Is Washington still different from all US cities?

Few American cities have changed as much as Washington, DC, in these past 70 or so years. A city that once was seen as a southern backwater has exploded with growth that has paralleled and been generated by the growth of the US government. This former backwater, the place JFK described as being a combination "northern charm and southern efficency" is now a major world city. It is cultured in ways that go far beyond the museums of the Smithsonian. It has the retaurants, entertainment, and street life commenserate with the important city it is. It has spawned considerable non-government (but governmental related) growth as a place where professional associates locate to be near the governmental power structure on which they rely. In short, Washington is a major city in its own right, elevated by*the US government to a position not subservent to it. The child has grown up. With all the changes that DC has experienced (and I'm counting the incredibly powerful region of DC/MD/VA....inside and sprilled out of the Beltway), IS IT STILL FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT THAN ALL OTHER U.S. CITIES.....AND, IF SO, IN WHAT WAYS? Certainly economic; the metro area is the most recession proof in the nation. Government and government spending don't skip a beat no matter what the economy is like outside the Beltway....going right on being a cash cow. But are there other ways that Washington, DC, fundamentally differ from other US cities.>