Here is our introduction!
We are an 8th grade class from Georgetown Day School in Washington, the
District of Columbia. Our city and its physical features are unique. The
Potomac River defines our southwestern border, and its largest tributary,
the Anacostia River, flows through our city. The Potomac itself is a
tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.
Washington is most famous because it is the seat of the United States government- the two houses of legislature (the House of Representatives and the Senate), the Supreme Court, and the Executive Branch (the President). The Washington area is also home to about 370,000 Government employees.
The city site was selected in 1791 by President George Washington. At the time, the region was a hilly swamp, with the port of Georgetown as the only major populated area. George Washington selected Pierre L'Enfant to draw up plans for the capital, and in 1800, D.C. replaced Philadelphia as the capital of the U.S. One interesting feature of Washington is that unlike most cities of its size, the city itself nor the outlying areas contain anything but the smallest industries. The city functions solely to support the government.
We recently had a very bad winter, with minor flooding. The C&O canal, which runs beside the Potomac river, flooded, destroying the tow path which runs parallel to the river and the canal. Efforts are being made to rebuild the tow path. During this winter we also had more snow than we've had in a long time. In many cases the streets weren't cleaned of snow for a week. Many people were confined up in their houses until the roads were cleared. Our school looks out onto the C&O canal, and is very close to Washington's popular shopping district,Georgetown.
Lynne MacKay-Atha
Georgetown Day School
Washington, D.C.
lma@umd5.umd.edu
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