Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Washington, D.C., a sixty-eight square mile area along the Potomac River tucked between Virginia and Maryland, is more than a city but less than a state. It is the seat of the U.S. federal government, officially identified as the District of Columbia but more commonly known as Washington, “the District,” or simply D.C. It attracts many temporary residents who come and go on the basis of who occupies the White House and which party holds a majority in Congress, but it is also a city where roughly 40 percent of the population (572,000 according to the 2000 U.S. census) is native born. It is famous for its monuments, memorials, and federal buildings, but it is also home to 127 recognizable residential neighborhoods. It is a city that President John F. Kennedy described ironically as mixing northern charm and southern efficiency (reversing the stereotypical characteristics of the two regions). For many cultural geographers, D.C. is an urban aberration that does not fit into any of the distinctive cultural regions of North America.