The map above is centered on Washington, D.C., United States, near The White House, with a default 10 mi radius. Drag to move it, search for a different address, or change the radius and unit using the controls.
Washington, D.C. is a deliberately small federal district carved from Maryland and Virginia, ringed by the I-495 Capital Beltway. The Potomac River runs just west of downtown, and the close-in suburbs sit just outside the District line — Alexandria is about 6 miles south and Silver Spring about 6 miles north of the White House. Farther out, Rockville (~14 miles northwest), Fairfax (~15 miles west), and Reston (~17 miles west) anchor the inner ring of the region. Distances here are straight-line from The White House — the same way the radius map measures them.
Population figure: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171), Table P1.
The District of Columbia is a small federal district, and the I-495 Capital Beltway rings the inner core around it. On a radius map centered on the White House, the first resolvable suburbs appear around 6 miles out: Alexandria (~6 miles south) and Silver Spring (~6 miles north).
Also known as: D.C., The District, Washington, DMV, The Capital.
Coverage at common radii, including notable places that fall just outside the circle. Use these as a quick reference — check exact boundaries before relying on a circle for real-estate, retail, or service-area decisions.
Place locations: USGS GNIS and GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Distances are straight-line (great-circle) from The White House, the same way the radius map measures them.
A 3-mile radius from the White House covers central Washington — the downtown core, the monumental core along the river, and the close-in neighborhoods immediately around it.
A 5-mile radius reaches across the Potomac into the inner suburbs, but still falls short of the close-in Maryland and Virginia town centers, which begin around 6 miles out.
A 10-mile radius from the White House reaches the close-in suburbs on most arcs, picking up Alexandria to the south and Silver Spring to the north. It's a reasonable proxy for the inner core inside the I-495 Capital Beltway.
A 25-mile radius reaches Rockville to the northwest and Fairfax and Reston to the west, while the outer-ring towns and Baltimore remain beyond it.
A 50-mile radius reaches well into the broader region — picking up Manassas and Fredericksburg to the southwest, Annapolis to the east, Leesburg to the northwest, and Baltimore to the northeast.
City-specific scenarios where a radius is the right tool — and a sensible radius to start with.
The I-495 Capital Beltway rings the inner core around the District. A 10-mile radius from the White House is a reasonable proxy for "inside the Beltway" — the inner DC, Maryland, and Virginia core, reaching Alexandria (~6 miles south) and Silver Spring (~6 miles north).
Suggested starting radius: 10 miles for inside the Beltway
Draw a radius from the White House to see which close-in suburbs fall inside a given commute distance. A 25-mile radius captures the inner ring — Rockville (~14 miles northwest), Fairfax (~15 miles west), and Reston (~17 miles west) — so you can compare how far out each option sits.
Suggested starting radius: 25 miles for the inner commute ring
A 50-mile radius from the White House reaches the broader region, picking up Manassas (~26 miles southwest), Annapolis (~30 miles east), Leesburg (~32 miles northwest), Baltimore (~35 miles northeast), and Fredericksburg (~47 miles southwest) — useful for sketching a regional retail or distribution catchment.
Suggested starting radius: 50 miles for the broader region
Local geography and infrastructure that change how a radius behaves here. Skipping these is the most common reason a radius decision goes sideways.
Washington, D.C. proper is compact, and the "DC area" people refer to in casual conversation almost always includes inner Maryland and Virginia, not just the District. On a radius map, the first resolvable suburb centers — Alexandria (~6 miles south) and Silver Spring (~6 miles north) — already sit outside the District line.
The Potomac River runs roughly north-south just west of downtown, with a limited set of bridge crossings. A radius "covers" the Virginia side geographically, but the river and its bridges mean cross-river travel time can be much longer than the straight-line distance suggests.
I-495, the Capital Beltway, encircles the District and its closest suburbs. "Inside the Beltway" is the most common shorthand for the inner region, and on a radius map a 10-mile circle from the White House is a reasonable approximation of that area.
A 10-mile radius from the White House reaches Alexandria (~6 miles south) and Silver Spring (~6 miles north). It's a reasonable proxy for the inner core inside the I-495 Capital Beltway.
A 25-mile radius covers the inner suburbs — Alexandria (~6 miles south), Silver Spring (~6 miles north), Rockville (~14 miles northwest), Fairfax (~15 miles west), and Reston (~17 miles west). Manassas, Annapolis, Leesburg, Baltimore, and Fredericksburg are just outside.
Measured straight-line from the White House, Alexandria is about 6 miles south and Silver Spring is about 6 miles north. Both sit just outside a 5-mile radius and comfortably inside a 10-mile radius.
"Inside the Beltway" refers to the area enclosed by I-495, the Capital Beltway, which rings the District and its closest suburbs. On a radius map, a 10-mile circle from the White House is a useful (if imperfect) approximation of that area.
Measured straight-line from the White House, Baltimore is about 35 miles northeast — outside a 25-mile radius but comfortably inside a 50-mile one.
"DMV" stands for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia — the three jurisdictions that make up the Washington area. On a radius map, a 25-mile circle from the White House reaches the inner suburbs of all three, including Rockville (~14 miles northwest) in Maryland and Fairfax (~15 miles west) and Reston (~17 miles west) in Virginia.