Washington Theme
State of Washington
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| Nickname | The Evergreen State |
|---|---|
| Motto | Alki (Chinook Wawa: “Eventually” or “By and by”) |
| Demonym | Washingtonian |
| Capital | Olympia |
| Largest city | Seattle |
| Largest metro area | Seattle metropolitan area |
| Area | Ranked: 18th in the US
Total: 71,300 sq miWidth: 240 miles Length: 360 miles Water: 6.6 |
| Population | Ranked: 13th in the US
Total: 6,724,540 (2010)Density: 88.6/sq mi Ranked: 25th in the US Median: income $58,078 (10th) |
| Elevation | Highest Point: Mount Rainier 14,411 ft Mean: 1,700 ft Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean 0 ft |
| Before statehood | Washington Territory |
| Admission to Union | November 11, 1889 (42nd) |
State Symbols
| Amphibian | Pacific Chorus Frog |
|---|---|
| Bird | American Goldfinch |
| Fish | Steelhead |
| Flower | Rhododendron |
| Grass | Bluebunch wheatgrass |
| Insect | Green Darner dragonfly |
| Mammals | Olympic Marmot Orca |
| Tree | Tsuga heterophylla |
| Dance | Square dance |
| Food | Apple |
| Gemstone | Petrified wood |
| Ship | Lady Washington |
| Song | Washington, My Home |
| Vegetable | Walla Walla onion |
Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States located south of British Columbia, Canada, north of Oregon and west of Idaho. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the forty-second state in 1889. The 2010 United States Census recorded the state’s population at 6,724,540.
Almost 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, and home to an internationally known arts community. The remainder of the state consists of deep rain forests in the west, mountain ranges in the center, northeast and far southeast, and eastern semi-deserts given over to intensive agriculture.
Washington was named after George Washington, the first President of the United States, and is the only U.S. state named after a president. Washington is commonly called Washington state or occasionally the State of Washington to distinguish it from the U.S. capital (and because its proper name is the State of Washington). However, Washingtonians (residents of Washington) and many residents of neighboring states normally refer to the state simply as “Washington”, while usually referring to the nation’s capital as “Washington, D.C.” or simply “D.C.”
Silly Joke
A college graduate came to visit an orchard in Washington. “I can show you how to get double the amount of apples from that tree,” she said to the farmer.
“That would be a neat trick,” said the farmer, “since it’s a pear tree!”
Theme Elements
The image across the top was taken during a hike I took around Mount Rainier. The mountain in the photo, however, is not Mount Rainier—it’s Mount Adams, the second tallest mountain in Washington.
The lower-left corner of the page was taken on the same trip, but this time pointed towards Mount Rainier from Klapatche Park and overlooking Aurora Lake. Pretty darned awesome, eh? The trail around Mount Rainier is called the Wonderland Trail. It’s a strenuous hike, but an absolutely spectacular one! You don’t have to take a couple of weeks off of work to hike the trail, though. Well, you can if you want to—there’s no better way to see it than up close and personal—but not everyone has the time or inclination to make such a long and strenuous trek through the wilderness. There’s a new option, though—a virtual walk along the Wonderland Trail on Walking 4 Fun. I pulled both of those photos from that hike.
The lower-right corner has an imagine of the Space Needle—the most iconic building in Seattle. It was built for the 1962 World’s Fair, and I took this photo while creating a Seattle City Walk for Walking 4 Fun. As I type this now, the “trail” is not yet complete.
The gaps in the menubar are filled with a Native American drawing of a salmon which hits on two more things Washington is well known for—salmon and Native American artwork.
Members
Now, time for a quick shout out to everyone on Atlas Quest from this state!
Letterboxing Cities
And, here are all of the cities in Washington we’ve hit with letterboxes!