In Depth

Sure, you can travel clueless to Washington. But wouldn't it help to know what to expect weather-wise in November and celebration-wise in August? Or how big the city is and what kinds of people live here? Oh yes, and some hints about the sorts of restaurants the city offers, a bit about the history of the place, and maybe some suggestions for books to read and films to watch to whet one's appetite?

These pages aim to acquaint you with background info, a little context for Washington, D.C.'s story that should stand you in good stead once you start plotting the particulars of your trip.

Washington, D.C., Today

Washington, D.C., is the capital of the United States and a city unto itself, and therein lie its charms, but also a host of complications -- control of the city being the main issue. The District is a free-standing jurisdiction, but because it is a city with a federal overseer, and not a state, it has never been entitled to the same governmental powers as the states. For instance, Congress today, as it has from the beginning, supervises the District's budget and legislation. Originally, Congress granted the city the authority to elect its own governance, but rescinded that right in the late 1800s when the District overspent its budget in attempting to improve its services and appearance after the Civil War. The White House then appointed three commissioners, who ran D.C.'s affairs for nearly 100 years.

In 1972, the city regained the right to elect its own mayor and city council, but Congress retains control of the budget and the courts, and can veto municipal legislation. District residents can vote in presidential primaries and elections and they can elect a delegate to Congress, who introduces legislation and votes in committees, but who cannot vote on the House floor. This unique situation, in which residents of the District pay federal income taxes but don't have a vote in Congress, is a matter of great local concern. Among the ways that D.C. residents publicly protest the situation is by displaying license plates bearing the inscription "Taxation without Representation." (Perhaps 2012 will witness a turning point. President Obama seems to favor D.C. statehood and may help to bring this about.)

Another wrinkle in this uncommon relationship is the fact that Washington's economy relies heavily upon the presence of the federal government, which employs about 27% of D.C. residents (according to a 2010 Gallup Poll), making it the city's single largest employer, and upon the tourism business that Washington, as the capital, attracts. Even as the city struggles toward political independence, it recognizes the economic benefits of the situation.

Does any of this affect you, as you tour the city this year? In a way, yes.

In 2012, you will find Washington, D.C., to be a remarkably vibrant city. But it wasn't always this way, and you should know a little bit of background. About 20 years ago, Washington wasn't so attractive. Tourists wanted to visit federal buildings, like the Capitol, the White House, and the Smithsonian museums, but stayed away from the dingy downtown and other off-the-Mall neighborhoods. The city had the potential for being so much more, and certain people, heroes, in my book, helped inspire action and brought about change themselves: Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, now in her 11th term in office, who steadfastly fights for states' rights and economic revival for the District; former Mayor Anthony Williams, who rescued the District's budget when his predecessor, the notorious, mismanaging Mayor Marion Barry brought the city to the brink of financial ruin; and the community-minded developers Abe and Irene Pollin, who used their own funds to finance the $200-million MCI sports center (now called the "Verizon Center") in the heart of town. Entrepreneurs started trickling in. Today, the wildly successful Verizon arena anchors the utterly transformed Penn Quarter neighborhood, now one of the liveliest city centers in the country.

The city's resident population has grown by more than 5% in the past 10 years, and for the first time in 50 years exceeds 600,000. Revitalization continues to take root throughout the city, from southeast D.C., where a grand baseball stadium, Nationals Ballpark, opened in March 2008, to the Columbia Heights enclave in upper northwest D.C., now a mélange of Latino culture, loft condominiums, and ethnic eateries. The city's evergreens -- the memorials and monuments, the historic neighborhoods, and the Smithsonian museums -- remain unflaggingly popular.

But D.C. has its share of problems, starting with its Metro transportation system, greatly in need of an overhaul. Other problems relate to the city's own gentrification effort, like the displacement of residents from homes they can no longer afford in a newly improved but expensive neighborhood. Such concerns were certainly a factor in the 2010 mayoral election, in which the older, amiable, and unhurried D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray won the race over the young, brash, and bossy incumbent, Adrian Fenty. Mayor Gray has his work cut out for him in a municipality that struggles to provide health care, good schools, safe neighborhoods, adequate housing, and basic social services to all citizens.

The diverse population is 53% African American and 8% Latino, with 13% being foreign-born, and 15% speaking a language other than English at home. There are slightly more female (53%) than male (47%) residents and the median age for the population is 35. The citizenry is well educated: 47% of D.C. residents have a bachelor's degree, while 26% have advanced degrees. Women residents stand out: 44% have a bachelor's degree or higher, the highest percentage in the nation.

Diverse in demographics, residents are alike in loving their city. Visitors seem to share this love, as statistics, surveys, and articles bear out: The latest figures show that D.C. welcomes 16.4 million visitors a year, 1.6 million of whom are international tourists. Magazines and newspapers profile the capital in glowing terms, whether it's American Style magazine's Summer 2010 piece ranking the city third among 25 American cities for style and art, or National Geographic Traveler magazine's May/June 2010 story expanding on "DC's New Groove." Forbes.com in August 2010 named D.C. to its list of top 10 "coolest cities," and in January 2011 reported that Washington, D.C., has the lowest unemployment rate and the healthiest labor market in the country.

Not bad, huh?

Little-Known Facts

• Many, including Washington, District of Columbia, residents, wonder how the city wound up with such an unwieldy name. Here's how: President Washington referred to the newly created capital as "the Federal City." City commissioners then chose the names "Washington" to honor the president and "Territory of Columbia" to designate the federal nature of the area. Columbia was the feminine form of Columbus, synonymous in those days with "America" and all she stood for -- namely liberty. The capital was incorporated in 1871, when it officially became known as Washington, District of Columbia.

• The distance between the base of the Capitol, at one end of the National Mall, and the Lincoln Memorial at the other, is nearly 2 miles. The circumference of the White House property, from Pennsylvania Avenue to Constitution Avenue and 15th Street to 17th Street is about 1 1/2 miles.

• More than 27 percent of Washington, D.C., is national parkland, which makes the capital one of the "greenest" cities in the country. The biggest chunk is the 2,000-acre Rock Creek Park, the National Park Service's oldest natural urban park, founded in 1890.

• Every country that maintains diplomatic relations with the United States has an embassy in the nation's capital. Currently, the number of embassies comes to 187, mostly located along Massachusetts Avenue, known as Embassy Row, and other streets in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.