The capital of Washington is Olympia.

Washington is located at 47.041N, 122.893W

Washington reached statehood on November 11th 1889 making it the 42nd state in the United States

You’re looking at 206, 253, 360, 425 and 509 for phone numbers.

The state bird is the Willow Goldfinch which is also the state bird for Iowa and New Jersey

The bordering states are Idaho and Oregon.

What supports Washington’s Economy are the seafood, dairy products, apples, cattle, wheat, potatoes, nursery stock, aerospace, software development, food processing, paper products, lumber and wood products, chemical products and tourism.

Washington is ranked 18th largest state in the United States as well as 13th most populated at about 6,500,000 in 2008. Seattle ranks at the most populated city at about 602,000 people.
In 2007 this became the first state in the nation to target all forms of highly toxic PBDEs for elimination from many common household products.

The current governor is Chris Gregoire who is a white democratic woman. She is the 2nd woman to be in office and the first to ever win reelection in Washington state. In 2008 it was measured that about 57% of the state voted democratic. Although it has been known that the Western side of Washington is liberal and the Eastern side of Washington being more conservative. But Washington state has voted a democratic presidential nominee since 1988.

Before European explorers, Washington State had many established tribes of Native Americans that were proficient in craving, fishing and hunting. The small pox epidemic of 1770s had devastated most of the native population. (One more thing to have in common with Hawaii)
In 1775 was when Spanish Captain of the Santiago, Bruno de Heceta had become the first European in recorded history to land on the Washington Coast. In 1778 Captain James Cook sighted Cape Flattery (which is the farthest NW point of the US located in Clallam County.) but more explorations would come from Spanish explores Manuel Quimper in 1790 and Francisco Eliza in 1791. The next was a British Captain by the name of George Vancouver in 1792. Then there was a bunch of fighting/killing.

The highest point is Mt. Rainier coming in at 14,410 feet. It is located 54 miles South East of Seattle which is about a 2.5 hour drive. The last recorded eruption was between 1820 to 1854 although there has been other eyewitness accounts in the later 1800s. Captain George Vancouver was the first European to see the mountain and named it after his friend Rear Admiral Peter Rainier. Mount Rainier was first known to the Native Americans as Talol, Tahoma or Tacoma. To climb Rainier is difficult and can take three days, about 8,000 to 13,000 people attempt to climb Rainier annually. About half succeeded. The weather and conditioning is the reason for most of the failure. The Washington State quarter has a picture of a salmon and Mt Rainier. It has the 4th most Prominent Mountain peak in North American, being the highest point, Cascade Range.

The state flower is the Pink Rhododendron. It was selected at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893.

Seattle is known as the Emerald City and Washington known as the Evergreen State.

The state motto is Al-ki a Chinook Indian word meaning “bye and bye” which translates as “Hope for the Future”

The state was named after George Washington.

The state song is “Washington My Home”

This is my country; God gave it to me;
I will protect it, ever keep it free.
Small towns and cities rest here in the sun,
Filled with our laughter, “Thy will be done.”

Washington my home;
Where ever I may roam;
This is my land, my native land,
Washington, my home.
Our verdant forest green,
Caressed by silvery stream;
From mountain peak to fields of wheat.
Washington, my home.

There’s peace you feel and understand
In this, our own beloved land.
We greet the day with head held high,
And forward ever is our cry.
We’ll happy ever be
As people always free.
For you and me a destiny;
Washington my home.

The teams to be rooting for are going to be the Seahawks for football, the Mariners for baseball, the Sonics for basketball and the Storm for Womens basketball.

So that’s what they say about Washington. But from my stand point. So far, so great.