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United States Capitol Building - courtesy humbertomoreno - CC-BY

Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States of America.

Washington D.C. was founded in 1790.

Washington, DC is filled with exciting and memorable places to visit from the Capitol Building to the Smithsonian Museums. Washington D.C. is also a place that demonstrates that the American Dream does not always live up to its promises. Look behind the city’s shiny white marble and you’ll find a gritty core with boarded up buildings, graffiti filled walls, drugs and poor people. In most of the city, the federal government and its machinery are merely backdrops to life. It is also one of the most segregated towns in America, with the 39% white population living almost exclusively in the smallest sector. Much of the rest of the city is basically poor and black, with 20% falling below the poverty line and many of the rest coming close to it. In a city with the second-highest per capita income in the nation, this makes for one amazing display of economic disparity worthy of a Third World country.

Most all of D.C.’s visitors go to the Mall, a beautiful stretch of parkland that houses many of the city’s monuments and museums. The prestigious and wealthy side of town is home to the historic village of Georgetown with its night life and fine dining, the National Zoo, the National Cathedral, the bulk of D.C.’s high-end shopping, and plenty of nice dining strips. The Chevy Chase shopping district is Washington’s upscale fashion district.  Georgetown is known for its variety of mid-range to high-end retail shops that line M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, NW.

Washington D.C. is not the safest of cities. Washingtonians regularly warn against any outings into the Northeast and Southeast sections of the city as muggings are high there. But in the touristy areas one should be fairly safe

Washington has a humid subtropical climate. Average winter lows tend to be around 30 F (-1 °C) from mid-December to mid-February. Summers tend to be hot and humid, with daily high temperatures in July and August averaging in the high 80s F (about 30 °C).

Washington D.C. is served by three International airports, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.  Public transportation is by Metro, metro-bus, bus and taxi.

Washington D.C. population is 591,833 (2008).  The Metropolitan area population is 5.3 million.

1 is the international calling code for the United States
202 is the area code for Washington D.C.

For more information about Washington D.C.