Washington

Pacific Northwest

Washington State is located in the Pacific Northwest Region of the United States. Named after the United States' first president George Washington, it was admitted into the Union as the 42nd state in 1889.

Washington is the 18th largest state, with over 70,000 square miles of space to explore. C.T. Conover, a pioneer Seattle realtor, and historian nicknamed the Evergreen State, because of its abundant evergreen forests. This nickname is fitting since it has six national forests and over 200 state parks. There are over 8,000 lakes in Washington, which gives those looking for their perfect lake home plenty of options.

Climate and Native Species

The mountains of the Cascade Range bisect the state running north-south. Residents often refer to the two parts of the state in many different ways, like the "Westside" and the "Eastside," "Wet side," and "Dry side," or "Timberland" and "Wheatland."

In Western Washington, there is a Mediterranean climate, with mild temperatures and wet winters, autumns and springs, and dry summers. The Cascade Range is home to several active volcanoes, which stand significantly higher than the other mountains. Those volcanoes are Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Glacier Peak, and Mount Adams. The Olympic Mountains are also located in Western Washington on the Olympic Peninsula.

In Eastern Washington, the climate is dry in contrast to the west side. The area is made up of semiarid steppe and some genuinely arid deserts in the Cascades' rain shadow.

Forests cover around half of the state's land area, and two-thirds of Washington's forested areas are publicly owned. Washington offers various areas of wilderness sanctuary for many different species, like shorebirds and marine mammals. Killer, gray, and humpback whales inhabit the coast near the San Juan Islands. Mammals like black bears, cougars, deer, eld, gray wolf, mountain beavers, and the bat are native. When it comes to fishing, residents can find over 400 different types of freshwater fish.

Businesses, the World's Fair and Fun Events

Washington is home to many well-known businesses like Starbucks, Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing. It also consistently ranks among the best life expectancy and low unemployment.It is also the nation's leading producer of apples, pears, sweet cherries, red raspberries, and hops.

In 1962 the World's Fair took place in Seattle. While preparing for the World's Fair, the Seattle Space Needle was built and has become a famous emblem for the city. The World's Fair was also held in Spokane, Washington, in 1974 and was the smallest city in size to host the event.

There are many events and festivals in Washington, like the Westport Art Festival in Westport, Washington, at the Westport Marina. In Vancouver, you can attend the Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival. During the fall, there are many unique events. The sunny and dry weather makes street fairs and outdoor events pleasurable, with 75% of the hops used to make beer in the United States grown in and around Yakima, Washington, make the Fresh Hop and Ale Festival in Yakima a must-attend event.

If you love to camp and fish, then Washington is perfect for you! You can find many drive-in lakeside campsites and remote sub-alpine fly fishing areas to make all your camping and fishing dreams come true.