DC 2013 GSWS!

About DC

Washington, Washington, DC is unique among American cities because it was established by the Constitution of the United States to serve as the nation's capital. From the beginning it has been embroiled in political maneuvering, sectional conflicts, issues of race, national identity, compromise and, of course, power.

The choice of Washington's site along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers resulted from a compromise between Alexander Hamilton and northern states who wanted the new Federal government to assume Revolutionary War debts and Thomas Jefferson and southern states who wanted the capital placed in a location friendly to slave-holding agricultural interests.

George Washington, the first president and namesake of the city, chose the site and appointed three commissioners to help prepare for the arrival of the new government in 1800. In 1800 the federal government consisted of 131 employees. Pierre Charles L'Enfant designed the city as a bold new capital with sweeping boulevards and ceremonial spaces reminiscent of his native France. Benjamin Banneker, a self-taught African-American mathematical genius, provided the astronomical calculations for surveying and layout of the city. The full development of Washington as a monumental city, however, did not come until a hundred years later when the McMillan Commission updated its plan to establish the National Mall and monuments that most visitors to Washington now know.

In its 200 years as the nation's capital Washington has developed as a complex and layered city with multiple personalities. As home to the federal government, it has attracted a diverse mix of government workers, members of Congress from every state, foreign emissaries, lobbyists, petitioners and protestors.

Washington, DC was envisioned by its founders as a commercial center as well as the seat of government. The location on the Potomac River was chosen, in part, because it already included two existing port towns of Georgetown, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia which served as regional shipping centers for tobacco and wheat. When Alexandria returned to Virginia in 1846, residents argued that inclusion within the Federal District of Columbia hurt business and the city of Washington would never need that much room to grow.

But after the Civil War, Washington did grow, eventually absorbing Georgetown and the surrounding farms and rural areas beyond L'Enfant's original plans for the city. The initial boundary of Washington City was Florida Avenue, originally called Boundary Street. The first neighborhoods were those that grew up around the Capitol (Capitol Hill), the Center Market (Downtown), and the White House (Lafayette Square). The expansion of streetcar lines in the mid-19th century spurred creation of new suburbs. Two early suburbs, LeDroit Park and Anacostia, both began as developments that excluded African Americans and later became predominantly African-American communities.

While DC has always had foreign delegations from the countries of the world, it also boasts an increasingly diverse ethnic population. A growing Latino population represents every Central and South American country with a particularly large community of Salvadorans. A large Ethiopian population has resulted from the political turmoil there. New ethnic groups have brought new restaurants, as well as new residents. While DC lost residents to surrounding suburbs in the 1990s, new housing and urban revitalization is now attracting people back to the city for a downtown renaissance of housing, offices, entertainment and nightlife.

As the capital of the world's most powerful democracy, it is ironic that residents of Washington lack full self government. Limited self government was only restored in 1974 after nearly 100 years with an appointed commissioner system. Representation in Congress is limited to a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives and a shadow Senator. 1964 was the first Presidential election in which Washington residents were able to vote. While elected and appointed officials come and go, giving the city its reputation as a transient community, many of the city's residents have called Washington home for multiple generations. Their stories give Washington its distinctive character as both a national and local city.

Theater Scene

Washington, DC is a thriving cultural capital where each season approximately 80 professional theatres in the metropolitan area produce more than 350 productions that run more than 8,000 performances and play to more than 2 million audience members. In fact, the nation's capital has the second highest per-capital number of theatre productions annually--second only to New York City.  Beyond the numbers, Washington - the theater town - is more than 200 years old. In 1791 architect Pierre L'Enfant's plan for the new capital city included a congressional house and a presidential palace connected by a grand avenue lined with academies...and playhouses. More than two hundred years later, on any given night curtains are rising on upwards of 200 performances at theaters in the District, Virginia and Maryland.

And the theater scene in Washington, DC is only getting bigger. Several of the city's most popular playhouses are responding to the demand for live entertainment through capital improvement campaigns, adding playing spaces, educational facilities and more. 

Museums and Art Scene