WASHINGTON, D. C., the capital of the United States, coterminous with the District and, therefore, occupying a territory of 69% square miles. The city is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress; it is situated on the Potomac River, 100 miles above its mouth, 40 miles south by west of Baltimore, 136 miles from Philadelplua, 226 miles from New York, 1,109 miles from New Orleans and 3,118 miles from San Francisco.
The exact location of Washington is, long. 76° 58' W.; lat. 38° 53' N. The climate of this locality is mild and even, the mean average annual temperature for the past quarter-cen tury being 55'; average summer temperature for this period, 75°; average winter tempera ture, 35.
Washington is approached by both railway and waterway, as well as by an admirable sys tem of highways constructed to meet the re quirements of the recent enormous increase in motor travel. Steamboat lines connect it with Baltimore to the north, and with Norfolk to the south. From the north and west both the Pennsylvania and tire Baltimore and Ohio rail ways lead into the city, from the west the Chesapeake and Ohio and from the south the Southern, the Seaboard Air Line and the At lantic Coast Line.
A bird's-eye, or air-ship; view of Wash ington discloses a forest-like area, banded from north to south, from east to west, and from certain radiating centres, by broad thoroughtares. At trequent intervals the wealth of greenery grows compact in park formation, Dome, and spire, and turret, hft through the verdure. And within it there is the glow of giided roof, the gleam of marble wall and the massed grays and reds of every city's usual architecture. From this high point the northern bank of the Potcmaac is seen to form a border of urban landscape, bending to the riw.r's way, from the eastern to the western limits of the city, in a picturesque sweep of green. This effect of living green is the dominant note of the whole. With its 600 miles of street trees, exclusive of those be longing to the parks, Washington challenges the world in this respect, Buenos Aires alone standing as its only possible rival. This up lifted field of observation malces disclosure, also, of the spread ot the city and the direction of its most vigorous growth. It reveals, be sides, the number and location of attractive suburbs that are so rapidly gathering upon its outskirts to the north and northwest. An above all, it brings into a distinct and relatedd view those points that mark Washington as the seat of government. On a commanding height in the eastern part or the city rises its most notable and magnificent structure, the CapitoL A block away from this, to both north and south, are two commodious and impressive buildings of white marble, devoted to the office use of senators and representatives respect ively. A block to the east of it is the Library of Congress. A mile to the west of the Capitol is the White House, flanked on the east by the Treasury of the United States, and on the west by the State, War and Navy build ing. This outline sketch summarizes the es
sen tials of the city as the heart of the Federal territory. A line flung westward across the Mall, from the Capitol to Arlington National Cemetery on the Virginia side of the Potomac, includes, besides these two points, Washington Morm.naent and Lincoln Memonal.
Streets and Avenues.—The projectors of Washington possessed the vision of a city that was, eventually, to fill the District of Columbia to its borders. Therefore, it was to this scale that they planned. The Capitol was selected as the keynote of the scheme. Through the cen tre of its site a line was drawn from north to south, and another from east to west. Both extended to the limits of the District. The four sections laid off by. these lines were, ac cording to relative position, named, northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest, Washing ton. This device was calculated to reduce to a clear and sitnple system the complex problem of street naming that great cities encounter. These initial lines became streets, the one ex tending north and south from the Capitol, North and South Capitol streets respectively. The one running east from the Capitol was named East Capitol street. Toward the west, the Mall was set off for a great city park. This, to the width of four city blocks, ex tends straight west from the Capitol to the Potomac River. Lines drawn parallel to the two original ones served as the plan by which the entire District might, as need arose, be transformed into a huge area of rectangular city blocks, bounded. by a regular system of numbered and lettered streets, the former ex tending north and south, the latter east and west. Since the street naming started from the two initial lines that divided the city into four sections, each lettered and numbered street be came one of a four-fold duplicate. Identifica tion would be rendered simple and complete, however, by virtue of the section to which each belonged. Superimposed upon this rectangular system of streets were the avenues radiating from the Capitol and certain other centres. These as they developed were to be given the names of the States of the Union. The original plan of city growth has been adhered to with fidelity. The distinction of Washington's streets lies in their width, their finish and their luxuriant tree borders. The narrowest street is 60 feet wide. They range from this figure to 160 feet in width. Pennsylvania avenue, extending from the Capitol, east to the Eastern branch and west to Rock Creek, paved with asphalt its entire leng.th, is the broadest of the avenues. Sixteenth street is the widest told most beautiful of the street& The city report of 1916 shovrs 513.69 miles of paved streets, its mileage of asphah paving ex ceeding that of all other kinds combined. Scientific street-tree culture is vigorously pur sued. Already 600 miles of street trees con tribute markedly to the beauty of the city.