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Washington metropolitan area

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Washington – Arlington – Alexandria
Washington D.C.
Washington D.C.
Arlington, Virginia
Arlington, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Country United States
State - Virginia
 - Maryland
 - West Virginia
Principal citiesWashington
 - Arlington
 - Alexandria
Area
 • Metro
14,412 km2 (5,564.6 sq mi)
Elevation
0 - N/A m (0 - N/A ft)
Population
 (2007 est.)[1]
 • Density371.8/km2 (962.9/sq mi)
 • Urban
3,933,920(4th)
 • MSA
5,358,130 (8th)
 MSA/CSA = 2008, Urban = 2000
Time zoneUTC-6 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (EST)

The Washington Metropolitan Area, formally known as the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV MSA, and also known as the National Capital Region, is a U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget. It is also part of the larger Baltimore—Washington Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest combined statistical area in the United States.

The Washington Metropolitan Area is the most educated and affluent metropolitan area in the United States.[2] As of the 2008 Census Bureau estimate, the population of the Washington Metropolitan Area was estimated to be 5,358,130, making it the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the country.[3]

Some federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, refer to part of the area as the National Capital Region.[4] The Virginia portion of the area is known as Northern Virginia.

Composition

Aerial photo of Washington Metropolitan Area
Map highlighting the counties and developed areas of the region
Map highlighting labor patterns of regional counties

The Washington Metropolitan Area includes the District of Columbia and parts of the states of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is divided into two metropolitan divisions:

  • the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Division, comprising the majority of the metropolitan area, and
  • the Bethesda–Gaithersburg–Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division, consisting of Montgomery and Frederick counties.

Political subdivisions

The area includes the following counties, districts, and independent cities:

District of Columbia

Maryland

The following counties are categorized as part of the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area:

Though associated with the Washington Metropolitan Area, the following counties are categorized as part of the Baltimore-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area:

Though associated with the Washington Metropolitan Area, the following county is categorized as part of the Lexington Park, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area:

Virginia

Counties

Independent cities:

West Virginia

Regional organizations

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

Founded in 1957, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) is a regional organization of 21 Washington-area local governments, as well as area members of the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. MWCOG provides a forum for discussion and the development of regional responses to issues regarding the environment, transportation, public safety, homeland security, affordable housing, community planning, and economic development.[5]

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, a component of MWCOG, is the federally-designated metropolitan planning organization for the metropolitan Washington area.[6]

Principal cities

View of Washington with the skylines of Arlington and Tysons Corner in the background
View of Arlington with the skylines of Bailey's Crossroads, Ballston, and Courthouse in the background

The metropolitan area includes the following principal cities (most of which are not incorporated as cities; one, Arlington, is actually a county):

Demographics

Presidential election results
Year DEM GOP Others
2008 68.0% 1,603,902 31.0% 728,916 1.0% 25,288
2004 61.0% 1,258,743 38.0% 785,144 1.4% 19,735
2000 58.5% 1,023,089 37.9% 663,590 3.6% 62,437
1996 57.0% 861,881 37.0% 558,830 6.0% 89,259
1992 53.0% 859,889 34.1% 553.369 12.9% 209,651
1988 50.4% 684,453 48.6% 659,344 1.0% 14,219
1984 51.0% 653,568 48.5% 621,377 0.4% 5,656
1980 44.7% 484,590 44.6% 482,506 11.1% 115,797
1976 54.2% 590,481 44.9% 488,995 1.0% 10,654
1972 44.2% 431,257 54.8% 534,235 1.1% 10,825
1968 49.4% 414,345 39.1% 327,662 11.5% 96,701
1964 69.8% 495,490 30.2% 214,293 0.1% 462
1960 52.5% 204,614 47.3% 184,499 0.1% 593

Politics

The relative strength of the major political parties within the region is shown by the presidential election results since 1960, as presented in the table to the right.[citation needed]

Racial composition

The area has been a magnet for international in-migration since the late 1960s. It is also a magnet for internal migration (persons moving from one region of the U.S. to another).[7][dubious – discuss] Census estimates show that persons of post-1965 immigrant stock will likely represent 25% of the region's population by 2010, forming a bigger population bloc than native blacks for the first time.[8]

Racial composition of the Washington, D.C. area:[9]

2006
1980
  • White : 67.8%
  • Black : 26.0%
  • Asian : 2.5%
  • Hispanic : 2.8%
  • Mixed and Other : 0.9%

Educational attainment and affluence

As of the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the three most educated places with 200,000 people or more in Washington–Arlington–Alexandria by bachelor's degree attainment (population 25 and over) are Arlington, Virginia (68.0%), Fairfax County, Virginia (58.8%), and Montgomery County, Maryland (56.4%).[10] Forbes magazine stated in its 2008 "America's Best- And Worst-Educated Cities" report: "The D.C. area is less than half the size of L.A., but both cities have around 100,000 Ph.D.'s."[11]

The median household income of the region is $72,800. The two highest median household income counties in the nation – Loudoun and Fairfax County, Virginia – are components of the MSA. 12.2% of Northern Virginia's 881,136 households, 8.5% of suburban Maryland's 799,300 households, and 8.2% of Washington's 249,805 households have an annual income in excess of $200,000, compared to 3.7% nationally.[12]

Economy

Rosslyn is home to the tallest high-rises in the region.[13][14]
NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda.
Gannett Company headquarters in Tysons Corner.

The various agencies of the Federal Government employ over 140,000 professionals in the Washington D.C. area. A sizable number in the Washington D.C. area work for defense and civilian contracting companies that conduct business directly with the Federal Government (many of these firms are referred to as 'Beltway Bandits' under the local vernacular). As a result, the Federal Government provides the underlying basis of the economy in the region. However, the Washington D.C. area is increasingly home to a diverse segment of businesses not directly related to the Federal Government. [citation needed].

The Washington, D.C. area has the largest science and engineering work force of any metropolitan area in the nation according to the Greater Washington Initiative at 324,530, ahead of the combined San Francisco Bay Area work force of 214,500, and Chicago metropolitan area at 203,090, citing data from U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Claritas Inc., and other sources.[2]

The Washington, D.C. area was ranked as the second best High-Tech Center in a statistical analysis of the top 100 Metropolitan areas in the United States by American City Business Journals in May 2009, behind the Silicon Valley and ahead of the Boston metropolitan area.[15] Fueling the metropolitan area's ranking was the reported 241,264 tech jobs in the region, a total was eclipsed only by New York, Los Angeles, and the combined San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland regions, as well as the highest master's and/or doctoral degree attainment among the 100 ranked metropolitan areas.[15]

Notably the Washington D.C. Area is home to several major research universities, hundreds of think tanks and non-profit organizations. Additionally, Washington D.C. is a top tourism destination as flocks of Americans and foreigners from around the world visit the museums and monuments of the Capital city year round with the peak season being during the Spring and Summer months of April through August. Moreover, the Washington D.C. area attracts dozens of major conferences & conventions each year which also contribute greatly to the region's economy. [citation needed]

Primary industries

Biotechnology

Not limited to its proximity to the National Institutes of Health, Maryland's Washington suburbs are a major center for biotechnology. Prominent local biotech companies include MedImmune, The Institute for Genomic Research, Human Genome Sciences, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Defense contracting

Many defense contractors are based in the region to be close to the Pentagon in Arlington. Local defense contractors include Lockheed Martin, the largest, as well as Raytheon, General Dynamics, BAE Systems, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), CACI, and Orbital Sciences Corporation.

Notable company headquarters in the region

(Numbers denote Fortune 500 company ranking.)

Washington, D.C.

Suburban Maryland

Northern Virginia

Main article: List of companies headquartered in Northern Virginia

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Washington, D.C.
Dulles International
Washington Metro

Major airports

Rail transit systems

Bus transit systems

Health

The Washington DC metro area has held the top spot in the American College of Sports Medicine's annual American Fitness Index ranking of the United States' 50 most populous metropolitan areas for two years running. The report cites, among other things, the high average fitness level and healthy eating habits of residents, the widespread availability of health care and facilities like swimming pools, tennis courts, and parks, low rates of obesity and tobacco use relative to the national average, and the high median household income as contributors to the city's community health.[16]

Sister cities

Washington, D.C. has ten official sister city agreements.[17] Paris is a "Partner City" due to the one Sister City policy of that commune.[18]

City Country Year
Bangkok Thailand Thailand 1962, renewed 2002
Dakar Senegal Senegal 1980, renewed 2006
Beijing China China 1984, renewed 2004
Brussels Belgium Belgium 1985, renewed 2002
Athens Greece Greece 2000
Paris France France 2000, renewed 2005
Pretoria South Africa South Africa 2002, renewed 2008
Seoul South Korea South Korea 2006
Accra Ghana Ghana 2006
Sunderland United Kingdom United Kingdom 2006

Alexandria, Virginia has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

Arlington, Virginia:

Herndon, Virginia:

Falls Church, Virginia:

District Heights, Maryland:

Frederick, Maryland:

La Plata, Maryland:

Rockville, Maryland:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Washington area richest, most educated in US: report
  3. ^ Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008
  4. ^ "National Capital Region – Office of National Capital Region Coordination". Department of Homeland Security. December 21, 2005. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  5. ^ http://www.mwcog.org/about/
  6. ^ http://www.mwcog.org/transportation/tpb/
  7. ^ http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/pubs/pdf/rr02-496.pdf "Metro Magnets for Minorities and Whites: Melting Pots, the New Sunbelt, and the Heartland", Pages 9 and 10
  8. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/asrh/CC-EST2007-alldata.html
  9. ^ http://census.gov/popest/counties/asrh/CC-EST2006-RACE6.html
  10. ^ 2006–2008 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates
  11. ^ America's Best- And Worst-Educated Cities
  12. ^ ACS 2005-2007
  13. ^ High-Rises Approved That Would Dwarf D.C.
  14. ^ List of tallest buildings in DC, MD, VA, WV
  15. ^ a b "The top 100 tech centers". Bizjournals. 2009-05-11. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
  16. ^ "Washington, DC (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA) 2010 AFI Report" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  17. ^ "Protocol and International Affairs". DC Office of the Secretary. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  18. ^ "Twinning with Rome". Ville de Paris. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  19. ^ "Tobacco to Tourism: Celebrating Alexandria's Scottish Heritage - "Dundee, Scotland: Alexandria's Sister City"". City Council, City of Alexandria, Virginia. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  20. ^ "Runnymede's Town Twinning Association". Runnymede Borough Council. Retrieved October 4, 2006.


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