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drafterman t1_j2e95kp wrote

Reply to comment by geek_fire in ELI5 why do people refer to it as the pacific northwest rather than simply the northwest? by Longshot_Louie

Washington is a city inside the District of Columbia.

That's why it's "Washington, DC", not "Washington DC"

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corveroth t1_j2ezu73 wrote

The city of Washington had its charter repealed all the way back in 1871, by the District of Columbia Organic Act.

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drafterman t1_j2f5qyk wrote

Said act says:

"that portion of said District included within the present limits of the city of Washington shall continue to be known as the city of Washington"

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corveroth t1_j2fmsds wrote

And then in 1985, Georgetown was abolished.

> ...all general laws, ordinances, and regulations of the City of Washington are extended and made applicable to that part of the District of Columbia formerly known as the City of Georgetown. The title and existence of said Georgetown as a separate and independent city by law is abolished. Nothing in this section shall operate to affect or repeal existing law making Georgetown a port of entry, except as to its name.

https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/1-107

And current law:

> The District of Columbia is the successor of the corporations of Washington and Georgetown, and all the property of said corporations, and of the County of Washington, is vested in the District of Columbia.

https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/1-104.html

And per the Secretary of the District of Columbia, in 2014:

> “We refer to it as Washington, D.C., but the legal name is the District of Columbia,” Brock-Smith says.

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/205772/what-is-washington/

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jacobin17 t1_j2fpbuv wrote

The funny part is that Washington was originally going to be admitted as Columbia but they thought it would be too confusing because of the District of Columbia.

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geek_fire t1_j2e9sr7 wrote

Technically true, but irrelevant. There aren't exactly other cities in DC, and if I say I live in Washington (and the context is clear we're talking states), it's a >50% chance the listener would assume DC if I don't preemptively disambiguate it

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ohyonghao t1_j2ehx8u wrote

I was from Vancouver, WA and traveling. People would ask me where I’m from and I’d say, “Vancouver”, and they’d say, “Oh, BC.” I’d respond, “No, Washington.” To which they would say, “ Oh, DC.”

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geek_fire t1_j2endpk wrote

Oh, yeah, I definitely assume BC when someone says Vancouver!

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ABCDwp t1_j2exhvy wrote

There aren't other cities now, but that hasn't always been the case. In the past, there were also the cities of Georgetown, DC (since absorbed into Washington, DC) and Alexandria, DC (now Alexandria, VA).

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