"washington" vs. "DC"

Jim H.   Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:37 am GMT
How do you refer to Washington DC? I say Washington, but I've been to the Northwest and some people there have told me that DC is the proper way to refer to the place.
beneficii   Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:55 am GMT
Jim H.,

Think about why people in the northwest might want you to do that.

See, in the US there is Washington State and there is Washington, DC.
furrykef   Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:56 am GMT
I usually say "Washington, D.C." in full, since I don't say it often enough to really need to abbreviate it. I would prefer just "D.C." to just "Washington" unless the context makes it *really* obvious that we're talking about the city and not the state. It's also shorter. :)

- Kef
Uriel   Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:22 pm GMT
Either Washington or D.C. is correct and acceptable, and you can't go wrong with Washington, D.C., although it IS a mouthful to keep saying that.
Guest   Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:51 pm GMT
As a Northwesterner myself, I wonder why it is that most Americans seem to prefer to call it "Washington" when "D.C." is clearly easier to say and avoids confusion with Washington (no, it's not called "Washington State").
Lazar   Sat Jul 14, 2007 11:33 pm GMT
I usually refer to the federal capital as "Washington". I have to admit, if I were referring to the state, I'd probably refer to it as "Washington State", in the same way that I often refer to "New York State".
Uriel   Sun Jul 15, 2007 7:56 pm GMT
I think everyone outside of Washington State says "Washington State". It's your own fault for picking a name that's already been used, you know -- don't blame the rest of us.
Travis   Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:52 am GMT
I normally refer to the federal capital as "Washington" when it is clear from context or "Washington DC" myself, and refer to the state of Washington as "Washington" when it is clear from context or "Washington State".
Guest   Wed Jul 18, 2007 10:46 am GMT
I refer to the capital as "Washington D.C." and to the state as "Washington". In casual conversation, I will often say "D.C."
Guest   Thu Jul 19, 2007 3:21 pm GMT
D.C could mean "direct current".
TBD   Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:27 pm GMT
DC stands for the District of Columbia, so named because its not a state. It has no legislature but has an elected mayor. Legislative requirements are fulfilled by Congress. Until recently it didn't even have a congressional representative.
Peter   Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:00 am GMT
I always say Washington State. The nations capital should not be called D.C., it is disrespectful to the father of our country, George Washington. Residents of the Evergreen State should consider renaming their state. Maybe they should call it North Oregon. Or, if they want to name it after another president, they should call it "Harding", you know, Tonya lives there now.
Uriel   Fri Jul 20, 2007 4:11 am GMT
More like "Southern B.C.", from the way I hear it!
furrykef   Fri Jul 20, 2007 4:16 am GMT
<< The nations capital should not be called D.C., it is disrespectful to the father of our country, George Washington. >>

That sounds like a rather arbitrary criterion for disrespect to me. It's not our fault that "Washington, D.C." is cumbersome to say, and that just "Washington" is ambiguous. People who abbreviate it to "D.C." mean no disrespect; they just want to be unambiguous without saying a mouthful.

- Kef
Sarcastic Northwesterner   Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:18 am GMT
>> More like "Southern B.C.", from the way I hear it! <<

lol, yeah, actually I've heard several people call it that.