Spring Break
Crowds of 1 million or more test DC
Associated Press
Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: News
WASHINGTON (AP) - More than 1 million people crammed onto the National Mall and along the inauguration parade route Tuesday to celebrate the swearing-in of the nation's first black president in what was one of the largest-ever gatherings in the nation's capital.
The Associated Press estimate is based on crowd photographs and comparisons with past events.
On the National Mall, the crowd stretched nearly two miles - from the Capitol to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.
The bulk of the crowd was jammed into the area between the west front of the Capitol and the Washington Monument, where people stood shoulder-to-shoulder as Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation's 44th president. The crowd was so tightly packed that some people complained they felt claustrophobic.
Farther away at the Lincoln Memorial, people surrounded the Reflecting Pool.
Meanwhile, spectators were lined 10 deep in some places along the 1.5-mile inaugural parade route, which begins on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Capitol and ends in front of the White House. Most were dressed in heavy parkas and mittens. Many huddled under blanket.
Secret Service closed one entrance to the parade route in the early afternoon. At capacity, planners have said the route could accommodate 300,000 to 350,000 people.
Garth Baylor, 54, a carpenter from Washington, D.C., said no inaugural celebration could compare to this one.
"I went to Clinton's inauguration. It was nothing like this," Baylor said. "I don't think Washington has ever had this many visitors all at once."
Crowds were so thick that medical personnel were having trouble getting to people quickly around the Mall, District of Columbia fire and EMS department spokesman Alan Etter said. Still, he said everyone who has needed help eventually received treatment.
"Obviously the crush of people downtown is making it very challenging," Etter said. "We're doing the best we can."
The Associated Press estimate is based on crowd photographs and comparisons with past events.
On the National Mall, the crowd stretched nearly two miles - from the Capitol to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.
The bulk of the crowd was jammed into the area between the west front of the Capitol and the Washington Monument, where people stood shoulder-to-shoulder as Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation's 44th president. The crowd was so tightly packed that some people complained they felt claustrophobic.
Farther away at the Lincoln Memorial, people surrounded the Reflecting Pool.
Meanwhile, spectators were lined 10 deep in some places along the 1.5-mile inaugural parade route, which begins on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Capitol and ends in front of the White House. Most were dressed in heavy parkas and mittens. Many huddled under blanket.
Secret Service closed one entrance to the parade route in the early afternoon. At capacity, planners have said the route could accommodate 300,000 to 350,000 people.
Garth Baylor, 54, a carpenter from Washington, D.C., said no inaugural celebration could compare to this one.
"I went to Clinton's inauguration. It was nothing like this," Baylor said. "I don't think Washington has ever had this many visitors all at once."
Crowds were so thick that medical personnel were having trouble getting to people quickly around the Mall, District of Columbia fire and EMS department spokesman Alan Etter said. Still, he said everyone who has needed help eventually received treatment.
"Obviously the crush of people downtown is making it very challenging," Etter said. "We're doing the best we can."
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