Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Georgetown is an area within the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States.

Georgetown was first settled in 1696 and incorporated as a town and regularly settled in 1751 when the area was part of the Province of Maryland, a British colony and one of the 13 original states. Georgetown grew into a thriving port, the farthest point upstream which oceangoing boats could reach along the Potomac River, and a key point for transferring goods, particularly tobacco, from boats on the Potomac to boats on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Though the District had long been federally controlled, Georgetown maintained a large degree of independence, and did not come into under the legal control of the city of Washington, D.C. until 1895.

The Georgetown neighborhood became a destitute slum in the years following the Civil War. As a result, many older homes were preserved relatively unchanged. The area began to be gentrified during the 1930s, as a number of members of the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt moved into the area.

Today, it is reputed as the leading center of wealth and style within the U.S. capital. Many political and governmental leading figures own expensive dwellings there, holding the often lampooened Georgetown cocktail parties attended by political elites. John F. Kennedy lived there while in the U.S. Senate, and went to his inauguration from the neighborhood in January 1961. Current inhabitants include John Kerry, John Edwards, and Madeline Albright.

M Street and Wisconsin Avenue are known for their shopping, which draws large numbers of tourists year round, and features several high fashion stores. A historic canal runs parallel to M street, attracting joggers and strollers. The waterfront is another center of activity with outdoor bars and a good view of boat races on the Potomac.

Georgetown is the primary home of Georgetown University, and is also the location of the embassies of Mongolia and Ukraine.

External links

Georgetown Partnership (http://www.georgetowndc.com/) (Business Improvement District)