Biggest possible D.C.?

Simple question: how big can the District of Columbia be? I know that half of it was ceded back to Virginia, so obviously that could have not happened. Other than that, is there any way for a larger US federal district?
 
Wouldn't a bigger federal district kind of defeat the idea of a federal capital? Too big (say, Vermont-sized) and we'll have a "federal state" with its own interests and political basis without real representation, and no longer on a real neutral ground.
 
Simple question: how big can the District of Columbia be? I know that half of it was ceded back to Virginia, so obviously that could have not happened. Other than that, is there any way for a larger US federal district?

The Constitution answers that, doesn't it?

"To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (*not exceeding ten Miles square*) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States..." (my emphasis) http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

The current area of the District is 68.3 square miles. Before the retrocession to Virginia, it was 100 square miles--the constitutional maximum.
 
The Constitution answers that, doesn't it?

"To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (*not exceeding ten Miles square*) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States..." (my emphasis) http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

The current area of the District is 68.3 square miles. Before the retrocession to Virginia, it was 100 square miles--the constitutional maximum.


Honestly, I had totally forgotten that was in the Constitution! Shame on me. Thanks!
 
it was 100 square miles--the constitutional maximum.
Why was it made so large?

I always thought people living in D.C. was an accident, but with that much space it seems like you couldn't help but have people living there permanently.
 
Simple question: how big can the District of Columbia be? I know that half of it was ceded back to Virginia, so obviously that could have not happened. Other than that, is there any way for a larger US federal district?

No more than 100 sq. mi. in terms of area; David T got it exactly right.

However, though, there's a fair bit of room to grow, population wise. It's honestly not hard to imagine a D.C. with at least a million people in this scenario, at least; OTL's D.C. once had about 750,000 people with just 68 square miles in area. This ATL District of Columbia might even be able to have 2 million, with that extra land, and some more intense development. ;)
 
On paper, the District is 68.3 square miles, in practice, the DC metropolitan area extends well into Montgomery, Prince George, Arlington, and Fairfax counties.
 
Does making the US a unitary state count?

Also, DC currently has over a million residents-during the day. But many commute back to their suburban homes in the evening. To be honest, I dread how crowded the city could become in the near future, given the vastly increasing urbanization that is drawing young people (including me) into the city limits.
 
D.C. was larger than it is now, there was a section of the district that was in northern Virginia which was ceded back to the state of Virginia in 1847 (31 sq mi).
 
Well first of all we could keep the Virginian part, which could add a couple extra hundred thousand if we keep DC's current density over the new land.

Then we could try to keep the City from shrinking too much after WWII or at any other point assuming it's butterflied away.

Washington DC could easily fit two million people as well, especially if the height limit isn't put in place.

Why was it made so large?

I always thought people living in D.C. was an accident, but with that much space it seems like you couldn't help but have people living there permanently.

Having the capital city of any country not become a major city doesn't really happen. The government will always attract people.
 
Plus, should a situation where, I don't know, we want a lot of memorials in our capital or something, the Constitution could always be amended to grant DC extra land.
 
Speaking with negligible knowledge of the subject, but when did the DC statehood movement first start? Perhaps if an early version of that came up and was successful, DC might seek to be enlarged on grounds of it being "too small" to be a viable state?
 
Having the capital city of any country not become a major city doesn't really happen. The government will always attract people.

The Washington case to me is probably like our own federal-national capital, Ottawa - across the Rideau River, you have in our Quebec Hull-Gatineau, and probably in Ontario suburbs and all extending a bit...


Well, on your thing Gottheit, the capitals of regions, provinces, even Nations are not always the biggest cities around - in Canada by example, Toronto the PROVINCIAL capital of Ontario is quite bigger (and livelier), Quebec City is humbled by Montreal... Same cases for many US states capitals VS other cities it seems..
It depend on some factors. Capital-ity is a boost, but not always to making you N.1.
 
You are correct, an obvious example being that NEw York City has more than ten times as many people in its city limits as Washington, which isn't even in the twenty largest cities. Going by metropolitan population though DC is larger than it first appears, although not bigger than New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago by any means.

What I really meant to say was that National capitals ten to attract a lot of people and become large cities in their own right, maybe not the biggest in the nation, but still much larger than they would be if they were not the Capital.
 

SunDeep

Banned
WI you had something a bit more symbolic in the constitution, like 'not exceeding 13 miles square'?
 
Honestly - get the building height limit eliminated and retrocede the retrocession.

Oh, how the city might've been if it kept Alexandria and had no height limit! :eek:

citylayout_big.jpg


Okay, maybe not that, but it would've been interesting to see what the D.C. of an alternate universe looks like.
 
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