Three red stars, two red bars, a white field. Washington D.C.'s flag takes up the coat of arms of George Washington, simple, elegant, instantly recognizable. Ranked first among American municipal flags in the 2004 NAVA survey.
Washington D.C. is unique: a city that belongs to no state. The District of Columbia was created in 1790 as a neutral federal capital, carved out of Maryland and Virginia. It has more residents than Vermont or Wyoming, yet no full representation in Congress.
"Taxation Without Representation", the slogan on the license plates captures the frustration. Residents pay federal taxes but have only a non-voting delegate, no senators. The movement to make D.C. the 51st state remains politically stalled.
America monumentalized. The government dominates the economy, life, the landscape.
But D.C. also has a cultural identity: Chocolate City, go-go music born here, historic neighborhoods (U Street, Shaw, Adams Morgan), rapid gentrification reshaping it all.
The flag with Washington's stars captures the founding heritage, but shows nothing of the paradox: capital of democracy, deprived of democracy.