Talk:Washington, D.C./Archive 2

message: Where are people getting these claims of 582,000? The Census Bureau reports 550,000 as of july 1, 2005. --JoSePh 25 July 2006 21:13
:I added a reference for it Kmusser 13:37, 26 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Population

message: I have removed :Image:Pentagonfireball.jpg (Security camera image of the moment after American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon), as I think the article can do without it for the following reasons.
* The Pentagon is located in Arlington, Virginia and not in Washington.
* We can find a more appropriate image that depicts the security implications on people in Washington, such as the closing of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House (done in response to the Oklahoma City bombing and not the September 11, 2001 attacks).
===Recent history===
I also think that too much space is devoted to recent history (2001 - present), in relation to history prior to 2001.  
A word count shows:
* 1249 total words in the history section
* 674 words (53%) of the history section about recent history (2001 - present)
As time permits, I will do what I can to improve the balance for the various historical time periods in this article, as well as add some image that better reflects the impact of security measures on people in Washington.
--Aude 00:52, 13 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  [[:Image:Pentagonfireball.jpg]] 

message: I also think that too much space is devoted to recent history (2001 - present), in relation to history prior to 2001.  
A word count shows:
* 1249 total words in the history section
* 674 words (53%) of the history section about recent history (2001 - present)
As time permits, I will do what I can to improve the balance for the various historical time periods in this article, as well as add some image that better reflects the impact of security measures on people in Washington.
--Aude 00:52, 13 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Recent history

message: Considering the amount of popular press, legal press, and American constitutional scrutiny that the District of Columbia as an adminstrative entity receives, I'm rather suprised that there is not a separate article on it rather than merely a redirect to this article.  Has this been discussed to resolution previously, or is it merely a matter of not finding the right mix of authors to make the suggested article work?  Thanks for the input. Courtland 14:23, 7 November 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: At the current time, Washington, D.C. and District of Columbia are, more or less, the same thing.  Somethings that should be gone over include the fact that the Distict used to comprise two counties (Washington County and Alexandria County), that there used to be two cities in the District (Washington and Georgetown, Georgetown being incorporated by the Maryland General Assembly prior to ceding), and the fact the government is known as the District of Columbia, and Washington, as a name, only continues through colloquial use.  -James Howard (talk/web) 14:54, 7 November 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Would we consider the city of Washington still in (and conterminous with) Washington County, D.C.? The county is listed as (none), yet the entry for Boston lists its county as Suffolk County, Massachusetts even though counties in Massachusetts have been basically abolished. I'll admit that it's much easier to find Suffolk County on a map, but it doesn't seem that lack of a discrete government is enough to say a county doesn't exist. - Afiler 04:19, 13 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  There is no Washington County, DC really - Washington County, Washington City, and Georgetown, DC were basically merged in 1871 and 1895 to form Washington, DC. The Washington County, D.C. article has some more on this. If anything, it's moot, as there is no county government of any kind. Awiseman 21:09, 13 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  District of Columbia article? 

message: This article (and Geography of Washington, D.C. strongly needs a map showing the states of Virginia and Maryland, and where Washington, D.C. is situated between those two states.  Without it, the context of where it's located is unclear to readers (even to many Americans) who would like to know exactly where it is located.  The map of the entire U.S. makes the area too small, and the map of D.C. itself doesn't have the context of the neighboring states.  Would anyone able to do make such a map?  I don't have the graphics skills.  Badagnani 23:07, 11 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Might want to try this map :Image:DC locator map.jpg. --Boothy443 |  trácht ar 06:16, 12 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: The map should somehow include both the national and regional map, with one an inset of the other.  I'll work to come up with something that provides both levels of context. --Aude 14:41, 12 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I've been working on a replacement for the quadrant map that doesn't just have the District surrounded by white space...I will upload it soon.  Postdlf 18:33, 12 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I hadn't thought of replacing the quadrant map, but agree that it definitely needs improvement.  Thanks for working on that.  I'll continue working on some locator map that combines the national and regional-scales.  I might provide a few versions and seek feedback.  Also, I will soon be able to supply some maps for Wikipedia for other DC-related topics and articles (transportation, demographics, landmarks, neighborhoods, etc.).  For other (non-Wikipedia) uses, I have been compiling GIS data for Washington, D.C. and surrounding jurisdictions.   Let me know if there's anything in particular that you think is needed. --Aude 22:58, 12 December 2005 (UTC)

text: Thanks for adding the state names.  I like it, with the names.  Not sure I like it, but have tried to merge the state-level map and the usa map into one image (see right), for use in the infobox.  I think it might be worth redoing this map from source map files, at better resolution.   But, this might do for now.-Aude (talk | contribs) 19:19, 7 January 2006 (UTC)

text: It does say that, under the History section. It was a perfect square, technically. Awiseman 14:56, 24 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Map showing proximity to VA and MD 

message: I just uploaded a number of photos from the 2006 Cherry Blossoms.  Gallery  --  These photos primarily include the Tidal Basin, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, and National Mall.  If you have any specific requests for images, just leave a message on my Talk page I should be able to get those by mid-June.  Provide as much detail as you can for what you are looking for in the image.  --Thisisbossi 04:31, 17 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree but also want to especially object to the photo of the Capitol in the section titled "Local government". This is highly misleading. More appropriate would be a shot of the John A. Wilson Building or the Reeves Center or the mayor or almost anything else. --דוד ♣ D Monack 05:14, 30 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I think the map looks great.  Thanks. -Aude (talk | contribs) 01:35, 18 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Photos 

message: I've done some work on Category:Washington, D.C. to copy PD/free-license photos there and categorize.  Though, still some more work to do there, but from looking at what we have, I think there might be some more photos that we'd like someone to take (I'd be willing to help, as I think others might). The photos used in the article tend to focus on the touristy National Mall area and ignore the other Washington (the neighborhoods and people).  
I suggest going through the list and 
# Comment on the exiting images (should we keep, as-is; move somewhere else in the article; replace with a similar, better image, ...) 
# Suggest images (existing on commons or suggest an idea that's not yet on commons/wikipedia)
Of course, in the end, there might be more suggestions than there is space here; though there are subtopic articles (e.g. History of Washington, D.C.) and we could have more subarticles if particular sections get too long.  -Aude (talk | contribs) 17:28, 5 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Comments

message: Here's a list of images used:
* Intro
** :Image:WashMonument_WhiteHouse.jpg - aerial shot of Washington Monument, Ellipse, and White House
*** Undecided. It's neat that this is an aerial shot, but don't think it's the best photo of D.C.   We should choose something more emblematic for this spot. -Aude (talk | contribs) 18:00, 5 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I think the map looks great.  Thanks. -Aude (talk | contribs) 01:35, 18 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Existing photos in the article

message: I propose that the Washington State article be moved from Washington to Washington (U.S. state) and that Washington (disambiguation) be moved and redirected to Washington.  This would be in line with Lincoln and other similar precedents.  Nothing personal against the state - it's a very beautiful place, but having Washington be a disambig would be the best way for readers and linkers to effectively navigate.  "Washington" has a lot common of uses - as a person's name (including the first American president), as the name of a university, and of course as the name of Washington, DC.  Outside the United States, "Washington" as a place name almost always refers to the U.S. capital.  Even within the United states (with the exception of the northwestern U.S.), when someone says they're gonna "go to Washington," it's generally assumed that they mean Washington, D.C.  Blackcats 01:29, 5 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: The discussion should be kept at the one talk page.  I will reply there.  Blackcats 01:44, 5 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  See proposed move discussion at [[Talk:Washington]]  

message: User:Joececchini is adding 'nicknames' I've never heard of to city articles, so reverted his addition of 'Big Chocolate to the nickname list, and want to see a reliable reference cited before allowing it back in. -- Dalbury(Talk) 09:41, 5 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Sounds vaguely racial to me. I'm white and lived in and around DC most of my life and I have never heard that name. Unlikely you'll find it cited, and even if cited, it's not notable enough. --Golbez 15:45, 5 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree with Golbez, it seems like racial tone to the 'nickname'.  And, as a native Washingtonian, I've never heard it. -Aude (talk | contribs) 15:53, 5 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks for the responses. The nicknames he posted for cities I know didn't ring any bells, so I figured I'd better deal with all of them. -- Dalbury(Talk) 19:58, 5 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I just reverted an anon's edit, adding "Chocolate City" to the nicknames.  I've never heard of this either. -Aude (talk | contribs) 22:29, 9 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Nickname of ''Big Chocolate''

message: I will not get into a edit war with User:Danny Lilithborne, but I consider his removal of the Sister cities section without an explanation to be unwarranted. I will, however, listen to the opinions of the regular editors of this article. Some references I've found: for Beijing; for Bangkok{http://203.155.220.239/en/02thebma/index.php?intContentTypeID=23&intListID=616&intContentID=834]; and for Dakar. -- Dalbury(Talk) 13:44, 7 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: sister-cities.org - this should be all the proof that is needed.  Jim62sch 14:21, 7 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks, I had already edited the ref to point to that url. KillerChihuahua?!? 14:26, 7 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Sister cities 

message: I removed the sentence "Columbia was a part of Maryland, named after Christopher Columbus." from the article. I don't any relevance to the article. -- Dalbury(Talk) 23:35, 9 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Irrelevant statement removed 

message: Did you know that this place was involved in a major UFO incident in 1952 ? See UFO for more. Martial Law 09:31, 13 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: 1952

message: I noticed the debate over use of infoboxes.  Though, :Template:US_City_infobox is being depreciated anyway, in favor of :Template:Infobox City which includes the image as Derek prefers.  Though, in working with this template, I had some problems with it (it fixes the size of the map to 300px, which works okay for D.C., but not other states such as New Jersey).  To deal with that, I created :Template:Infobox City mapsize with an added parameter "mapsize" that allows the mapsize to vary, as needed. -Aude (talk | contribs) 14:54, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: This looks good. I made a few modifications, mainly adding some information that has been left out (like the city motto). I also modified the total area and metro population figures, so that it's a bit easier to read and interpret. I tried adding the geographical coordinates (lat/long), though for some reason, it's still not showing up? Not sure what's going on there. Dr. Cash 18:17, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I'll work more on the geog. coordinates later. There's always bugs to work out with new infoboxes. -Aude (talk | contribs) 18:19, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Problem solved.  We should use the "latitude" and "longitude" parameters and not the geographic coordinate parameters.  Also, I added the coordinates using decimal degrees, rather than DMS.  Google Maps, Google Earth, and other GIS systems more often use decimal degrees. -Aude (talk | contribs) 18:48, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Looks good. Though shouldn't the coordinates be shown as a link using the coor dms template?  Dr. Cash 18:51, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: We can use decimal degrees... http://kvaleberg.com/extensions/mapsources/index.php?params=38.8898341_N_-77.0088651_W_region:US.  We should ensure the template can accomodate both ways of expressing coordinates, or have an alternative. -Aude (talk | contribs) 19:09, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Here's a hack for it:  -Aude (talk | contribs) 19:10, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: This link is already provided in the External links section.  Maybe it doesn't need to also be in the infobox?  Though, if you really want it there, I'm sure we can do it. -Aude (talk | contribs) 19:13, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

text: Okay, I see in the geography section, it says "38°53′42″N, 77°02′11″W (the coordinates of the Zero Milestone, on The Ellipse)".  I still think the U.S. Capitol makes more sense to use for the coordinates, as it's the origin of D.C.'s quadrants and street network.  Addressing in D.C. (also extending into Prince George's and Montgomery County, Maryland) is based on this system,  -Aude (talk | contribs) 20:41, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Infobox 

message: ::I'll work more on the geog. coordinates later. There's always bugs to work out with new infoboxes. -Aude (talk | contribs) 18:19, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Problem solved.  We should use the "latitude" and "longitude" parameters and not the geographic coordinate parameters.  Also, I added the coordinates using decimal degrees, rather than DMS.  Google Maps, Google Earth, and other GIS systems more often use decimal degrees. -Aude (talk | contribs) 18:48, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Looks good. Though shouldn't the coordinates be shown as a link using the coor dms template?  Dr. Cash 18:51, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: We can use decimal degrees... http://kvaleberg.com/extensions/mapsources/index.php?params=38.8898341_N_-77.0088651_W_region:US.  We should ensure the template can accomodate both ways of expressing coordinates, or have an alternative. -Aude (talk | contribs) 19:09, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Here's a hack for it:  -Aude (talk | contribs) 19:10, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: This link is already provided in the External links section.  Maybe it doesn't need to also be in the infobox?  Though, if you really want it there, I'm sure we can do it. -Aude (talk | contribs) 19:13, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

text: Okay, I see in the geography section, it says "38°53′42″N, 77°02′11″W (the coordinates of the Zero Milestone, on The Ellipse)".  I still think the U.S. Capitol makes more sense to use for the coordinates, as it's the origin of D.C.'s quadrants and street network.  Addressing in D.C. (also extending into Prince George's and Montgomery County, Maryland) is based on this system,  -Aude (talk | contribs) 20:41, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Geographic coordinates

message: :A Southern site for the new country's capital was agreed upon at a dinner between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. The initial plan for the "Federal City" was a diamond, ten miles wide on each side, totaling 100 square miles (260 square kilometers).
From what I remember from my reading of Joseph Ellis' Founding Brothers, the dinner was between Hamilton and Madison, hosted by Jefferson. I've made that correction and added Ellis as a source.--Osprey39 19:34, 1 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  The Dinner 

message: I removed the following from the intro to the article:
:Slavery was practiced in Washington until 1862 and ended a few months before the Emancipation Proclamation took effect elsewhere in January 1863. Discovered records of payments (to slave holders, not to enslaved laborers) have established that the U.S. Capitol building also was constructed with the labor of enslaved Black American men.   
: "Commissioners' order for hiring slaves: At a meeting of the Commissioners at George Town on the thirteenth Day of April 1792: Present Thomas Johnson, David Stuart & Daniel Carroll Esq.The following resolve was made and a copy thereof handed to Capt. Williams. The Commissioners resolve that to hire good labouring negroes by the year, the masters cloathing them well and finding each a blanket, the Commissioners finding them provisions and paying twenty one pounds a year wages. The payment if desired to be made quarterly or half yearly. If the negroes absent themselves a week or more, such time to be deducted." 
I have a couple reservations about these 2 paragraphs:
1)  If they are to be included in the article, they should be in the history section and not the intro section
2)  I didn't see a reference for this information.  It seems to include quoted material, but I didn't see a citation of where that quote came from.
3)  I'm not certain if this is relavant to the article regardless, but I have much less conviction of this than the prior two points.  Treznor 01:14, 12 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Slavery 

message: Where can I place this:" ==Trivia==
In 1952, Washington, D.C. was involved in a major UFO incident which resulted in the implementation of the Robertson Panel protocol by the CIA." ? Martial Law 22:47, 5 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: You should have a citation to back it up. Black and WhiteUSERTALKCONTRIBS 21:57, 18 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: This has been mentioned on the paranormal related radio talk shows, and written about in many books. I have a copy of one written by a ex-USAF Captain. Martial Law 20:40, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: The citation is this: Invasion Washington UFOs OVER THE CAPITOL by one Kevin D. Randle, Ph.D., Captain, U.S.A.F.R., . Martial Law 20:46, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: That is one of many citations that others may also find. Martial Law 20:47, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I think we should see the other "many" citations before such an extraordinary claim is put in the article.  Postdlf 20:51, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I'd rather not include a "trivia" section - period.  Such sections, as also with "popular culture" sections  , tend to get out of hand, often with poorly referenced tidbits that people can't fit into the article prose, and detract from the quality of the article. My opinion is not specifically in reference to the particular bits of trivia inserted in this instance, but a broader opinion that applies here.  See also Wikipedia_talk:Trivia for more opinions on the matter. -Aude (talk | contribs) 22:10, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Trivia

message: There are many long lists of things in sentence form separated by commas. So much of this would look better with tables. I'm not so good at tables, so maybe someone can devote some time to this? Civil Engineer III 13:20, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Lists 

message: Think it might be useful to cover several myths about Washington DC. Like the lack of J street, or that it is rumored to be built on a swamp, etc --Gidge 20:32, 11 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: What makes you think these are myths? Both are at least partly true. See Streets and highways of Washington, D.C. and Geography of Washington, D.C. --dm (talk) 20:52, 11 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Myths 

message: I think the famous houses section should be deleted. I've never heard of that house, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of famous houses in DC. --Awiseman 18:51, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I just removed it.  There's certainly a place for documenting underground railroad locations, but one such house is certainly not an important DC topic, and certainly not something that the city is "famous for," as it claimed.  Postdlf 18:53, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

text: Well, there is one famous house in DC that probably should be mentioned,... ;-) Dr. Cash 22:06, 6 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Famous houses 

message: I have removed the image because is clearly a screenshot of copyrighted Google Maps images. On top of that, the layout of the page was clearly disarranged. David 21:05, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Image:American University.jpg 

message: Quote from article: "However, the area south of the Potomac River (39 square miles or about 100 km²) was returned, or "retroceded", to Virginia in 1847 and now is incorporated into Arlington County and the City of Alexandria."     Just becasue retrocession is a word, doesn't mean retroceded is.  Any thoughts on just removing the ", or retroceded," part? Lunch with Jason 18:57, 4 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: "Retroceded" is a word (source). Doctor Whom 18:03, 5 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Retroceded" 

message: I find it somewhat ironic not to have a section on DC politics. Btyner 15:31, 19 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: What do you mean? It has the Local government section. --dm (talk) 16:12, 19 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: For example, unlike most other US political division articles, there is no mention of either recent or even historical voting trends. Btyner 17:26, 19 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Politics 

message: What is the status of criminal law in Washington, DC?  Are all crimes within the jurisdiction federal crimes?  OneVeryBadMan 13:45, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: LAW

message: List of Circles in Washington, D.C. has a great number of red links.  If anyone is interested, this would be a good place to extend wikipedia's coverage of DC.--Niro5 02:25, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Circles

message: Someone has added a "Location" header with the following information - Location
Washington D.C. is NOT part of the United States of America because it is not an actual state. It is located above Virginia and below Maryland. - Something seems odd about this. Of course it is not a state so the above is technically true, but to say it is not a part of the United States seem to be straining a point. Opinions? rhmoore 03:16, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I reverted it out. Not every part of the United States of America is a state. D.C. is part of the USA, as are American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, etc. --dm (talk) 03:32, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Actually they aren't. They are unincorporated territories, i.e. they are not incorporated in to the United States. The District of Columbia is a federal district, simply a plot of land under the direct control of the U.S. Congress, which is part of no state. --Golbez 05:53, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Citizens of Washington, D.C. are treated differently in terms of voting rights, but in other respects (e.g. paying taxes) the same as states. --Aude (talk contribs) 06:01, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes, because federal law applies to them just as much as it does to people of the states. --Golbez 06:14, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: That's a joke from the Colbert Report. It's false. --Awiseman 21:29, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Er? Which part? I still had to pay income tax there. :P Was it a joke about taxation without representation? --Golbez 22:00, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: "Location Washington D.C. is NOT part of the United States of America because it is not an actual state" is from the Colbert Report - he had segment where he interviewed DC's congressional rep, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and he said lots of silly stuff like that to make her angry. It worked! --Awiseman 22:14, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Oh, heh, you didn't mean my comment. I'm sad I missed that, I've never really seen her mad. :P --Golbez 22:36, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: It should be on Youtube I bet. --Awiseman 23:10, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Location? 

message: Hello - I am involved in a project called TourPath.  We are creating multi-media, virtual, tours of cities, counties, communities in the U.S. (mutli-media including music, text, links, photos).  I read through the previous posts regarding virtual tours, and have read Wiki's guidelines.  I don't believe a link to the DC TourPath tour would violate Wiki's link rules, but I am writing to ask contributors if they would consider/review a link to the DC tour that I produced for TourPath:  
http://www.commercialnet.biz/dvt/rmp.php?id=666
These tours do have a section for advertisements, but the content is not driven by the ads - the content is built around the facts (for each community)much like Wiki.  If you have questions or would like additional information, I'm happy to respond.
Thank you for considering my request.  Great job with DC-Wiki!
 --Kim Simpson 22:51, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Multi-Media Virtual Tour, Washington DC 

message: I don't know how to change this, but someone needs to.  The areas are listed in metric.  It is not appropriate for American cities to have their primary physical dimensions listed as metric.  Please use the standard convention. (unsigned comment)
:All metric measurements are translated into U.S. units. Why is this a problem? --dm (talk) 23:13, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Area in Metric?

message: Just an explanation - I've changed the infobox "leader" parameters so that there aren't "matching" rows defined with HTML breaks (br).  This makes the label/value pairs not "line up" for non-visual browsers as are used by blind people.  What happens is screen readers present the content top to bottom, row by row, cell by cell, so the old content was heard as "Mayor city council chairperson ward 1 ward 2 ..., Linda W. Cropp, Jim Graham, ...".  -- Rick Block (talk) 23:23, 10 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Infobox accessibility issue 

message: There apparently is some disagreement as to what the intro paragraph to this article should look like.
The original intro read as follows:
:Washington, D.C. is the capital city of the United States. "D.C." stands for the District of Columbia, the federal district coextensive with the city of Washington. The city is named after George Washington, military leader of the American Revolution and the first President of the United States. 
The new intro (three times replaced by User:Gardez Bien to the present form) reads as follows:
:Washington, D.C. is the capital city of the United States. "D.C." stands for the District of Columbia, the federal district coextensive with the city of Washington. The city is named after George Washington, military leader of the American Revolution and the first President of the United States.The land was donated by the State of Maryland (out of the territories of Montgomery County, Maryland and Prince George's County, Maryland). 
To avoid a revert war, please cast your vote as to which you would prefer (original or new).
:Original: The intro should reflect what a reader unfamiliar with the District will want to see.  The fact that part of two Maryland counties were ceded to become the District of Columbia is by no means the most important thing about the city.  This information is useful but doesn't belong in the opening.  If anything, this sentence should be more broadly worded to define Washington's geography (e.g., "The city is located on the banks of the Potomac River between the states of Maryland and Virginia")  Also, please see this user's recent contributions, as he's been editing at least three other articles (Maryland, Prince George's County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland) to include the DC-sourcing fact in their introductions, some as the first sentence of the article (though several have been reverted) Jkatzen 05:15, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Original:, for same reasons as Jkatzen.  Also, mentioning Maryland as the land donor is incomplete without mentioning that Virginia was also a donor.  Only that land was given back...  And this is all unnecessary to get into in the intro.  Postdlf 15:43, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

text: Original per Jkatzen.  While the information about the cession of land by Maryland is useful, it is not on the short list of the most salient facts about the District for someone who is reading the article to learn about it.  Then again, whatever we do, we should not include anything in the introductory paragraph about cession by Virginia, since that is a historical side issue to a historical side issue. Doctor Whom 17:30, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

text: Original, we have a history section, use it. --Golbez 19:31, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

text: I have no idea what you're talking about with your confused "deep south" rambling, but any attempts by you to flout consensus, as THE SOLE PERSON SUPPORTING THE TEXT HERE, will be reverted.  Cheers, Postdlf 14:19, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

text: Apparently, by living most of my life in Washington and living in North Carolina (deep south?), I'm not qualified to make a statement. (PS, I'm in Chantilly at the moment on business, woopwoop) The question is, why does it get on YOUR nerves so much that you feel the need to insult us? --Golbez 17:59, 25 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Straw poll on intro 

message: Why are companies based in Maryland & Virginia discussed in this article's Economy section? The already exist articles for Virginia & Maryland and all of the towns and cities where these companies are located. There is also Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area which could use a section on the regional economy. This article is pretty long so I don't think it makes sense to talk about anything but Washington, D.C. Does anyone object to me removing info about Maryland & Virginia companies? —dm (talk) 02:49, 29 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: No, that makes sense.  I'd recommend moving it to the metro-area article you mentioned. Jkatzen 19:26, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I tend to agree.  One way in which it could be relevant is if it provided jobs for D.C. residents, but because of the higher cost of living I don't think many people live in the District and commute to work in the suburbs.  Postdlf 19:32, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: This article needs work, putting such lists (if relevant) into prose form and better use of references.  I agree that this particular list is better suited for the region article and not here. What's missing is discussion of how economic statistics (e.g. unemployment) vary across the city, ranging from 1.5% in Ward 3 (upper Northwest) to 16.3% in Ward 8 (east of the Anacostia) . --Aude (talk) 20:46, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks for the feedback. I have now rewritten the section changing the lists to prose and deleting the info about Md. & Va. Most of what was taken out is now in Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. This section still could be fleshed out but I think it's on the right track now. —dm (talk) 03:10, 31 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Md. & Va. in Economy section 

message: I have noticed that Arlington County, VA matches perfectly the 10 miles by 10 miles demension of DC. Was this part originally planned to also be part of DC?
:Yes, the VA side (ei Arlington) was taken back through Retrocession.
136.165.88.21 14:53, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: DC- Originally 100 Sq miles???

message: I noticed that DC's black population is tanking, while every other race is growing. Looks like by 2015 blacks will be less than 50% This seems odd because most US cities suffer from white flight, not black flight. Any comments? 136.165.88.21 14:53, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: While I have absolutely no data to support this, I suspect that the "black flight" is a result of the redevelopment of a number of poorer communities into upper-class developments.  Much of the poorer population -- which is predominantly black -- is thus being forced into the neighboring areas that provide more affordable accomodations.  I suspect that the demographics of adjacent Prince George's County, Maryland will show a related increase in black population.  --Thisisbossi 15:13, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Black Majority?

message: who picked the site to be the capitol which is called Washington D.C. today?
:I belive it was George Washington, he was a surveyor and he lived just south of here.  I'm not totally sure however.--Niro5 17:20, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Site Location