# Any confusion between Washington state and Washington DC then? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053 "2015-05-14T17:46:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/41 "2015-05-16T15:55:17Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > For years I kept hearing intermittently about some football team called the “Washington Redskins” and I just assumed it was a team based in the Pacific NW coastal state. Apparently not. Don’t know if this is a whoosh, but many in the media are not using the name Redskins and use just Washington instead (and I don’t seem to recall DC being attached). I’ve lived inside the Beltway and I mostly use DC and sometimes the District. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/42 "2015-05-16T16:05:54Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > Don’t know if this is a whoosh, but many in the media are not using the name Redskins and use just Washington instead (and I don’t seem to recall DC being attached). … A recent development because of the controversy surrounding the (newly un-trademarked) name: > **[Washington Redskins name controversy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Redskins_name_controversy#Editorial_policies_regarding_use_of_the_name)** > > The Washington Redskins name controversy involved the name and logo previously used by the Washington Commanders, a National Football League (NFL) franchise located in the Washington metropolitan area. In the 1960s, the team's longtime name—the Redskins—and the associated logo began to draw criticism from Native American groups and individuals. The topic, part of the larger Native American mascot controversy, began receiving widespread public attention in the 1990s. In 2020, the team responded... One does wonder how much more pressure it’s going to take to get them to change it. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/43 "2015-05-16T16:56:25Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > the (newly un-trademarked) name: This is wrong. The Redskins still hold all their trademarks. The only question currently is whether they can maintain their federal registrations of those trademarks. A trademark and a trademark registration are two different things. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/44 "2015-05-16T17:10:34Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > I think it would be fair to say that if there were a test that asked only the most basic questions about Canada, the vast majority of Americans would score a zero. Yeah, but that’s mainly because it’s so far away! ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/45 "2015-05-16T17:42:27Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > This is wrong. The Redskins still hold all their trademarks. The only question currently is whether they can maintain their federal registrations of those trademarks. A trademark and a trademark registration are two different things. Point taken. “(newly unregistered by the TTAB, and undergoing appeal)” sounds a bit unwieldy for a parenthetical remark, though, you must admit. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/46 "2015-05-16T18:01:14Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > A recent development because of the controversy surrounding the (newly un-trademarked) name: > > [Washington Redskins name controversy - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Redskins_name_controversy#Editorial_policies_regarding_use_of_the_name) > > One does wonder how much more pressure it’s going to take to get them to change it. Got to like the _City Paper_: > [@](#): > > Washington City Paper (October 18, 2012): The alt weekly WCP unveiled the results of its readers poll, referring to the capital’s NFL team thereafter only as “Washington Pigskins” (or “'Skins”) “instead of the name the team prefers, which is a pejorative term for Native Americans.”[365] They’re also the ones that skewered ass-hat owner Daniel Synder: [The Cranky Redskins Fan’s Guide to Dan Snyder](http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/40063/the-cranky-redskins-fans-guide-to-dan-snyder) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/47 "2015-05-16T19:09:18Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Point taken. “(newly unregistered by the TTAB, and undergoing appeal)” sounds a bit unwieldy for a parenthetical remark, though, you must admit. “Unregistered” works. It might be imprecise, but “Untrademarked” is just wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/48 "2015-05-16T22:12:21Z")
Since there is a state named Washington, naturally there is a town named George > **[George, Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George,_Washington)** > > George is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 809 at the 2020 census. The "humorous homage" to President George Washington has landed George, Washington on lists of unusual place names. > The city is known for being near the Gorge Amphitheatre, sometimes called "The Gorge at George". The Gorge Amphitheatre was the location of the annual Sasquatch! Music Festival. > The city also celebrates national holidays such as the Fourth of July, and Washington's Birthday, wit... Which I was aware of because having once been in the Coast Guard, I knew there was a LORAN station there (decommissioned in 2010) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/49 "2015-05-16T22:17:25Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Since there is a state named Washington, naturally there is a town named George > > [George, Washington - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George,_Washington) I slept there once while hitchhiking cross-country. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/50 "2015-05-17T02:46:48Z")
**^** I sure hope you left a “_ **Colibri Slept Here** _” plaque hanging somewhere in that town. It’s only fair. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/51 "2015-05-17T03:14:33Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I slept there once while hitchhiking cross-country. > > > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > > > **^** I sure hope you left a “_ **Colibri Slept Here** _” plaque hanging somewhere in that town. It’s only fair. 🙂 I wonder if OP, wondering about Washingtons, gets the little joke here. (And I don’t _think_ **Colibri** made an intentional set up for one.) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/52 "2015-05-17T03:27:04Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > 🙂 > > I wonder if OP, wondering about Washingtons, gets the little joke here. > > (And I don’t _think_ **Colibri** made an intentional set up for one.) Oh, you’d really have to give me odds to take THAT bet, Leo! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/53 "2015-05-17T04:10:12Z")
My experience is that absent any indicators to the contrary, if an American says just “Washington,” then DC is meant. “Washington state” is usually said for the state. The wife’s cousin once checked into studying for her master’s in the US. She ended up not doing that, but when she was consulting me about schools, one she said she was interested in was “the University of Washington DC.” It quickly became apparent she meant the school in Seattle, and she was very disappointed once she saw how far away from DC that was. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/54 "2015-05-17T04:14:17Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > **^** I sure hope you left a “_ **Colibri Slept Here** _” plaque hanging somewhere in that town. It’s only fair. Coincidentally, my actual name is George. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/55 "2015-05-17T06:54:50Z")
**^** Keep that under your hat and I’ll slip you a tenner next time I see you. 😉 (“_ **George Colibri Slept Here** _” would just confuse people) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/56 "2015-05-17T13:51:34Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > “the University of Washington DC.” There’s _The George Washington University_ and _The University of the District of Columbia_ in the city. _The University of Washington_ is in Seattle. _Washington State University_ is in Pullman, WA. _Washington University in St. Louis_ is, well, there. _Washington and Lee University_ is in Lexington, Virginia. _Washington College_ is in Chestertown, Maryland. Easy to get confused. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/57 "2015-05-17T15:06:30Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > There’s _The George Washington University_ and _The University of the District of Columbia_ in the city. _The University of Washington_ is in Seattle. _Washington State University_ is in Pullman, WA. _Washington University in St. Louis_ is, well, there. _Washington and Lee University_ is in Lexington, Virginia. _Washington College_ is in Chestertown, Maryland. > > Easy to get confused. It was definitely the U of Washington in Seattle. She didn’t know there was a state named Washington and assumed it was DC. I guess she thought Seattle must be a suburb. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/58 "2015-05-18T01:48:25Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Speaking of Canada and capitals, I’m pretty certain that the majority of Americans have no idea what Canada’s capital city is. > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Is it still Ottawa? Nah, it’s [Canada City](http://www.theonion.com/article/perky-canada-has-own-government-laws-19927) ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053/59 "2015-05-18T02:17:10Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > It was definitely the U of Washington in Seattle. She didn’t know there was a state named Washington and assumed it was DC. I guess she thought Seattle must be a suburb. Maybe she was thinking of [Mount Rainier](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rainier,_Maryland) or [Takoma](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takoma_Park,_Maryland). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-confusion-between-washington-state-and-washington-dc-then/720053.md?page=2)