# The District of Columbia: It ain't a state, is it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253 "2006-02-27T02:04:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/1 "2006-02-27T02:04:19Z")
I was busting on a pal of mine at work. She said she was born in D.C., and I immediately made comments about how she wasn’t even born in the States. Which, she wasn’t. Was she? She was born in the United States , but not in A State. How do you list what state you were born in if you were born in D.C. ? And, was I correct in ( playfully ) saying to her that she wasn’t born in any of the 50 States? Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/2 "2006-02-27T02:12:26Z")
I believe you list D.C. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/3 "2006-02-27T02:13:56Z")
The District of Columbia is exactly that, a Federal District. It is not a state. Therefore, if she was born within the district proper it is true that she was not born in a state. However, as you said, she was born in the United States. Of course. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/4 "2006-02-27T02:18:58Z")
DC is not a state although a minority of people within it fight for statehood. I believe that this will always be shot down. The founders were wise to realise that the federal goverment seated largely in one state is a bad idea and I tend to concur. Tell your friend that everyone knows that “nobody is from DC” do that is an impossible statement. Request hospital records. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/5 "2006-02-27T03:01:55Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > DC is not a state although a minority of people within it fight for statehood. I believe that this will always be shot down. The founders were wise to realise that the federal government seated largely in one state is a bad idea and I tend to concur. Also, Congress itself serves as the “state legislature” for DC. We’d need to amend the Constitution to allow DC to become a state. Even if we did that, the State of Columbia would be the smallest and poorest state in the country. The high concentration of government buildings and foreign embassies means that DC has a very limited tax base. They depend on federal subsidies. ---
**Author:** ![Spongemom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Spongemom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spongemom)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/6 "2006-02-27T03:07:32Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I believe you list D.C. I’ve filled out several forms on the web that don’t list that in the drop-down menu where you choose your state, just the 50. Would you just pick a state somewhere around D.C. in that case? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/7 "2006-02-27T03:40:49Z")
> [@Spongemom](#): > > I’ve filled out several forms on the web that don’t list that in the drop-down menu where you choose your state, just the 50. Would you just pick a state somewhere around D.C. in that case? Can you point us in the direction of some of these forms? I’ve never seen a drop-down list that didn’t include the District of Columbia. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/8 "2006-02-27T04:14:37Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > We’d need to amend the Constitution to allow DC to become a state. I don’t think so. Were DC to become a state it could no longer be “the seat of government of the United States” but there’s nothing in the Constitution that prohibits the district from becoming a state. Some other state or states would need to cede territory to serve as the new seat of government. ---
**Author:** ![Gladstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90db22/32.png) [@Gladstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gladstone)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/9 "2006-02-27T05:12:39Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > I don’t think so. Were DC to become a state it could no longer be “the seat of government of the United States” but there’s nothing in the Constitution that prohibits the district from becoming a state. Some other state or states would need to cede territory to serve as the new seat of government. There’s also nothing in the Constitution that says that the capital of the US cannot be physically located within a particular state, since the Constitution pre-dates the existence of the District of Columbia. In Canada, it doesn’t seem too problematic that Ottawa is located in the province of Ontario. ---
**Author:** ![Gladstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90db22/32.png) [@Gladstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gladstone)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/10 "2006-02-27T05:16:18Z")
> [@Gladstone](#): > > There’s also nothing in the Constitution that says that the capital of the US cannot be physically located within a particular state, since the Constitution pre-dates the existence of the District of Columbia. My bad. > [@US Constitution](#): > > 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, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; But it’s still somewhat vague over whether the seat of the US government CANNOT be located within a state. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/11 "2006-02-27T05:31:40Z")
> [@Gladstone](#): > > But it’s still somewhat vague over whether the seat of the US government CANNOT be located within a state. Not really. Wasn’t our first capital under the Constitution in New York City? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/12 "2006-02-27T05:35:28Z")
Sounds to me like the U.S. Government can set aside territory for itself for the seat of government, but it doesn’t have to. The Federal Government seemed to do OK in New York and Philadelphia. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/13 "2006-02-27T06:31:42Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Even if we did that, the State of Columbia would be the smallest and poorest state in the country. Assuming [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington%2C_DC) is accurate on the subject, Columbia would be > [@](#): > > last in area behind Rhode Island, 50th in population ahead of Wyoming, and 36th in Gross State Product, ahead of 15 states, and its GSP per capita would be #1 by far compared to other states. Now I have no idea how much that would change should the seat of government have to be moved to another locale. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/14 "2006-02-27T15:04:01Z")
Outside of the government, I understand there’s not much going on in Washington. Simply put, there’s no real reason to have a city there. It’s got no trade or marketing advantage… except the government. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/15 "2006-02-27T15:05:45Z")
I’m sort of embarrassed to ask this but why ‘District of Columbia’ Columbia? Where did they get the name? ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/16 "2006-02-27T15:14:12Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’m sort of embarrassed to ask this but why ‘District of Columbia’ > > Columbia? > > Where did they get the name? Well, the wikipedia article linked earlier says: ‘The term “District of Columbia” is derived from an old poetic name for the United States, Columbia, which has fallen out of common use since the early 20th century.’ Makes sense. It all goes back to Christopher Columbus, doesn’t it? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/17 "2006-02-27T15:17:55Z")
“Columbia” is the allegorical personification of the New World (from the name of Christopher Columbus). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/18 "2006-02-27T15:24:50Z")
[Columbia, The Gem of the Ocean](http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/columbiagem.htm) It dates from 1843. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/19 "2006-02-27T16:01:08Z")
Somewhat tangentially, DC has no voting representation in Congress. Their license plates have the motto, “Taxation without representation.” I wonder when they’ll start throwing tea into the Potomac. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253/20 "2006-02-27T16:20:54Z")
**CookingWithGas** , that isn’t tangential at all. It’s the very core of the DC statehood issue. The District has been called “America’s last colony” for this reason. Maybe it’s time to re-examine why anyone thinks it’s a good idea to deny voting representation in Congress to American citizens living within our borders. That’s a GD, of course… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-district-of-columbia-it-aint-a-state-is-it/346253.md?page=2)