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Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. They comprise the third largest minority group in the United States. The most commonly used definition of Asian American is the U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asian, which includes individuals of East Asian, South Asian, and Southeast Asian origin.
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Beijing
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Benjamin Banneker
Benjamin Banneker (November 9, 1731 – October 9, 1806) was a free African American astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, almanac author and farmer.
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Chuck Brown
:For the New Age musician, see Chuck Brown (New Age musician).
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Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was a composer, pianist, and big band leader.
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George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)
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Ian MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye () (born April 16, 1962) is an American singer and guitarist. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk band Minor Threat, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well as The Evens. He is a co-founder and co-owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label, along with Jeff Nelson.
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James Madison
James Madison, Jr. (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was an American politician and political philosopher who served as the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817) and is considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
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John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (sometimes abbreviated "Trane"; September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz. He was prolific, organizing at least fifty recording sessions as a leader during his recording career, and appeared as a sideman on many other albums, notably with trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk.
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John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa (; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J Alford also being known as "The March King"
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Kwame R. Brown
Kwame Rashaan Brown (born October 13, 1970, Washington, D.C.) is an elected official from Washington, D.C. He currently serves as an elected Democratic at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia. On September 14, 2010, he won the Democratic primary for Council Chair, replacing incumbent Vincent C. Gray who is not seeking re-election.
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Marion Barry
Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. (born March 6, 1936) is an American Democratic politician who served as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995 to 1999. In the 1960s he was involved in the Civil Rights Movement and served as the first president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
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Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer.
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Simple Machines
Simple Machines was a record label that operated out of Arlington, Virginia. The label was masterminded by Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson and, at its peak, had four paid workers- Toomey, Thomson, Pat Graham and Mickey Menard. The label was formed to 'find creative ways to avoid the established and boring music business'.
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Thomas Jefferson
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Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877) as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America. Grant began his lifelong career as a soldier after graduating from the United States Military Academy in 1843. Fighting in the Mexican American War, he was a close observer of the techniques of Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott. He resigned from the Army in 1854, then struggled to make a living in St. Louis. After many financial setbacks, he finally moved to Galena, Illinois where he worked as a clerk in his father's tannery shop, making Galena his permanent legal home.
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Vincent C. Gray
Vincent C. Gray (born November 8, 1942) is an American politician who is currently serving as chairman of the Washington, D.C. City Council. He is also the Democratic nominee for Mayor of the District of Columbia.
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Walter Washington
Walter Edward Washington, (April 15, 1915 – October 27, 2003) was an American politician, the first home-rule mayor of the District of Columbia. He was also the last appointed President of the Board of Commissioners of Washington, D.C.
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White American
White American (often used interchangeably with "Caucasian American" and, within the United States, simply "white") is an umbrella term officially employed by some U.S. government agencies, per standards issued by the Office of Management and Budget, for the classification of United States citizens or resident aliens "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa". Like all U.S. racial categories, White American has a "Not Hispanic or Latino" and a "Hispanic or Latino" component, the latter consisting mostly of White Mexican Americans.
http://wn.com/White_American
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Accra
Accra ( or ) is the capital and largest city in Ghana with the population of the city proper estimated at 1,963,264 as of 2009. Accra also doubles as the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District with which it is coterminous. Accra is also the anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area called the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and includes eight districts - Accra Metropolitan, Tema Metropolitan, Ga East Municipal, Ga West Municipal, Ga South Municipal, Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal, Ashaiman Municipal and Adenta Municipal. It is home to about 4 million people, making it the largest metropolitan conglomeration in the country by population. As a primate city, Accra is the administrative, communications, and economic centre of the country.
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Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,283. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) south of downtown Washington, D.C.
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American University
:For other universities known as American University, see American University (disambiguation).
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Amsterdam
Amsterdam (; Dutch ) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, with an urban population of 1,364,422 and a metropolitan population of 2,158,372. The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. It comprises the northern part of the Randstad, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in Europe, with a population of approximately 6.7 million.
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Anacostia Park
Anacostia Park is operated by the United States National Park Service. It is one of Washington, D.C.'s largest and most important recreation areas, with over 1200 acres (4.9 km²) at multiple sites. Included in Anacostia Park is Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens and Kenilworth Marsh. Hundreds of acres are available for ballfields, picnicking, basketball, tennis, and the Anacostia Park Pavilion has some 3300 square feet (307 m²) of space for roller skating and special events. The Langston Golf Course offers an 18 hole course as well as a driving range, and three concession-operated marinas, four boat clubs, and a public boat ramp provide for access to the tidal Anacostia River for recreational boating.
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Arena Stage
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Baltimore
Baltimore () is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the U.S. state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding Baltimore County. Founded in 1729, Baltimore is a major U.S. seaport and is situated closer to major Midwestern markets than any other major seaport on the East Coast. Baltimore's Inner Harbor was once the second leading port of entry for immigrants to the United States and a major manufacturing center. The harbor is now home to Harborplace, a shopping, entertainment, and tourist center, and the National Aquarium in Baltimore. After a decline in manufacturing, Baltimore shifted to a service-oriented economy. Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital are now the city's largest employers.
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Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital, largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (, pronounced ), or กรุงเทพฯ Krung Thep (, meaning "city of angels" for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It came to the forefront of Siam when it was given the status as the capital city in 1768 after the burning of Ayutthaya. However, the current Rattanakosin Kingdom did not begin until 1782 when the capital was moved across the river by Rama I after the death of King Taksin. The Rattanakosin capital is now more formally called "Phra Nakhon" (), pertaining to the ancient boundaries in the metropolis' core and the name Bangkok now incorporates the urban build-up since the 18th century which has its own public administration and governor.
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Battle of York
The Battle of York was a battle of the War of 1812 fought on 27 April 1813, at York, Upper Canada (present day Toronto). An American force supported by a naval flotilla landed on the lake shore to the west, defeated the defending British force and captured the town and dockyard. The success of the operation was marred by acts of arson and looting carried out by the American forces.
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Beijing
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Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda. (In Aramaic, beth hesda means "House of Mercy" and in Hebrew, "bait" "chesed" means "House of Kindness".)
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Brussels
Brussels (, pronounced ; , pronounced ), officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region (, Dutch: ), is the de facto capital city of the European Union (EU) and the largest urban area in Belgium. It comprises 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels proper, which is the constitutional capital of Belgium, the seat of the French Community of Belgium and of the Flemish Community.
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Dakar
Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula, on the country's Atlantic coast. It is Senegal's largest city. Its position, on the western edge of Africa (it is the westernmost city on the African mainland), is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional port.
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Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the sixth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fourth most populous county in the state. The population was 166,179 at the 2000 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 848,153 in the 2000 census. Dayton is the fourth largest metropolitan area in Ohio and the 61st largest metropolitan area in the United States. The Dayton-Springfield-Greenville Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1,085,094 in 2000. Dayton is situated within the Miami Valley region of Ohio, just north of the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
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El Salvador
El Salvador (; , literally meaning "Republic of The Savior") is the smallest and also the most densely populated country in Central America. It borders the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. It lies on the Gulf of Fonseca, as do Honduras and Nicaragua further south.
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Ethiopia
{{Infobox country
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Florida Avenue
Florida Avenue is a major street in Washington, D.C. It was originally named Boundary Street, because it formed the northern boundary of Pierre L'Enfant's original plan for the Federal City. In 1890, since the city had grown beyond the borders of the original plan, Boundary Street was renamed.
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Fort Reno Park
Fort Reno Park is a park in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, DC. It is the highest point in the city, and was involved in the only Civil War battle to take place in the District of Columbia. The highpoint was resurveyed and a new USGS Benchmark was placed in 2007 at coordinates N 38.95198 and W 77.075922, a location open to the general public and outside the fenced area where the highpoint was previously believed to be.. Fort Reno, at 409 feet, is actually lower than the top of the Washington Monument, which rises 555 feet from nearly sea level. However, the sandstone castle-like fort structure on top and highpoint antenna farm raise the height above that of the monument. Residents gather here on the 4th of July to look down on the annual fireworks display on the Mall.
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Guam
Guam (; Chamorro: ) is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. The island's capital is Hagåtña (formerly Agana). Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands.
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Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States.
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Jefferson Pier
Jefferson Pier, Jefferson Stone, or the Jefferson Pier Stone, in Washington, D.C., marks the second prime meridian of the United States even though it was never officially recognized, either by presidential proclamation or by a resolution or act of Congress. The monument is a , 2-foot-tall, granitic monolith with crossing longitudinal and latitudinal lines engraved on its upper surface and with a defaced inscription engraved on its west surface. It is located on the National Mall due south of the center of the White House and the midline of 16th Street, NW, due west of the center of the Capitol, due north of the center of the Jefferson Memorial and WNW of the center of the Washington Monument.
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Landover, Maryland
Landover is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, within the census-designated place of Greater Landover. Landover is home to the corporate headquarters of the Giant supermarket chain. The Prince Georges County Sports and Learning Complex is in Landover. Though small, Landover houses many neighborhoods which include: Glenarden, Brightseat, Ardmore, Palmer Park, Kentland, Dodge Park, Columbia Park, Willow Hills(Hill Rd), Belle Haven, Lansdowne, and Village Green. Metrorail's Orange Line passes through the community. Landover Hills is a separate, incorporated community a few miles away. Landover is the birthplace of the late Len Bias.
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Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and number of books. The head of the Library is the Librarian of Congress, currently James H. Billington.
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Maryland
Maryland () is an American state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maryland has the highest median household income of any state, with a median income of $70,545. Maryland was the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution, and three nicknames for it, the Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State are occasionally used.
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Meridian Hill Park
Meridian Hill Park, also known unofficially as Malcolm X Park, is located in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Columbia Heights in the United States. The 12 acres (49,000 m²) of landscaped grounds are maintained by the National Park Service as part of Rock Creek Park, but are not contiguous with the main part of that park. Meridian Hill Park is bordered by 15th, 16th, W, and Euclid Streets NW.
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Milan
Milan (, ; Western Lombard: Milan, ) is a city in Italy and the capital of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1,310,000, while the urban area is the first in Italy and the fifth largest in the European Union with a population of 4,345,000 over an area of . The Milan metropolitan area, by far the largest in Italy, is estimated by the OECD to have a population of 7,400,000.
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Mississippi
Mississippi () is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, which namesake is from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi ("Great River"). The state is heavily forested outside of the Mississippi Delta area, and its catfish aquaculture farms produce the majority of farm-raised catfish consumed in the United States. The state symbol is the magnolia grandiflora tree.
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Penn Quarter
Penn Quarter is a neighborhood in the East End of Downtown Washington, D.C. north of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Its boundaries are not well established, but they appear to extend to 5th and 10th streets NW on the east and west, and approximately H Street on the north where Penn Quarter abuts or partially overlaps with Chinatown. Penn Quarter is southeast of the Metro Center shopping district. Penn Quarter has been rejuvenated over the past several decades, stimulated first by the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation (PADC) and later, following the recession in the 1990s, by the Verizon Center, a sports, concert and event arena that opened nearby at 7th and F streets in 1997 as the MCI Center. Penn Quarter now boasts a variety of entertainment and commercial establishments including museums, theaters, restaurants, bars, and contemporary art galleries. The area is also home to a popular farmers market and several food, wine, art, and culture focused festivals.
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Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania () is a U.S. state and Commonwealth located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to the east. The state's four most populous cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie. The state capital is Harrisburg.
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Pennsylvania Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue is a street in Washington, D.C. that joins the White House and the United States Capitol. Called "America's Main Street", it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches. Moreover, Pennsylvania Avenue is an important commuter route and is part of the National Highway System.
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Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico ( or ), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( — literally Associated Free State of Puerto Rico), is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands.
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Seoul
{{Infobox settlement
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United States
The United States of America (also referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.
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Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia () is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; Virginia Beach is the most populous city and Fairfax County the most populous political subdivision. The state population is nearly eight million.
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Washington (state)
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Washington Metro
{{Infobox rail line
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White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical style. It has been the residence of every U.S. President since John Adams. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he (with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe) expanded the building outward, creating two colonnades that were meant to conceal stables and storage.
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Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is mostly covered by the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest U.S. state by area, Wyoming is the least populous, with a U.S. Census estimated population of 544,270 in 2009. This is a 5.9% increase since 2000. The capital and the most populous city of Wyoming is Cheyenne.
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York, Upper Canada
York was the name of Toronto, Ontario, between 1793 and 1834. It was the second capital of Upper Canada.
http://wn.com/York_Upper_Canada
- Abraham Lincoln
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Wash, The (2001)
"Wash, The (2001)" Actors
- Eminem
- Dr. Dre
- Snoop Dogg
- Angell Conwell
- Tom
- Dj Pooh
- George Wallace
- Alex Thomas
- Bruce Bruce
- Arif S. Kinchen
- Marcia Wright
- Shaquille O'neal
- Bishop Don Juan
- Kent Masters King
- Iva La'shawn
"Wash, The (2001)" Director
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Bon Iver - Wash
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:59
- Published: 08 Jul 2011
- Uploaded: 01 Jan 2012
- Author: KillMrFist
All music copy right to Bon Iver - SUBSCRIBE! HI EVERYONE! check out my latest song watch?v=i2eOCbR4xgU&feature=relmfu FACEBOOK - www.facebook.com Climb is all we know when thaw is not below us no, can't grow up in that iron ground Claire, all too sore for sound bet is hardly shown scraped across the foam like they stole it and oh, how they hold it Claire, we nearly forfeit I... I'm growing like the quickening hues I... I'm telling darkness from lines on you over havens fora full and swollen morass, young habitat! all been living alone, where the ice snap and the hold clast are known home we're savage high come we finally cry oh and we don it because it's right Claire, I was too sore for sight I... we're sewing up through the latchet greens I... un-peel keenness, honey, bean for bean same white pillar tone as with the bone street sand is thrown where she stashed us at all been living alone, where the cracks at in the low part of the stoning
http://wn.com/Bon_Iver__Wash
Snoop Dogg Feat. Dr. Dre - The Wash
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:21
- Published: 31 Jan 2009
- Uploaded: 02 Jan 2012
- Author: tomblymill
Snoop Dogg Feat. Dr. Dre - The Wash, off the soundtrack, The Wash.
http://wn.com/Snoop_Dogg_Feat_Dr_Dre__The_Wash
Bon Iver - Wash. (Deluxe)
Buy: itunes.apple.com Directed by Isaac Gale Cinematography by Justin Vernon Edited by JoLynn Garnes Filmed at Hidden Beach in Byron Bay, Australia
http://wn.com/Bon_Iver__Wash_Deluxe
The Wash Trailer
Comedia / Sean y Dee Loc comparten piso y aún no han pagado el alquiler. Para empeorar las cosas, Sean acaba de perder su empleo, así que su compañero le sugiere que pida un puesto en el autolavado en el que él trabaja. Sean conseguirá el empleo, y además será el nuevo superior de Dee Loc. Reparto: Anthony Albano, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tic, DJ Pooh, Angell Conwell, Bruce Bruce, Lamont Bentley, The Bishop Don Magic Juan
http://wn.com/The_Wash_Trailer
Brenda and the Tabulations - The Wash
One of the best male/female soul groups of their era, yet one that's often sadly overlooked! They have a unique quality that's soft and sweet, yet also deeply soulful at the same time -- making full use of the lead vocals of Brenda Payton, but supporting them with some rich male harmony backings from the rest of the Tabulations. And although the one gal, three guy format is one used by Ruby & The Romantics and Gladys Knight & The Pips, Brenda's take on the format is quite different -- more like female soul outright, with some guy soul touches -- and often done in a heartbreaking east coast harmony mode! Words c/o www.dustygroove.com Edited by www.youtube.com ... .. .
http://wn.com/Brenda_and_the_Tabulations__The_Wash
Washing Machine Self Destructs ( Original )
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:19
- Published: 29 Jul 2010
- Uploaded: 03 Jan 2012
- Author: Photonicinduction
If you thought this was crazy, best check out Photonicinduction's channel for other stuff ! Subscribe free without hassle.
http://wn.com/Washing_Machine_Self_Destructs__Original_
The Wash Trailer
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:20
- Published: 20 Jun 2010
- Uploaded: 29 Dec 2011
- Author: RnRMovieChannel
With the rent due and his car booted Sean (Dr. Dre) has to come up with some ends...and fast. When his best buddy and roommate Dee Loc (Snoop Dogg) suggests that Sean get a job busting suds down at the local car wash the first order of business is impressing Mr. Washington (George Wallace) the gun-t oting dominoes-playing owner of The Wash. Unaware that the two are roomies Mr. Washington hires Sean as Dee Locs supervisor. Comic tensions flare between the two especially when Dee Loc suspects Sean of trying to slow his roll with the side hustles hes got going on in the car wash parking lot...and with the ladies in the locker room. But there are bigger things to worry about at The Wash. One is the menacing phone calls from a disgruntled employee and the other is figuring out how to get money to pay off the kidnappers whove snatched Mr. Washington! If Sean Dee Loc and the rest of the gang dont settle their differences and get Mr. Washington back the good times at The Wash will soon come to an end
http://wn.com/The_Wash_Trailer
Laurent Wolf - Wash My World (Official Music Video)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:36
- Published: 01 Sep 2008
- Uploaded: 02 Jan 2012
- Author: armadamusic
Follow Armada Music @ Facebook! on.fb.me Laurent Wolf - Wash My World Download: clk.tradedoubler.com Check this on Spotify: bit.ly The follow-up of massive summer tune No stress by Laurent Wolf is about to wash your world and rock it. Wash My World was be the second single of his similarly called album. French dance sensation Laurent Wolf is no newbie to the scene and has been experimenting with records and mixing sounds long before he finally got his big breakthrough. With a long history of experience in his pocket, hes been on his way to show the world what hes capable of for a couple of years now. And be sure, the world is listening. Wash my world has the same positive vibe, with housy, sturdy vocals and a trancy touch to it. Laurent is on his way to wash your ears and teach you some lessons on what good house sounds like.
http://wn.com/Laurent_Wolf__Wash_My_World_Official_Music_Video
Car Wash Song
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:16
- Published: 18 Nov 2008
- Uploaded: 01 Jan 2012
- Author: JaneCole111
Song
http://wn.com/Car_Wash_Song
Wash Your Balls!! Axe commercial
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:46
- Published: 18 Jan 2010
- Uploaded: 02 Jan 2012
- Author: igormrdjen
funny axe commercial for all guys
http://wn.com/Wash_Your_Balls!!_Axe_commercial
Rose Royce ♫ Car Wash
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:16
- Published: 14 Apr 2008
- Uploaded: 01 Jan 2012
- Author: JayWesLeyroz
Rose Royce - Car Wash (by Norman Whitfield) Ooh, ooh, you might not ever get rich But let me tell ya, it's better than diggin' a ditch There ain't no tellin' who you might meet A movie star or maybe even an Indian Chief (Workin') At the car wash Workin' at the car wash, girl Come and sing it with me (Car wash) Sing it with the feelin' ya'll (Car wash, girl) Come summer, the work gets kind of hard This ain't no place to be, if you planned on bein' a star Let me tell you it's always cool And the boss don't mind sometimes, if ya act the fool At the car wash Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa Talkin' about the car wash, girl Come on ya'll and sing it for me (Car wash) Ooh, ooh, ooh (Car wash, girl) (Work and work) Well, those cars never seem to stop coming (Work and work) Keep those rags and machines humming (Work and work) My fingers to the bone (Work) Can't wait till it's time to go home (Hey, get your car washed today) Fill up and you don't have to pay Come on and give us a play (Do the wash, right away) (Car wash) Talkin' 'bout the car wash (Car wash, girl) Come on ya'll, let's sing it with me (Car wash) Sing it with feelin', ya'll (Car wash, girl) Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa (Car wash) Those cars never seem to stop comin' What'd I say? Keep those rags and machines hummin' © Copyright owner of audio content in this video: UMG
http://wn.com/Rose_Royce_♫_Car_Wash
Baby bunny eats a tiny flower, washes its face, Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:48
- Published: 27 Feb 2010
- Uploaded: 02 Jan 2012
- Author: MaryCummins
Baby wild bunny eats a flower then washes its face. The baby ate a few flowers and the stems. It's also eating hay, cilantro, spinach, parsley, grass and hay. It will be released back to the wild when it's able. Sorry about the sound. I'm on macro video mode inside a tupperware container. I think it's feedback. If you think this wild baby bunny is cute, you should check out pet bunnies. They are even cuter, come in pretty colors and are super tame. This wild bunny is now so wild that I can't touch it any more. Baby bunny was released back to the wild by MaryEllen. Thank you! www.youtube.com Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates, wildlife rehabilitation, www.animaladvocates.us
http://wn.com/Baby_bunny_eats_a_tiny_flower,_washes_its_face,_Mary_Cummins,_Animal_Advocates
How to Wash A Cat
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:45
- Published: 18 Jul 2006
- Uploaded: 01 Jan 2012
- Author: Pipesofpan
Instuctional Video on how to wash a cat. www.lifestorywriting.com
http://wn.com/How_to_Wash_A_Cat
2011 Commencement Address by Denzel Washington
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 22:36
- Published: 16 May 2011
- Uploaded: 01 Jan 2012
- Author: UnivPennsylvania
Denzel Washington, internationally renowned actor and director, delivered the address at the University of Pennsylvania's 255th Commencement on Monday, May 16. Washington is one of the nation's preeminent performing artists, having achieved wide acclaim for his film, theatrical and television performances, as well as his accomplishments in film directing and television production. Washington has received the most distinguished accolades of his art, including two Academy Awards and a Tony Award. At Commencement, Washington received an honorary doctor of arts degree.
http://wn.com/2011_Commencement_Address_by_Denzel_Washington
CAR WASH
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:43
- Published: 07 Aug 2011
- Uploaded: 02 Jan 2012
- Author: JustKiddingFilms
Innocent high school cheer team washes cars for fund raising. Shout outs to Standard Functions: www.facebook.com Special Thanks to: Phil Tran Tommy Trinh Daniel Kwan Annie Ly Peter Sudarso: www.facebook.com Hot Cheerleaders: Arika Sato: www.youtube.com www.facebook.com Claudia Judith Moran: www.youtube.com www.facebook.com Denise Christine: www.facebook.com Sexy Music: www.youtube.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JKFilms Merchandise and Unco Same Hats: www.justkiddingfilms.bigcartel.com FOLLOW US twitter.com FRIEND US: www.facebook.com JUSTKIDDINGFILMS WEBSITE: www.justkiddingfilms.net JustKiddingFilms http
http://wn.com/CAR_WASH
The most expensive car wash in the world
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:58
- Published: 18 Jul 2010
- Uploaded: 03 Jan 2012
- Author: jonmillsswns
Full story: Read more at swns.com This is the man who built up Britain's most expensive car wash -- from his mum's GARAGE. Car fanatic Gurcharn Sahota, 30, started cleaning neighbours' motors for FREE with a bucket and sponge when he was a teenager. Gurcharn has now built his own Formula 1 style pit garage where wealthy drivers pay up to £7000-a-time for a luxury car wash. He travels with up to 100 different cleaning fluids that need special clearance at customs. The wax alone he uses costs a cool £8200 a tub.
http://wn.com/The_most_expensive_car_wash_in_the_world
How to Wash Your Car with only One Bucket of Water
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:25
- Published: 20 Dec 2011
- Uploaded: 03 Jan 2012
- Author: johnfifa12
How to make simple Weathering Washes by Lester Bursley
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:49
- Published: 13 Aug 2009
- Uploaded: 31 Dec 2011
- Author: awesomepaintjob
Liquitex FlowAid available through www.awesomepaintjob.com TOOLS section. Just a little tutorial on making washes for quick and simple weathering of steel and brass elements. This works great when doing a whole army. Have fun!
http://wn.com/How_to_make_simple_Weathering_Washes_by_Lester_Bursley
New Axe Commercial "wash your balls"
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:46
- Published: 07 Sep 2010
- Uploaded: 02 Jan 2012
- Author: MrPaintballordie
new hilarious axe commercial
http://wn.com/New_Axe_Commercial_wash_your_balls
Wash 'Em - Hand Hygiene Music Video
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:46
- Published: 31 Jan 2011
- Uploaded: 13 Dec 2011
- Author: JeffersonHospital
At Jefferson University Hospitals, we take preventing infections seriously. Our latest effort to boost our hand washing is a video we created called "Wash 'Em." Watch our staff dance around the Hospital while showing the importance of hand washing. You'll be singing our song all day!
http://wn.com/Wash_'Em__Hand_Hygiene_Music_Video
Redd Foxx - Wash Your Ass
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:59
- Published: 06 Jan 2009
- Uploaded: 02 Jan 2012
- Author: onetwosixx
Redd Foxx stand up.
http://wn.com/Redd_Foxx__Wash_Your_Ass
The kitty washing machine
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:38
- Published: 16 Jun 2009
- Uploaded: 03 Jan 2012
- Author: Anchilator
The kitty washing machine The music on this clip could not POSSIBLY be funnier. Found on Dumpalink. No expectations, thers NO SPIN. Picture your own opinion
http://wn.com/The_kitty_washing_machine
Firefly Clip: This Land
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:42
- Published: 10 Nov 2008
- Uploaded: 01 Jan 2012
- Author: foxabulous
An all time favorite clip from Firefly featuring Wash (Alan Tudyk). Firefly: the Complete Series on Blu-Ray Nov. 11, 2008!
http://wn.com/Firefly_Clip_This_Land
photo: AP / Michel Spingler
31 Dec 2011
Ryan Gosling, it seems, is a creature of habit. Over the last few days he has been spotted two days in a row going to his Mixed Martial Arts class and then getting changed in his car. But the...
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size: 7.8Kb
photo: WN / Yolanda Leyba
26 Dec 2011
The best tip to keep your children healthy as a new year ushers in the height of flu season: Remind them to keep their hands clean and away from their faces. Hand-washing is the most effective way to...
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22 Dec 2011
SEATTLE - The Washington state ferry service isn't going to start turning away hefty passengers, but it has had to reduce the capacity of the nation's largest ferry system because people have been...
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size: 7.7Kb
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| Name | Washington, D.C. |
|---|---|
| Official name | District of Columbia |
| Settlement type | Federal district |
| Motto | Justitia Omnibus(Justice for All) |
| Image seal | Seal-DC.png |
| Map caption | Location of Washington, D.C. in the United States and in relation to the states of Maryland and Virginia. |
| Coordinates region | US-DC |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision name | United States |
| Subdivision type1 | Federal district |
| Subdivision name1 | District of Columbia |
| Established title | Approved |
| Established date | 1790 |
| Established title1 | Organized |
| Established date1 | 1801 |
| Established title2 | Consolidated |
| Established date2 | 1871 |
| Established title3 | Granted limited self-government |
| Established date3 | 1973 |
| Leader title | Mayor |
| Leader title1 | D.C. Council |
| Leader name | Vincent C. Gray (D) |
| Leader name1 | Kwame R. Brown (D), Chair |
| Established | Founded |
| Established date | July 16, 1790 |
| Named for | George Washington |
| Area magnitude | 1 E8 |
| Area total km2 | 177.0 |
| Area total sq mi | 68.3 |
| Area land km2 | 159.0 |
| Area land sq mi | 61.4 |
| Area water km2 | 18.0 |
| Area water sq mi | 6.9 |
| Population as of | 2010 |
| Population total | 601,723 (24th in U.S.) |
| Population metro | 5.58 million (7th in U.S.) |
| Population blank1 title | Demonym |
| Population blank1 | Washingtonian |
| Population density km2 | 3784.4 |
| Population density sq mi | 9800.0 |
| Timezone | EST |
| Utc offset | -5 |
| Timezone dst | EDT |
| Utc offset dst | -4 |
| Postal code type | ZIP code(s) |
| Postal code | 20001-20098, 20201-20599 |
| Area code | 202 |
| Elevation ft | 0–409 |
| Elevation m | 0–125 |
| Website | www.dc.gov }} |
The federal district was formed from land along the Potomac River donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia; however, the Virginia portion was returned by Congress in 1846. A new capital city named after George Washington was founded in 1791 to the east of the preexisting port of Georgetown. The City of Washington, Georgetown, and other outlying areas within the District were consolidated under a single government in 1871, which formed Washington, D.C., as it exists today. The city shares its name with the U.S. state of Washington, located on the country's Pacific coast.
Washington, D.C., has a resident population of 601,723; because of commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs, its population rises to over one million during the workweek. The Washington Metropolitan Area, of which the District is a part, has a population of nearly 5.6 million, the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the country.
The centers of all three branches of the U.S. federal government are located in the District, as are many of the nation's monuments and museums. Washington, D.C., hosts 176 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The headquarters of many other institutions such as trade unions, non-profit organizations, lobbying groups, and professional associations are also located in the city.
The District is governed by a mayor and a 13-member city council. However, the United States Congress has supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. Residents therefore have less self-governance than residents of the U.S. states. The District has a non-voting, at-large Congressional delegate, but no senators. D.C. residents could not vote in presidential elections until the ratification of the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1961.
History
An Algonquian-speaking people known as the Nacotchtank inhabited the area around the Anacostia River when the first Europeans arrived in the 17th century. However, Native American people had largely relocated from the area by the early 18th century.In his "Federalist No. 43", published January 23, 1788, James Madison argued that the new federal government would need authority over a national capital in order to provide for its own maintenance and security. Five years earlier, a mob of unpaid soldiers besieged the Congress in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania government refused to forcibly disperse the protesters, which emphasized the need for Congress to not rely on any particular state for security.
Article One, Section Eight of the United States Constitution therefore 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." The Constitution does not, however, specify a location for the capital. In what later became known as the Compromise of 1790, Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson came to an agreement that the federal government would assume the states' war debt on the condition that the new national capital would be located in the Southern United States.
On July 16, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital to be located on the Potomac River, the exact area to be selected by President George Washington. The initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring on each side, totaling , formed from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia.
Two preexisting settlements were included in the territory: the port of Georgetown founded in 1751, and the city of Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1749. During 1791–92, Andrew Ellicott and several assistants, including Benjamin Banneker, surveyed the borders of the federal district and placed boundary stones at every mile point. Many of the stones are still standing.
A new "federal city" was then constructed on the north bank of the Potomac, to the east of the established settlement at Georgetown. On September 9, 1791, the federal city was named in honor of President Washington and the district itself was named Columbia, which was a poetic name for the United States in use at that time. Congress held its first session in Washington on November 17, 1800.
Shortly after arriving in the new capital, Congress passed the Organic Act of 1801, which officially organized the District of Columbia and placed the entire territory under the exclusive control of the federal government. Further, the unincorporated area within the District was organized into two counties: the County of Washington to the east of the Potomac and the County of Alexandria to the west. After the passage of this Act, citizens located in the District were no longer considered residents of Maryland or Virginia, which therefore ended their representation in Congress.
On August 24–25, 1814, in a raid known as the Burning of Washington, British forces invaded the capital during the War of 1812, following the sacking and burning of York (modern-day Toronto). The Capitol, Treasury, and White House were burned and gutted during the attack. Most government buildings were quickly repaired, but the Capitol, which was at the time largely under construction, was not completed in its current form until 1868.
In the 1830s, the District's southern territory of Alexandria went into economic decline partly due to neglect by Congress. Alexandria was a major market in the American slave trade and residents feared that abolitionists in Congress would end slavery in the District, further depressing the economy. As a result, Alexandrians petitioned Virginia to take back the land it had donated to form the District; a process known as retrocession.
The state legislature voted in February 1846 to accept the return of Alexandria and on July 9, 1846, Congress agreed to return all the territory that had been ceded by Virginia. Therefore, the District's current area consists only of land donated by Maryland. Confirming the fears of pro-slavery Alexandrians, the Compromise of 1850 outlawed the slave trade in the District, though not slavery itself.
The outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 led to notable growth in the District's population due to the expansion of the federal government and a large influx of freed slaves. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which ended slavery in the District of Columbia and freed about 3,100 enslaved persons, nine months prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1868, Congress granted male African American residents of the District the right to vote in municipal elections.
By 1870, the District's population had grown 75% from the previous census to nearly 132,000 residents. Despite the city's growth, Washington still had dirt roads and lacked basic sanitation. The situation was so bad that some members of Congress suggested moving the capital further west, but President Ulysses S. Grant refused to consider such a proposal.
In response to the poor conditions in the capital, Congress passed the Organic Act of 1871, which revoked the individual charters of the cities of Washington and Georgetown, and a created a new government for the District of Columbia. The act provided for an appointed governor, a locally elected assembly, and a board of public works charged with modernizing the city. By creating a consolidated government for the whole District, the Organic Act effectively formed present-day Washington, D.C., as a single municipality.
President Grant appointed an influential member of the board of public works, Alexander Robey Shepherd, to the post of governor in 1873. Shepherd authorized large-scale municipal projects, which greatly modernized Washington. In doing so, however, the governor spent three times the money that had been budgeted for capital improvements, bankrupting the city. In 1874, Congress abolished the District's local government and instituted direct rule that would continue for nearly a century. Additional projects to renovate the city were not executed until the McMillan Plan in 1901.
The District's population remained relatively stable until the Great Depression in the 1930s when President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal legislation expanded the bureaucracy in Washington. World War II further increased government activity, adding to the number of federal employees in the capital; by 1950, the District's population reached its peak of 802,178 residents. 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 no voting representation in Congress.
After the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1968, riots broke out in the District, primarily in the U Street, 14th Street, 7th Street, and H Street corridors, centers of black residential and commercial areas. The riots raged for three days until over 13,000 federal and national guard troops managed to quell the violence. Many stores and other buildings were burned; rebuilding was not complete until the late 1990s.
In 1973, Congress enacted the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, providing for an elected mayor and city council for the District. In 1975, Walter Washington became the first elected and first black mayor of the District.
On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and deliberately crashed the plane into the Pentagon in nearby Arlington, Virginia. United Airlines Flight 93, believed to be destined for Washington, D.C., crashed in Pennsylvania when passengers tried to recover control of the plane from hijackers.
Geography
The District has a total area of , of which is land and (10.16%) is water. It is no longer due to the retrocession of the southern portion of the District back to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1846. The city is therefore surrounded by the states of Maryland to the southeast, northeast, and northwest and Virginia to the southwest. Washington has three major natural flowing streams: the Potomac River and its tributaries the Anacostia River and Rock Creek. Tiber Creek, a watercourse that once passed through the National Mall, was fully enclosed underground during the 1870s.Contrary to the urban legend, Washington was not built on a reclaimed swamp but wetlands did cover areas along the city's rivers and streams. The highest natural point in the District of Columbia is Point Reno, located in Fort Reno Park in the Tenleytown neighborhood, at above sea level. The lowest point is sea level at the Potomac River. The geographic center of Washington is located near the intersection of 4th and L Streets NW.
The United States government owns about 23% of the land in the District; lower than the percentage of federal lands in 12 states. Approximately 19.4% of Washington, D.C. is parkland, which ties New York City for largest percentage of parkland among high-density U.S. cities. The large percentage of park area in the District contributes to high urban tree canopy coverage of 35%.
The U.S. National Park Service manages most of the natural habitat in Washington, D.C., including Rock Creek Park, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, the National Mall, Theodore Roosevelt Island, the Constitution Gardens, Meridian Hill Park, and Anacostia Park. The only significant area of natural habitat not managed by the National Park Service is the U.S. National Arboretum, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Great Falls of the Potomac River are located upstream (northwest) of Washington. During the 19th century, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which starts in Georgetown, was used to allow barge traffic to bypass the falls.
Climate
Washington is located in the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen: Cfa), exhibiting four distinct seasons. Its climate is typical of Mid-Atlantic U.S. areas removed from bodies of water. The District is located in plant hardiness zone 8a near downtown, and zone 7b elsewhere in the city, indicating a temperate climate. Spring and fall are warm, while winter is cool with annual snowfall averaging . Winter temperatures average around from mid-December to mid-February. Blizzards affect Washington on average once every four to six years. The most violent storms are called "nor'easters", which typically feature high winds, heavy rains, and occasional snow. These storms often affect large sections of the U.S. East Coast.Summers are hot and humid with a July daily average of and average daily relative humidity around 66%, which can cause medium to moderate personal discomfort. The combination of heat and humidity in the summer brings very frequent thunderstorms, some of which occasionally produce tornadoes in the area. While hurricanes (or their remnants) occasionally track through the area in late summer and early fall, they have often weakened by the time they reach Washington, partly due to the city's inland location. Flooding of the Potomac River, however, caused by a combination of high tide, storm surge, and runoff, has been known to cause extensive property damage in Georgetown.
The highest recorded temperature was on July 20, 1930, and August 6, 1918, while the lowest recorded temperature was on February 11, 1899, during the Great Blizzard of 1899. Over the year, the city averages 37 days hotter than and 64 nights at or below freezing.
Cityscape
Washington, D.C. is a planned city. The design for the City of Washington was largely the work of Pierre (Peter) Charles L’Enfant, a French-born architect, engineer, and city planner who first arrived in the colonies as a military engineer with Major General Lafayette during the American Revolutionary War. In 1791, President Washington commissioned L'Enfant to plan the layout of the new capital city. At L’Enfant’s request, Thomas Jefferson provided plans of cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe and Milan, which he had brought back from Europe in 1788. The plan for Washington was modeled in the Baroque style and incorporated avenues radiating out from rectangles, providing room for open space and landscaping. L'Enfant's design also envisioned a garden-lined "grand avenue" approximately in length and wide in the area that is now the National Mall.
In March 1792, President Washington dismissed L'Enfant due to his insistence on micromanaging the city's planning, which had resulted in conflicts with the three commissioners appointed by Washington to supervise the capital's construction. Andrew Ellicott, who had worked with L'Enfant surveying the city, was then commissioned to complete the plans. Though Ellicott made revisions to the original plans, including changes to some street patterns, L'Enfant is still credited with the overall design of the city. The City of Washington was bounded by what is now Florida Avenue to the north, Rock Creek to the west, and the Anacostia River to the east.
By the start of the 20th century, L'Enfant's vision of a capital with open parks and grand national monuments had become marred by slums and randomly placed buildings, including a railroad station on the National Mall. In 1900, Congress formed a joint committee, headed by Senator James McMillan, charged with beautifying Washington's ceremonial core. What became known as the McMillan Plan was finalized in 1901. It included the re-landscaping of the Capitol grounds and the Mall, constructing new Federal buildings and monuments, clearing slums, and establishing a new citywide park system. Architects recruited by the committee kept much of the city's original layout, and their work is thought have largely preserved L'Enfant's intended design.
Congress passed the Heights of Buildings Act after the construction of the twelve-story Cairo Apartment Building in 1894. The Act was amended in 1910 to restrict building heights to the width of the adjacent street plus . As a result, Washington's skyline is low and sprawling, in keeping with its Parisian-style design. Despite popular belief, no law has ever limited buildings to the height of the United States Capitol or the Washington Monument, which remains the District's tallest structure. City leaders have criticized the height restriction as a primary reason why the District has limited affordable housing and traffic problems caused by urban sprawl.
The District is divided into four quadrants of unequal area: Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), and Southwest (SW). The axes bounding the quadrants radiate from the U.S. Capitol building. All road names include the quadrant abbreviation to indicate their location, and house numbers are assigned based on the approximate number of blocks away from the Capitol. In most of the city, the streets are set out in a grid pattern with east–west streets named with letters (e.g., C Street SW) and north–south streets with numbers (e.g., 4th Street NW). Some Washington streets are particularly noteworthy, such as Pennsylvania Avenue, which connects the White House with the U.S. Capitol, and K Street, which houses the offices of many lobbying groups. Washington hosts 176 foreign embassies, many of which are located on a section of Massachusetts Avenue informally known as Embassy Row.
Architecture
The architecture of Washington varies greatly. Six of the top 10 buildings in the American Institute of Architects' 2007 ranking of "America's Favorite Architecture" are located in the District of Columbia: the White House; the Washington National Cathedral; the Thomas Jefferson Memorial; the United States Capitol; the Lincoln Memorial; and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The neoclassical, Georgian, gothic, and modern architectural styles are all reflected among those six structures and many other prominent edifices in Washington. Notable exceptions include buildings constructed in the French Second Empire style such as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Outside downtown Washington, architectural styles are even more varied. Historic buildings are designed primarily in the Queen Anne, Châteauesque, Richardsonian Romanesque, Georgian revival, Beaux-Arts, and a variety of Victorian styles. Rowhouses are especially prominent in areas developed after the Civil War and typically follow Federalist and late Victorian designs. Since Georgetown was established before the city of Washington, the neighborhood features the District's oldest architecture. Georgetown's Old Stone House was built in 1765, making it the oldest-standing original building in the city. The majority of current homes in the neighborhood, however, were not built until the 1870s and reflect late Victorian designs of the period. Founded in 1789, Georgetown University is more distinct from the neighborhood and 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 approximately 3.1 million square feet (288,000 m2).
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census found that the District had a population of 601,657; the first recorded growth since 1950. During the workweek, however, commuters from the suburbs swell the District's population by over 70%, to a daytime population of over one million people. If the District were a state, it would rank 50th in population ahead of Wyoming.The Washington Metropolitan Area, which includes the District and surrounding localities, is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the United States with approximately 5.6 million residents as of the 2010 Census. When the Washington area is included with Baltimore and its suburbs, the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area had a population exceeding 8.5 million residents in 2010, the fourth-largest combined statistical area in the country.
According to the 2010 Census, the population distribution of Washington, D.C. was 50.7% Black or African American, 38.5% White, 3.5% Asian, and 0.3% American Indian. Individuals from other races made up 4.1% of the District's population while individuals from two or more races made up 2.9%. In addition, Hispanics of any race made up 9.1% of the District's population. About 16% of D.C. residents were age 18 or younger as of 2010; lower than the U.S. average of 24%. However, at 34 years old, the District also had the lowest median age when compared to the 50 states. As of 2007, there were an estimated 74,000 foreign immigrants living in Washington, D.C. Major sources of immigration include individuals from El Salvador, Vietnam, and Ethiopia, with some concentration of Salvadorans in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood.
Unique among cities with a high percentage of African Americans, Washington has had a significant black population since the city's creation. This is partly a result of the manumission of slaves in the Upper South after the American Revolutionary War. The free black population in the region climbed from an estimated 1% before the war to 10% by 1810. By 1860, approximately 80% of the city's 11,000 African American residents were free persons. Black residents composed about 30% of the District's total population between 1800 and 1940.
Washington's African American population reached a peak of 70% of the city's residents by 1970. Since then, however, the number of black residents has steadily declined due to many African Americans leaving the city for the surrounding suburbs. At the same time, the city's white population has steadily increased, in part due to effects of gentrification in many of Washington's traditionally black neighborhoods. This is evident in a 11.5% decrease in the black population and a 31.4% increase in the non-Hispanic white population since 2000. At the same time, Washington, D.C. has become the top destination for African American professionals who are moving to the area in a "New Great Migration" seeking increased job opportunities.
Researchers using data from the 2000 Census revealed that an estimated 33,000 adults in the District of Columbia identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, about 8.1% of the city's adult population. The city council passed legislation in 2009 authorizing same-sex marriage and the District began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in March 2010.
A report in the year 2007 found that about one-third of District residents are functionally illiterate, compared to a national rate of about one in five. This is attributed in part to immigrants who are not proficient in English. In contrast to the high rate of functional illiteracy, nearly 46% of D.C.'s residents have at least a four-year college degree. In 2006, D.C. residents had a personal income per capita of $55,755, higher than any of the 50 U.S. states. However, 19% of residents were below the poverty level in 2005, higher than any state except Mississippi. According to data from 2008, more than half of District residents identify as Christian: 28% of residents are Baptists, 13% are Roman Catholic, and 31% are members of other Christian denominations. Residents who practice other faiths make up 6% of the population and 18% do not adhere to a religion.
Over 90% of D.C. residents have 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. A 2009 report found that at least 3% of District residents have HIV or AIDS, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) characterizes as a "generalized and severe" epidemic.
Crime
During the violent crime wave of the early 1990s, Washington, D.C. was known as the murder capital of the United States and often rivaled New Orleans in the number of homicides. The number of murders peaked in 1991 at 479, but the level of violence declined drastically in the 1990s. By 2009, the annual murder count in the city had declined to 143, the lowest number since 1966. In total, reports of violent crimes and property crimes have both declined by half since 1993. Approximately 60,000 residents of Washington, D.C. are ex-convicts.Like most large cities, crime is highest in areas associated with illegal drugs and gangs. A 2010 study found that 5% of city blocks contributed to over one-quarter of the District's total crime. The more affluent neighborhoods of Northwest Washington are typically safe, but reports of violent crime increase in poorer neighborhoods generally concentrated in the eastern portion of the city. Many neighborhoods such as Columbia Heights and Logan Circle are becoming safer and vibrant. However, incidents of robberies and thefts have remained higher in these areas due increased nightlife activity and greater numbers of affluent residents. While instances of property crime remain high, reports are still half the level cited during the mid-1990s, and the patterns of theft continue to disperse to the north and east of downtown.
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 Second Amendment right to gun ownership. However, the ruling does not prohibit all forms of gun control; laws requiring firearm registration remain in place, as does the city's assault weapon ban.
Economy
Washington has a growing, diversified economy with an increasing percentage of professional and business service jobs. The gross state product of the District in 2010 was $103.3 billion, which would rank it No. 34 compared to the 50 U.S. states. As of June 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 District of Columbia itself had an unemployment rate of 9.8% during the same time period.In 2008, the federal government accounted for about 27% of the jobs in Washington, D.C. This is thought to immunize Washington to national economic downturns because the federal government continues operations even during recessions. However, as of January 2007, federal employees in the Washington area comprised only 14% of the total U.S. government workforce. Many organizations such as law firms, independent contractors (both defense and civilian), non-profit organizations, lobbying firms, trade unions, industry trade groups, and professional associations have their headquarters in or near D.C. to be close to the federal government.
The District has growing industries not directly related to government, especially in the areas of education, finance, public policy, and scientific research. Georgetown University, George Washington University, Washington Hospital Center, Children's National Medical Center and Howard University are the top five non-government-related employers in the city as of 2009. There are five Fortune 1000 companies based in Washington, of which two are also Fortune 500 companies.
Washington became the leader in foreign real estate investment in 2009, ahead of both London and New York City, in a survey of the top 200 global development companies. In 2006, Expansion Magazine ranked D.C. among the top ten areas in the nation favorable to business expansion. Despite the national economic crisis and housing price downturn, Washington ranked second on the Forbes list of the best long-term housing markets in the country.
Gentrification efforts are taking hold in Washington, D.C., notably in the neighborhoods of Logan Circle, Shaw, Columbia Heights, the U Street Corridor, and the 14th Street Corridor. Development was fostered in some neighborhoods by the late-1990s construction of the Green Line on Metrorail, Washington's subway system, which linked them to the downtown area. In March 2008, a new shopping mall in Columbia Heights became the first new major retail center in the District in 40 years. As in many cities, gentrification is revitalizing Washington's economy, but analysts claim its benefits are unevenly distributed throughout the city and that the economic growth is not directly helping poor people.
Historic sites and museums
The National Mall is a large, open park area in the center of the city. Given its prominence, the area is often the location of large-scale political protests and demonstrations. The Washington Monument and the Jefferson Pier are located near the center of the mall, south of the White House. Also located on the mall are the Lincoln Memorial, the National World War II Memorial at the east end of the Reflecting Pool, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.Directly south of the mall, the Tidal Basin features rows of Japanese cherry blossom trees that originated as gifts from the nation of Japan. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, George Mason Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, and the District of Columbia War Memorial are located around the Tidal Basin.
The National Archives houses thousands of documents important to American history including the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Located in three buildings on Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress is the largest library complex in the world with a collection of over 147 million books, manuscripts, and other materials. The United States Supreme Court Building was completed in 1935; before then, the court held sessions in the Old Senate Chamber of the Capitol.
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational foundation chartered by Congress in 1846 that maintains most of the nation's official museums and galleries in Washington, D.C. The U.S. government partially funds the Smithsonian, thus making its collections open to the public free of charge. The most visited of the Smithsonian museums in 2010 was the National Air and Space Museum located on the National Mall. Other Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries located on the mall are: the National Museum of Natural History; the National Museum of African Art; the National Museum of American History; the National Museum of the American Indian; the Sackler and Freer galleries, which both focus on Asian art and culture; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; the Arts and Industries Building; the S. Dillon Ripley Center; and the Smithsonian Institution Building (also known as "The Castle"), which serves as the institution's headquarters.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery are located in the same building, the Donald W. Reynolds Center, near Washington's Chinatown. The Reynolds Center is also known as the Old Patent Office Building. The Renwick Gallery is officially part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum but is located in a separate building near the White House. Other Smithsonian museums and galleries include: the Anacostia Community Museum in Southeast Washington; the National Postal Museum near Union Station; and the National Zoo in Woodley Park.
The National Gallery of Art, located on the National Mall near the Capitol, features works of American and European art. The gallery and its collections are owned by the U.S. government but are not a part of the Smithsonian Institution. The National Building Museum, which occupies the former Pension Building near Judiciary Square, was chartered by Congress as a private institution to host exhibits on architecture, urban planning, and design.
There are many private art museums in the District of Columbia, which house major collections and exhibits open to the public such as: the National Museum of Women in the Arts; the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the largest private museum in Washington; and The Phillips Collection in Dupont Circle, the first museum of modern art in the United States. Other private museums in Washington include the Newseum, the O Street Museum Foundation, the International Spy Museum, the National Geographic Society Museum, and the Marian Koshland Science Museum. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum located near the National Mall maintains exhibits, documentation, and artifacts related to The Holocaust.
Performing arts and music
Washington, D.C. is a national center for the arts. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is home to the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, and the Washington Ballet. The Kennedy Center Honors are awarded each year to those in the performing arts who have contributed greatly to the cultural life of the United States. Other prominent institutions such as the National Theatre, the Warner Theatre, and DAR Constitution Hall host live performances from around the country. The historic Ford's Theatre, site of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, continues to operate as a functioning performance space as well as museum.
The Marine Barracks near Capitol Hill houses the United States Marine Band; founded in 1798, it is the country's oldest professional musical organization. American march composer and Washington-native John Philip Sousa lead the Marine Band from 1880 until 1892. 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.
Washington has a strong local theater tradition. Founded in 1950, Arena Stage achieved national attention and spurred growth in the city's independent theater movement. In 2010, Arena Stage opened its newly renovated home in Southwest D.C., which has become a centerpiece of the city's emerging waterfront area. Organizations such as the Shakespeare Theatre Company and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Penn Quarter, as well as the Studio Theatre and the Source Theatre on 14th Street NW, feature classical and new American plays. 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.
The U Street Corridor in Northwest D.C., known as "Washington's Black Broadway", is home to institutions like Bohemian Caverns and the Lincoln Theatre, which hosted music legends such as Washington-native Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. Other jazz venues feature modern blues, such as Madam's Organ in Adams Morgan and Blues Alley in Georgetown. D.C. has its own native music genre called go-go; a post-funk, percussion-driven flavor of R&B; that blends live sets with relentless dance rhythms. The most accomplished practitioner was D.C. band leader Chuck Brown, who brought go-go to the brink of national recognition with his 1979 LP Bustin' Loose.
The District is an important center for indie culture and music in the United States. The label Dischord Records, formed by Ian MacKaye, was one of the most crucial independent labels in the genesis of 1980s punk and eventually indie rock in the 1990s. Washington's indie label history includes TeenBeat, Simple Machines, and ESL Music among others. Modern alternative and indie music venues like The Black Cat and the 9:30 Club near U Street bring popular acts to smaller more-intimate venues.
Media
Washington, D.C. is a prominent center for national and international media. The Washington Post, founded in 1877, is the oldest and most-read local daily newspaper in Washington. It is probably most notable for its coverage of national and international politics as well as for exposing the Watergate scandal. "The Post", as it is popularly called, had the sixth-highest circulation of all news dailies in the country in 2010.The Washington Post Company has a daily free commuter newspaper called the Express, which summarizes events, sports and entertainment, as well as the Spanish-language paper El Tiempo Latino. Local dailies The Washington Times and The Washington Examiner and the alternative weekly Washington City Paper have substantial readership in the Washington area as well.
A number of community and specialty papers focus on neighborhood and cultural issues including: the weekly Washington Blade and Metro Weekly, which focus on LGBT issues; 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 New Republic and Washington Monthly.
The Washington Metropolitan Area is the ninth-largest television media market in the U.S. with two million homes (approximately 2% of the U.S. population). Several media companies and cable television channels have their headquarters in the area, including: C-SPAN; Black Entertainment Television (BET); the National Geographic Channel; Smithsonian Networks; National Public Radio (NPR); Travel Channel (in Chevy Chase, Maryland); Discovery Communications (in Silver Spring, Maryland); and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (in Arlington, Virginia). The headquarters of Voice of America, the U.S. government's international news service, is located near the Capitol in Southwest Washington. The D.C. area is home to Radio One, the nation's largest African American television and radio conglomerate.
Sports
Washington is one of 13 cities in the United States with teams from all four major professional men's sports and is home to one major professional women's team. The Washington Wizards (National Basketball Association), the Washington Capitals (National Hockey League), and the Washington Mystics (Women's National Basketball Association), play at the Verizon Center in Chinatown. Nationals Park, which opened in Southeast D.C. in 2008, is home to the Washington Nationals (Major League Baseball). D.C. United (Major League Soccer) plays at RFK Stadium. The Washington Redskins (National Football League) play at nearby FedExField in Landover, Maryland.Current D.C. teams have won a combined ten professional league championships: the Washington Redskins has won five; D.C. United has won four (the most in MLS history); and the Washington Wizards (then the Washington Bullets) has won a single championship.
Other professional and semi-professional teams in Washington include: the Washington Kastles (World TeamTennis); the Washington D.C. Slayers (American National Rugby League); the Baltimore Washington Eagles (USAFL); the D.C. Divas (Independent Women's Football League); and the Potomac Athletic Club RFC (Rugby Super League). The William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park hosts the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. Washington is also home to two major annual marathon races: the Marine Corps Marathon, which is held every autumn, and the Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon held in the spring. The Marine Corps Marathon began in 1976 is sometimes called "The People's Marathon" because it is the largest marathon that does not offer prize money to participants.
The District's four NCAA Division I teams have a broad following. The Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team is the most notable and also plays at the Verizon Center. Since 2008, the District has hosted an annual college football bowl game at RFK Stadium, now called the Military Bowl. The D.C. area is home to one regional sports television network, Comcast SportsNet (CSN), based in Bethesda, Maryland.
Government
Article One, Section Eight of the United States Constitution grants the U.S. Congress ultimate authority over Washington, D.C. The District of Columbia did not have an elected municipal government until the passage of the 1973 Home Rule Act. The Act devolved certain Congressional powers over the District to a local government administered by an elected mayor, currently Vincent C. Gray, and the thirteen-member Council of the District of Columbia. However, Congress retains the right to review and overturn laws created by the city council and intervene in local affairs.Each of the city's eight wards elects a single member of the council and five members, including the chairman, are elected at large. There are 37 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) elected by small neighborhood districts. ANCs traditionally wield a great deal of influence and the city government routinely takes their suggestions into careful consideration.
The mayor and council adopt a local budget, which must be approved by Congress. Local income, sales, and property taxes provide about 67% of the revenue to fund city government agencies and services. Like the 50 states, D.C. is eligible to receive federal grants, which account for approximately 26% of the city's total revenue.
D.C. residents and advocacy groups often complain about revenue restrictions placed on the city by the federal government. For example, Congress prohibits the District from imposing income taxes on non-residents who make up over 60% of the city's workforce. In addition, over 50% of real property in the District is exempt from taxation. The Government Accountability Office and other public policy organizations have estimated that these restrictions create a structural deficit in the city government of anywhere between $470 million and over $1 billion per year. As a result, Congress typically reimburses the District at a higher rate for assistance programs such as Medicaid. In addition, the Revitalization Act of 1997 transferred the operation and costs of the District's justice system to the federal government. However, advocacy groups point out that this assistance still does not make up the funds needed to resolve the structural imbalance.
The District's local justice system is centered on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, whose judges are appointed by the President. The District's local courts, though operated by the federal government, should not be confused with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, which only hears cases regarding federal law. In addition to the District's own Metropolitan Police Department, many federal law enforcement agencies also have jurisdiction in the city; most visibly the U.S. Park Police, founded in 1791. All local felony charges are prosecuted by the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, who is also appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
The city's local government, particularly during the mayoralty of Marion Barry, was criticized for mismanagement and waste. Barry was elected mayor in 1978, serving three successive four-year terms. During his administration in 1989, The Washington Monthly magazine claimed that the District had "the worst city government in America". In 1995, Congress created the District of Columbia Financial Control Board to oversee all municipal spending and rehabilitate the city government. Mayor Anthony Williams won election in 1998. His administration oversaw a period of greater prosperity, urban renewal, and budget surpluses. The District regained control over its finances in 2001 and the oversight board's operations were suspended.
Washington, D.C. observes all federal holidays. The District also celebrates Emancipation Day on April 16, which commemorates the signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862.
Federal representation and taxation
Residents of the District of Columbia have no voting representation in Congress. They are represented in the House of Representatives by a non-voting delegate, currently Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C. At-Large), who may sit on committees, participate in debate, and introduce legislation, but cannot vote on the House floor. D.C. has no representation in the United States Senate. Unlike residents of U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico or Guam, which also have non-voting delegates, citizens of the District of Columbia are subject to all U.S. federal taxes. In the financial year 2007, D.C. residents and businesses paid $20.4 billion in federal taxes; more than the taxes collected from 19 states and the highest federal taxes per capita.A 2005 poll found that 78% of Americans did not know that residents of the District of Columbia have less representation in Congress than residents of the 50 states. Efforts to raise awareness about the issue have included campaigns by grassroots organizations as well as featuring the city's unofficial motto, "Taxation Without Representation", on D.C. vehicle license plates. There is evidence of nationwide approval for DC voting rights; various polls indicate that 61 to 82% of Americans believe that D.C. should have voting representation in Congress. Despite public support, attempts to grant the District voting representation, including the D.C. statehood movement and the proposed District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment, have been unsuccessful.
Opponents of D.C. voting rights propose that the Founding Fathers never intended for District residents to have a vote in Congress since the Constitution makes clear that representation must come from the states. Those opposed to making D.C. a state claim that such a move would destroy the notion of a separate national capital and that statehood would unfairly grant Senate representation to a single city.
Education
District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) operates the city's public school system, which consists of 129 schools and learning centers. The number of students in DCPS steadily decreased for 39 years until 2010. In the 2009–10 school year, 45,772 students were enrolled in the public school system. DCPS has one of the highest-cost yet lowest-performing school systems in the country, both in terms of infrastructure and student achievement. 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.Due to the problems with the D.C. public school system, enrollment in public charter schools has increased 13% each year since 2001. The District of Columbia Public Charter School Board monitors the 52 public charter schools in the city. As of fall 2010, D.C. charter schools had a total enrollment of about 28,000. The District is home to some of the nation's top private schools. In 2006, approximately 18,000 students were enrolled in the city's 83 private schools. The District of Columbia Public Library operates 25 neighborhood locations including the landmark Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
Private universities include American University (AU), the Catholic University of America (CUA), Gallaudet University, George Washington University (GW), Georgetown University (GU), Howard University, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). The Corcoran College of Art and Design provides specialized arts instruction and other higher-education institutions offer continuing, distance and adult education. The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public university providing undergraduate and graduate education. The District is known for its medical research institutions such as Washington Hospital Center and the Children's National Medical Center, as well as the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. In addition, the city is home to three medical schools and associated teaching hospitals at George Washington, Georgetown, and Howard universities.
Transportation
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. However, 37% of Washington-area commuters take public transportation to work, the second-highest rate in the country. An additional 11% of D.C. commuters walked to work, 7% carpooled, and 2% traveled by bicycle in 2009. A 2011 study by Walk Score found that Washington was the seventh-most walkable city in the country with 80% of residents living in areas that are not car dependent.An extensive network of streets, parkways, and arterial avenues forms the core of the District's surface transportation infrastructure. Due to protests by local residents during the freeway revolts of the 1960s, much of the proposed interstate highway system through the middle of Washington was never built. Interstate 95, the nation's major east coast highway, therefore bends around the District to form the eastern portion of the Capital Beltway. The funds that had been dedicated for additional highway construction were instead redirected to the region's public transportation infrastructure. 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 of track. 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. The city also operates its own DC Circulator bus system, which connects commercial areas within central Washington.
Union Station is the main train station in Washington, D.C., and handles approximately 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. Expansion plans announced in 2011 will make Union Station the city's primary intercity bus transit center.
Three major airports serve the District. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is located across from downtown Washington in Arlington, Virginia and has its own Metrorail station. Given its proximity to the city, Reagan National has extra security precautions required by the Washington Air Defense Identification Zone. Major international flights arrive and depart from Washington Dulles International Airport, located west of the District in Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia. Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is located northeast of the District in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
An expected 32% increase in transit usage within the District has spurred construction of a new DC Streetcar system to interconnect the city's neighborhoods. In addition, construction has started on an additional Metro line that will connect Washington to Dulles airport. Adding to the city's public transportation infrastructure, the District and adjacent Arlington County launched Capital Bikeshare in September 2010; it is currently the largest bicycle sharing system in the country with 1,100 bicycles and 110 stations. Marked bicycle lanes currently exist on of streets and the city plans to further expand the network.
Sister cities
Washington, D.C. has ten official sister city agreements. Paris is a "Partner City" due to the one Sister City policy of that commune.
| ! City | ! Country | ! Year |
| Bangkok | Thailand | 1962, renewed 2002 |
| Dakar | Senegal | 1980, renewed 2006 |
| Beijing | China | 1984, renewed 2004 |
| Brussels | Belgium | 1985, renewed 2002 |
| Athens | Greece | 2000 |
| Paris | France | 2000, renewed 2005 |
| South Africa | 2002, renewed 2008 | |
| Seoul | South Korea | 2006 |
| Accra | Ghana | 2006 |
| United Kingdom | 2006 |
See also
Notes
By 1790, the Southern states had largely repaid their overseas debts from the Revolutionary War. The Northern states had not, and wanted the new federal government to take over their outstanding liabilities. As this would effectively mean that the Southern states would assume a share of the Northern debt, the South lobbied for a federal capital located closer to their own agricultural and slave-holding interests in return. See: 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 in order to include the city of Alexandria at the District's southern tip. In 1791, Congress amended the Residence Act to approve the new site, including territory ceded by Virginia. See: The name "City of Georgetown" continued in use until Congress passed an additional law in 1895, which formally revoked Georgetown's separate identity and renamed its streets to conform to those in Washington. See: Until 1890, the U.S. 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 specific area prior to 1890 are available. See:
References
External links
Category:Washington metropolitan area Category:Populated places established in 1790 Category:Capitals in North America Category:Capital districts and territories Category:Populated places on the Potomac River Category:Planned cities in the United States Category:Planned capitals Category:Populated places in Washington, D.C. with African American majority populations Category:States and territories established in 1790
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