D.C. as in District of Columbia......Why is it named Columbia?

Question

I have searched most search engines, history books, Washington, D.C. Websites, asked teachers......and still no where can I find the answer WHY THEY CALL OUR CAPITAL or refer to it as the "District of COLUMBIA"?
WHO WAS COLUMBIA? Why not Columbus? or District of Washington?

Answer 1

From Wikipedia:

" The city was officially named "Washington" on September 9, 1791. Out of modesty, George Washington never referred to it as such, preferring to call it "the Federal City". Despite choosing the site and living nearby at Mount Vernon, he rarely visited the city. The federal district was named the District of Columbia because Columbia was a poetic name for the United States used at the time."

Answer 2

It is so you don't confuse the state and the capital. There is Washington State and then there is Washington, D.C. The capital is in the District of Columbia and not in Washington State as most people think.

Answer 3

it is a representation of America. it is linked to christopher columbus, whose name was eventually feminized into columbia and turned into a symbol like lady liberty.

i haven't read this essay in entirety, but the info about columbia is there.

"Columbus and Columbia: A Brief Survey of the Early Creation of
the Columbus Symbol in American History"
by: Delno C. West and August Kling
in: "Studies in Popular Culture" (XII: 2, 1989, pp. 45-60)
http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/WESTKLN1.ART

Answer 4

After Columbus of course, Christopher Columbus

Answer 5

Columbia is actually derived from Columbus. See this for more info.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Columbia

Answer 6

Named after a syphilitic explorer who never reached what is now the USA. Why pick on DC? The US seem to like the 'ia' ending. Virginia, California, Georgia, Philadelphia.

Answer 7

I'm from there and don't know. I really anwered this so I won't lse track of it, cause I want to know the answer.