- When Washington became a state in 1889, a legislative committee designed a seal showing Mount …
The state of Washington is called the Evergreen State because of its great fir, pine, and hemlock forests. It is also sometimes called the Chinook State, which refers to a Native American people who have long lived in the area. Washington is the only state named after a president—George Washington. The capital is Olympia. GeographyWashington lies in the mountainous northwestern region of the United States. It has an area of 70,637 square miles (182,949 square kilometers), including water. The northern boundary of the state is shared with the Canadian province of British Columbia. On the east is Idaho, on the south is Oregon, and on the west is the Pacific Ocean. The greatest physical feature of Washington is the Cascade Range. This mountain chain contains the highest point in the state, Mount Rainier, which rises 14,410 feet (4,392 meters). Mount St. Helens, a volcanic peak in the range, caused widespread devastation when it erupted in 1980. The Cascade Range divides Washington into two parts. About one third of the state lies west of the Cascades. The area around Puget Sound is a lowland that contains more than half of the state's population. In the northwest are the Olympic Mountains, and in the southwest are the Willapa Hills. Much of the land east of the Cascades is a plateau. The Okanogan Highlands in the northeast are an extension of the Rocky Mountains. The Blue Mountains cover the southeastern corner of the state. The main river in Washington is the Columbia. It cuts through the state from the north and runs along most of the Oregon border on its way to the Pacific. Flowing for more than 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers), it is one of the great rivers of North America. The climate in western Washington is wet and mild because of the influence of winds coming from the Pacific Ocean. Eastern Washington is much drier, with hot summers and cold winters. Plants and animalsCommon types of trees in Washington include the western hemlock, which is the state tree, the western red cedar, and the Douglas fir. The forests provide homes for deer, elk, bears, mountain goats, and pumas (cougars). The state bird is the willow goldfinch, also called the wild canary. It is a small bird with a yellow body and black wings. Pacific salmon swim out to the ocean but return to the Columbia River to lay their eggs. People and cultureNative Americans have lived in what is now Washington for thousands of years. When Europeans began to explore the area, the main tribes included the Chinook, the Salish, the Nez Percé, and the Yakima. More than 90,000 Native Americans still live in the state. The early non-Indian settlers of the area came over the long Oregon Trail during the 1800s. Most of them were from the Midwest. Many immigrants from Canada and the Scandinavian countries arrived later. At the start of the 21st century Hispanics and Asians were the largest minority groups in the state. African Americans make up about 3 percent of the population. CitiesThe majority of Washington's people live in cities in the western part of the state. Seattle, the largest city, is the center of the densely populated area along southern Puget Sound. Tacoma and Olympia, the capital, are also in this region. The largest city east of the Cascades is Spokane. It is an economic and cultural center for the region between the Cascades and the Rocky Mountains. RecreationWashington has more than 100 state parks and three national parks—Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades. The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is also popular with tourists. Washington's mountains attract climbers and skiers. Walla Walla is a resort center in the Blue Mountains. The annual Seattle Seafair features parades, boat races, and water carnivals. Professional sports teams based in Seattle include the Mariners (baseball), the Seahawks (football), the SuperSonics (men's basketball), and the Storm (women's basketball). EducationThe legislature of Washington Territory passed a law creating public schools in 1854. For years, however, many children could not go to school because farms were widely scattered and the roads poor. The oldest and largest state-supported school is the University of Washington, at Seattle, founded in 1861. Washington State University, at Pullman, was established in 1890. EconomyResourcesWater is Washington's most valuable natural resource. The Columbia and other rivers in the state are major producers of hydroelectric (water) power. The massive Grand Coulee Dam, on the Columbia, is one of the largest power plants in the world. Fishing boats bring in salmon, halibut, trout, perch, tuna, cod, shrimp, and crabs. Washington's forests are the source of a long-established wood-product industry. The state's mineral resources include sand, gravel, stone, cement, magnesium, gemstones, and gold. IndustryThe production of transportation equipment is by far the leading manufacturing industry in Washington. The Boeing Company, a producer of aircraft and spacecraft, has long been a major employer in the state. Another important technology industry in Washington is the production of computer software. The leader in this area is the Microsoft Corporation, which is based in Redmond, near Seattle. Service industries such as business services, real estate, and tourism grew quickly in the late 20th century. Other industries include food processing, aluminum refining, and the making of wood products. The state is also a center for trade with Alaska, Canada, and Asia. AgricultureWashington farms produce many different crops. Among them are wheat, apples, potatoes, berries, nuts, cherries, grapes, peas, pears, hay, and barley. Dairy farming and the raising of cattle and poultry are also important sources of farm income. HistoryThe Native Americans who lived in the Washington region before the arrival of Europeans depended on hunting, fishing, and trading. The first European to set foot in the area was the Spanish sailor Bruno Heceta, who claimed the area for his country in 1775. In 1792 George Vancouver, an English sea captain, and Robert Gray, a U.S. captain, made claims for their countries. A group led by U.S. explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark reached the mouth of the Columbia River in 1805 (see Lewis and Clark Expedition). This strengthened the U.S. claim to the region. Settlement and statehoodUntil the 1840s citizens of both the United States and Britain could settle and trade in what was still known as Oregon Country. During these early years settlers made their living mainly by fur trading. Beginning in 1826, however, logging camps and sawmills were established. In 1846 Britain and the United States signed a treaty that established the border between Canada and the United States. Two years later the United States Congress renamed Oregon Country as the Oregon Territory. Soon settlements sprang up at many places on Puget Sound. In 1853 Congress divided the area and established the Washington Territory north of the Columbia River. In 1889 Washington was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state. DevelopmentIn the 1890s gold was discovered in Alaska and the Yukon Territory of Canada. The gold rush led to the growth of cities on Puget Sound. They became shipping ports for goods to the miners and received gold and other products from the north. Early in the 20th century the state began projects to improve navigation and create power plants on the Columbia River. The Bonneville and Grand Coulee dams were built in the 1930s and 1940s. In the second half of the 20th century the Seattle area became famous for the manufacture of airplanes and other high-technology products. Since the 1990s the Microsoft Corporation has been a major force in the state's economy. Population (2000 census), 5,894,121. |