K Street is a major thoroughfare in the United States capital of Washington, D.C. known as a center for numerous think tanks, lobbyists, and advocacy groups. In political discourse, "K Street" has become a metonym for Washington's lobbying industry since many lobbying firms were traditionally located on the section in Northwest Washington which passes from Georgetown through a portion of downtown D.C. Since the late 1980s, however, many of the largest lobbying firms have moved out; as of 2012[update], only one of the top-20 lobbying firms has a K Street address.
In Washington's street grid there are two unconnected streets designated as K Street. The term "K Street" almost always refers to the northern K Street.
The northern K Street, which carries a segment of U.S. Route 29, begins in the city's Northwest quadrant as K St. NW, just west of the abutment of the old Aqueduct Bridge on the Georgetown waterfront. The street travels east underneath the Whitehurst Freeway, crosses Rock Creek on the K Street Bridge, and continues through downtown D.C. After its intersection with North Capitol Street, the street's designation changes to K Street NE as it enters the Northeast quadrant. The street ends at Florida Avenue in the Near Northeast neighborhood, just south of Gallaudet University.