We gave that area back in 1847
My old Florida credit union sent me a notice in the mail last week saying they’d entered into a partnership with other credit unions to allow me to walk into cooperating CUs and get service, which I thought was pretty cool even if I primarily use USAA these days. So I pulled the PDF from the website and was looking through the VA and DC options and I found this.
Maybe it seems too much like a “Who’s buried in Grant’s tomb?” joke to them, but just because it’s named “Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport” and has a code of DCA doesn’t locate it in Washington DC, guys…
Update: Steve points out in the comments that the Metro Washington Airport Authority has a DC address, and that’s true. Their own FAQ addresses this issue and comments that it relates to the Fed being the operating agency until 1987 and their keeping the mailing address for consistency sake and to make it clear what area it services.
However it also explicitly states “Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is located in Virginia. Federal law and Virginia Code both state the Airport is “situated within the Commonwealth of Virginia” (see 59 Stat. 552 (1945); 1950 Va. Code Sec 7.1-10 (1983)).”
According to DCA itself (http://www.metwashairports.com/about_the_authority/contact_us), they’re located in DC:
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
1 Aviation Circle
Washington, DC 20001-6000
Just to clarify, that address is really the airport, not an office somewhere in DC.
Dulles has a DC address too for the same reasons as National.
Here’s a snippet from their FAQ’s:
Dulles is physically located in Virginia but has a Washington, D.C. mailing address and zip code 20041. Where is the Airport located legally?
Washington Dulles International Airport was built on Virginia land acquired by the federal government. It is legally locates in Dulles, Virginia.
When the federal government operated Reagan National and Dulles prior to 1987, both Airports had Washington, D.C. postal addresses. To help identify the service area more easily for travelers, the Airports Authority did not change the postal addresses.
I like that they have a DC address. Makes me feel like I am only crossing over foreign lands to get to a stranded area of DC. Kinda like Kalingrad.
The Pentagon also has a DC address despite the fact that it is physically located in Virginia.
Pentagon, Washington, DC 20001 – Dept. of Defense
Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310 – Army
Pentagon, Washington, DC 20330 – Air Force
Pentagon, Washington, DC 20350 – Navy