Washington Metropolitan Area Road Map
Washington Metropolitan Area Road Map

The Washington Metropolitan Area, formally known as the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA, is a U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as of November 2004. It is also part of the larger Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2007 Census Bureau estimate, the population of the area was estimated to be 5,306,565.[1]

Other federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security refer to part of the area as the National Capital Region.[2]

Contents

Composition

Aerial Photo of Washington, DC Metropolitan Area
Aerial Photo of Washington, DC Metropolitan Area

The Washington Metropolitan Area includes the District of Columbia and parts of the states of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is divided into two metropolitan divisions:

  • the Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division, consisting of Montgomery and Frederick counties; and
  • the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division, comprising the majority of the metropolitan area.

The Virginia portion of the area is also known as Northern Virginia.

Political subdivisions

The area includes the following counties, districts, and independent cities:

District of Columbia

Map highlighting the metropolitan statistical area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau
Map highlighting the metropolitan statistical area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau

Maryland

The following counties are categorized as part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area:

Though associated with the Washington Metropolitan Area, the following counties are categorized as part of the Baltimore-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area:

Though associated with the Washington Metropolitan Area, the following county is categorized as part of the Lexington Park, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area:

Virginia

Counties

Independent cities:

West Virginia

Principal cities

The metropolitan area includes the following principal cities (not all of which are incorporated as cities):

City definition in Virginia

Due to a state constitutional change in 1871, all cities in Virginia are independent cities and they are not legally located in any county. The OMB considers these independent cities to be county-equivalents for the purpose of defining MSAs in Virginia. Each MSA is listed by its counties, then cities, each in alphabetical order, and not by size.

See also

References

  1. ^ Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Population Estimates Available
  2. ^ "National Capital Region - Office of National Capital Region Coordination". Department of Homeland Security (December 21, 2005). Retrieved on 2008-01-09.

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Metropolitan_Area"


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