obscure factoid about Washington DC...

[steve2470]

By 1870, the District's population had grown 75% from the previous census to nearly 132,000 residents.[25] Despite the city's growth, Washington still had dirt roads and lacked basic sanitation. Some members of Congress suggested moving the capital further west, but President Ulysses S. Grant refused to consider such a proposal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_District_of_Columbia#Retrocession_and_the_Civil_War

I found that really interesting.