# We need to relocate Washington DC. Where? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579 "2012-04-12T16:59:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/21 "2012-04-13T00:47:19Z")
Well, if we can’t have it in the irradiated husk of D.C., we’ll put it in the irradiated husk of Pyongyang. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/22 "2012-04-13T01:22:23Z")
Detroit. The city could use a lift. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/23 "2012-04-13T01:26:42Z")
Denver. Let’s move the capital from the first stupidest place to build a city to the second stupidest place. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/24 "2012-04-13T01:35:40Z")
I was thinking St. Louis would probably be near the center of US population, and [as it turns out it’s pretty close](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_center_of_United_States_population). Put it there temporarily, and build a new DC nearby. ETA: The [Median center](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_center_of_United_States_population) is in Southern Indiana. St. Louis isn’t far from from that either. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/25 "2012-04-13T01:46:26Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Canada? We don’t want your politicians! Even your lefties are righties! > > I pick Chattanooga Tennessee because it amuses me to think the federal capital could be in a place that a significant percentage of Americans might not be able to spell (this “fact” is based on no information whatsoever and is merely a friendly joke and amusement at the funny spelling of Chattanooga Tennessee) Fuck no. Keep them away. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/26 "2012-04-13T02:15:28Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > I was thinking St. Louis would probably be near the center of US population, and [as it turns out it’s pretty close](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_center_of_United_States_population). Put it there temporarily, and build a new DC nearby. > > ETA: The [Median center](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_center_of_United_States_population) is in Southern Indiana. St. Louis isn’t far from from that either. Hmm. It’s large, de facto segregated, and has miserable summers. This could work. ---
**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:** [April 13, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/27 "2012-04-13T02:33:40Z")
I like the idea of New York. If we’re lucky it’ll get nuked again. In that scenario Philadelphia would also be a good choice, but only if we can find a way to make Independence Hall bombproof. It would be a good idea given climate change to move it inland and south, so Texas it is. There’s lots of room in West Texas, and if they can build a city in a malarial swamp they can build one in barren desert. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/28 "2012-04-13T02:55:52Z")
Truth or Consequences. I actually like the idea some place like Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, even St. Louis. They’re centrally located in the central time zone with good highway access, lots of cheap land around, would draw population away from the coasts. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/29 "2012-04-13T03:47:14Z")
The surface of the Sun. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/30 "2012-04-13T04:18:09Z")
Mexico. No one would think of looking there. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/31 "2012-04-13T11:59:36Z")
> [@E.Thorp](#): > > Nitpick: in December of 2012, Obama will be president regardless of the election’s outcome. You’re assuming Obama survived the war. It might be the former Sec of Agriculture, or someone of that ilk. (OK, I forgot until it was too late that Romney couldn’t be in office yet 🙂 ) As for Texas, hell no between the hurricanes, summers straight out of the depths of Hell, and giant cockroaches, I’ll happily stay up here. I like St. Louis for it’s geographic center-ness. Maybe the Federal Government could purchase Missouri’s bootheel as the new Federal District. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/32 "2012-04-13T12:03:09Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > At the very least you want to stay away from the Forbidden Zone, there’s Fleshy-headed myootants there… The proper term for them is “Congressmen”. ---
**Author:** ![Zyanthia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Zyanthia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyanthia)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/33 "2012-04-13T12:11:27Z")
Why not some place in South Dakota. So obscure, my senior year of high school, even Rand McNally couldn’t place it on a map! Terrorists would never find us. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/34 "2012-04-13T12:33:48Z")
Since it’d be likely that I went up with DC, I doubt I would be able to answer anything. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/35 "2012-04-13T12:58:08Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > The surface of the Sun. “But we can’t send men to the Sun–it’s too hot!” “That’s OK, we’ll send 'em at night!” ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/36 "2012-04-13T13:02:24Z")
The geographical center of North Dakota. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/37 "2012-04-13T13:42:21Z")
To jump on one of my dad’s bugaboos… Decentralize it. Congress goes one place with the judiciary and the White House. But the federal departments can be spread around the country. Agriculture to Omaha. HHS to San Antonio. FBI to Chicago and so forth. I think it could work these days. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/38 "2012-04-13T15:41:13Z")
The great Dismal swamp. Its close and its the same weather and terrain as DC. The founder fathers thought the capital should be in a God forsaken swamp, who are we to argue? Most of us won’t even notice the change. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/39 "2012-04-13T15:45:46Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > To jump on one of my dad’s bugaboos… > > Decentralize it. Congress goes one place with the judiciary and the White House. But the federal departments can be spread around the country. Agriculture to Omaha. HHS to San Antonio. FBI to Chicago and so forth. I think it could work these days. Congress doesn’t even go one place. They meet online. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579/40 "2012-04-13T16:42:54Z")
I wouldn’t name any existing large city, because it would be too hard to insert the “capitol infrastructure” into an existing city. Also, I would choose somewhere where three states meet, so there’s no problem about just one state having to give up land. My choice is near Cairo, Illinois, where Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky meet; it’s “in the east” (where most of the people are), but not too far east nor too far north or south; also, it’s where two major rivers meet. If you need an “interim” city, either St. Louis or Kansas City. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-to-relocate-washington-dc-where/618579.md?page=3)