Both Washington, DC, and London are capital cities of English-speaking countries, and yet they offer vastly different experiences to their residents and visitors. Comparing and contrasting the two cities based on their history, their culture, and their residents show how different and similar the two are.<\/p>\r\n
Both cities are rich in world and national history, though they developed on very different time lines. London, for example, has a history that dates back over two thousand years. It was part of the Roman Empire and known by the similar name, Londinium. It was not only one of the northernmost points of the Roman Empire but also the epicenter of the British Empire where it held significant global influence from the early sixteenth century on through the early twentieth century. Washington, DC, on the other hand, has only formally existed since the late eighteenth century. Though Native Americans inhabited the land several thousand years earlier, and settlers inhabited the land as early as the sixteenth century, the city did not become the capital of the United States until the 1790s. From that point onward to today, however, Washington, DC, has increasingly maintained significant global influence. Even though both cities have different histories, they have both held, and continue to hold, significant social influence in the economic and cultural global spheres.<\/p>\r\n
Both Washington, DC, and London offer a wide array of museums that harbor many of the world\u2019s most prized treasures. While Washington, DC, has the National Gallery of Art and several other Smithsonian galleries, London\u2019s art scene and galleries have a definite edge in this category. From the Tate Modern to the British National Gallery, London\u2019s art ranks among the world\u2019s best. This difference and advantage has much to do with London and Britain\u2019s historical depth compared to that of the United States. London has a much richer past than Washington, DC, and consequently has a lot more material to pull from when arranging its collections. Both cities have thriving theater districts, but again, London wins this comparison, too, both in quantity and quality of theater choices. With regard to other cultural places like restaurants, pubs, and bars, both cities are very comparable. Both have a wide selection of expensive, elegant restaurants as well as a similar amount of global and national chains. While London may be better known for its pubs and taste in beer, DC offers a different bar-going experience. With clubs and pubs that tend to stay open later than their British counterparts, the DC night life tend to be less reserved overall.<\/p>\r\n
Both cities also share and differ in cultural diversity and cost of living. Both cities share a very expensive cost of living\u2014both in terms of housing and shopping. A downtown one-bedroom apartment in DC can easily cost $1,800 per month, and a similar \u201cflat\u201d in London may double that amount. These high costs create socioeconomic disparity among the residents. Although both cities\u2019 residents are predominantly wealthy, both have a significantly large population of poor and homeless. Perhaps the most significant difference between the resident demographics is the racial makeup. Washington, DC, is a \u201cminority majority\u201d city, which means the majority of its citizens are races other than white. In 2009, according to the US Census, 55 percent of DC residents were classified as \u201cBlack or African American\u201d and 35 percent of its residents were classified as \u201cwhite.\u201d London, by contrast, has very few minorities\u2014in 2006, 70 percent of its population was \u201cwhite,\u201d while only 10 percent was \u201cblack.\u201d The racial demographic differences between the cities is drastic.<\/p>\r\n
Even though Washington, DC, and London are major capital cities of English-speaking countries in the Western world, they have many differences along with their similarities. They have vastly different histories, art cultures, and racial demographics, but they remain similar in their cost of living and socioeconomic disparity.<\/p>\r\n ","rendered":"
Both Washington, DC, and London are capital cities of English-speaking countries, and yet they offer vastly different experiences to their residents and visitors. Comparing and contrasting the two cities based on their history, their culture, and their residents show how different and similar the two are.<\/p>\n
Both cities are rich in world and national history, though they developed on very different time lines. London, for example, has a history that dates back over two thousand years. It was part of the Roman Empire and known by the similar name, Londinium. It was not only one of the northernmost points of the Roman Empire but also the epicenter of the British Empire where it held significant global influence from the early sixteenth century on through the early twentieth century. Washington, DC, on the other hand, has only formally existed since the late eighteenth century. Though Native Americans inhabited the land several thousand years earlier, and settlers inhabited the land as early as the sixteenth century, the city did not become the capital of the United States until the 1790s. From that point onward to today, however, Washington, DC, has increasingly maintained significant global influence. Even though both cities have different histories, they have both held, and continue to hold, significant social influence in the economic and cultural global spheres.<\/p>\n
Both Washington, DC, and London offer a wide array of museums that harbor many of the world\u2019s most prized treasures. While Washington, DC, has the National Gallery of Art and several other Smithsonian galleries, London\u2019s art scene and galleries have a definite edge in this category. From the Tate Modern to the British National Gallery, London\u2019s art ranks among the world\u2019s best. This difference and advantage has much to do with London and Britain\u2019s historical depth compared to that of the United States. London has a much richer past than Washington, DC, and consequently has a lot more material to pull from when arranging its collections. Both cities have thriving theater districts, but again, London wins this comparison, too, both in quantity and quality of theater choices. With regard to other cultural places like restaurants, pubs, and bars, both cities are very comparable. Both have a wide selection of expensive, elegant restaurants as well as a similar amount of global and national chains. While London may be better known for its pubs and taste in beer, DC offers a different bar-going experience. With clubs and pubs that tend to stay open later than their British counterparts, the DC night life tend to be less reserved overall.<\/p>\n
Both cities also share and differ in cultural diversity and cost of living. Both cities share a very expensive cost of living\u2014both in terms of housing and shopping. A downtown one-bedroom apartment in DC can easily cost $1,800 per month, and a similar \u201cflat\u201d in London may double that amount. These high costs create socioeconomic disparity among the residents. Although both cities\u2019 residents are predominantly wealthy, both have a significantly large population of poor and homeless. Perhaps the most significant difference between the resident demographics is the racial makeup. Washington, DC, is a \u201cminority majority\u201d city, which means the majority of its citizens are races other than white. In 2009, according to the US Census, 55 percent of DC residents were classified as \u201cBlack or African American\u201d and 35 percent of its residents were classified as \u201cwhite.\u201d London, by contrast, has very few minorities\u2014in 2006, 70 percent of its population was \u201cwhite,\u201d while only 10 percent was \u201cblack.\u201d The racial demographic differences between the cities is drastic.<\/p>\n
Even though Washington, DC, and London are major capital cities of English-speaking countries in the Western world, they have many differences along with their similarities. They have vastly different histories, art cultures, and racial demographics, but they remain similar in their cost of living and socioeconomic disparity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t