Washington, D.C.

Office of U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
311 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
T: (202) 224-3441
F: (202) 228-0514

About Washington, D.C.

Founded on July 16, 1791, the city of Washington, D.C., was created as a “federal district” — a city that is entirely separate from surrounding states — to serve as the seat of government.

Two years after the city’s founding, President George Washington laid the cornerstone in 1793 to celebrate the building of the U.S. Capitol. Completed in 1826, the cast-iron domed building originally housed the Supreme Court, district courts, the Library of Congress, and both chambers of Congress.  As the American population grew, so too did Congress, and the Capitol building underwent many expansions to serve the growing nation. Today, the U.S. Capitol houses the legislative branch of government, which includes the Senate and the House of Representatives. An American landmark that features treasured art and iconic architecture, the U.S. Capitol has been home to legislative debates and the passage of historic laws for more than 175 years.

In Congress, the people of Washington are served by one non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives and one shadow Senator. The city itself is located on the north bank of the Potomac River and is bordered by the states of Virginia to the southwest and Maryland to the other sides. The District has a resident population of more than 600,000; because of commuters from the surrounding suburbs, its population rises to over one million during the workweek. The Washington Metropolitan Area, of which the District is a part, has a population of more than 5.5 million, the seventh largest metropolitan area in the country.