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Washington DC [wɑ: ʹʃiŋtən di: si: ʹ], capital of the United States and as an
administrative entity identical to the District of Columbia (DC); 177 km2,
672 200 inhabitants (2016).The entire Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area has
6.1 million inhabitants. In recent years, the move to the suburbs has meant that
Washington itself has been recognized as a major reduction in population.
About 2/3 of the population is black, the ratio for the metropolitan area
being 1/4. The public sector and related service activities account for the
majority of Washington's employment. The industry is insignificant. For the
economy, however, tourism (over 20 million visitors per year) is of vital
importance.
Washington DC Pennsylvania Avenue with Capital
Hill in the background.
The White House, Capitol, historical monuments and monuments and cultural
institutions of various kinds (such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts as well as many galleries and museums, most of which are under
the Smithsonian Institution) attract crowds of tourists.
Washington DC The John
F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a cultural center for performing
arts in Washington DC. The skateboards in the picture are designed by Sean
Cliver (born 1969) and used by skateboard skater Ray Barbee (born 1971).
Most of the employed in Washington live in the suburbs and commute daily to
work, mainly by car. Many large federal workplaces are located outside the city,
such as the Pentagon Arlington Department of Defense, as well as a large number
of research institutions. More recently, national and international
organizations have increasingly been located in the city. Washington National as
well as Dulles and Washington-Baltimore International are the three largest
airports. Public transport is mainly handled by buses, but the subway and rail
networks are being expanded. Private car traffic dominates widely, and the
region has an extensive road system.
Architecture and cityscape
Washington was designed in 1791 by Frenchman Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The
city plan is a grid plan, intersected by diagonal avenues and bustling parks
that radiate from the Capitol and the White House. The grand plan took a long
time to complete, and it was as late as the 20th century before Washington's
cityscape was completed.
STEVEN GREEN PHOTOGRAPHY / FLICKR.COM
The Washington DC White House has been the official
residence of US presidents since 1800, when John Adams moved in. The building
began to be erected in 1792 after drawing by James Hoban in neoclassical
style. Several subsequent renovations and additions have taken place.
Around the Capitol and the park "The Mall" the city is characterized by low,
neoclassical government buildings in white and gray stone. Of contemporary
architecture can be mentioned Dulles Airport (1958) by Eero Saarinen and
National Gallery of Art, East Building (1978) by IM Pei. On the other side of
the Potomac River lies the Pentagon (1940–41), the headquarters of the Ministry
of War. Washington's most important public monument includes the Washington
Monument (1836–84), a 170 m high obelisk, and the Lincoln Memorial (1914–22),
designed as a Doric temple.
History
The geographical location of the new capital that the US Congress of 1790
decided to construct became a compromise between the northern and southern
states. The site was named after George Washington and in 1800 became the formal
capital. After the Civil War, Washington grew strongly, including by moving in a
large number of former slaves. Washington had no tax right of its own and could
not cope with the major social problems that the growth created, which caused
Congress to abolish Washington's autonomy in the 1870s. It was not until 1961
that residents gained the right to vote for presidential elections, and in 1974
Washington regained limited autonomy and the right to elect mayor and
proxy. During the 1930s depression, Washington regained a strong influence and
has been grappling with severe social problems ever since.
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