Barack Obama took the oath of office today as the 44th president of the United States, proclaiming a "moment that will define a generation," while vowing to help America meet the challenges of two wars and a massive economic downturn.

"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America," he said in an inaugural speech that lasted about 20 minutes.

Hundreds of thousands of people poured into Washington to watch Obama cap his ground-breaking campaign. And while inaugurations are a quadrennial event in Washington, this one has sparked a feeling of optimism and exuberance not seen in many years.

People from across the country took advantage of the three-day weekend to flock to Washington over the weekend, absorbing much of the city's historic museums and landmarks in anticipation of taking part in today's living history.

Some were lucky enough to have a short trip. Towson resident Glenn Page arrived Sunday with his wife and two sons to take part in Sunday's star-studded inauguration concert.

"History will reflect back on this point some day, and it’s just really been amazing to be here," Page said. “There’s a lot of hope."

"Hope" was one of Obama's buzzwords during his campaign, which began in February 2007 in Springfield, Ill., the same place where former President Abraham Lincoln also launched his presidential campaign.

Obama, 47, and the son of a Kenyan man and a Kansan woman, took the country by storm, touting "change we can believe in," while urging the country to join in a unified effort to help the country weather through two wars and one of the biggest economic downturns in American history.

He continued that theme in his speech today, vowing to rebuild a crumbling national infrastructure, make health care more affordable, reform education and create an energy policy that allows the United States to be independent of foreign resources.

"The challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many, and they will not be met easily or in a short period of time," he declared. "But know this America — they will be met."

That kind of hope and optimism is what led Page and and his wife, Jane, to bring their sons, Elias and Jackson, even though it would mean they would miss school today.

In addition to hearing Obama's plans for change, Jane Page noted that there might be no better learning experience today for her two sons, than for them to witness the newly inaugurated president's first words as the first black commander-in-chief.

"If they’re going to talk about the inauguration in school anyway, why not come here?” she said. "It’s about the world they are going to inherit.”

Elsewhere in the area, people celebrated the Inauguration in other ways — without braving the crowds and the weather in Washington

About a dozen people were already gathered in the Howard County Central Library in Columbia by 10:30 a.m. and the room was expected to fill up by noon.

"We see the library as a third place after work and home," said Nina Krzysko, the library manager. "We figured folks who don't want to go to D.C. but still want to be part of the Inauguration would need some place to go."

All of the county's six library branches were to have viewing areas set up for people to watch the Inauguration festivities.

Among those gathered at the main Columbia library was Fanfan Zheng, 18, a finance and mathematics student at the University of Maryland and a Columbia resident. He came to the U.S. from China about seven years ago, but is still in the process of gaining citizenship and did not have the right to vote in the last election.

Zheng said he supported Obama because he thought the country needed a change.

"He's a new face, with innovative, new ideas," he said. "I think that's a good thing."

Gwen Tekle, 43, a social worker who worked the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in order to have inauguration day off, was also at the library. She said she  voted for Obama and wanted to come to a public place to watch him sworn in with other people.

She said she has no worries Obama will tackle the big issues, but said today should be all about inspiration.

"I just want to hear him continue to inspire the nation," she said. "I want to keep the momentum going."

Despite living so close to Washington, Glenn Page said the family were staying in a friend's apartment in Washington from Sunday through Tuesday night. With hundreds of thousands of out-of-town visitors crowding the city's Metro trains and buses, the trip would have taken much more time, he said. Parking was also expected to be at a premium downtown as the vast majority of parking space was set aside for charter buses carrying groups from out of town.

With record crowds utilizing the Metrorail, road traffic was reported to be moving fairly smoothly downtown in the morning. But foot traffic was dense, especially near the National Mall and Capitol Hill.

Many of those wandering downtown were in high spirits, with spontaneous cheers erupting from the crowds. But those hoping to see the historic moment were not the only ones milling about the mall. Vendors sold clothing, posters and scarves celebrating Obama's election, while activist groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals spread literature and stickers.

Yasmin and Sultan Ashraf of Ellicott City also took advantage of downtown housing, staying in a friend's Washington apartment. They left their friend's apartment around 8:45 a.m. today, arriving at the National Mall at around 9:30 a.m.

Yasmin Ashraf said despite the enormous crowds, she took the day off of work to take part in a "once in a lifetime" event.

"I wanted to be there and feel everything." she said.

Staff writers Jennifer Choi, Kevin Rector and Derek Simmonsen contributed to this article.

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