Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Forklift Parts - Formerly the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. has been known just as Washington, "the District", and even D.C. The US Congress on July 16, the year 1790, approved the creation of a permanent national capital city state as permitted by the U.S. Constitution. The federal district is thus not a part of any U.S. state. It was formed from land along the Potomac River donated by the state of Maryland and the state of Virginia; then again, the Virginia section was returned by Congress in 1846.

A new capital city named after George Washington was founded in 1791 to the east of the preexisting port of Georgetown. The City of Washington, Georgetown, and the remaining unincorporated area in the District were consolidated under one government in 1871, that formed Washington, D.C., as it exists at present. The city shares its name with the U.S. state of Washington, situated on the Pacific coast of the nation.

The city state of D.C. had a population just over 600,000 people. In the workweek, commuters coming from the suburbs of Maryland and Virginia increase the population to more than 1 million. The Washington Metropolitan Area, wherein the District is a part, has a population of nearly 5.6 million, the 7th-largest metropolitan region within the United States.

Situated within this district are all three branches of the federal government of the United States, and many national monuments and museums. The city also hosts embassies of 176 foreign nations together with the headquarters of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund or IMF, the Organization of American States or OAS, the Inter-American Development Bank, as well as the Pan American Health Organization or also referred to as PAHO. The head offices of various other institutions like trade unions, non-profit organizations, professional associations and lobbying groups are likewise located in the city of Washington.

D.C. has its own mayor and city council led by a 13-member council. The Congress does however, have authority over the city of Washington and could overturn local laws. People therefore have less self-governance compared to inhabitants of the U.S. states. The District has a non-voting, at-large Congressional delegate, but with no senators.

The economy of Washington D.C. has an economy which is diversified and growing with a large percentage of business service and professional jobs. During 2010, the District had a gross state product of $103.3 billion, which would place it ahead of 16 US states. As of the month of June the year 2011, the Washington Metropolitan Area had an unemployment rate of 6.2%; the 2nd-lowest rate among the 49 biggest metro areas within the United States. The District of Columbia itself had a 9.8% unemployment rate in the same time period.

The District has growing businesses not completely associated to government, particularly in the fields of finance, education, scientific research and public policy. George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University, Washington Hospital Center and the Children's national Medical Center are the leading five non-government-related businesses within the city of Washington as of the year 2009. There are five Fortune 1000 companies based in the city of Washington, of which two are also Fortune 500 businesses.