Washington, D.C. is a true melting pot of a city. While the area is home to plenty of lifelong DMV residents, it is also known for being a city of transplants from all around the world. That’s a big part of what makes D.C. so great—it’s an amalgamation of cultures, religions, and political beliefs. And in spite of neighbors coming from all different backgrounds, there are still plenty of events that bring everyone together. Here are a few examples of uniting Washingtonians.

When the Caps won the Cup

The DC Capitals brought home the Stanley Cup after 20 Years / Shutterstock

Nothing brings a city together quite like a major sports win—and D.C. came out in fine form when the Capitals won the Stanley Cup this summer. While a lot of the aforementioned transplants have hometown teams to root for, D.C. residents have really gone all in on adopting the Caps as their own, and the city streets streaked with red jerseys and screaming fans on the night brought neighbors together over a common good. Sometimes city pride comes in the form of a hockey team.

Marching, and Marching, and More Marching…

Whatever the cause ... DC will march / Shutterstock

For as long as D.C. has been a political town, it has also naturally been a protest town. And the past few years have marked a few major march occasions. From last March’s Women’s March, to the March for Our Lives, to the March for Science, and more, Washingtonians from every neighborhood (and Americans from every state) have taken to D.C.’s streets in the name of the causes they care about. That political fervor doesn’t end on march day, either––it’s hard to find a city with more placards in windows or cause-related bumper stickers on cars. Whatever the subject, a protest certainly brings the city together.

2018’s Spring Nor’Easter

Residents shredding capitol hill in a DC storm / Shutterstock

Whether the District is part of the North or the South (or whether that’s even relevant) depends on who you ask, but one thing is for sure—it’s not a city built to handle inclement weather of the flurry variety. Especially when your calendar tells you it’s supposed to be spring. That’s exactly what happened with this year’s March Nor’Easter, a winter storm that caught the city extremely off-guard—and led to a lot of workplace shutdowns. And in a city that works this hard, people truly rally around a good snow day. You might even catch some grown adults shedding their business suits for snow suits and playing in the park.

Who Wrote the Op-Ed?

Everyone wants to know who wrote the NY Times Op-ED / Shutterstock

D.C. gets a bad wrap for being incredibly wonky and insidery when it comes to politics, but the stereotype isn’t entirely false. While there are plenty of people here who don’t work in politics, everyone does seem to be at least pretty well-versed in the goings-on, especially when that event involves a little mystery. For instance, when someone anonymously writes a politically charged New York Times Op-Ed. After the Sept. 5 op-ed, D.C. was abuzz with strangers speculating about the author on the bus, while buying their coffee, and at spin class. It was a little hard to escape op-ed chatter within city limits, but at least it’s something to talk about in the elevator that’s a little more exciting than the weather. The author of the op-ed is an unnamed “senior official in the Trump administration,” and as of this writing, has not been identified.

No Taxation Without Representation

DC Residents have been fighting taxes for years, maybe even since 1776 / Shutterstock

D.C. residents have been fighting for statehood for years, and on Election Day of 2016, Washingtonians came out of the woodwork to vote on a ballot measure that would encourage the D.C. Council to petition Congress to admit D.C. as the 51st state in the Union. The measure passed with flying colors—a staggering 86 percent of residents voted in favor of giving the District full states’ rights. Unfortunately, our current Congress isn’t likely to grant us statehood anytime soon, but that doesn’t stop District residents from all rallying behind the popular cause. It’s rare to get 86 percent of city residents to agree on anything—so this issue made people feel pretty neighborly.

D.C. is a city whose residents represent every corner of the world, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have plenty in common despite surface-level differences. What neighbors really want? To come together for common causes, to cheer on our local sports heroes, and to know when to stop taking ourselves too seriously and have some fun. So if you need a reminder of the things that made you feel all kinds of D.C. pride, look no further than the events that brought us all together, and rest assured that even though political parties may divide a lot of things in the District, there’s bound to be more unifying occurences to come.

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