The city of Washington has about a half million people within its borders, and the population more than doubles during the workday as commuters flow in. The DC metropolitan area has around 5 million residents; the DC-Baltimore area has around 8 million combined. (I m not sure what you mean by three big cities ). Many of the suburbs of DC are pretty big cities in their own right.So It s not Chicago or New York, but DC is clearly a big city. It s also a media center. Not only is there a huge news industry, of course, but it s also a center of documentary filmmaking, because the Discovery Communications (Discovery Channel and a bunch of other related channels and activities - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_C�� ) is based in Silver Spring, MD. In turn, a bunch of related companies are located in the area to support Discovery and other documentary companies.Whether it feels like a city or an ocean of suburbs depends on where you are. Many people who live on the fringes of the area never come in to DC or the core, so for them it s like an ocean of suburbs. If you live in DC or a close in suburb like Silver Spring or Alexandria (or live near a metro stop and make an effort to come in to the city), then you can live the city life.
I am originally from New York City, but work in Washington, DC and live in Northern Virginia (actually about 15 minutes from George Mason University). It feels like a fairly large metro area but, in my opinion, is much slower paced than most major big cities i.e., NY, LA, Chicago; but I like the area because I think it provides the perfect mix of city/suburbs. With the government s presence and a plethora of jobs, think of DC as the major hub or pulse point. Everything extends from here. Also, if you want to attend certain concerts or go to sporting events, most will be in DC. In the summer months there are beautiful large, safe parks for major concerts where you can have a good time.Many people work in DC and live in the suburbs, which is why the traffic in the area is so miserable. For easy access, the metro rail system is pretty good and clean, though it doesn t extend to many areas - so one has to park and ride. However, if one has the income, there are some very nice areas of DC that provide quick access to the downtown area if working downtown is your thing. Other parts of DC can be unsafe and seedy .To me the DC area is an ocean of suburbs as you described it, BUT maybe one of the very best features of the DC suburbs is not just family lifestyle, but that it is fairly easy to find employment in the suburbs with major companies that pay very well if you choose. Hope this helps! :-)
I lived many years in Maryland. The governments of MD, VA and DC are coordinated in some ways (Metro is a joint effort, and there is an entity called the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments). But my experience was that MD and VA tend to be pretty isolated from one another. People in MD rarely go into VA and vice versa. Probably this is because of traffic. There are only a couple of bridges over the Potomac and it is a pain in the neck to cross in either direction.But DC serves as a hub. I think there s a lot more back and forth between DC and VA, and DC and MD. Our family certainly went in and out of DC a lot.So I guess I d say it s not really one big connected metropolitan area. And I know the census considers Baltimore Washington as one solid corridor but they really don t interact that much.