The text book defines regions as "an area having some characteristic or characteristics that distinguish it from other areas." It also adds, "A territory of interest to people and for which one or more distinctive traits are used as the basis for its identity."
Basically, geographers divide land areas into regions based on similar characteristics, in order to help forge a region's identity and characteristics.
The book also states that the most commonly perceived regions of the U.S. are:
1. Pacific Northwest
2. Mountain or West
3. Southwest
4. Mid Continent
5. South
6. Midwest
7. Appalachia
8. Northeast
9. New England
Based on figure 1.1 in the Textbook, Washington D.C. is right in the middle of the Appalachian Region and Northeast Region. In the same way, Washington D.C. is the district set aside in the Constitution right between Virginia and Maryland.
It is hard to put D.C. in a specific region, because it is so different from every other state. Mostly, because it isn't a state. It is considered a district, known as the "District of Columbia". Washington D.C. is the city inside, but it is so synonymous with the district, that most people refer to the whole district as Washington D.C.
D.C. itself, is divided into four regions, or as the locals call it, 'quadrants.' As you can see from the satellite image above, the quadrants are unequal in size. The quadrants all stem from the U.S. Capitol building. In this way, all the quadrants share a common theme and geographical staring point at the Capitol building.
1. Urbanization
2. Industrialization
3. Mobility
4. Resource Abundance and Dependence
5. Income and Consumption
6. Political Complexity
7. Variety of Cultural Origins
Urbanization & Industrialization
Washington D.C. is extremely urbanized. City-data.com reports that over 500,000 people live in the city center of D.C., while close to 5,000,000 live in the surrounding metropolitan areas. Washington D.C. is only 61.4 square miles, so most residents live in cities, not rural areas. This trend toward urban living is very similar to what is occurring in the rest of the United States
Most people think that anyone who lives in D.C. works for the government, but only one in six workers are on government payroll. However, the federal government is the largest consumer of technological equipment and service in the world, and in this way, it provides a need for research, technological, and communications companies. Nearly 50 of the major Fortune 500 companies have offices in D.C., which also happens to be the location of leading world and national financial institutions.
As you can see below, much of D.C. is urbanized.
Mobility
D.C. is also a city and district that enjoys a high rate of mobility. Public transportation throughout the whole city is made accessible through bus and rail and is affordable to anyone. The D.C. Metro is one of the highest regarded subway stations in the U.S. for its cleanliness, station architecture, and timeliness.(It gets almost 4 stars on Yelp!)
The Washington D.C. Metro
In addition, Washington D.C. hosts 3 airports. For such a small district, that is a considerable amount of air traffic! People fly into or out of D.C. through Washington National Airport (DCA), Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI).
Dulles International Airport
Income and Consumption
The median household income in Washington D.C. in 2009 was $59,290. In the whole U.S., $52,000 was the median income in 2009, so citizens in D.C. enjoy a slightly higher than average income.Political Complexity
Of all the places in the U.S., Washington D.C. is the right place to look for political complexity. The United States enjoys a complex democracy system, and all of that is centered and located in Washington D.C.
From the White House where the head of the country lives, to the Capitol building where the representatives serve, to the Supreme Court, D.C. is the center of politics and government. Interestingly enough, for a long time the citizens of Washington D.C. were not allowed to vote for President until the 23rd amendment was ratified in 1961.
D.C. is governed by a mayor and a 13 member city council. However the U.S. Congress holds ultimate superiority and may overturn any local laws at any time. Because of this, D.C. has a unique political experience in the U.S.--it's residents have less self governance than almost any other state. The district also has no senators in Congress.
Washington D.C. is also the site of hundreds of political protests a year. Just this past year D.C. was the protest space for Glen Beck and the Tea Partiers as well as John Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.
Tea Party protestors in Washington D.C.
Variety of Cultural Origins
The 2010 Census reported that the District of Columbia has 601, 657 residents, and during the workweek, the population increases to close to 1 million. The population of Washington D.C. is very diverse compared with most of America.
Of the 601, 657 residents, 55.6% is black or African American, 36.3% is white, 3.1% is Asian, and 0.2% American Indian. D.C. also is unique in it's population in that a minority group is the dominant group in the area.
A diverse crowd watching President Obama's inaguration
