More on Arlington/ Alexandria once being part of D.C. (Laurel: insurance, neighborhood)

[slowlane]

Wow - the original thread on this subject was open and closed in a single day, before I even got to look at it.

I just wanted to say, this very exact matter was discussed in a Washington Post newspaper column on September 18.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/18/AR2010091803209 (broken link)

If clicking on this link doesn't work, then click washingtonpost.com and then in the search box type "Bruhl" .

Colonial Beach, VA, still does offer gambling on a pier built out onto MD waters.
The Potomac River is one of the very few rivers on a State boundary, where the boundary is NOT defined as the MIDDLE of the River.

Some other local boundary changes in recent years include:

(1) About 30 years ago, a portion of West Laurel, MD was switched from Mont County to Prince Geo County on the request of neighborhood residents.

(2) Historically, the City of Takoma Park, MD always used to be 2/3 in Mont County and 1/3 in Prince Geo County. Then the residents of the PG County portion of Takoma Park voted to join Mont County, where the schools were perceived as better, rates for things like Auto Insurance were much lower, and they could qualify for in-county rates attending Montgomery College.

If you look on a map closely, you will see that the Mont - Pr Geo county line veers away from a straight line in both West Laurel, and in Takoma Park.

To get off-topic a bit: It's also interesting that in many parts of the Mississippi River, where it forms State boundaries, the winding, meandering loops of the river have shifted course over the years. This action has left numerous fragments of States inconveniently cut-off from the rest of their State. Look on a USA map or road atlas and you'll see what I mean. One would think the state lines would be re-drawn accordingly, but this was never done.

[dkf747]

The OP of the other thread should visit the park right by the Wilson Bridge in Alexandria. There he/she will find one of the marker stones for the 4 corners of the old Washington DC. There are marker stones (or whatever they are called) at each of the 4 corners of the original District.

[ShadowBat]

I think my reply in the other thread is what sparked that debate. Some people just like to hear themselves talk though. If they're as educated as they say they are, I don't know how they missed the fact that Arlington and Alexandria were once part of the district. I learned that in elementary school. Sheesh. There are also physical boundary markers still left in some locations too around the area.

It's interesting too, that closeby Baltimore is also a rectangular shape. All borders are straight lines, no physical boundaries, except for the Bay. Similar, but not the same to DC. I understand that you would not know this unless you looked at a detailed map. There are hundreds of cities though that only have political boundaries and not physical. I don't know why the other thread got so heated.

[dkf747]

Thanks to another thread for reminding me that the name of the park is Jones Point Park.

[ConcreteShoeMan]

Originally Posted by dkf747

The OP of the other thread should visit the park right by the Wilson Bridge in Alexandria. There he/she will find one of the marker stones for the 4 corners of the old Washington DC. There are marker stones (or whatever they are called) at each of the 4 corners of the original District.

Not just the corners but every mile along the boundary. There are three marker stones along King St between 395 and Old Town.

[still_waiting]

Originally Posted by ShadowBat

I think my reply in the other thread is what sparked that debate. Some people just like to hear themselves talk though. If they're as educated as they say they are, I don't know how they missed the fact that Arlington and Alexandria were once part of the district. I learned that in elementary school. Sheesh. There are also physical boundary markers still left in some locations too around the area.

It's interesting too, that closeby Baltimore is also a rectangular shape. All borders are straight lines, no physical boundaries, except for the Bay. Similar, but not the same to DC. I understand that you would not know this unless you looked at a detailed map. There are hundreds of cities though that only have political boundaries and not physical. I don't know why the other thread got so heated.

Well look at here, the last discussion is dead, but yet you feel the need to take a swipe at me. That's ok. I guess while my Magnet school in Brooklyn NY was busy teaching us the beauty of of math and the various sciences, you know doing hands on stuff like making holograms with lasers we built ourselves, they forgot to mention the life changing fact that Arlington and Alexandria was once a part of the District. Poor unprepared children we must have been. Maybe as a sixth grader I should have not been reading the Jane's Military recognition books, or reading about the Soviet Union's military force projection books. I might have actually missed the part when they talked about the former sections of Washington D.C. while looking at my Aviation Week and Space Technology Mags. You never know what you've missed in life till someone in a message board points it out to you.

It's also amazing how you make the assumption that I was even looking at a political map showing the counties in the DMV area for me to see this "almost perfect" square that everyone in here seems to know so well.

I bet my left...pinky toe that most elementary schools not withing a 400 mile radius of the DC Metro area teaches that Arlington and Alexandria were once a part of the DC Metro area. While being an interesting fact it is NOT essential knowledge. It's amazing people on here are so quick to judge intelligence on what amounts to trivial information...interesting yes, important...not really.

I'm new to the area (less than a month) and my regional orientation/familiarization is an ongoing process when I have the time to do so. I have more important things to learn and become familiar with which are actually matters of national security so I think me missing a few "key" facts like how this place used to be a part of that place can wait.

For the others in here who have actually suggested a few places for me to check out, I thank you. When time permits I'll definitely get out and see them.