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The land that Washington, D.C. sits on was once owned by Virginia and Maryland. Both states donated land to create Washington, D.C.
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Washington, D.C. is located 233 miles south of New York City, and it is north of Virginia, south of Maryland, and about 90 miles from the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.
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Washington, D.C. is only about 68 square miles. It is divided into four sections including the Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, and Southeast, meeting in the center at the U.S. Capitol building.
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Washington, D.C. was named after President George Washington, while Columbia (from District of Columbia) was chosen in honor of Christopher Columbus.
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Although the main industry in Washington, D.C. is government, tourism is also very important to the economy.
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Washington, D.C. was founded as the seat of the federal government and therefore residents do not have a represented vote in Congress.
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Washington, D.C.'s motto is "Justitia Omnibus' which means 'Justice for All'; its song is 'Washington' (written by a Mouseketeer Jimmie Dodd in 1951); its seal is the image of a woman (Justice) hanging a wreath on George Washington's statue.
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Washington, D.C.'s flower is the American Beauty Rose; its bird is the wood thrush; and its tree is the scarlet oak.
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The White House, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, in Washington, D.C. has been the President's official residence and workplace since 1800, when John Adams became the first president to live there.
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In 1800 the population of Washington, D.C. was 8,144. It reached 672,228 in 2015.
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The Old Stone House at 3051 M Street NW in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. is the oldest unchanged building in the district. It dates back to 1765.
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Part of the land originally donated for Washington, D.C. by Virginia was formally given back in 1847. This area was known originally as Alexandria County but it now known as Arlington County, Virginia.
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The Washington Monument is 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches tall. It is the world's tallest stone structure and tallest obelisk.
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Aside from government and tourism being main industries in Washington, D.C., the district also thrives on educational institutions (Gallaudet University, Howard University, Georgetown University, and Catholic University of America), non-profit, professional, and business organizations, and arts and cultural attractions such as the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Institution.
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The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is located in Washington, D.C.
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