What does the “Washington” refer to in the name of this airport George or D.C.? What did it refer to before the “Ronald Reagan” was added?
It used to be just “Washington National Airport”. No George, no DC. I can’t find the exact reasoning behind that anywhere online, since the bill to change the name to that originally was passed way back in 1940. (Law 674 of the 76th Congress if you’re interested).
It always has and always will be “National.”
DCA gives evidence to it being named after Washington, DC, however.
I think you’re going to lose the battle on this one, Montfort. I thought when they renamed it, people would still call it National. But the newscasts always call it “Reagan National”. In 10 years, nobody will remember it was never “Reagan National”.
I have bee searching online for 2 days now to no avail, someone must have a creditable answer. PLEASE.
[hijack]
I was watching the debate in Congress over renaming that place and it was one of the most blatant wastes of time I think I’ve ever seen. The Republicans were getting up one after another saying how great a President Reagan was and how we needed to do this to honor him. And then the Democrats would get up and quote directly from the airport’s charter where it said the Airport Authority, and not Congress, had the power to change the name of the airport. It was as if they weren’t paying attention to what the other people were saying.
[/hijack]
One would assume that this would indicate that it stands for Washington the city, which is in the District of Columbia, in the same way that Los Angeles International Airport refers to Los Angeles which is in the state of California.
The capital city of the US is Washington, not Washington D.C., AFAIK. The DC is just the state/territory/district, in the same way that you’d say Boston, MA or San Juan, PR.
National Airport is actually in Arlington, VA, just a mile or so SSE of the Pentagon. The “Washington” part of its name is indeed in reference to the city Washington.
Additionally, Dulles International Airport is officially Washington Dulles International Airport. It’s 30 miles and 2 or 3 counties away from the city itself. “Washington” in its name is also in reference to the city.
I agree with you that the reference is to DC and not to George, but I would prefer some evidence that supports the conclusion. I have not been able to find any.