Obsolete Boundary Stones. Territory belonging to the original District of Columbia on the south side of the Potomac River was retroceded to Virginia in 1847. Many of the original Boundary Stones placed circa 1791 continue to mark a boundary with the District that no longer exists (although many of them still mark boundaries for some of Virginia's counties and cities). If you want to see more photographs and a map of many of the stones, please visit Mark Zimmermann's wonderfully researched and compiled District of Columbia Boundary Stones: Photos & GPS Waypoints page.

The Multi-jurisdictional Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Travelers on Interstate 95 who drive along the eastern edge of the Washington beltway and cross the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River probably never give their journey a second thought, but three separate jurisdiction retain authority for different portions of the bridge. The Potomac marks the border between the states of Maryland and Virginia, with Maryland "owning" the rights to the river. This is also true of the border between Virginia and the District of Columbia, with the District "owning" the rights to the river. The initial portion of the bridge starts on the Virginia shore and cuts ever so slightly through the District of Columbia before entering Maryland. Therefore anyone who travels the eastern side of the beltway actually "visits" Washington, DC if only very briefly.

One the old bridge, which has since been decommissioned, the drawbridge tower was located in the portion controlled by the District of Columbia. The person who operated the drawbridge was a Washington, DC city employee. I do not know if this is still true with the new bridge.

One may think these anomalies are simply "interesting" but sometimes there are real world implications. In 1998 one of the most infamous traffic jams in the history of Washington took place here. A would-be suicide jumper stood on the bride during the height of afternoon rush hour. Washington is so choked with traffic that the resulting shutdown of I-95 gridlocked the entire metropolitan area. Authorities had to figure out which police force should take the lead as the jumper moved along the bridge, causing further delays. The situation had a fortunate ending -- the man went off the bridge but was unhurt.

Parts of Washington on the "wrong" side of the Potomac. The George Washington Parkway generally traverses Virginia's side of the Potomac River and offers a wonderfully scenic drive. However most of the Parkway between Interstate 395 and the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge is technically located within the District of Columbia. This includes most of the exit ramps to and from the Memorial Bridge. This portion of the GW Parkway crosses Columbia Island that is separated from Virginia only by a narrow boundary channel, although it's not readily noticeable especially while driving along at a high rate of speed. Washington, DC "owns" the river and all islands located between the District and Virginia. This is similarly true of Roosevelt Island even though it can only be approached by land using the footbridge from Rosslyn in Virginia.

If you would like to know more about one of these locations, please see my Theodore Roosevelt Island page.

Sometimes it's tough to give up control. National Airport is located in Arlington, VA. However, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority lists its address as "Washington, DC 20001". Even more strangely, they list Dulles Airport -- some 35 miles outside of the District -- as "Washington, DC 20041!" If you want to send a letter to either airport you have to use a Washington, DC address.

More Strange Geography

• Previous anomaly: Point Roberts, Washington
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• Series Index: Strange Geography USA

Resources for Planning your Visit

• Washington, DC Boundary Stones. My Travel Page with more about the Boundary Stones.
• Wikipedia's List of Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia
• Welcome to Arlington Virginia
• Washington, DC - The American Experience