Other Washington Counties

Washington, officially the State of Washington, is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for the first U.S. President, George Washington, the state was formed from the western part of the Washington Territory, which was ceded by the British Empire in 1846, by the Oregon Treaty in the settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute. The 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. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. Olympia is the state capital. The state’s most populous city is Seattle.

Washington is the 18th-largest state, with an area of 71,362 square miles (184,830 km2), and the 13th-most populous state, with more than 7.7 million people. The majority of Washington’s residents live in the Seattle metropolitan area, the center of transportation, business, and industry on Puget Sound, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean consisting of numerous islands, deep fjords and bays carved out by glaciers. The remainder of the state consists of deep temperate rainforests in the west; mountain ranges in the west, center, northeast, and far southeast; and a semi-arid basin region in the east, center, and south, given over to intensive agriculture. Washington is the second most populous state on the West Coast and in the Western United States, after California. Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano, is the state’s highest elevation at 14,411 feet (4,392 meters), and is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous U.S.

Separated by the Cascade Mountain Range, geographic regions are commonly referred to as the West side and Eastern Washington.  Of 39 counties, there are 20 counties on the West side and 19 counties in Eastern Washington.

Washington is a leading lumber producer; its rugged surface is rich in stands of Douglas fir, hemlock, ponderosa pine, white pine, spruce, larch, and cedar. The state is the largest producer of apples, hops, pears, blueberries, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries in the U.S., and ranks high in the production of apricots, asparagus, dry edible peas, grapes, lentils, peppermint oil, and potatoes. Livestock, livestock products, and commercial fishing (particularly of salmon, halibut, and bottom fish), are also significant contributors to the state’s economy. Washington ranks second only to California in wine production.

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.

Major corporations with origins in Washington State include: Boeing, Starbucks, Microsoft, Costco, Amazon and Nordstrom.

Washington State is home to several professional sports teams including the Seattle Seahawks (NFL), Seattle Mariners (MLB), Seattle Kraken (NHL), Seattle Storm (WNBA), Seattle Sounders FC (MLS), and Seattle Reign (NWSL).