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Washington DC Area Guide

Washington, D.C. was formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C.  Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States and was founded on July 16, 1790. The City of Washington was originally a separate municipality within the Territory of Columbia until an act of Congress in 1871 effectively merged the City and the Territory into a single entity called the District of Columbia. It is for this reason that the city, while legally named the District of Columbia, is known as Washington, D.C. The city is located on the north bank of the Potomac River and is bordered by the states of Virginia to the southwest and Maryland to the other sides. The District has a resident population of 591,833; however, because of commuters from the surrounding 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 5.3 million, the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the country.
Washington, D.C. serves as the permanent national capital under Article One of the United State Constitution.  The centers of all three branches of the federal government of the United States are located in the District, as are many of the nation's monuments and museums. Washington, D.C., hosts 174 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 other institutions such as trade unions, lobbying groups, and professional associations are also located in the District.  The United States Congress has supreme authority over Washington, D.C.; residents of the city therefore have less self-governance than residents of the states.

Washington DC History
(The following information on Washington DC’s history was sourced from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.  To learn more, please click on the link.)

An Algonquian people known as the Nacotchtank inhabited the area around the Anacostia River where Washington now lies when the first Europeans arrived in the 17th century; however, Native American people had largely relocated from the area by the early 18th century. Georgetown was chartered by the Province of Maryland on the north bank of the Potomac River in 1751. The town would be included within the new federal territory established nearly 40 years later. The City of Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1749, was also originally included within the District.

James Madison expounded the need for a federal district on January 23, 1788, in his "Federalist No. 43", arguing that the national capital needed to be distinct from the states in order to provide for its own maintenance and safety. An attack on the Congress at Philadelphia by a mob of angry soldiers, known as the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, had emphasized the need for the government to see to its own security. Therefore, the authority to establish a federal capital was provided in Article One, Section Eight, of the United States Constitution, which permits 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 new 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 war debt carried by the states, on the condition that the new national capital would be located in the South.

On July 16, 1790, the Residence Act provided for a new permanent capital to be located on the Potomac River, the exact area to be selected by President Washington. As permitted by the U.S. Constitution, the initial shape of the federal district was a square, measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side, totaling 100 square miles (260 km2). During 1791–92, Andrew Ellicott and several assistants, including Benjamin Banneker, surveyed the border of the District with both Maryland and Virginia, placing 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 George Washington, and the district was named the Territory of Columbia, Columbia being a poetic name for the United States in use at that time. Congress held its first session in Washington on November 17, 1800.

The Organic Act of 1801 officially organized the District of Columbia and placed the entire federal territory, including the cities of Washington, Georgetown, and Alexandria, under the exclusive control of Congress. Further, the unincorporated territory 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. Following this Act, citizens located in the District were no longer considered residents of Maryland or Virginia, thus ending 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 until 1868.

With the Organic Act of 1871, Congress created a new government for the entire federal territory. This Act effectively combined the City of Washington, Georgetown, and Washington County into a single municipality officially named the District of Columbia. Even though the City of Washington legally ceased to exist after 1871, the name continued in use and the whole city became commonly known as Washington, D.C. In the same Organic Act, Congress also appointed a Board of Public Works charged with modernizing the city. In 1873, President Grant appointed the board's most influential member, Alexander Shepherd, to the new post of governor. That year, Shepherd spent $20 million on public works ($357 million in 2007), which modernized Washington but also bankrupted the city. In 1874, Congress abolished Shepherd's office in favor of direct rule.[22] 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 had reached a 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.

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. However, during the later 1980s and 1990s, city administrations were criticized for mismanagement and waste. In 1995, Congress created the District of Columbia Financial Control Board to oversee all municipal spending and rehabilitate the city government. The District regained control over its finances in September 2001 and the oversight board's operations were suspended.

Washington DC Parks & Recreation

The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) provides quality urban recreation and leisure programs, services, and facilities for residents and visitors to the District of Columbia. DPR maintains and operates parks, pools, spray parks, athletic fields, and community and recreation centers across the District of Columbia.

For a complete list of parks in the area click here http://dpr.dc.gov/dpr/cwp/view,a,1239,q,642750.asp

Washington DC Annual Events
(Each of the following annual events has been sourced directly from the site linked to it.  To learn more about any of these events, please click on the blue link directly below the event’s name.)
 
Washington DC Summer Restaurant Week
http://washington.org/restaurantwk
Nearly 200 of the city’s top restaurants offer three-course, prix-fixe lunch and dinner specials with lunch prices at $20.08 and dinner prices at $35.08. Sponsored by The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington and Destination DC.

Washington Auto Show
http://www.washingtonautoshow.com
Washington, DC's premiere auto show. The 2009 Washington Auto Show is bringing more than 700 new cars, trucks, mini-vans and sport utility vehicles from over 42 domestic and import automakers to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

St. Patricks Day Parade
Washington, DC's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade has been celebrating our Irish residents since 1971. The parade has become so popular it has been dubbed "The Nation's St. Patrick's Day Parade." The parade has grown over the years to become a full-scale Parade with Marching Bands, Pipe Bands, our Nation's Military, Police, and Fire Departments as well as Floats, Novelty Groups and those marchers wearing green. Sponsored by the St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee of Washington, DC. Parade goes from 12-2:30pm.

National Cherry Blossom Festival http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/cms/index.php?id=390
Washington, DC's annual National Cherry Blossom Festival® is a celebration of the coming of spring and commemorates the gift of 3,000 cherry trees given to the U.S. by Tokyo mayor, Yukio Ozaki in 1912.

The two-week festival includes many cultural, sporting and culinary events. This year on Saturday, April 4 (to not coincide with Easter), Southwest Airlines presents the Parade of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.The Parade showcases entries from across the country and around the world, including marching bands, Cherry blossom queens from the US and Japan, giant balloons, floats, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival AllStarTap Dance Team & Youth Choir. 

Immediately following the parade is the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival presented by the Japan-America Society of Washington, DC presenting over 80 organizations highlighting Japanese performances, arts, crafts and food.

FilmFest DC
http://www.filmfestdc.org
For 12 days each April, filmgoers take a cinematic journey around the world, without ever leaving the nation's capital. The Washington, DC International Film Festival brings outstanding world cinema right to Washington, DC with more than 100 features, documentaries, short films and special programs. Presented by DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Major Filmfest DC sponsors include: The Mayor's Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, The National Endowment for the Arts and METRO. WJLA-TV is the official television station, Delta is the official airline, WAMU 88.5 FM is the official radio station, The Hamilton Crowne Plaza is the official hotel, Sesto Senso is the official restaurant, and Qorvis Communications is the official communications agency

Smithsonian Craft Show
http://www.smithsoniancraftshow.org
The Smithsonian Craft Show exemplifies innovation, creativity and technical merit. It is widely regarded as the nation's most prestigious juried exhibition and sale of American craft. All proceeds benefit education, research and outreach projects within the Smithsonian Institution.
 
The Anniversary Craft show features 120 artists, 39 of them first time exhibitors, chosen from a highly competitive applicant pool numbering over 1000. They work in diverse media, including baskets, ceramics, decorative fiber, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, wearable art and wood.

DC Caribbean Carnival
http://www.dccaribbeancarnival.org
The annual Extravaganza Parade will be staged along the Georgia Avenue corridor on Saturday, June 28, 2008 , and will commence at Missouri Avenue at 11:00 am and terminate at the international marketplace at "DE SAVANNAH" - Banneker Recreation Park. DC Caribbean Carnival will host the international marketplace at "DE SAVANNAH " from 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m featuring food, craft and entertainment. There will be a $10 cover charge at "DE SAVANNAH".

Veterans Day Celebration http://web.archive.org/web/20060928212036/www.washington.org/WCTCoffsite.cfm?http://www.metroopensdoors.com
Veterans of the nation’s wars are honored at various war memorials throughout Washington, DC.
Location: Various locations throughout Washington, DC

For a complete list of events in the DC area visit the events calendar by clicking here http://washington.org/visiting/events-calendar

Washington DC Attractions
(Each of the following Washington DC Attractions has been directly sourced from the website associated with it.  To learn more about these attractions, please visit these sites by clicking on their blue links.)

National Zoo
http://nationalzoo.si.edu
Enjoy thousands of exotic animals, educational animal demonstrations, the Asia Trail (where our giant pandas live!), and many other exhibits. Open daily except Dec. 25.

U.S. Capitol
 http://visitthecapitol.gov
Tours of the U.S. Capitol are conducted from 8:50 a.m. to 3:20 p.m., Mon.-Sat. Tickets are required and can be obtained by contacting your member of Congress. You may also reserve tours online at visitthecapitol.gov. The Galleries of the Senate and House of Representatives are open to the public whenever either body is in session. Visitors may obtain gallery passes from the office of their Senator or Representative. International visitors may obtain gallery passes at the House and Senate Appointment Desks on the upper level of the Capitol Visitor Center. Admission to the Capitol Visitor Center is free and does not require a ticket. The Capitol Visitor Center is open to visitors from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Mon.-Sat.

White House
http://www.nps.gov/whho/index.htm
The home of every U.S. president except George Washington. Tours of the White House have been expanded to include parties of 10 or more people. Tour requests MUST be made through one's member of Congress and will be accepted up to 6 months in advance; tours are scheduled approximately one month before the requested date

National Geographic Museum
http://www.nationalgeographic.com
National Geographic Museum offers free educational and visually stimulating changing exhibits on a broad variety of topics. Browse the NGS Store. Purchase Lecture tickets and tickets for the upcoming Terra Cotta Warriors Exhibition. Open daily Mon. - Sat. and holidays 9 am - 5 pm, Sun. 10 am - 5 pm. Closed Dec 25th.

For more attractions in the DC area click here http://washington.org/visiting/experience-dc

For more information on Washington DC visit the official website by clicking here http://www.dc.gov/index.asp

For the Official Tourism website of Washington DC click here http://washington.org/index.php

For the Washington DC Chamber of Commerce website click here http://www.dcchamber.org