Washington DC and the National Mall

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• published: 18 Sep 2012
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http://JonesFamilyTravels.com We had no intention of stopping in Washington D.C. at the start of our trip, but that was part of the fun of the adventure! We ended up spending two nights in Alexandria, VA and riding the Metro into Washington D.C. to be regular tourists at the National Mall. And, the kids got another Junior Ranger badge! The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Park Service (NPS) administers the National Mall, which is part of its National Mall and Memorial Parks unit. The term National Mall commonly includes areas that are officially part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to refer to the entire area between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol, with the Washington Monument providing a division slightly west of the center. The National Mall receives approximately 24 million visitors each year. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the Residence Act approved the creation of a capital district located along thePotomac River on the country's East Coast. As permitted by the U.S. Constitution, the District is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States Congress and is therefore not a part of any U.S. state. The states of Maryland and Virginia each donated land to form the federal district, which included the preexisting settlements ofGeorgetown and Alexandria; however, Congress returned the Virginia portion in 1846. Named in honor of George Washington, the City of Washington was founded in 1791 to serve as the new national capital. Congress created a single municipal government for the whole District of Columbia after the American Civil War. Washington, D.C., had an estimated population of 617,996 in 2011, the 25th most populous place in the United States. Commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city's population to over one million during the workweek. TheWashington 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 federal government of the United States are in the District, including the Congress,President, and Supreme Court. Washington is home to many national monuments and museums, which are primarily situated on or around the National Mall. The city hosts 176 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of many international organizations, trade unions, non-profit organizations, lobbying groups, and professional associations. A locally elected mayor and 13-member city council have governed the District since 1973; however, the Congress maintains supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. The District has a non-voting, at-large Congressional delegate, but no senators. The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1961, grants the District three electoral votes in presidential elections. Please subscribe to our videos to see weekly family travel and adventure videos. It's free! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=ufbuilder Follow us on Twitter: (Tim) http://www.twitter.com/TheRealTimJones (Allison) http://www.twitter.com/wdwfan Check out our blog, too: http://jonesfamilytravels.com/ We also own a travel agency, Destinations To Explore! About Destinations To Explore Travel: We are an Orlando travel agency specializing in Disney and Orlando vacations. We are an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and we received the honor of Disney Destinations 2009 Top Sales Producer. We also just received the 2010 Universal Studios Travel Agency Partner of the Year award. Thank you to our agents and guests for making us the best! Learn more at http://DestinationsInFlorida.com Some music by: "Drops of H2O ( The Filtered Water Treatment )" by J.Lang (feat. Airtone)http://ccmixter.org/files/djlang59/37792 is licensed under a Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/