Because simply "Northwest" was already in use, historically, to refer to the Northwest Territory of the USA or, even today, the Northwest Territories of Canada.

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What about all the cities named Columbus or Springfield, Washington state vs Washington DC, or all of the roads named MLK?

Town over already has a "Main Street", guess we can't use the name for our first road! ...What do you mean King, Queen, and First street are all taken too?!

Because town names are usually a local consideration, whereas a large geographical chunk of an entire nation is a national consideration.

I mean, you would agree that we wouldn't ever give two states the same name, right?

American history is a constant re-definition of what "West" means. In the 1700s and early 1800s, the northwesternmost extent of the US was the Northwest Territory, which included the modern states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

A number of things in this area are still called "northwest", including Northwestern University near Chicago, and Northwest Airlines, which was based in Minnesota.

Of course, after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the gain of the Oregon Territory in 1846, the old Northwest wasn't very northwest anymore, and so "Pacific Northwest" came to be used for the new northwest corner of the contiguous US.

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Fun fact: Alabama, Mississippi, etc were once The Old Southwest for similar reasons.

>I mean, you would agree that we wouldn't ever give two states the same name, right?

Washington State / Washington DC is annoyingly close.

UMich’s fight song, The Victors, still refers to the team as “Champions of the West”.

Washington is a city inside the District of Columbia.

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

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

The Frontier was constantly moving.

> Northwest Airlines, which was based in Minnesota.

So were they just sitting around since before the Louisiana purchase waiting for someone to invent the airplane?

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.”

Keep it simple -- just use numbers. I mean, there's an infinite number of integers available, so no need for duplication, right?

People still refer to that area as the "Northwest" sometimes, but I would say that "Midwest" has overtaken it.

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

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Lol. Vancouver Washington DC?? People are silly.

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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).

It's a more specific region. Northwest includes Idaho and at least part of Montana. Pacific Northwest describes the coastal areas of the NW.

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

Since it went unstated before, the massive boundary created by the Rocky mountains provides a distinction between east and west east-of-the-Rockies from the same west-of-the-Rockies

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"

"I grew up on 2847000th Street and Xyxzghva Avenue."

"I didn't know you grew up in the desert."

"No. I said Xyxzghva Avenue, not Xyxzkhva Avenue. I was on the beach."

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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/

Ok, and?

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.