Capital: It is the capital of the United States.
Population: 581,530
Mayor: Adrian M. Fenty (to January 2011) (D).
Entered the Union: February 21, 1871 (as a municipal corporation)
Motto: Justitia omnibus (Justice to all)
Flower: American Beauty rose
Bird: Wood Thrush
Sports Teams: Washington Nationals (Baseball); Washington Wizards (Basketball); Washington Redskins (Football); Washington capitals (Hockey)
Origin of Name: The district is named after Christopher Columbus
Major Industries: Federal government, Tourism - these two are virtually the entire economic base of the city.
Historical Sites and Points of Interest: Numerous sites associated with the history of the United States, including the Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials; the Smithsonian Institution, including the National Gallery of Art and the National Air and Space Museum; the National Archives
Bordering States: Washington D.C. borders Virginia and Maryland.
Source: State of District of Columbia
Population, 2006 estimate: 581,530
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006: 1.7%
Population, 2000: 572,059
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2006: 6.0%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2006: 19.8%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 12.3%
Female persons, percent, 2006: 53.1%
White persons, percent, 2006 (a): 38.4%
Black persons, percent, 2006 (a): 56.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2006 (a): 0.4%
Asian persons, percent, 2006 (a): 3.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2006 (a): 0.1%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2006: 1.4%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006 (b): 8.2%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2006: 31.7%
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over: 49.9%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000: 12.9%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000: 16.8%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 77.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 39.1%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000: 115,980
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000: 29.7
Housing units, 2006: 282,894
Homeownership rate, 2000: 40.8%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000: 60.2%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $157,200
Households, 2000: 248,338
Persons per household, 2000: 2.16
Median household income, 2004: $46,211
Per capita money income, 1999: $28,659
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004: 18.3%
Source: U.S.Census Bureau
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
Total Gross Domestic Product by State: 82,628
Private industries: 54,453
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 1
Crop and animal production (Farms): 0
Forestry, fishing, and related activities: 1
Mining: 10
Oil and gas extraction: 8
Mining, except oil and gas: 0
Support activities for mining: 3
Utilities: 758
Construction: 1,100
Manufacturing: 216
Durable goods: 91
Wood product manufacturing: 1
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing: 8
Primary metal manufacturing: 6
Fabricated metal product manufacturing: 9
Machinery manufacturing: 4
Computer and electronic product manufacturing: 40
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing: 2
Motor vehicle, body, trailer, and parts manufacturing: NA
Other transportation equipment manufacturing: 7
Furniture and related product manufacturing: 9
Miscellaneous manufacturing: 5
Nondurable goods: 125
Food product manufacturing: 17
Textile and textile product mills: 3
Apparel manufacturing: 1
Paper manufacturing: NA
Printing and related support activities: 25
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 22
Chemical manufacturing: 56
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing: NA
Wholesale trade: 749
Retail trade: 1,086
Transportation and warehousing, excluding Postal Service: 405
Air transportation: 18
Rail transportation: 218
Water transportation: 14
Truck transportation: 16
Transit and ground passenger transportation: 56
Pipeline transportation: 1
Other transportation and support activities: 69
Warehousing and storage: 12
Information: 5,295
Publishing including software: 1,813
Motion picture and sound recording industries: 158
Broadcasting and telecommunications: 2,568
Information and data processing services: 755
Finance and insurance: 3,746
Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation and related services: 2,050
Securities, commodity contracts, investments: 655
Insurance carriers and related activities: 792
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles: 249
Real estate and rental and leasing: 8,062
Real estate: 7,852
Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets: 210
Professional and technical services: 16,508
Legal services: 7,764
Computer systems design and related services: 1,568
Other professional, scientific and technical services: 7,177
Management of companies and enterprises: 635
Administrative and waste services: 2,167
Administrative and support services: 2,130
Waste management and remediation services: 36
Educational services: 2,184
Health care and social assistance: 3,615
Ambulatory health care services: 1,078
Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities: 1,897
Social assistance: 640
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 503
Performing arts, museums, and related activities: 423
Amusement, gambling, and recreation: 80
Accommodation and food services: 2,392
Accommodation: 1,293
Food services and drinking places: 1,099
Other services, except government: 5,021
Government: 28,174
Federal civilian: 23,719
Federal military: 2,182
State and local: 2,273
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Longitude: 77°02'11'W
Latitude: 38°53'42'N
Geographic Center: The geographic center of the District of Columbia is located near 4th Street NW, L Street NW, and New York Avenue NW, not under the Capitol dome as is sometimes stated.
Borders: Washington D.C. is surrounded by the states of Virginia (on its southwest side) and Maryland (on its southeast, northeast, and northwest sides); it interrupts those states' common border, which is the south shore of the Potomac River both upstream and downstream from the District. The portion of the Potomac River that passes Washington is virtually entirely within the District's border, as the District extends to the south bank.
Total Area: Washington D.C. covers 68.3 square miles.
Land Area: 61.4 square miles of Washington D.C. are land areas.
Water Area: 6.9 square miles of Washington D.C. are covered by water.
Highest Point: The highest point in the District of Columbia is 410 feet (125 m) above sea level at Fort Reno in Tenleytown.
Lowest Point: The lowest point is sea level, which occurs along all of the Anacostia shore and all of the Potomac shore except the uppermost mile (the Little Falls-Chain Bridge area).
Major Rivers: Potomac River, Anacostia River and Rock Creek.
Major Lakes: There are also three man-made reservoirs: Dalecarlia Reservoir, which crosses over the northwest border of the District from Maryland, McMillan Reservoir near Howard University, and Georgetown Reservoir upstream of Georgetown. A fourth, minor reservoir is at Fort Reno in Tenleytown.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
District of Columbia state links
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