Washington

For alternate meanings see Washington (disambiguation)

Washington is a state located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It should not be confused with Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. To avoid confusion, the state is often called Washington State. While the state capital is Olympia, the largest city in Washington is Seattle. As of the 2000 census, the state population is approximately 5.9 million. Residents are called "Washingtonians."

Washington is the only state named after a president, George Washington.

The USS Washington was named in honor of this state.

History

In 1853, Washington Territory was formed from part of Oregon Territory. Washington became the 42^nd state in the United States on November 11, 1889.

Geography

See: List of Washington counties

Washington is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, Oregon to the south, Idaho to the east, and British Columbia, Canada to the north. It is famous for scenery of breathtaking beauty and sharp contrasts. High mountains rise above evergreen forests and sparkling coastal waters. Its coastal location and Puget Sound harbors give it a leading role in trade with Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Rim. Puget Sound's many islands are served by the largest state ferry fleet in the country.

Washington is a land of contrasts. The deep forests of the Olympic Peninsula are among the rainiest places in the world, but the flat semi-desert that lies east of the Cascade Range stretches for long distances without a single tree. Snow-covered peaks tower above the foothills and lowlands around them. Mount Rainier, the highest mountain in the state, appears to "float" on the horizon southeast of Seattle and Tacoma on clear days. The eastern side of the state can be divided into two regions: the Okanogan Highlands, and the Columbia River Basin.

See also Central Washington, Columbia River Plateau, Eastern Washington, Inland Empire, Kitsap Peninsula, Palouse, Western Washington.

Geographical features

• Puget Sound
  • Bainbridge Island
  • Camano Island
  • San Juan Islands
  • Whidbey Island
  • Vashon Island
• Columbia River
• Snake River
• Yakima River

A fuller list of Washington state's islands appears here.

• Cascade Range
  • Mount Adams
  • Mount Baker
  • Glacier Peak
  • Mount Rainier
  • Mount St. Helens
  • Mount Stuart
• Olympic Mountains
  • Mount Olympus

Important cities and towns

• Seattle
• Olympia
• Spokane
• Tacoma
• Vancouver
• Everett
• Tri-Cities
• Walla Walla
• Wenatchee
• Yakima
• Bremerton

See also Washington city government

Agriculture

Washington is a leading agricultural state. (The following figures are from the Washington State Office of Financial Management and the Washington Agricultural Statistics Service .)

For 2001, the total value of Washington's agricultural products was $5.4 billion, the 12th highest in the country. The total value of its crops was $3.2 billion, the 8th highest.

In 2002, Washington ranked first in the nation in production of raspberries (87.8% of total U.S. production), hops (74.4%), spearmint oil (also 74.4%), wrinkled seed peas (65.6%), apples (60.2%), Concord grapes (51.8%), sweet cherries (48%), pears (44.9%), lentils (41.9%), peppermint oil (35.2%), carrots for processing (34.5%), tart cherries (32.8%), Niagara grapes (32.4%), and sweet corn for processing (29.2%). Washington also ranked second in the nation in grapes (all varieties taken together), apricots, asparagus (over a third of the country's production), and green peas for processing; third in the nation for wheat, prunes and plums, summer dry onions, trout, and butter; fourth in barley and peaches; and fifth in cranberries and strawberries.

Education

Colleges and universities

Community colleges

Professional sports teams

Arts and culture

• Music of Washington

Elected officials and political activists

Elected officials

Political activists

Major highways

• Interstate 5
• Interstate 82
• Interstate 90
• U.S. Highway 2
• U.S. Highway 12
• U.S. Highway 97
• U.S. Highway 101

External links

• State of Washington website: http://access.wa.gov/
• Revised Code of Washington (State Law): http://www.leg.wa.gov/rcw/index.cfm
• Washington Administrative Code (State Administrative Rules): http://www.leg.wa.gov/wac/
• State Code Search Tool: http://search.leg.wa.gov/pub/textsearch/default.asp
• Over 11,000 websites categorized and profiled on Zeal: http://zeal.com/category/preview.jhtml?cid=1154760