A Brief Introduction and Overview of the State of Washington

Washington is named after George Washington the first president. Washington has a bit of everything, it has mountains, forest, and ultra-modern cities. The Evergreen state is in the very corner of the west region. Washington is bordered by Oregon and Idaho. The evergreen state has a longitude of 120 west and a latitude of 48 north, about 6,549,224 people live in Washington. Washington’s capital is Olympia. Washington state bird is the willow goldfinch. The Washington state flower is the coast rhododendron. The Washington state fish is the steelhead trout and the state tree is the western hemlock. The state gem/rock is petrified wood. Others include the state amphibian which is the Pacific chorus frog. The state marine mammal is the orca whale. History Washington became a state on November 11, 1889. Washington was first Britain's territory because the explorer Vancouver discovered the Puget sound and mark the territory for Britain. Great Britain and the United States shared Washington, in 1846 the United States gain full control of Washington and the Oregon territory through the Oregon Treaty. The Oregon territory included states such as Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and parts of Montana. In 1889 Washington admitted into the union as the 42 states.

The first settlers were mostly fur traders. They came through and trade with Native Americans for the fur of the animals that could be sold in China and Europe because it was considered valuable. 1792 an early explorer named Robert Gray discovered the Puget Sound. A sound is an ocean inlet In 1805 Lewis and Clark reached Washington, they traveled all the way from Missouri to Washington. The native Suquamish and Duwamish tribe leader was named Seattle, the famous city Seattle that has the space needle is named after it. The state of Washington has 12 electoral votes.

Geography

Washington is the 18th largest state in the United States. It has a length of 360 miles and a width of 240 miles. Washington in total has an area of about 71,300 square miles. Washington’s only coastline is the Pacific coast. The highest point in Washington is the famous Mount Rainier with a summit of 14,410 feet. The lowest point in Washington is the Pacific Ocean at 0 feet. The state of Washington has many landforms such as lakes, rivers, peninsula, sounds, and mountains. One mountain range is the Cascade Range, which runs north and south.

Climate

The state of Washington has cooler summer and warmer winters. The highest temperature in Washington was 118 Fahrenheit. The average temperature in the summer is 68 Fahrenheit. The average temperature in mid-winter is 41 Fahrenheit. The coldest Washington has ever been being at -48 Fahrenheit. The state of Washington gets more than most states when it comes to rainfall. Washington gets 40 to 100 inches of rain per year. The Olympic peninsula exceeds 135 inches of rain per year. Washington has more than 23 million acres of forest, most of the forest are on the western side of the state. The common trees include douglas fir, western red cedar, and ponderosa pine. The state tree is the western hemlock. In the very western part of Washington is thriving with wildlife. Such as Canada lynx, coyote, red fox, and the black bear. The oceans and lakes are also full of life. Orcas, smallmouth bass, and white sturgeon. There are many types of birds, such as kingfishers and Oregon jays are just some of the bird that is native to Washington.

Industries and Agriculture

One industry Washington is known for is lumber production. This was important because in world war one the United State needed lumber so Washington economy boomed. The great depression started. After the United States involvement in the world war, two shipbuilding became important again. Aircraft construction and atomic energy projects also help the state, the population surged again. Commercial fisheries catch salmon, herring, cod, and shellfish. In addition, the Columbia River makes good fishing for trout and other native freshwater fish.

Farmers in Washington grow many crops. Winter wheat is an important crop, they grow other fruits and vegetables too. Such as barley, peas, and lentils. Washington does not only provides fruits and vegetables for the nation. The state of Washington has one of the largest power plants in the United States. It is a hydroelectric power plant at the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River. Hydroelectric power is clean because it uses water to generate energy. Did you know that the construction of the dam has been called the Eighth Wonder of the World? There are also many big businesses in Washington, such as Boeing, Microsoft, and Starbucks Coffee headquarters are in Washington.

Tourism

The state of Washington has a lot of attractions and unique places. The Seattle Space Center and the Museum of Glass. The Boeing factory is also a major attraction for airplane fans. The Washington State Capitol building is one of the biggest attractions in all of Washington. The state capitol building rises 287 feet above the tree-lined street in the center of the town.

The Seattle Space Center includes the famous Seattle space needle, the space center is one of the top-rated attractions in Seattle. Built-in 1962 world’s fair the campus is around 74 acres and has many other popular attractions such as monorails, museums, parklands, and restaurants. The newest attraction is the Chihuly Garden of Glass and the Museum of Pop Culture.

The woodland park, also in Seattle is one of the biggest zoos in Seattle. The zoo has a variety of animals, such as tigers, red pandas, and snow leopard. They have a lot of exhibits some exhibits are African Savannah, Ambassador Animals, and Assam Rhino Reserve. A recently born animal is was a giraffe born on May 2, 2019, her name is Hasani. Sadly the calf suffers a disorder in his rear legs. Before that, the zoo gave birth to four North American river otter pups. This is the first time a river otter pup was born in the zoo’s 119 histories.

Transportation

The people in Washington have access to 11 primary airports. The biggest airport is Seattle-Tacoma airport. The airport has on average 30 million passengers a year. The airport in the 18th biggest airport in the United States. The total amount of airports Washington has is more than 140 airports. The people of Washington like to get around on ferries because the people usually have to get across the Puget sound quickly, so the use the ferries instead of driving around, especially tourist. The ferry system in Washington is one of the largest ferry systems in the world.

Famous People

The state of Washington has given birth to many famous people. Some of them are Bill Gates, Chester Carlson, and And Bing Crosby. These famous people were born in Washington. Bill Gates was born in Seattle. He began writing computer software when he was only 13 years old. After he left Harvard University, he began Microsoft Corporation. Today Bill Gates is one of the richest people in the world.

Bing Crosby is one of the most popular singers and actor in history. He was born in Tacoma, Washington. One of his biggest hits songs is “White Christmas.” Bing Crosby also starred in many movies too. He was in both comedies and drama. He won an academy award for his role as a priest in 1944, the movie Going My Way. The academy award is the highest award in all of Hollywood. Chester Carlson was born in Seattle, Washington in 1906. Chester invented the first machine that could photocopy other documents. Chester called the process of photocopying electrophotography. In 1944 he sold his idea to a company that became Xerox Corporation. The company made the machine and sold it. His invention also made another machine possible, such as laser printers.

Major Cities

The largest cities in Washington is Seattle, the largest city is not the capital. The city of Seattle has a population around 730,400. Seattle is known for hosting the world fair in 1962 and the opening of the space needle. The famous person bill gates, the founder of Microsoft was born in Seattle. Seattle is known for the space needle is the tallest tower west of the Mississippi River.

The space needle has 4 floors and a bright light at the top the warn nearby airplanes. The city is also known for the Chihuly glass blowing, which is the new attraction in Seattle. The museum is near the space center. The Seattle Aquarium is home to a variety of creature. Some creatures are sharks, sea otters, and giant clams. The city is also known for the museum of flight, the museum has a lot of aircraft and rovers from space. The museum is one of the largest air and space collections in the country. The city of Seattle is named after the chief of the Duwamish and the Suquamish tribe.

Interesting Facts

Washington has an active volcano in Skamania County, Washington. The volcano’s name is Mount St. Helen, but on May 18, 1980, Mount St Helen erupted. The explosion caused 57 people to died, gas and ash flew 16 miles high, mud and lava flowed down the mountainside. In 1962 the space needle was completed along with the world fair. In 1916 the Boeing Company was formed by William E. Boeing. The state of Washington broke off of Oregon and became the 42nd state in the United States. The Grand Coulee Dam was completed in 1941. In the Yakima Indian reservation, 12,000 wild horses roam free.

Bibliography

1. Orloff, Jim, Washington, Edina Minnesota, Abdo Publishing company, 2010
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3. Nelson, Ken, “Washington State History,” Duckster Education site, Unknown, Duckster Education site, 5-7-19 https://www.ducksters.com/geography/us_states/washington_history.php
4. “The Geography of Washington,” Netstate, 2-25-2016, Netstate, 5-6-19 https://www.netstate.com/states/geography/wa_geography.htm Kendle, Kristen, What Seattle is most famous for, trap savvy, 12-28-18, trap savvy, 5-7-19 https://www.tripsavvy.com/what-is-seattle-famous-for-2965306