With the extra seat, Washington also gained one electoral vote, raising its total to 12. Viticulture in the state is also influenced by long sunlight hours (on average, two more hours a day than in California during the growing season) and consistent temperatures. The state is typically thought of as politically divided by the Cascade Mountains, with Western Washington being liberal (particularly the I-5 Corridor) and Eastern Washington being conservative. There are also four Science and Math based high schools: one in the Tri-Cities known as Delta, one in Tacoma known as SAMI, another in Seattle known as Raisbeck Aviation High School, and one in Redmond known as Tesla STEM High School. [18], Washington was named after President George Washington by an act of the United States Congress during the creation of Washington Territory in 1853; the territory was to be named "Columbia", for the Columbia River and the Columbia District, but Kentucky representative Richard H. Stanton found the name too similar to the District of Columbia (the national capital, itself containing the city of Washington), and proposed naming the new territory after President Washington. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. In March 2021, the Washington State Department of Commerce issued their first biennial report on the progress of these key mandates throughout 2020.[189]. [220] Washington School Information Processing Cooperative (a non-profit opt-in state agency) provides information management systems for fiscal & human resources and student data. Washington's executive branch is headed by a governor elected for a four-year term. The U.S. Geological Survey considers 14,411-foot-tall (4,392m) Mount Rainier the most dangerous volcano in the Cascade Range, due to its proximity to the Seattle metropolitan area, and most dangerous in the continental U.S. according to the Decade Volcanoes list. [199], Hanford Nuclear Reservation is currently the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States[200] and is the focus of the nation's largest environmental cleanup. [84] Seattle's lowest officially recorded temperature is 0F (18C) set on January 31, 1950, but low-altitude areas approximately three hours away from Seattle have recorded lows as cold as 48F (44C). Among these are ports in Seattle, Tacoma, Kalama, Anacortes, Vancouver, Everett, Longview, Grays Harbor, Olympia, and Port Angeles. For the proposed statehood of Washington, D.C., see, Map of the United States with Washington highlighted, Toggle Government and politics subsection, Toggle Symbols, honors, and names subsection, Toggle Sister cities friendship agreements subsection, United States presidential election results for Washington. Select a state for a deeper understanding of its population, voter and employment history, and compare it to the rest of the nation. The WTA Seattle tennis tournament was part of the WTA Tour from 1977 to 1982. [152] It developed substantially during and after World War II when wartime industries and the U.S. Armed Forces employed and recruited tens of thousands of African Americans from the Southeastern United States. The CSA population according to 2019 US Census Bureau population estimates. During the winter months, some of these passes are plowed, sanded, and kept safe with avalanche control. [22], Confusion over the state of Washington and the city of Washington, D.C., led to renaming proposals during the statehood process for Washington in 1889, including David Dudley Field II's suggestion to name the new state "Tacoma"; these proposals failed to garner support. [127] In 2018, the state ranked 13th overall in population, and was the third most populous, after California and Texas, west of the Mississippi River. [87], In 2006, the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington published The Impacts of Climate change in Washington's Economy, a preliminary assessment of the risks and opportunities presented given the possibility of a rise in global temperatures and their effects on Washington state.[88]. [212] All candidates run on the same ballot during primary elections and the top two candidates advance to the general election in November, regardless of party affiliation. There are more than 40 institutions of higher education in Washington. The Sounder commuter rail service operates in Seattle and its surrounding cities, between Everett and Lakewood. There are 626 places in Washington. [116] Additionally, there are 143 state parks and9 national forests, run by the Washington State Park System and the United States Forest Service. [86], The Southern Oscillation greatly influences weather during the cold season. The high mountains of the Cascade Range run north-south, bisecting the state. The name proved popular as the forests were full of evergreen trees and the abundance of rain keeps the shrubbery and grasses green throughout the year. The Cascade Range has several volcanoes, which reach altitudes significantly higher than the rest of the mountains. This culminated in 1941 with the completion of the Grand Coulee Dam, the largest concrete structure in the United States and the largest dam in the world at its construction. Tumbleweeds and sagebrush dominate the landscape throughout large parts of the countryside. [35], The BritishSpanish Nootka Convention of 1790 ended Spanish claims of exclusivity and opened the Northwest Coast to explorers and traders from other nations, most notably Britain and Russia as well as the fledgling United States. [19][20][21] Washington is the only U.S. state named after a president. As of July2022[update], the state's unemployment rate was 3.7 percent.[171]. [174] These taxes apply to services as well as products. The largest percentage increase occurred in Texas (4.0 percent), followed by Florida and Nevada (3.7 percent each). Washington state and local government funding FY 2004-2020; . Mammals native to the state include the bat, black bear, bobcat, cougar, coyote, deer, elk, gray wolf, hare, moose, mountain beaver, muskrat, opossum, pocket gopher, rabbit, raccoon, river otter, skunk, and tree squirrel. Clear 1 . [81][failed verification], In the autumn and winter, a low-pressure cyclone system takes over in the north Pacific Ocean. In addition, health insurance companies were required to sell policies to all individuals, regardless of pre-existing conditions, and cover basic benefits. [85] During these events, Western Washington experienced up to 6 feet (1.8m) of snow, sub-zero (18C) temperatures, three months with snow on the ground, and lakes and rivers frozen over for weeks. Washington has seen a 12% population increase in residents who are immigrants or have immigrant parents, according to new census data. While the population of African Americans in the Pacific Northwest is relatively scarce overall, they are mostly concentrated in the South End and Central District areas of Seattle, and in inner Tacoma. The report includes five sections: public survey results, digital adoption disparities as they relate to federal census data, a Partner-Plan-Fund-Build-Adopt model for continued progress, success stories, and a policy discussion conclusion. The Olympic Peninsula's western side receives as much as 160 inches (4,100mm) of precipitation annually, making it the wettest area of the 48 conterminous states and a temperate rainforest. [59], During the Great Depression, a series of hydroelectric dams were constructed along the Columbia River as part of a project to increase the production of electricity. [158] Both emerged in the late 1960s, and developed since 1980. [106] The state's various areas of wilderness offer sanctuary, with substantially large populations of shorebirds and marine mammals. The largest job gains occurred in Texas (529,800), California (427,500), and Florida (346,600). . ", "D. C. wants to steal our state's name. [44] The party crossed the Rockies into the Columbia Valley, near present-day Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia, then traveled south-west down the Kootenai River and Columbia River. [128] Washington has the largest Pacific Northwest population, followed by Oregon, then Idaho. [232] The state dance, adopted in 1979, is the square dance. [citation needed] The Columbia and Snake rivers also provide 465 miles (748km) of inland waterways that are navigable by barges as far east as Lewiston, Idaho. [91][92] Both records were set east of the Cascades. [231] Although the nickname is widely used by the state, appearing on vehicle license plates for instance, it has not been officially adopted. Precipitation then increases again eastward toward the Rocky Mountains (about 120 miles (190km) east of the Idaho border). Also, significant amounts of trade with Asia pass through the ports of the Puget Sound, leading to a number six ranking of U.S. ports (ranking combines twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) moved and infrastructure index).[170]. [26] The region has been home to many established tribes of indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The window for local, state and tribal governments to challenge their 2020 census figures closes after Friday, and with it the opportunity to correct mistakes in population totals that could cost them millions of dollars in federal funding. That's our name", "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Washington", "Agriculture: The cornerstone of Washington's economy", "Shining the Light on Washington's Robust Commercial Fishing Industry During National Seafood Month", "Liberals outnumber conservatives for first time in Washington state, Gallup poll shows", "America's best states to live in, ranked", "Q&A: Legal Marijuana in Colorado and Washington", "Guides: A Brief History of Civil Rights in the United States: A Timeline of the Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in the U.S.", "Connelly: When Washington legalized abortion, before Roe v. Wade", "How Did Washington State and Washington, D. C., Get the Same Name? Not all stay open through the winter. The state also has several public arts-focused high schools including Tacoma School of the Arts, the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, and The Center School. A wider variety of flora can be found in both the Blue Mountains and the eastern sides of the Cascades. However, the estate tax is de-coupled from the federal estate tax laws, and therefore, the state imposes its estate tax. Barack Obama won Washington by a landslide in 2008, with the largest margin for a Democrat in the state since 1964. Resident population in Washington 1960-2022. Olympia is a small city on the west side of . [165], Aquarian Tabernacle Church is the largest Wiccan church in the country.[166]. [159] An estimated 30,000 Somali immigrants reside in the Seattle area. The Seattle Open Invitational golf tournament was part of the PGA Tour from the 1930s to the 1960s. .mw-parser-output .largestCities-table-background{background:#f9f9f9}.mw-parser-output .largestCities-cell-background{background:#f0f0f0}, Washington's population was 7,705,281 in the 2020 census,[126] a 14.6% increase since the 2010 census. This article includes a list of related items that share the same name (or similar names). [186] For infrastructure, another $166million has been awarded since 2011 for broadband infrastructure projects in Washington state. Try refreshing your browser, or try again later. 20% of the households in Washington reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. For Washington, this means prevailing winds from the northwest bring relatively cool air and a predictably dry season. The Cayuse and Chinook passes east of Mount Rainier also close in winter. While the Puget Sound lowlands are known for clouds and rain in the winter, the western slopes of the Cascades receive larger amounts of precipitation, often falling as snow at higher elevations. Additionally, Washington has a large Ethiopian community, with many Eritrean residents as well. Washington has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every election since 1988. The most numerous (ethnic, not racial, group) are Latinos at 11%, as Mexican Americans formed a large ethnic group in the Chehalis Valley, Skagit Valley, farming areas of Yakima Valley, and Eastern Washington. [11] Washington has more than a thousand dams, including the Grand Coulee Dam, built for a variety of purposes including irrigation, electricity generation, flood control, and water storage. [10][57], For a long period, Tacoma had large smelters where gold, silver, copper, and lead ores were treated. Washington was considered a key swing state in 1968, and it was the only western state to give its electoral votes to Democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey over his Republican opponent Richard Nixon. Three years later, in November 2012, same-sex marriage was affirmed via Referendum 74, making Washington one of only three states to have approved same-sex marriage by popular vote. 32 local bus transit systems exist across the state,[191] the busiest being King County Metro, located in Seattle and King County, with just above 122million riders in 2017.
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