Why is Washington DC the country's capital and NOT also Viginia's state capital?

Question

For those of you who do not know, Washington DC is not a state. It is a major city in Virginia.

Answer 1

why not?

Answer 2

Sorry, but you are incorrect.  Washington DC is not in any state.  It is a district created for the nation's capitol so that the capitol was not located in any state which could have been looked upon as favoritism.

Answer 3

Washington DC is a Special District. It is NOT a major city in Virginia. Think of it like a Vatican City in this aspect

Also, the bulk of it is located in the state of Maryland, as Virginia is across the Potomac River.

You get a D- in this geography pop quiz and will be required to write a paper on a brief history of washington DC, due on my desk in two days.

Answer 4

No, you're wrong.  DC is it's only DISTRICT.  It's not a state. DC is not a city in Virginia, DC is it's own area.

Answer 5

That simply isn't true,D.C. is not a part of virginia at all. it is a separate DISTRICT hence the name, District of Columbia. It was formed so that no state could have an unfair(real or percieved) advantage in the making of laws. That is why the capitol was moved from philidelphia PA. for that reason.

Answer 6

Virginia and Maryland both "donated" land to build Washington, D.C. In doing so, both states gave up all control of that land. Therefore, DC is not in any state. You are correct in saying that it is not a state, but you are horribly mistaken in saying that it is a major city in Virginia. It is a major city NEAR Virginia.

Washington, D.C. is actually a district, the "D.C." standing for "District of Colombia". This is why there are always periods after the "D" and the "C", and also a comma right after "Washington".

If you live in the United States (and are old enough to legally have your own account on Yahoo), then there is absolutely no reason for you not to know this. I am ashamed to call you my "fellow countryman" (to borrow a phrase from former president Woodrow Wilson).

Answer 7

this is sad, that students don't know basic knowledge,  it simply stands for the federal gov not any state, all states

Answer 8

Washington D.C was built on a piece of relatively undesirable swampland between Maryland and Virginia. It historically had been a matter of some minor dispute between the two states, but not a huge deal, because it was really NOT good land. The district is mainly situated between two rivers, the Potomac and the Anacostia, and wasn't much for farming or building.

The Federal government had been operating in New York, but this was considered unfair to states that didn't get to have their city be the national capital, so it was arranged to build a new city on the swampy district. Until then, there was no city there, nor much of anything. A French Architect named Pierre L'Enfant was hired to design the city. It is a completely planned city, with very orderly streets and perhaps some Masonic symbolism thrown in.

I guess you don't want a history of D.C. though, the point is that the district was never part of Virginia. Alexandria, Virginia, is just across the Potomac from Washington, and combined the two cities form a nearly perfect square, so I think Virginia at one point may have had some claim to the whole square, but it was eventually agreed to turn the portion east of the Potomac over to the Feds.

Besides that, Richmond had been the capital of Virginia for a long time before Washington ever existed, and they were not about to change that. Richmond was a much bigger city, too, and had industries. Even today, Washington doesn't have much of anything but government. Fewer than 600,000 people live within the city limits, though there's a few million in the suburbs.

edit - Stephen k before you start giving grades be advised the entire city of washington is east of the Potomac, not just the bulk of it...

Answer 9

Washington,  D.C.is a district, not a city or state.

Land was given from both Maryland and Virginia, to the government to make up Washington.

Since you say DC is the largest city in Va. lets see what good old wilkipedia says. It says:

10 largest cities in Va.

10 largest cities (2005 est.): Virginia Beach, 438,415; Norfolk, 231,954; Chesapeake, 218,968; Arlington, 195,965; Richmond, 193,777; Newport News, 179,899; Hampton, 145,579; Alexandria, 135,337; Portsmouth, 100,169; Roanoke, 92,631

If Washington, D.C., were a state, it would rank last in area (behind Rhode Island), second to last in population (ahead of Wyoming.

Richomd is Virginia's capital, because it was that way since 1780, and incidentally before that Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia.

Washington D.C. was established in 1800.

So Richmond was Virginia;s capital 20 years before Washington, D.C. was even established.

Why IS Washington dc the nations capital?

I have done enough homework for you.

You find that answer out.

You are clever though. Instead of placing this in education under "homework help" you put it in trivia.

Source: graduated 12th grade in the U.S., and knowing the Us's History.

Go to school, like all of us did, and you will be able to know all these facts.