Our City
We encourage you to explore the richness of GW’s city and discover the exciting benefits of living, learning, having fun and getting around in D.C. With the nation’s Capitol as a backdrop, the White House as our next door neighbor and the National Mall as our back yard, it is hard to imagine a more vibrant and rewarding college experience than that found at The George Washington University.
Liveable City
Washington, D.C., has been called the most livable city on the East Coast, and when it comes to city living, the nation’s capital is very welcoming, of manageable scale, easy to get around and filled with students and young professionals. Our city has the vitality and excitement of a place doing the nation’s business, populated with people from every country and culture. It is a city reflecting our shared heritage and history, with constant reminders through its historic architecture, government buildings and monuments, and many parks and green spaces.
GW students quickly discover that the city offers amenities and activities that support and enhance their collegiate lives, including an extensive variety of museums, restaurants, businesses of all kinds, a full array of professional sports teams and many bookstores and libraries. They also find many choices for banking, shopping, public transportation, places of worship, dance and music venues, gourmet restaurants, coffee bars and more.
GW students find all this and more just steps away from our two distinctive and vibrant campuses. The safe and very accessible Metro subway system and myriad other transportation options put the entire city at the students’ disposal.
Fun Facts about D.C.
Size: 68 square miles (including 8 square miles of water surface)
Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for all)
Origin of District’s Name: Named after George Washington and Christopher Columbus
District’s Bird: Wood Thrush
District’s Flower: American Beauty Rose
District’s Song: The Star-Spangled Banner
District’s Tree: Scarlet Oak
Places of Worship: Protestant 610; Roman Catholic 132; Hindu 17; Jewish 9; Muslim 6; Buddhist 4; Sikh 3
City parks: 300 (800 acres)
Radio stations: AM 9; FM 38
Television stations: 19
Embassies: 186
Number of Colleges: 12
Number of College Students: 50,000 undergraduates
Famous People from D.C.
Carl Bernstein, journalist
John Foster Dulles, statesman
Goldie Hawn, actress
Noor al-Hussein, former queen of Jordan
Leonard Rose, cellist
Duke Ellington, musician
Dave Chappelle, comedian/actor
Marvin Gaye, singer
Connie Chung, journalist
William Hurt, actor
Al Gore, former U.S. Vice President
Ben Stein, TV personality
John Philip Sousa, composer
Helen Hayes, actress
Explore our City: Fletcher's Boat House
Watch the GW crew teams practice on the Potomac River from Fletcher's Boat House at 7:00 am everyday.
The GW Experience
Students
All in the Family
Greg and Heather Hachenburg talk about their undergraduate experience at GW, one of many sibling pairs to share in the Colonials legacy.
Creating Next Generation Leaders
GW program helps female students connect with leading women across a variety of fields and develop their roles as future women in leadership.
Where the City is a Classroom
Freshman volunteers experience life beyond Foggy Bottom...
Faculty
Fighting Neglected Diseases
GW professor works to eradicate diseases that affect the health, education and economic development of the world's poorest people.
Building the Super Computer
Pioneering lab puts GW at the forefront of high-speed computing and offers GW students unprecedented access to science and skills of the future.
Blast From the Past
Students map an ancient—and dramatic—eruption as part of a geological research program in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.
Alumni
Giving Back to the District of Columbia
D.C. public health director calls GW education the foundation of his career.
GW Opens Doors
A chance encounter with a GW alumna helped give one GW undergraduate, an aspiring broadcast journalist from Texas, his big break.
The Legend Lives On
The $2 million bequest commitment caps a lifetime of philanthropy and service to GW, establishing the Elyse B. and Donald R. Lehman Endowed Professorship in Theoretical Physics.