48 Facts About Washington state

The Washington state is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, Oregon to the south, Idaho to the east, and the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north.

Washington state is a leading lumber producer; its rugged surface is rich in stands of Douglas fir, hemlock, ponderosa pine, white pine, spruce, larch, and cedar.

Manufacturing industries in Washington state include aircraft, missiles, shipbuilding, and other transportation equipment, food processing, metals, and metal products, chemicals, and machinery.

Washington state 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.

Similarly, Washington voters approved a 2008 referendum on legalization of physician-assisted suicide, and Washington is currently one of ten states—along with Washington, D C —to have legalized the practice.

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Washington state claimed the coastal lands up to Prince William Sound for Spain as part of their claimed rights under the Treaty of Tordesillas, which they maintained made the Pacific a "Spanish lake" and all its shores part of the Spanish Empire.

In 1970, the state was one of only four U S states to have been providing legal abortions before the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade which loosened abortion laws nationwide.

Mount Rainier—the tallest mountain in the Washington state— is 50 miles south of the city of Seattle, from which it is prominently visible.

Western Washington state is home of the Olympic Mountains, far west on the Olympic Peninsula, which support dense forests of conifers and areas of temperate rainforest.

The Palouse southeast region of Washington state was grassland that has been mostly converted into farmland, and extends to the Blue Mountains.

Major factors determining Washington state's climate include the large semi-permanent high pressure and low pressure systems of the north Pacific Ocean, the continental air masses of North America, and the Olympic and Cascade mountains.

For Washington state, this means prevailing winds from the northwest bring relatively cool air and a predictably dry season.

The air spiraling inward in a counter-clockwise fashion causes Washington state's prevailing winds to come from the southwest, and bring relatively warm and moist air masses and a predictably wet season.

Thus, instead of rain forests, much of Eastern Washington state is covered with dry grassland, shrub-steppe, and dunes.

Western Washington state is known for its mild climate, considerable fog, frequent cloud cover, long-lasting drizzles in the winter and warm, temperate summers.

Mammals native to the Washington 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.

In 2018, the Washington state ranked 13th overall in population, and was the third most populous, after California and Texas, west of the Mississippi River.

Washington state has the largest Pacific Northwest population, followed by Oregon, then Idaho.

The Vietnamese and Filipino populations of Washington state are mostly concentrated within the Seattle metropolitan area.

Washington state has the second highest percentage of Pacific Islander people in the mainland U S; the Seattle-Tacoma area is home to more than 15, 000 people of Samoan ancestry, who mainly reside in southeast Seattle, Tacoma, Federal Way, and in SeaTac.

Additionally, Washington state has a large Ethiopian community, with many Eritrean residents as well.

At over 80 percent the Washington state has significant amounts of hydroelectric power generation.

State of Washington is one of seven states that do not levy a personal income tax.

Washington businesses are responsible for various other state levies, including the business and occupation tax, a gross receipts tax which charges varying rates for different types of businesses.

Washington state has the 18th highest per capita effective tax rate in the United States, as of 2017.

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Washington state ranked third in the nation in the production of dried peas, lentils, onions, and peppermint oil.

Washington state produces seven principal varieties of apples which are exported to more than sixty countries.

Viticulture in the Washington state is influenced by long sunlight hours and consistent temperatures.

The Washington state highways incorporate an extensive network of bridges and the largest ferry system in the United States to serve transportation needs in the Puget Sound area.

Washington state has 75 port districts, including several major seaports on the Pacific Ocean.

Washington state operates and maintains roads over seven major mountain passes and eight minor passes.

In 2007, Washington became the first state in the nation to target all forms of highly toxic brominated flame retardants known as PBDEs for elimination from the many common household products in which they are being used.

The Washington state legislature is composed of a lower House of Representatives and an upper State Senate.

The Washington state is divided into 49 legislative districts of equal population, each of which elects two representatives and one senator.

Two current United States senators from Washington are Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both Democrats.

Washington state has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every election since 1988.

Washington state was considered a part of the 1994 Republican Revolution, and had the biggest pick-up in the house for Republicans, who picked up seven of Washington state's nine House seats.

The Washington state senate was under Republican control, due to two Democrats' joining Republicans to form the Majority Coalition Caucus.

Washington state has not voted for a Republican senator, governor, or presidential candidate since 1994, tying Delaware for the longest streak in the country.

Washington state uses the non-partisan blanket primary system after the approval of Initiative 872 in 2004.

In November 2009, Washington voters approved full domestic partnerships via Referendum 71, marking the first time voters in any state expanded recognition of same-sex relationships at the ballot box.

Also in November 2012, Washington was one of the first two states to approve the legal sale and possession of cannabis for both recreational and medical use with Initiative 502.

On January 1, 2018, the law went into effect, with Washington becoming the seventh state with paid sick leave requirements.

High school juniors and seniors in Washington have the option of using the state's Running Start program.

The Washington state has major research universities, technical schools, religious schools, and private career colleges.

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State of Washington reformed its health care system in 1993 through the Washington Health Services Act.

The Evergreen State College, a Washington state-funded institution in Olympia, takes its name from this nickname.

State song is "Washington, My Home", the state bird is the American goldfinch, the state fruit is the apple, and the state vegetable is the Walla Walla sweet onion.