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Monday, December 25, 2023

Washington State - population size, largest cities, a bit of history, sights and other interesting facts

  Rajesh Kumar Rana       Monday, December 25, 2023

 General information:

  • Country: United States of America
  • State: Washington, D.C.
  • population estimate in 2019: 7,614,893
  • Capital: Olympia
  • Largest city: Seattle
  • Largest metro: Greater Seattle
  • Nike name: "The Evergreen State" (unofficial)
  • Land area: 61.05 sq mi (158.1 km2)
  • Zip Codes: 20001–20098, 20201–20599


Washington State - population size, largest cities, a bit of history, sights and other interesting facts


I continue my series of notes about the American states. If you have read past issues, then you know that each state, in addition to the official name, also has an unofficial nickname. Today's article will be about the state that Americans themselves call "The Evergreen State".


Washington State  


Confusion often arises. There is the city of Washington (the capital of the United States) and many seem to logically think that the state of Washington is also here. Well, like the city of Washington is located in the state of Washington. In fact, this is not at all the case, and the state of Washington is located on the opposite end of America from the city of the same name.

Washington State - population size, largest cities, a bit of history, sights and other interesting facts
Washington State on a map of the USA, taken from: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_USA_WA.svg

The state got its name in honor of George Washington, so this politician is depicted on the flag and the official seal of the state.

Washington State - population size, largest cities, a bit of history, sights and other interesting facts
Washington State Flag


Washington is perhaps the fastest growing and fastest growing state in the United States. Cities are growing here, land and real estate are constantly becoming more expensive, there is a large influx of population, including from abroad. This is due to the fact that there are a large number of highly paid jobs (new ones exist and are being created). Companies such as Amazon.com, Boeing.com, and many different IT companies are based here.

The population of Washington is 7.62 million. The area of ​​the territory is 184.8 thousand square kilometers.


See also: Driving in USA: Features of traffic, rules, fines and tips for tourists


A bit of Washington State history

Just 150 years ago, numerous Indian tribes lived here, the largest of which were Chinook's. But then civilization got to this bear's corner and now there are 20 reservations for Native Americans in Washington.

In a previous article about Oregon, I touched on the issue of the confrontation between the United States and Great Britain over the West Coast. Spain abandoned them even earlier. As a result, in 1852, some of the settlers proposed to separate the territory north of the Columbia River from Oregon and call it Columbia. The US Congress supported this initiative, but changed its name to Washington Territory.

In 1889, Washington officially joined the United States and became the 42nd state.



Sights of Washington

The main sights of Washington: White House - the residence of the President of the United States, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol (Washington), Washington Cathedral, National Museum of the American Indian, etc.



Largest cities in Washington state

The largest and most famous city in the state is Seattle. According to the 2010 census, 608 thousand people lived here, and according to 2019 estimates, there are already 754 thousand of them. Seattle is close to Los Angeles and New York in terms of household income and high prices.

Together with the nearby cities (Bellevue, Renton, Redmond, and so on), the entire metropolitan area has up to 4 million inhabitants, that is, more than half of the state's population.

Washington State - population size, largest cities, a bit of history, sights and other interesting facts
Map of Washington State, taken from: Flickr /Washington State Dept of Transportation


Spokane city with 222 thousand inhabitants is located in the east of the state. It is the second largest city in Washington DC. It is located on the other side of the Cascade Mountains. In general, the state of Washington is famous for its variety of nature, here there are ocean and forests (including national parks) and mountains. From this point of view, it is one of the most attractive states.

The state capital is Olympia (southwest of Seattle). It became the capital in 1853, when Washington was still a separate territory. In the United States, it is not customary to transfer the capitals from city to city, they have such a tradition, therefore Olympia retains its status to this day. The population of the city is about 53 thousand people.

Tacoma, Vancouver (in the south, on the border with Oregon, not to be confused with Canadian Vancouver), Bellevue, Kent, Everett - this is a list of cities in the state with a population of over 100 thousand.

Washington State - population size, largest cities, a bit of history, sights and other interesting facts
Bellevue is a typical American city, taken from: Flickr / Ken Lund 

The area near the city of Yakima (94 thousand inhabitants) provides the United States with hops, producing 75% of this plant from the total production of the country. There is a large Indian reservation near the city.

The minimum wage in Washington state from January 1, 2021 is $ 13.69 per hour. With a 180-hour work month, that's $ 2,464 before taxes. The median salary for men is $ 45,042, women $ 27,921 (according to the site https://www.census.gov) But the approximate prices for rental housing in the city of Bellevue near Seattle.


Routine prices start at $ 2,200 for a two-bedroom apartment and go up to around $ 3,000. Of course, it can be more expensive.


 

See also: washington, d.c. attractions | 30 best  places to must-visit in Washington state


Ethnic and racial composition

Washington is a predominantly "white" state. The white population here is 79.5%. About 9% are Asians - Hindus, Chinese, Filipinos, and so on. This is due to the fact that educated people from all over America, as well as immigrants from Europe and Asia, come here in search of highly qualified jobs. The black population is about 4.2%, mostly also highly qualified personnel of technology companies. 2% are Indians and 1% are from Hawaii and other Pacific cities.



Where do we look for cheap flights in Washington?

Expedia is not just a service for searching and buying air tickets, but also a low-price card that allows you to buy a ticket at a bargain price for the time of the year we need. In the end, it's just convenient.



Note for tourists:

Despite the fact that you can visit many of the sights of Washington absolutely free of charge, you are still not insured against long queues for admission tickets. However, there is a way to avoid this: purchase a Washington DC Power Pass for 5 days, which will save you time and money. With it, you can not only skip the line to the most visited places by tourists - the card also offers a number of privileges. You can order it online  (the price will be 149.99 USD for 5 days). A voucher will be sent to your mail, which you will then exchange for a pass card at the Power Pass issue point (the addresses are indicated in the voucher).


More interesting articles about Washington state:



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