Washington metropolitan area

The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The area includes all of the District of Columbia (the federal district coextensive with the city of Washington) and parts of the states of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The Office of Management and Budget defines the area as the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area used for statistical purposes by the Census Bureau and other agencies. The area includes as its principal cities Washington as well as the Virginia cities of Arlington and Alexandria. The Office of Management and Budget also includes the metropolitan statistical area as part of the larger combined statistical area of Baltimore–Washington, which has a population of over 8.55 million.

The area is also sometimes referred to as the National Capital Region, particularly federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security. The area in the region that is surrounded by Interstate 495 is also referred to as the "Capital Beltway". The Virginia portion of the area is known as Northern Virginia.

The Washington Metropolitan Area is the most educated and by some measures, the most affluent metropolitan area in the United States. , the population of the Washington Metropolitan Area was estimated to be 5,582,170 (+16.39%), making it the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the country.

Composition
The U.S. Census Bureau divides the Washington statistical metropolitan area into two metropolitan divisions: Note that Metropolitan Area and Metropolitan Statistical Area should not be confused with Metropolitan Division.
 * the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Division, comprising the majority of the metropolitan area
 * the Bethesda–Gaithersburg–Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division, consisting of Montgomery and Frederick counties

Political subdivisions
The area includes the following counties, districts, and independent cities:

District of Columbia

 * Washington, D.C.

Maryland
The following counties are categorized as part of the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area:
 * Calvert County
 * Charles County
 * Frederick County
 * Montgomery County
 * Prince George's County

Although associated with the Washington Metropolitan Area, the following counties are categorized as part of the Baltimore-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area:
 * Anne Arundel County
 * Howard County

Although associated with the Washington Metropolitan Area, the following county is categorized as part of the Lexington Park, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area:
 * St. Mary's County

Virginia
Counties Independent cities:
 * Arlington County
 * Clarke County
 * Fairfax County
 * Fauquier County
 * Frederick County
 * Loudoun County
 * Prince William County
 * Spotsylvania County
 * Stafford County
 * Warren County
 * City of Alexandria
 * City of Fairfax
 * City of Falls Church
 * City of Fredericksburg
 * City of Manassas
 * City of Manassas Park

West Virginia

 * Jefferson County
 * Berkeley County

Geographic designations
The following information corresponds to the map to the right, which highlights labor patterns of regional counties.

Total Regions: 22 (6 cities, 15 counties, 1 district), plus 3 Maryland counties associated with unofficially (Grand-total 25)

By geographic type:
 * Core: 2 Regions (0 cities, 1 county, 1 district)
 * Suburban: 12 Regions (5 cities, 7 counties)
 * Exurban: 8 Regions (1 city, 7 counties)

By state:
 * Maryland: 5 Regions (0 cities, 5 counties)
 * Virginia: 15 Regions (6 cities, 9 counties)
 * West Virginia: 1 Region (0 cities, 1 county)

By region type:
 * Cities: 6 (Virginia: 6)
 * Counties: 15 (Maryland: 5, Virginia: 9, West Virginia: 1)
 * District: 1

Core

 * Total: 2
 * District of Columbia: 1
 * Washington, D.C.
 * Virginia: 1
 * Cities: 0
 * Counties: 1
 * Arlington County

Suburban

 * Total: 12
 * Maryland 4
 * Cities: 0
 * Counties: 4
 * Charles County
 * Frederick County
 * Montgomery County
 * Prince George's County
 * Virginia: 8
 * Cities: 5
 * City of Alexandria
 * City of Fairfax
 * City of Falls Church
 * City of Manassas
 * City of Manassas Park
 * Counties: 3
 * Fairfax County
 * Loudoun County
 * Prince William County

Exurban
An exurb is "a non-rural residential community located outside a city, beyond the suburbs".


 * Total: 8
 * Maryland: 1
 * Cities: 0
 * Counties: 1
 * Calvert County
 * Virginia: 6
 * Cities: 1
 * City of Fredericksburg
 * Counties: 5
 * Clarke County
 * Fauquier County
 * Spotsylvania County
 * Stafford County
 * Warren County
 * West Virginia: 1
 * Cities: 0
 * Counties: 1
 * Jefferson County

Associated with (unofficially)
(These areas are not shown on the labor pattern map.)
 * Total: 3
 * Maryland: 3
 * Baltimore-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area: 2
 * Anne Arundel County
 * Howard County
 * Lexington Park, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area: 1
 * St. Mary's County

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
Founded in 1957, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) is a regional organization of 21 Washington-area local governments, as well as area members of the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. MWCOG provides a forum for discussion and the development of regional responses to issues regarding the environment, transportation, public safety, homeland security, affordable housing, community planning, and economic development.

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, a component of MWCOG, is the federally-designated metropolitan planning organization for the metropolitan Washington area.

Principal cities
The metropolitan area includes the following principal cities (most of which are not incorporated as cities; one, Arlington, is actually a county):
 * Washington, D.C.
 * Arlington, Virginia
 * Alexandria, Virginia
 * Bethesda, Maryland
 * Bowie, Maryland
 * Centreville, Virginia
 * Chantilly, Virginia
 * College Park, Maryland
 * Fairfax, Virginia
 * Falls Church, Virginia
 * Frederick, Maryland
 * Gaithersburg, Maryland
 * Germantown, Maryland
 * Herndon, Virginia
 * Leesburg, Virginia
 * Manassas, Virginia
 * Reston, Virginia
 * Rockville, Maryland
 * Silver Spring, Maryland
 * Springfield, Virginia
 * Suitland, Maryland
 * Takoma Park, Maryland
 * Tysons Corner, Virginia
 * Vienna, Virginia
 * Waldorf, Maryland

Politics
The relative strength of the major political parties within the region is shown by the presidential election results since 1960, as presented in the table to the right.

Racial composition
The area has been a magnet for international immigration since the late 1960s. It is also a magnet for internal migration (persons moving from one region of the U.S. to another). Census estimates show that persons of post-1965 immigrant stock will likely represent 25% of the region's population by 2010, forming a bigger population bloc than native blacks for the first time.

Racial composition of the Washington, D.C. area:


 * 2006
 * White : 51.7%
 * Black : 26.3%
 * Asian : 8.4%
 * Hispanic : 11.6%
 * Mixed and Other : 2.0%


 * 1980
 * White : 67.8%
 * Black : 26.0%
 * Asian : 2.5%
 * Hispanic : 2.8%
 * Mixed and Other : 0.9%

Educational attainment and affluence
The Washington Metropolitan Area has ranked as the highest-educated metropolitan area in the nation for four decades. As of the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the three most educated places with 200,000 people or more in Washington–Arlington–Alexandria by bachelor's degree attainment (population 25 and over) are Arlington, Virginia (68.0%), Fairfax County, Virginia (58.8%), and Montgomery County, Maryland (56.4%). Forbes magazine stated in its 2008 "America's Best- And Worst-Educated Cities" report: "The D.C. area is less than half the size of L.A., but both cities have around 100,000 Ph.D.'s."

In recent years the Washington Metropolitan Area has overtaken the San Francisco Bay Area as the highest-income metropolitan area in the nation. The median household income of the region is US$72,800. The two highest median household income counties in the nation – Loudoun and Fairfax County, Virginia – are components of the MSA (and #3 is Howard County, officially in Baltimore's sphere but strongly connected with Washington's); measured in this way, Alexandria ranks 10th among municipalities in the region - 11th if Howard is included - and 23rd in the entire United States. 12.2% of Northern Virginia's 881,136 households, 8.5% of suburban Maryland's 799,300 households, and 8.2% of Washington's 249,805 households have an annual income in excess of $200,000, compared to 3.7% nationally.

Economy


The various agencies of the Federal Government employ over 140,000 professionals in the Washington D.C. area. A sizable number in the Washington D.C. area work for defense and civilian contracting companies that conduct business directly with the Federal Government (many of these firms are referred to as 'Beltway Bandits' under the local vernacular). As a result, the Federal Government provides the underlying basis of the economy in the region. However, the Washington D.C. area is increasingly home to a diverse segment of businesses not directly related to the Federal Government.

The Washington, D.C. area has the largest science and engineering work force of any metropolitan area in the nation in 2006 according to the Greater Washington Initiative at 324,530, ahead of the combined San Francisco Bay Area work force of 214,500, and Chicago metropolitan area at 203,090, citing data from U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Claritas Inc., and other sources.

The Washington, D.C. area was ranked as the second best High-Tech Center in a statistical analysis of the top 100 Metropolitan areas in the United States by American City Business Journals in May 2009, behind the Silicon Valley and ahead of the Boston metropolitan area. Fueling the metropolitan area's ranking was the reported 241,264 tech jobs in the region, a total eclipsed only by New York, Los Angeles, and the combined San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland regions, as well as the highest master's or doctoral degree attainment among the 100 ranked metropolitan areas.

The Washington D.C. Area is home to hundreds of major research universities, think tanks, and non-profit organizations. Additionally, Washington, D.C. is a top tourism destination as flocks of Americans and foreigners from around the world visit the museums and monuments of the Capital city year round with the peak season being during the Spring and Summer months of April through August. Moreover, the Washington D.C. area attracts tens of major conferences and conventions each year which also contribute greatly to the region's economy.

Biotechnology
Not limited to its proximity to the National Institutes of Health, Maryland's Washington suburbs are a major center for biotechnology. Prominent local biotech companies include MedImmune, The Institute for Genomic Research, Human Genome Sciences, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Defense contracting
Many defense contractors are based in the region to be close to the Pentagon in Arlington. Local defense contractors include Lockheed Martin, the largest, as well as Raytheon, General Dynamics, BAE Systems, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), CACI, and Orbital Sciences Corporation. Northrup Grumman is to move its headquarters to the region by the summer of 2011.

Notable company headquarters in the region
List of companies headquartered in the Washington Metropolitan Area with revenues in excess of $5 billion, including companies that are in the process of relocating to the area and excluding those that are leaving. Seven of the companies are located in Tysons Corner but use McLean addresses. Many large firms are based in Montgomery County, including Discovery Communications, Coventry Health Care, Lockheed Martin, Marriott International, Host Hotels & Resorts, Travel Channel, Ritz-Carlton, Robert Louis Johnson Companies (RLJ Cos), Choice Hotels, MedImmune, TV One, BAE Systems Inc, Hughes Network Systems, and GEICO.

Major airports

 * Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), located in Chantilly, Virginia – the busiest in the region
 * Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), located in Arlington County, Virginia – the closest to Washington
 * Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), located in Linthicum, Maryland – in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area

Rail transit systems

 * Washington Metro – DC, MD, VA (Rapid transit)
 * MARC Train – DC, MD, WV (Commuter rail)
 * Virginia Railway Express – DC, VA (Commuter rail)
 * Amtrak – DC, MD, VA, WV (Commuter rail, Inter-city rail)

Bus transit systems

 * DC Circulator – Washington, D.C.
 * Metrobus – Washington Metropolitan Area
 * Ride On - Montgomery County, Maryland
 * TheBus - Prince George's County, Maryland
 * ART - Arlington County, Virginia
 * DASH - Alexandria, Virginia
 * Fairfax Connector - Fairfax County, Virginia

Health
The Washington DC metro area has held the top spot in the American College of Sports Medicine's annual American Fitness Index ranking of the United States' 50 most populous metropolitan areas for two years running. The report cites, among other things, the high average fitness level and healthy eating habits of residents, the widespread availability of health care and facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, and parks, low rates of obesity and tobacco use relative to the national average, and the high median household income as contributors to the city's community health.

Sister cities
