Chapter 4: Megalopolis

Washington D.C. sits in the original Megalopolis, as described by geographer Jean Gottman in 1961.

The Megalopolis is an the area of the East Coast of the United States (from Washington D.C. to Boston) noted for its large population agglomeration (Approx. 50 million people).

Megalopolis.
Source: http://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/outgeogr/map3.gif

The region accounts for 20% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. The region is home to the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, the White House and United States Capitol, the headquarters of the United Nations, and the headquarters of ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, the New York Times Company, USA Today, and The Washington Post. The headquarters of many major financial companies—such as State Street, Citigroup, and Fidelity—are located within the region, which is also home to 54 of the Fortune Global 500 companies. The headquarters of 162 of the Fortune 500 are in the region. The region is also the center of the global hedge fund industry, with 47.9% of $2.48 trillion of hedge fund assets being managed in its cities and suburbs. Similarly, the majority of the global private equity, venture capital, investment banking, and management consulting industries are centered and/or headquartered in this region.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Megalopolis


One reason Washington D.C. is part of this Megalopolis is the fact that it is easily accesible by navigable waters. It's proximity to the Potomac river, and in turn Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. This opens up major options for trade and commerce, with the international community as well as the other Megalopolis cities, which are all linked by  Interstate 95 and US Route 1.


Another important reason is due to the fact that Washington D.C. is home to all major government operations. This includes the White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, Pentagon and FBI.