Washington State Facts, Symbols and History

Washington Fast Facts

Capital: Olympia (popularity). 44,925 (2008 est.)

Washington Population: 6,897,012 ( 2012 est.) (13th)

Washington Quarter The second quarter commemorative coin, issued in 2007, honors Washington and is the 42nd coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program.Washington was admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, becoming our 42nd National State. The Washington Block features a king salmon breaking the water in front of Mount Rainier.Coin inscriptions include “Evergreen State”, “Washington” and “1889”.Mount Rainier is an active volcano and is a symbolic bridge between the eastern and western regions of the state. Salmon is one of the important symbols of Washington. Salmon provided nourishment to the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest and is a traditional symbol of the Pacific Northwest The nickname “Evergreen State” was bestowed upon it by real estate pioneer, C. T. Conover, because of its many lush evergreen forests.

Language: English, others

Largest Cities: (by population) Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett

Name: The origin of the name Washington, in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States.

Statehood: November 11, 1889 (42nd state)

Washington Symbols

• Animal: nothing
• Bird: goldfinch willow
• Flag of Washington
• Flower: coast rhododendron
• Fruit: Apple
• Mammal: killer whale
• Motto: “Gradually” or “Gradually” (bye and bye)
• Nicknames: (most used) Evergreen State; Green Tree State; chinook state
• Song: “Washington is my home”
• State seal
• Tree: western hemlock

Washington is a state in the northwestern United States, the 42nd state in the union. The capital is the city of Olympia, the largest city is Seattle. Population – 6,830,838 (2011). To avoid confusion with the capital, the name of that city is usually followed by the abbreviation DC (meaning “District of Columbia”), and the word “state” is added to the name of the state. The official nickname is “The Evergreen State”. See cities and towns in Washington.

In the north, Washington state borders with the Canadian province of British Columbia, in the east – with the state of Idaho, in the south – with the state of Oregon. In the west it is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The total area is 184,824 sq. km (18th place in the USA), of which 172,587 sq. km.

Before the arrival of the Europeans on the west coast, the territory of present-day Washington was inhabited by numerous Indian tribes who lived by fishing and whaling. The first European whose appearance in this territory was recorded in the chronicles was the Spanish captain Bruno de Eceta, who arrived here in 1775 at the head of a squadron of two ships. In 1778, the British captain James Cook sailed at the mouth of the Juan de Fuca Strait, but the first time the straits that now separate the state of Washington and British Columbia were explored in 1789 by the expedition of Captain Charles Barclay. In the early 1790s. research was continued by the Spanish captains Manuel Quimper and Francisco Elisa, as well as the Briton George Vancouver. In 1792, Captain Robert Gray discovered the mouth of the Columbia River.

• AbbreviationFinder: Demonstrates how the two-letter acronym of WA stands for Washington and a list of frequently used abbreviations related to the state of Washington.

In 1819, Spain renounced its claims to the territory of the current state in favor of the United States. Since then, the territory has become the subject of a dispute between the United States and Great Britain. The dispute was resolved in favor of the United States on June 15, 1846, when the Oregon Agreement was concluded.

On November 11, 1889, Washington became the 42nd state of the United States.

In 2005, Washington State’s GDP was $268.5 billion (14th in the US). Corporations such as Microsoft, Starbucks and Amazon.com are headquartered here.

The state of Washington has the most regressive tax system in the US. The state also has no corporate income tax.

In 1942, in the state of Washington, in the city of Seattle, Jimi Hendrix was born – a virtuoso guitarist, singer and composer, one of the pioneers of the electric guitar, one of the founders of hard rock.

In 1967, in this state, in the city of Aberdeen, Kurt Cobain was born – the future leader and founder of the grunge band Nirvana, who had a huge impact on musical culture.