Washington (state)

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"Washington state" and "State of Washington" redirect here. For other uses, see Washington (disambiguation).

State of Washington
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): "The Evergreen State" (unofficial)[1]
Motto(s): Al-ki or Alki, "bye and bye" in Chinook Jargon (unofficial)[1]
State song(s): "Washington, My Home"
Official language	None (de jure) English (de facto)
Demonym	Washingtonian
Capital	Olympia
Largest city	Seattle
Largest metro	Metro Seattle
Area	Ranked 18th
• Total	71,362 sq mi (184,827 km2)
• Width	360 miles (580 km)
• Length	240 miles (400 km)
• % water	6.6
• Latitude	45°  33′ N to 49° N
• Longitude	116°  55′ W to 124°  46′ W
Population	Ranked 13th
• Total	7,288,000 (2016 est)[2]
• Density	103/sq mi  (39.6/km2) Ranked 25th
• Median household income	$58,078 (11th)
Elevation
• Highest point	Mount Rainier 14,411 ft (4,392 m)
• Mean	1,700 ft  (520 m)
• Lowest point	Pacific Ocean sea level
Before statehood	Washington Territory
Admission to Union	November 11, 1889 (42nd)
Governor	Jay Inslee (D)
Lieutenant Governor	Cyrus Habib (D)
Legislature	State Legislature
• Upper house	State Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. Senators	Patty Murray (D) Maria Cantwell (D)
U.S. House delegation	6 Democrats 4 Republicans (list)
Time zone	Pacific: UTC −8/−7
ISO 3166	US-WA
Abbreviations	WA, Wash.
Website	access.wa.gov

[show]Washington state symbols

Washington (ⁱ/ˈwɒʃɪŋtən/) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States located north of Oregon, west of Idaho, and south of the Canadian province of British Columbia on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Named after George Washington, the first President of the United States, the state was made out of the western part of the Washington Territory, which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 in accordance with the Oregon Treaty in the settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. Olympia is the state capital. Washington is sometimes referred to as Washington State or the State of Washington to distinguish it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the U.S., which is often shortened to Washington.
Washington is the 18th largest state with an area of 71,362 square miles (184,827 sq km), and the 13th most populous state with over 7 million people. Approximately 60 percent of Washington's residents live in the Seattle metropolitan area, the center of transportation, business, and industry along the Puget Sound region of the Salish Sea, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean consisting of numerous islands, deep fjords, and bays carved out by glaciers. The remainder of the state consists of deep temperate rainforests in the west, mountain ranges in the west, central, northeast and far southeast, and a semi-arid basin region in the east, central, and south, given over to intensive agriculture. Washington is the second most populous state on the West Coast and in the Western United States, after California. Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano, is the state's highest elevation at almost 14,411 feet (4,392 m) and is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States.
Washington is a leading lumber producer. Its rugged surface is rich in stands of Douglas fir, hemlock, ponderosa pine, white pine, spruce, larch, and cedar. The state is the biggest producer of apples, hops, pears, red raspberries, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries, and ranks high in the production of apricots, asparagus, dry edible peas, grapes, lentils, peppermint oil, and potatoes. Livestock and livestock products make important contributions to total farm revenue, and the commercial fishing of salmon, halibut, and bottomfish makes a significant contribution to the state's economy.
Manufacturing industries in Washington include aircraft and missiles, shipbuilding and other transportation equipment, lumber, food processing, metals and metal products, chemicals, and machinery. Washington has over 1,000 dams, including the Grand Coulee Dam, built for a variety of purposes including irrigation, power, flood control, and water storage.