Washington
- For alternate meanings see Washington (disambiguation)\n
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
\nIn 1853, Washington Territory was formed from part of Oregon Territory. \nWashington became the 42nd state in the United States on November 11, 1889.
Geography
\nSee: 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 world.
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
\n*Puget Sound\n**Bainbridge Island\n**Camano Island\n**San Juan Islands\n**Whidbey Island\n**Vashon Island\n*Columbia River\n*Snake River\n*Yakima River
A fuller list of Washington state's islands appears here.
Important cities and towns
\n*Seattle\n*
Olympia\n*
Spokane\n*
Tacoma\n*
Bellevue\n*
Vancouver\n*
Everett\n*
Tri-Cities\n*
Walla Walla\n*
Wenatchee\n*
Yakima\n*
Bremerton
See also Washington city government
Agriculture
\nWashington 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
\nColleges and universities
\n
Community colleges
\n| \n*Bates Technical College\n*Bellevue Community College\n*Bellingham Technical College\n*Big Bend Community College \n*Cascadia Community College \n*Centralia College\n*Clark College \n*Clover Park Technical College\n*Columbia Basin College \n*Edmonds Community College\n*Everett Community College\n*Grays Harbor College \n*Green River Community College\n*Highline Community College\n*Lake Washington Technical College\n*Lower Columbia College\n |
|
Professional sports teams
\n
Arts and culture
\n*Music of Washington
Elected officials and political activists
\nElected officials
\n
See also:
Washington state congressional delegates
Political activists
- Tim Eyman has worked on many Tax reduction initatives.
- Democracy for Washington is a progressive organization working to elect Democrats and other progressive candidates on a national, state and local level.
Major highways
\n* Interstate 5\n*
Interstate 82\n*
Interstate 90\n*
Interstate 405\n*
U.S. Highway 2\n*
U.S. Highway 12\n*
U.S. Highway 97\n*
U.S. Highway 101
External links
\n*State of Washington website: http://access.wa.gov/\n*Revised Code of Washington (State Law):
http://www.leg.wa.gov/rcw/index.cfm\n*Washington Administrative Code (State Administrative Rules):
http://www.leg.wa.gov/wac/\n*State Code Search Tool:
http://search.leg.wa.gov/pub/textsearch/default.asp\n*Over 11,000 websites categorized and profiled on Zeal:
http://zeal.com/category/preview.jhtml?cid=1154760
Category:Political divisions of the United StatesCategory:Washington
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