Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the one hand, and an urban ghetto for northbound African Americans and overseas im-
migrants on the other.
The city finally got its own mayor in 1973 (Walter Washington, among the first Afric-
an American mayors of a major American city). DC was ever underfunded and today
residents are taxed like other American citizens yet lack a voting seat in Congress. The
educated upper class is leagues away from the neglected destitute; almost half the popu-
lation has a university degree, yet a third is functionally illiterate.
With the election of Barack Obama in 2008, Washington, DC, gained a bit of cool
cachet - New Yorkers are coming here now, instead of the other way around. Unfortu-
nately, they've brought with them an NYC cost of living. DC remains quite divided
between upwardly mobile transplants and long-term residents. The former possess
wealth, while the latter are influential within local politics. In some places these two sec-
tors coexist, but in other neighborhoods tensions can be palpable.
Sights
The capital was designed by its two planners to be perfectly navigable. Unfortunately,
their urban visions have mashed up against each other. Pierre L'Enfant's diagonal state-
named streets share space with Andrew Ellicott's grid (remember: letters go east-west,
numbers north-south). On top of that the city is divided into four quadrants with identic-
al addresses in different divisions - F and 14th NW puts you near the White House,
while F and 14th NE puts you near Rosedale Playground.
The majority of sights lie in the Northwest (NW) quadrant, while the most run-down
neighborhoods tend to be in the Southeast (SE). Keep your urban wits about you at night,
and be prepared for crowds during events such as the Cherry Blossom Festival. The Po-
tomac River is to your south and west; Maryland lies to the north and east; and the Belt-
way, the capital ring road, encircles the entire package.
WASHINGTON, DC FACTS
Nickname DC, the District, Chocolate City
Population 632,300
Area 68.3 sq miles
Capital city Exactly!
Sales tax 5.75%
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