Washington (pop.place), Washington (City of), DC

Historical Context

In 1791, city commissioners Thomas Jefferson, Daniel Carroll and David Stewart informed architect Pierre L'Enfant that the Federal City would be called "The City of Washington" for President George Washington. (DC-163/p186). The variant name, "Ranatakariáhshne", is a Mohawk name which translates to: "Place of the village destroyer".

Place Class

Populated Place

Elevation

23 feet

Latitude (decimal)

38.8951118

Longitude (decimal)

-77.0363658

GNIS/GNS Feature ID

531871

Authoritative Source

U.S. Geologic Survey. "Geographic Information Names System (GNIS)" at USGS: Products: Web Tools ( https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names : accessed 05 March 2025). Search of Name field.