Portal:Washington, D.C.

The Washington, D.C. portal

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east. It was named after George Washington, the first president of the United States. The district is named after Columbia, the female personification of the nation.

The U.S. Constitution in 1789 called for the creation of a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress. As such, Washington, D.C., is not part of any state, and is not one itself. The Residence Act, adopted on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of the capital district along the Potomac River. The city was founded in 1791, and the 6th Congress held the first session in the unfinished Capitol Building in 1800 after the capital moved from Philadelphia. In 1801, the District of Columbia, formerly part of Maryland and Virginia and including the existing settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria, was officially recognized as the federal district; initially, the city was a separate settlement within the larger district. In 1846, Congress returned the land originally ceded by Virginia, including the city of Alexandria. In 1871, it created a single municipality for the remaining portion of the district. There have been several unsuccessful efforts to make the district into a state since the 1880s; a statehood bill passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but was not adopted by the U.S. Senate. To become law it would have to be passed by the Senate and signed by president; it would have renamed the city Washington, Douglass Commonwealth and shrunk the Federal District to about the size of the national mall.

Washington, D.C. anchors the southern end of the Northeast megalopolis. As the seat of the U.S. federal government, the city is an important world political capital. The city hosts the buildings that house federal government headquarters, including the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court Building, and multiple federal departments and agencies. The city is home to many national monuments and museums, located most prominently on or around the National Mall, including the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument. It hosts 177 foreign embassies and serves as the headquarters for the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of American States, and other international organizations. Home to many of the nation's largest industry associations, non-profit organizations, and think tanks, D.C. is known as a lobbying hub, with K Street as the industry center. The city had 20.7 million domestic visitors and 1.2 million international visitors, ranking seventh among U.S. cities as of 2022. (Full article...)

Featured article

This is a Featured article, which represents some of the best content on English Wikipedia.

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  Joseph Anton Lopez SJ (born José Antonio López; October 4, 1779 – October 5, 1841) was a Mexican Catholic priest and Jesuit. Born in Michoacán, he studied canon law at the Colegio de San Nicolás and the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico. He became acquainted with the future Empress consort Ana María Huarte and was made chaplain to the future imperial family. He was later put in charge of the education of all the princes in Mexico. Lopez was a close ally of Emperor Agustín de Iturbide, residing in Madrid for four years as his attorney and political informant, and accompanying him during his exile to Italy and England. (Full article...)
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  On June 19, 1838, the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus agreed to sell 272 slaves to two Louisiana planters, Henry Johnson and Jesse Batey, for $115,000 (equivalent to approximately $3.25 million in 2023). This sale was the culmination of a contentious and long-running debate among the Maryland Jesuits over whether to keep, sell, or free their slaves, and whether to focus on their rural estates or on their growing urban missions, including their schools. (Full article...)
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  Enoch Fenwick SJ (May 15, 1780 – November 25, 1827) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who ministered throughout Maryland and became the twelfth president of Georgetown College. Descending from one of the original Catholic settlers of the Province of Maryland, he studied at Georgetown College in what is now Washington, D.C. Like his brother and future bishop, Benedict Joseph Fenwick, he entered the priesthood, studying at St. Mary's Seminary before entering the Society of Jesus, which was suppressed at the time. He was made rector of St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral in Baltimore by Archbishop John Carroll, and remained in the position for ten years. Near the end of his pastorate, he was also made vicar general of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which involved traveling to say Mass in remote parishes throughout rural Maryland. (Full article...)
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  M Street elevation in December 2018

  
  The Georgetown Car Barn, historically known as the Capital Traction Company Union Station, is a building in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. Designed by the architect Waddy Butler Wood, it was built between 1895 and 1897 by the Capital Traction Company as a union terminal for several Washington and Virginia streetcar lines. The adjacent Exorcist steps, later named after their appearance in William Friedkin's 1973 horror film The Exorcist, were built during the initial construction to connect M Street with Prospect Street. (Full article...)
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  David Hillhouse Buel in 1908

  
  David Hillhouse Buel Jr. (July 19, 1862 – May 23, 1923) was an American priest who served as the president of Georgetown University. A Catholic priest and Jesuit for much of his life, he later left the Jesuit order to marry, and subsequently left the Catholic Church to become an Episcopal priest. Born at Watervliet, New York, he was the son of David Hillhouse Buel, a distinguished Union Army officer, and descended from numerous prominent New England families. While studying at Yale University, he formed an acquaintance with priest Michael J. McGivney, resulting in his conversion to Catholicism and joining the Society of Jesus after graduation. (Full article...)
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  Nativity, c. mid-1450s. Oil on wood, 127.6 cm × 94.9 cm  (50.2 in × 37.4 in), National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

  
  The Nativity is a devotional mid-1450s oil-on-wood panel painting by the Early Netherlandish painter Petrus Christus. It shows a nativity scene with grisaille archways and trompe-l'œil sculptured reliefs. Christus was influenced by the first generation of Netherlandish artists, especially Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden, and the panel is characteristic of the simplicity and naturalism of art of that period. Placing archways as a framing device is a typical van der Weyden device, and here likely borrowed from that artist's Saint John Altarpiece and Miraflores Altarpiece. Yet Christus adapts these painterly motifs to a uniquely mid-15th century sensibility, and the unusually large panel – perhaps painted as a central altarpiece panel for a triptych – is nuanced and visually complex. It shows his usual harmonious composition and employment of one-point-perspective, especially evident in the geometric forms of the shed's roof, and his bold use of color. It is one of Christus's most important works. Max Friedländer definitely attributed the panel to Christus in 1930, concluding that "in scope and importance, [it] is superior to all other known creations of this master." (Full article...)
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  Look Mickey (also known as Look Mickey!) is a 1961 oil on canvas painting by Roy Lichtenstein. Widely regarded as the bridge between his abstract expressionism and pop art works, it is notable for its ironic humor and aesthetic value as well as being the first example of the artist's employment of Ben-Day dots, speech balloons and comic imagery as a source for a painting. The painting was bequeathed to the Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art upon Lichtenstein's death. (Full article...)
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  Portrait c. 1835

  
  Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States, serving from 1829 to 1837. Before his presidency, he gained fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. Sometimes praised as an advocate for working Americans and for preserving the union of states, Jackson is also criticized for his racist policies, particularly regarding Native Americans. (Full article...)
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  William Feiner SJ (born Wilhelm Feiner; December 27, 1792 – June 9, 1829) was a German Catholic priest and Jesuit who became a missionary to the United States and eventually the president of Georgetown College, now known as Georgetown University. (Full article...)
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  John Early SJ (July 1, 1814 – May 23, 1873) was an Irish-American Catholic priest and Jesuit educator who was the president of the College of the Holy Cross and Georgetown University, as well as the founder and first president of Loyola College in Maryland. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to the United States at the age of nineteen. Upon his arrival, he enrolled at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Maryland and entered the Society of Jesus, completing his education at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. (Full article...)
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  William McSherry SJ (July 19, 1799 – December 18, 1839) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became the president of Georgetown College and a Jesuit provincial superior. The son of Irish immigrants, McSherry was educated at Georgetown College, where he entered the Society of Jesus. As one of the first Americans to complete the traditional Jesuit course of training, he was sent to Rome to be educated for the priesthood. There, he made several discoveries of significant, forgotten holdings in the Jesuit archives, which improved historians' knowledge of the early European settling of Maryland and of the language of Indian tribes there. (Full article...)
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  Jordan in 2014

  
  Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. He played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1984 and 2003, winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. He was integral in popularizing basketball and the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a global cultural icon. Jordan has often been acclaimed as the greatest basketball player ever. (Full article...)
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  Healy in 1882

  
  Patrick Francis Healy SJ (February 27, 1834 – January 10, 1910) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who was an influential president of Georgetown University, becoming known as its "second founder". The university's flagship building, Healy Hall, bears his name. Though he considered himself and was widely accepted as White, Healy was posthumously recognized as the first Black American to earn a PhD, as well as the first to enter the Jesuit order and to become the president of a predominantly White university. (Full article...)
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  Samuel A. Mulledy SJ (/mʌˈleɪdi/ muh-LAY-dee; March 27, 1811 – January 8, 1866) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who served as president of Georgetown College in 1845. Born in Virginia, he was the brother of Thomas F. Mulledy, who was a prominent 19th-century Jesuit in the United States and a president of Georgetown. As a student at Georgetown, Samuel was one of the founding members of the Philodemic Society, and proved to be a distinguished student, which resulted in his being sent to Rome to complete his higher education and be ordained to the priesthood. Upon his return to the United States, he became the master of novices at the Jesuit novitiate in Maryland, before being named president of Georgetown. He sought to be relieved of the position after only a few months, and returned to teaching and ministry. (Full article...)
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  Isabel making landfall in North Carolina on September 18

  
  In Maryland and Washington, D.C., the effects of Hurricane Isabel were among the most damaging from a tropical cyclone in the respective metropolitan area. Hurricane Isabel formed from a tropical wave on September 6, 2003, in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It moved northwestward, and within an environment of light wind shear and warm waters, it steadily strengthened to reach peak winds of 165 miles per hour (266 km/h) on September 11. After fluctuating in intensity for four days, Isabel gradually weakened and made landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with winds of 105 miles per hour (169 km/h) on September 18. It quickly weakened over land and became extratropical over western Pennsylvania the next day. (Full article...)
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  Portrait, c. 1849

  
  James Knox Polk (/poʊk/; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of Jacksonian democracy and extending the territory of the United States. Polk led the U.S. into the Mexican–American War, and after winning the war he annexed the Republic of Texas, the Oregon Territory, and the Mexican Cession. (Full article...)
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  Howard as head coach of Michigan in 2020

  
  Juwan Antonio Howard (first name /dʒuː.ˈwɑːn/, born February 7, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's team from 2019 to 2024 before joining the Nets in 2024. (Full article...)
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  Coveleski with the Senators in 1925

  
  Stanley Anthony Coveleski (born Stanislaus Kowalewski, July 13, 1889 – March 20, 1984) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for four American League (AL) teams between 1912 and 1928, primarily the Cleveland Indians. The star of the Indians pitching staff, he won over 20 games each year from the war-shortened 1918 season through 1921, leading the AL in shutouts twice and in strikeouts and earned run average (ERA) once each during his nine years with the club. The star of the 1920 World Series, he led the Indians to their first title with three complete-game victories, including a 3–0 shutout in the Game 7 finale. Traded to the Washington Senators after the 1924 season, he helped that club to its second AL pennant in a row with 20 victories against only 5 losses, including a 13-game winning streak, while again leading the league in ERA. (Full article...)
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  Doonan in 1890

  
  James Aloysius Doonan SJ (November 8, 1841 – April 12, 1911) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit, who was the president of Georgetown University from 1882 to 1888. During that time he oversaw the naming of Gaston Hall and the construction of a new building for the School of Medicine. Doonan also acquired two historic cannons that were placed in front of Healy Hall. His presidency was financially successful, with a reduction in the university's burdensome debt that had accrued during the construction of Healy Hall. (Full article...)
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  1816 portrait

  
  James Madison (March 16, 1751 [O.S. March 5, 1750] – June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. (Full article...)
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  James A. Ryder SJ (October 8, 1800 – January 12, 1860) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became the president of several Jesuit universities in the United States. Born in Ireland, he immigrated with his widowed mother to the United States as a child, to settle in Georgetown, in the District of Columbia. He enrolled at Georgetown College and then entered the Society of Jesus. Studying in Maryland and Rome, Ryder proved to be a talented student of theology and was made a professor. He returned to Georgetown College in 1829, where he was appointed to senior positions and founded the Philodemic Society, becoming its first president. (Full article...)
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  Stephen Colbert and his wife, Evelyn McGee, at the Time 100 most influential people awards for 2006

  
  
  On April 29, 2006, American comedian Stephen Colbert appeared as the featured entertainer at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, which was held in Washington, D.C., at the Hilton Washington hotel. Colbert's performance, consisting of a 16-minute podium speech and a 7-minute video presentation, was broadcast live across the United States on the cable television networks C-SPAN and MSNBC. Standing a few feet from U.S. President George W. Bush, in front of an audience of celebrities, politicians, and members of the White House Press Corps, Colbert delivered a controversial, searing routine targeting the president and the media. He spoke in the persona of the character he played on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a parody of conservative pundits such as Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. (Full article...)
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  Giovanni Antonio Grassi SJ (anglicized as John Anthony Grassi; 10 September 1775 – 12 December 1849) was an Italian Catholic priest and Jesuit who led many academic and religious institutions in Europe and the United States, including Georgetown College in Washington, D.C., and the Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide in Rome. (Full article...)
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  Garfield in 1881

  
  James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until his assassination in September that year. A preacher, lawyer, and Civil War general, Garfield served nine terms in the United States House of Representatives and is the only sitting member of the House to be elected president. Before his candidacy for the presidency, he had been elected to the U.S. Senate by the Ohio General Assembly—a position he declined when he became president-elect. (Full article...)
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  Barack Obama takes the oath of office to become the 44th president of the United States.

  
  The first inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The 56th inauguration, which set a record attendance for any event held in the city, marked the commencement of the first term of Barack Obama as president and Joe Biden as vice president. Based on combined attendance numbers, television viewership, and Internet traffic, it was one of the most-observed events ever by the global audience at the time. (Full article...)

Neighboorhoods

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  Chevy Chase (/ˈtʃɛviː tʃeɪs/) is a neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. It borders Chevy Chase, Maryland. (Full article...)
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  Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens (2009)

  
  Forest Hills is a residential neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., United States, bounded by Connecticut Avenue NW to the west, Rock Creek Park to the east, Chevy Chase to the north, and Tilden Street NW to the south. The neighborhood is frequently referred to as Van Ness because it is served by the Van Ness–UDC station on the Washington Metro's Red Line and is near the Van Ness campus of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). (Full article...)
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  Skyland within the District of Columbia

  
  Skyland is a neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is bounded by Good Hope Road to the northeast, Alabama Avenue to the southeast, and Fort Stanton Park to the south and west. It is part of Ward 8. Also see article on the Anacostia neighborhood. (Full article...)
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  Lincoln Heights within the District of Columbia

  
  Lincoln Heights is a residential neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C. It is bounded by Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE, Division Avenue NE, East Capitol Street NE, and 58th Street NE. (Full article...)
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  The intersection of 34th St. and Camden St. SE, in Hillcrest, in December 2017

  
  Hillcrest is a residential neighborhood in the southeast quadrant of Washington, D.C., United States. Hillcrest is located on the District-Maryland line in Ward 7, east of the Anacostia River. (Full article...)
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  Washington Highlands, highlighted in red

  
  Washington Highlands is a residential neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C., in the United States. It lies within Ward 8. Bounded by Oxon Run Park(Oxon-Run Trail)SE, Livingston Road SE, South Capitol Street SE, Southern Avenue SE, Valley Avenue SE, and 13th Street SE. (Full article...)
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  Bank of Brightwood building

  
  Brightwood is a neighborhood in the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C. Brightwood is part of Ward 4. (Full article...)
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  Stronghold. Intersection of North Capitol St. and Franklin St. NE, April 2019

  
  Stronghold is a neighborhood in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington D.C. Stronghold is contained between Michigan Avenue N.E. to the north, North Capitol Street N.W. to the west, and Glenwood Cemetery to both the south and east. Stronghold borders the adjacent neighborhoods of Edgewood, University Heights, and Brookland in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington D.C. (Full article...)
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  Fort Totten within the District of Columbia

  
  Fort Totten is a neighborhood located in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington, D.C. (Full article...)
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  Pleasant Plains within the District of Columbia

  
  Pleasant Plains is a neighborhood in central Washington, D.C. largely occupied by Howard University. For this reason it is also sometimes referred to as Howard Town or, less frequently, Howard Village. (Full article...)
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  Palisades sign (2011)

  
  The Palisades, or simply Palisades, is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C., along the Potomac River, running roughly from the edge of the Georgetown University campus (at Foxhall Road) to the D.C.-Maryland boundary (near Dalecarlia Treatment Plant). (Full article...)
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  Map of Washington, D.C., with the River Terrace neighborhood highlighted in red

  
  River Terrace is an urban cul-de-sac neighborhood in Northeast Bounded by Anacostia Riverwalk Trail NE, East Capitol Street NE, Kenilworth Avenue NE, and Benning Road NE.Washington, D.C., on the eastern bank of the Anacostia River. River Terrace is Washington, DC's only planned unit development that has an unimpeded connection to and relationship with the Anacostia River. (Full article...)
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  Woodridge is a primarily residential neighborhood.

  
  Woodridge is a residential neighborhood located in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington, D.C. Woodridge is contained between Eastern Avenue N.E. to the east, Taylor Street N.E. to the north, South Dakota Avenue N.E. to the west, and Bladensburg Road N.E. to the south. Its central commercial strips are Rhode Island Avenue NE (Route 1) and Bladensburg Road N.E. Woodridge borders the adjacent neighborhoods of Brookland, Langdon, North Michigan Park, and Fort Lincoln in Northeast Washington D.C. In addition to these neighborhoods in the District of Columbia, Woodridge borders the city of Mount Rainier and town of Cottage City in Maryland. In terms of public transportation, residents of Woodridge have access to the Brookland-CUA and Rhode Island Avenue Metro stations. (Full article...)
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  Garfield Heights within the District of Columbia

  
  Garfield Heights is a residential neighborhood in Southeast Bounded by Suitland Parkway SE, Alabama Avenue SE, 28th Street SE, Gainesville Street SE, Naylor Road SE, and Southern Avenue SE.Washington, D.C., bordering Prince George's County, Maryland. Garfield Heights contains both apartment units and single-family detached houses. (Full article...)
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  Downtown is the central business district of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. It is the third largest central business district in the United States. The "Traditional Downtown" has been defined as an area roughly between Union Station in the east and 16th Street NW in the west, and between the National Mall on the south and Massachusetts Avenue on the north, including Penn Quarter. However, nowadays, Downtown D.C. can often refer to a larger area, as the DC Office of Planning states:
  

  …most residents, workers, and visitors think of Downtown in a broader sense — including areas as far north as Dupont Circle, as far west as Foggy Bottom, and as far east as Capitol Hill. Only about half of the central city workforce is located within the city’s traditional Downtown.
  

  ِِِA small portion of this area is known as the Downtown Historic District and was listed on the NRHP in 2001. (Full article...)
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  Park View is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. The neighborhood is primarily residential with its main commercial corridor of shops and restauarants located along Georgia Avenue. (Full article...)

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  Washington, D.C. is located on the north side of the Potomac River. It is bordered on three sides by Maryland and by Northern Virginia to its southwest. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Rows of young American elm trees on the National Mall, looking east from the top of the Washington Monument, circa 1942 (from National Mall)
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  Portrait of the Mall and vicinity looking northwest from southeast of the U.S. Capitol, circa 1846–1855, showing stables in the foreground, the Washington City Canal behind them, the Capitol on the right and the Smithsonian "Castle", the Washington Monument and the Potomac River in the distant left. (from National Mall)
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  Chuck Brown performing go-go music (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The city's license plate, which calls for an end to taxation without representation (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a two-acre (8,100 m²) site featuring two black granite walls engraved with the names of those service members who died or remain missing in the Vietnam War designed by Maya Lin, was initially controversial for its lack of heroic iconography, a departure from earlier memorial designs. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Pool after reconstruction (May 2016) (from National Mall)
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  A panel discussion at the American Enterprise Institute, one of the city's many think tanks (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Capital One Arena in the city's Chinatown section hosts the Washington Capitals, an NHL team (pictured), and the Washington Wizards, an NBA team (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial in April 2017. (from National Mall)
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  The Concert for Valor on the National Mall on November 11, 2014, looking west from the U.S. Capitol grounds (from National Mall)
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  City of Washington from Beyond the Navy Yard, an 1833 portrait by George Cooke in the Oval Office in the White House (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  One Franklin Square in Downtown houses the headquarters of The Washington Post, the nation's third-largest newspaper by circulation as of 2023 (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The National Museum of Natural History, the third-most visited museum in the U.S. in 2023, with 4.4 million visitors (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a public magnet school in the city (from Washington, D.C.)
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  On September 18, 1783, an engraving of George Washington, known as the First Cornerstone, was placed as the corner stone of the United States Capitol. (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  With over 30,000 participants as of 2024, the annual Marine Corps Marathon, held annually in October in Washington, D.C. and Arlington County, is the largest non-prize money marathon in the country. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  General Dwight D. Eisenhower received a hero's welcome in the city in June 1945 following the Allied victory in World War II (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  The United States Congress began assembling in the new United States Capitol in 1800 after the nation's capital was moved from Philadelphia. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The Library of Congress, the world's largest library with more than 173 million items (from Washington, D.C.)
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  President Abraham Lincoln insisted that construction of the United States Capitol continue during the Civil War. (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  Muriel Bowser, the city's mayor since 2015 (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The L'Enfant Plan for the city (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  Britney Spears performs during the "NFL Kickoff Live from the National Mall Presented by Pepsi Vanilla" concert, September 4, 2003 (from National Mall)
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  The Mall following a snow storm (from National Mall)
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  Eisenhower Memorial at night, 2021 (from National Mall)
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  Edgewood (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The World War II Memorial, one of many popular tourist sites located on the National Mall (from Washington, D.C.)
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  West side of the U.S. Capitol building (March 2019) (from National Mall)
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  The Sylvan Theater in 2011 (from National Mall)
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  Washington, D.C., police on Harley-Davidson motorcycles escorting the March for Life protest on Constitution Avenue in January 2018 (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Constitution Gardens in 2016 (from National Mall)
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  The L'Enfant Plan for the city, developed in 1791 by Pierre Charles L'Enfant (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Westward view from the top of the Washington Monument in 1943 or 1944 during World War II. In the foreground, temporary buildings on the Washington Monument grounds house the Navy's Bureau of Ships. The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings stand to the right of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Temporary buildings to the left of the Reflecting Pool house the Navy's Bureau of Supplies and Accounts. (from National Mall)
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  Eastward view of the National Mall from the top of the Washington Monument in 1918. The three structures and two chimneys crossing the Mall are temporary World War I buildings A, B and C and parts of their central power plant. (from National Mall)
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  Due to limited dining options on the Mall, food trucks are often parked next to tourist-dense locations. (from National Mall)
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  The Aqueduct Bridge crossing the Potomac River, with Northern Virginia in the background and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in the foreground (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  After their victory at the Battle of Bladensburg in 1814, the British Army burned the White House and other buildings during a one-day occupation of Washington, D.C. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Anacostia (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Civil rights marchers during the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  The March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on August 28, 1963 (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Demonstrators marching down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  The National Mall, including a central pathway through it, the centerpiece of the 1901 McMillan Plan (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  Memorial Bridge connects the city across the Potomac River with Arlington, Virginia. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The U.S. Capitol dome was under construction during Lincoln's first inauguration on March 4, 1861, five weeks before the start of the American Civil War. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Pennsylvania Avenue, one of the city's most prominent streets, connects the U.S. Capitol and White House. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Logan Circle (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Axis undergoing restoration (October 2015) (from National Mall)
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  Beyaynetu served at Das Ethiopian Cuisine on 28th Street Northwest, one of the city's Ethiopian cuisine restaurants (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Protesters in front of the U.S. Supreme Court Building in June 2022 (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Map of the Mall in 1893 showing the Monument Grounds (with the Washington Monument), Agricultural Grounds (with the Dept. of Agriculture), Smithsonian Grounds (with the Castle and Arts and Industries museum), Armory Square, Public Grounds and Botanical Garden, as well as parts of the recently created "Tidal Reservoir" and "Proposed Park" (from National Mall)
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  The French ambassador's residence in the Sheridan-Kalorama Historic District (from Washington, D.C.)
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  An aerial view of Northwest Washington, D.C. in June 2018 (from Washington, D.C.)
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  1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the National Mall facing east from the Lincoln Memorial (from National Mall)
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  The April 9, 1939, concert by Marian Anderson, facing east from the Lincoln Memorial (from National Mall)
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  Construction of the Washington Metro on Connecticut Avenue in 1973 (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  Facing east on the National Mall, as viewed near the 1300 block of Jefferson Drive, S.W. in April 2010. Rows of American elm trees line the sides of a path traversing the length of the Mall. (from National Mall)
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  National Mall, a landscaped park extending from the Lincoln Memorial to the United States Capitol (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The Jefferson Memorial and many of the city's other major monuments are built in the Neoclassical style. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (from National Mall)
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  The U.S. Capitol during the February 5–6, 2010 North American blizzard (from Washington, D.C.)
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  National Mall proper and adjacent areas (April 2002). The Mall had a grassy lawn flanked on each side by unpaved paths and rows of American elm trees as its central feature. (Numbers in the image correspond to numbers in the list of landmarks, museums and other features below.) (from National Mall)
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  Reading Room at the Library of Congress (from National Mall)
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  The southern portion of the National Mall in 1863 during the American Civil War (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  An 1814 watercolor illustration of the United States Capitol after the burning of Washington during the War of 1812 (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool before reconstruction (April 2010) (from National Mall)
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  Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia is the closest airport to the city among the three major Washington metropolitan area airports. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The Washington Monument stood in this unfinished form for 25 years before being completed in 1884. (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  The Washington Monument viewed from the Tidal Basin during the National Cherry Blossom Festival in April 2018 (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Map of racial distribution in the Washington metropolitan area, according to the 2010 U.S. census; each dot represents 25 people: White, Black, Asian, Hispanic or Other (yellow) (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street, known for its half-smoke, a historic staple of the city's cuisine (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The National Building Museum (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Bloomingdale (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Contemporary architecture at CityCenterDC in Downtown (from Washington, D.C.)
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  An aerial photo of Washington, D.C. in 2007 (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  The United States Capitol in 1846, prior to the addition of the current rotunda (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  The Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in D.C. is the largest advanced wastewater treatment facility in the world. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Independence Day fireworks display on the National Mall, July 4, 2022 (from National Mall)
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  Andrew Jackson Downing Urn in May 2012 (from National Mall)
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  The National Mall was the centerpiece of the 1902 McMillan Plan. A central open vista traversed the length of the Mall. (from National Mall)
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  Metrobus, operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Federal Triangle, a historic hub of executive departments of the U.S. federal government (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The Pentagon following the September 11 attacks with the Washington Monument visible in the background (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  Capitol Hill (from Washington, D.C.)
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  A performance of Moulin Rouge! at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The Cascading Waterfall at Meridian Hill Park in Meridian Hill (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, built between 1871 and 1888, was the world's largest office building until 1943, when it was surpassed by The Pentagon. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Columbia Heights (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Washington Metro, the second-busiest rapid rail system in the U.S. based on average weekday ridership, is known for its iconic vaulted ceilings (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Territorial progression of Washington, D.C. (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  CNN reporting from the city during the 2016 U.S. presidential election (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Dupont Circle (from Washington, D.C.)
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  A Capital Bikeshare rental station near McPherson Square (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Rock Creek Park, the city's largest park, stretches across Northwest. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Newspaper Row on Pennsylvania Avenue in 1874 (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  The Eccles Building on Constitution Avenue, home of the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States (from Washington, D.C.)
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  In 1830, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was extended to Georgetown. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  2009 view from the United States Capitol facing west, over the Grant Memorial and Capitol Reflecting Pool in the foreground, and across the National Mall towards the Washington Monument (from National Mall)
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  The John A. Wilson Building on Pennsylvania Avenue, headquarters for much of the Government of the District of Columbia, including the offices of the mayor and D.C. Council (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Victorian houses in Dupont Circle (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Map of the District of Columbia in 1835, prior to the retrocession (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  This view from the top of the Washington Monument shows rows of elm trees lining the Reflecting Pool (November 2014). (from National Mall)
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  The Smithsonian station of the Washington Metro in 2021 (from National Mall)
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  The Northeast Boundary No. 4 marker stone of the original border between the District of Columbia and Prince George's County, Maryland (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  The Abraham Lincoln Statue at the Lincoln Memorial in September 2016 (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Navy Yard (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The city's African American population has declined since the 1968 riots. (from Washington, D.C.)
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  Georgetown University, founded in 1789, the city's oldest university (from Washington, D.C.)
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  The National Gallery of Art, the fourth-most visited art museum in the United States in 2023 with nearly four million visitors (from Washington, D.C.)
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  ^{Library of Congress}
  The "Grand Avenue" or Mall as proposed by Pierre L'Enfant, 1791

  (from National Mall)
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  Chinatown (from Washington, D.C.)
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  A major bus strike in May 1974 caused huge traffic jams throughout the city (from History of Washington, D.C.)
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  Axis after restoration (September 2016) (from National Mall)
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  Looking east from the top of the Washington Monument towards the Mall and the U.S. Capitol, 2023 (from National Mall)
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  The first inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009, facing west from the Capitol (from National Mall)

Did you know...

• ... that Ron Brown, the United States secretary of commerce, leased equipment to a TV station in Washington, D.C., whose owner turned out to be his lover?
• ... that of more than 300 schools offering evening classes in the District of Columbia in 1907, only Frelinghuysen University admitted Black students?
• ... that after Michael Jordan was fired by the Washington Wizards, he wanted to move the Capital Classic from the Washington, D.C., area to New York?
• ... that teenagers picketed The Washington Post to protest the sudden cancellation of The Milt Grant Show, a teen dance TV show in Washington, D.C.?
• ... that new employees of a business headquartered in the Editors Building chose their office decorations from a 7,000-piece collection of historic memorabilia of Washington, D.C.?
• ... that Josephine Gates Kelly of the Standing Rock Reservation once hitchhiked to Washington, D.C., to protest portions of the Indian Reorganization Act?

In the news

9 January 2025 – Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter

The state funeral for former U.S. president Jimmy Carter is held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. All five living presidents, including incumbent president Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump, attend the funeral. (CBS News)

7 January 2025 – Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter

The body of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter arrives in Washington, D.C. for a three-day mourning period, including a lying in state at the Capitol. (Reuters)

30 December 2024 – Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter

U.S. president Joe Biden orders a state funeral for former president Jimmy Carter to be held in Washington, D.C. on January 9. Biden also orders flags to be lowered to half-staff for thirty days in accordance with federal law. (BBC News)

25 November 2024 – Indictments against Donald Trump

U.S. federal judge Tanya Chutkan of the District Court for the District of Columbia dismisses the two criminal cases by Jack Smith against President-elect Donald Trump, including the classified documents case and the case involving Trump's efforts to overturn his defeat to President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. (CBS News) (Politico)

6 November 2024 – 2024 U.S. elections

U.S. Vice President and Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris concedes defeat to Donald Trump in a speech at Howard University in Washington, D.C., stating that she and U.S. President Joe Biden will commit to a peaceful transition of power. (Time)

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