100 Facts About Washington State
Washington is an interesting state with a very large history. Along with that comes a lot of interesting facts. Today we are going to look at 100 facts about Washington State. Some may surprise you; some may educate you; others may make you laugh. Have a look.
LIST OF 100 FACTS ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
1. THE ONLY PRESIDENTIAL STATE
Washington State is the only state to be named after a US President. King County is also named after Vice President William R. King.
2. FIRST BECAME A STATE IN 1889
In 1889, the Columbia Territory became Washington State.
3. WHAT NUMBER IN THE UNION?
Washington is the 42nd state in The Union.
4. LARGE APPLE PRODUCTION
Washington produces more apples than any other state and they are shipped around the country in masses.
5. THE LAST CAPITOL ROTUNDA
Visiting Washington’s capitol, you will notice it has a very traditional design. In fact, it was the last capitol building in the country to feature a rotunda.
6. HOME TO BILL GATES AND MICROSOFT
Bill Gates, one of the wealthiest men in the world, lives in Medina, Washington, a small town across from Seattle. Washington is also home to his company, Microsoft.
7. COLUMBIA TERRITORY
Before becoming a state, Washington was known as the Columbia Territory. The name was chosen because of the prominent Columbia River. The territory was split off from the Oregon Territory.
8. LARGEST FERRY FLEET
The Evergreen State is home to the largest ferry fleet in the country. A large number of islands are responsible for this.
9. BUSIEST FERRY TERMINAL TOO
The Coleman Dock at Pier 52 in Seattle is the busiest ferry terminal in the US. It is part of the Washington State Ferry System.
10. THE TOUGHEST TOWN IN THE WEST
Aberdeen, Washington is located about 50 miles West of the Capitol and during the era of the wild west, it was known as the toughest town in the west. It featured gambling, gangs, violence, drugs, and prostitution.
11. PACIFIC THEATRE STAGING POINT
Many soldiers who fought in the Pacific Theatre were staged out of Washington. Golden Gardens (now a park) served as a quartering post for most of the soldiers before they were deployed to the front.
12. BLOWING ITS TOP
Mount St. Helens, one of Washington’s volcanos, erupted in 1980. Most of the Northeast face of the volcano was blown off.
13. WASHINGTON HAS 10 VOLCANOS
The State of Washington has 10 volcanos. Half of them are active.
14. HOME TO MANY TECH COMPANIES
Seattle and the rest of Washington are home to a large number of tech companies. Microsoft, Amazon, Classmates, Whitepages, Marchex, and Expedia are all based out of Washington. There are also many smaller and startup tech businesses in the state.
15. THE CAPITOL ISN’T THE MOST POPULATED CITY
Most people would think that the capitol would have the biggest population of the state. Washington’s most populated city is Seattle though. It contains almost 60% of the state population.
16. OVER 1,000 DAMS IN WASHINGTON
You will find plenty of dams around Washington. Currently there are 1,166 dams in the state according to The Department of Ecology. Grand Coulee Dam in Washington is the most powerful dam in the country.
17. FULL OF PARKS
Washington State is full of parks, it features 6 national parks and 215 state parks. Many cities also have their own local parks.
18. DURING WWII SEATTLE PLAYED HOST TO A CAMOUFLAGED TOWN
Boeing camouflaged their facilities during World War II to look like a normal town to prevent it from being a bombing target.
19. WASHINGTON STATE HAS A BIKE TREE
On Vashon Island there is a bike that sat against a tree so long that the tree grew around it, resulting in the bike being part of the tree now.
20. THE FORMER NAME FOR THE CAPITOL IS THE BLACK BEAR PLACE
Before Olympia was colonized, it was known as The Black Bear Place by natives, or in their language, Cheetwoot.
21. HOME TO THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS BEACH IN THE US
Long Beach Washington is the longest continuous beach in the US and the second longest drivable beach in the world.
22. NO PERSONAL INCOME TAX
Only 7 states in the country do not have a personal income tax, Washington is among those.
23. MOST GLACIATED STATE IN THE US
Most think of Alaska when they think of cold and ice. However, Washington is the most glaciated state in the country with more than 3,000 glaciers.
24. ONLY RAINFOREST IN THE LOWER 48
Washington State’s Olympic National Forest is the only rainforest in the lower 48 states.
25. NUMBER 2 IN WINE PRODUCTION IN THE US
Washington state is the second largest producer of wine in the United States with over 70 varieties produced.
26. A LARGE NUMBER OF WINERIES
To help Washington become the number 2 in wine production in the United States, it features over 970 different wineries.
27. OTHER PRODUCED FOODS
Besides apples and wine, Washington is also one of the biggest producers of cherries, raspberries, hops, and pears.
28. HOME TO THE NORTHERNMOST INCORPORATED POINT IN THE LOWER 48
Sumas, Washington is the Northernmost incorporated point in the contiguous states. It also has the Westernmost point at Cape Alava.
29. THE DEEPEST GORGE IN NORTH AMERICA
Hells Canyon, located in Washington, is the deepest gorge in the country. It sits at 8,000 feet deep.
30. HIGHER WATERFALL THAN NIAGARA
Snoqualmie Falls is taller than the Niagara Falls despite the fact Niagara gets more visitors.
31. SMALLEST WORLD’S FARE CITY
Spokane, WA is the smallest city to ever play host to the World’s Fare.
32. HOSTED THE WORLD’S FARE TWICE
Washington State has actually hosted the World’s Fare twice, once in Spokane and once in Seattle.
33. A MOUNTAIN NAMED AFTER A RED COAT
Mount Rainier was named after Peter Rainier, a Red Coat during the Revolutionary War.
34. ONE OF THE LARGEST FLOATING BRIDGES
The 520 bridge in Washington State is one of the world’s largest floating bridges.
35. RESIDENTS ARE REFERRED TO AS WASHINGTONIANS
People who live in Washington are known as Washingtonians.
36. TUMWATER WAS THE FIRST SETTLEMENT IN WASHINGTON
The City Of Tumwater was the first settlement in Washington. At the time it was called New Market.
37. A ROLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ATOMIC BOMBS
Hanford Words, a nuclear powerplant, played a major role in the construction of Atomic Bombs for WWII. Hanford is now a nuclear waste facility with a history of storage problems.
38. THREE SHIPS OF WAR WERE NAMED AFTER WASHINGTON STATE
The US Navy has named three of its ships of war after Washington State and George Washington.
39. THREE POPULAR GAMES INVENTED IN WASHINGTON
Pictionary, Pickle-ball, and Cranium were all invented in Washington. If you haven’t tried those games, you should.
40. FIRST PHOTOGRAPH OF A FLYING SAUCER
The first photograph of a suspected flying saucer was shot in Washington State by an off-duty Coast Guard member.
41. STARBUCKS WAS FOUNDED IN SEATTLE
Everyone’s favorite coffee company Starbucks was founded in Seattle.
42. FIRST BIKE MOUNTED POLICE OFFICERS
Seattle is considered to be the city that started what we now think of as first bike munted police officers.
43. LONGEST OPERATING FARMERS MARKET IN THE US
Pike Place Market in Seattle is the longest running farmers market in the US.
44. LARGEST HOUSEBOAT POPULATION EAST OF THE ORIENT
Seattle is well-known for its houseboat population, when you combine that with houseboats from other cities in Washington, you have the largest number of houseboats East of the Orient.
45. THE LUNAR ROVER WAS BUILT IN SEATTLE
The lunar rover was built in Seattle.
46. THE PUGET SOUND WAS DISCOVERED IN 1792
In 1792, Captain George Vancouver discovered the Puget Sound. It has grown a lot since then.
47. WESTERN MOST ZIP CODE IN THE LOWER 48
La Push Indian Reservation has the Westernmost Zipcode in the lower part of the country.
48. LARGEST NATURAL SANDSPIT IN NORTH AMERICA
Dungeness is the largest natural sandspit in North America.
49. HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF RESIDENTS WITH A COLLEGE DEGREE
Home to the highest percentage of residents with a college degree. Likely due to all of the tech companies.
50. UP TO 786 ISLANDS IN THE PUGET SOUND
At the lowest tide, the Puget Sound has 786 islands.
51. FIRST GAS STATION IN THE WORLD
The first gas station opened in Washington State.
52. BIRTHPLACE OF JIMI HENDRIX
Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, WA.
53. BIRTHPLACE OF BING CROSBY
Bing Crosby was born in Tacoma, WA.
54. ONE OF THE BIGGEST LUMBER PROVIDERS
With so many forests, a focus on sustainable logging, Washington is one of the biggest providers of lumber in the country and around the world.
55. FIRST ROTATING RESTAURANT IN THE US
The Space Needle was the first rotating restaurant in the US.
56. FIRST MALL IN THE UNITED STATES
Northgate Mall was the first mall in the United States to be called a mall.
57. FIRST PUBLIC RESTROOMS IN A MALL
Northgate Mall was also the first mall to have public restrooms.
58. IT IS ILLEGAL TO CARRY A CONCEALED WEAPON OVER 6 FEET IN WASHINGTON
In Washington State you can’t carry a concealed weapon over 6 feet.
59. THE LARGEST MAN-MADE ISLAND IN THE US
Harbor Island is the largest man-made island in the US.
60. THE SIZE OF THE STATE
Washington is 71,362 square miles and has 7.4 million residents.
61. LEGALIZED MARIJUANA
Marijuana was legalized in Washington in 2012.
62. LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Same-sex marriage was also legalized in 2012.
63. FIFTEEN NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS
Fifteen Nobel Prize winners have been associated with Washington, the first was Walter Brattain (1956) who died in Seattle, the last was David J. Thouless (2016), a UW professor.
64. FIRST STATE TO BAN TEXTING AND DRIVING
Washington was the first state to ban texting and driving in order to prevent accidents. This happened in 2007.
65. THE STATE FLAG IS THE ONLY FLAG TO…
The state flag in Washington is the only flag in the country to have a green background. It is also the only flag to features the face of a president.
66. A TSUNAMI THAT REACHED JAPAN
In the 1700’s, an earthquake of the shore of Washington caused a tsunami so big it hit both Washington and Japan.
67. FATHER’S DAY STARTED IN WASHINGTON STATE
The first Father’s Day was celebrated in Washington in 1910.
68. FIRST SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM MACHINE
Olympia featured the first official soft serve ice cream machine.
69. THE STATE DANCE
Square dance.
70. THE STATE SONG
Washington, My Home.
71. THE STATE FRUIT
Apple.
72. THE STATE FLOWER
Coast Rhododendron.
73. THE STATE MOTTO
Alki or translated bye and bye
74. THE STATE FOSSIL
Colombian Mammoth.
75. ONE OF THE BIGGEST TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTED PLACES
Pike Place Market has a reputation for being haunted, as well as many parts of Downtown Seattle.
76. MILES AND MILES OF RIVERS AND STREAMS
Washington State has 50,000 miles of rivers and streams.
77. THOUSANDS OF LAKES IN WASHINGTON STATE
8,000 lakes are in Washington State.
78. A VILLAGE WITH A BLUEBIRD HOUSE AT EVERY DOOR
Bickleton Village is said to have a Bluebird House at every door.
79. ONE OF THE LARGEST PETRIFIED FORESTS IN THE WORLD
Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park is one of the largest petrified forests in the world.
80. BASS GUITAR CAME FROM WASHINGTON STATE
The first bass guitar was made in Washington but it didn’t become popular until later on.
81. COMMUNIST VLADIMIR LENIN IS FEATURED PROMINENTLY IN A SEATTLE STATUE
The Fremont neighborhood of Seattle features a prominent statue of Communist Leader Vladimir Lenin.
82. WORLD RECORD FOR MOST SNOW IN A YEAR
Parts of Washington don’t get much snow but Mount Baker has the world record for most snow in a year at 1,140 inches.
83. A BABY WAS ONCE RAFFLED OFF IN WASHINGTON
During the Seattle World’s Fare a baby was raffled off, no one claimed it though and it is unknown what happened to the baby after the fare.
84. A WAR OVER A PIG
The United States almost went to war with Canada back when it was a colony over a dispute involving a pig.
85. THE NICKNAME FOR WASHINGTON STATE
Washington State is referred to as The Evergreen State. While some people want to call it the rainy state, it is not the rainiest state in the country.
86. LEWIS AND CLARK PASSED THROUGH IN 1805-1806
The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through Washington starting in 1805.
87. MORE COFFEE BEAN ROASTERS PER CAPITA
Washington has more coffee bean roasters per capita than any other state of The Union.
88. LEADING STATE FOR STARTUPS AND GAZELLES
The state, mainly Seattle, is considered to be the best place for startups and gazelles with many successful ones starting in Washington.
89. LARGEST PRIVATE CAR COLLECTION
Harold LeMay (Tacoma) had the largest private car collection, owning 3,000 cars.
90. THE SEAHAWK ISN’T ACTUALLY A BIRD
The State Football Team is named the Seahawks. There isn’t actually a bird named the Seahawk.
91. LARGEST LAND MOLLUSK IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The Pacific Banana Slug is the largest land Mollusk in the United States.
92. LARGEST NUMBER OF AEROSPACE JOBS IN THE WORLD
Being home to Boeing, Washington is home to the largest number of aerospace jobs in the world. A number of other, smaller aerospace companies also operate out of Washington.
93. 70% OF THE NATION’S HOPS
Washington State grows about 70% of the nation’s hops for brewing.
94. THE KENNEWICK MAN
In 1996 skeleton remains were found of a prehistoric Paleoamerican man. These remains were found in Kennewick, Washington and thus the skeleton was named the Kennewick Man.
95. BELLINGHAM HAS SOME OF THE CLEANEST AIR
As of 2018, Bellingham has some of the cleanest air in country. It is also on the list of cleanest for ozone pollution.
96. MORE SUNGLASSES SOLD IN WASHINGTON THAN ANY OTHER MAJOR CITY
Seattle sells more sunglasses than any other major city in the United States. It isn’t because Washington State has the most bright days. It is likely because people are too used to rain and leave their glasses at home.
97. SEATTLE’S LAND HAS BEEN INHABITED FOR OVER 4,000 YEARS
The land that is now Seattle has been inhabited for over 4,000 years. That was just after the last glacial period in the Earth’s history.
98. FIRST GENERAL STRIKE IN THE UNITED STATES
In 1919 the shipyard workers in Seattle went on a general strike. It was the first such strike in the United States.
99. HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF LIBRARY MEMBERS
Seattle’s library system is pretty popular, around 80% of Seattleites have a library card. That makes it the largest per capita of card holds in the United States.
100. SEATTLE WAS BUILT ON TOP OF ITSELF
In 1889, Seattle experienced what has been named the Great Fire. It devastated much of the city and after that, much of the city was built on top of itself. This created an underground city that you can still tour.
Further Reading:
100 Facts About Washington State
Weird And Interesting Facts About Washington State