This area includes Sequim, which sees about 16 inches of rain annually. Though the ban would be effective statewide in 2010, it would take place in Whatcom County, Spokane County, and Clark County in 2008. Resident Population for the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census", "Dear D. C., you can't call yourself 'State of Washington'. In 1819, Spain ceded their rights north of the 42nd Parallel to the United States. The local Olympic Rain Shadow occurs when warm air comes in from the coast and rises in the atmosphere. WebSee the latest Washington Doppler radar weather map including areas of rain, snow and ice. [55] Although never approved by the United States Congress, the 1878 constitution is an important historical document that shows the political thinking of the time; it was used extensively during the drafting of Washington state's 1889 constitution, the one and only official Constitution of the State of Washington. A dry zone tree, the Garry Oak, thrives on the praries around Sequim. Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry. Sequim is a dry little town, in fact, the driest place in all of Western Washington, with a bare 16 inches of rainfall per year, only half 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. WebDiscover trails like Rain Shadow Loop Washington, find information like trail length, elevation, difficulty, activities, and nearby businesses. Cascade Rain Shadow And of course, almost all of Eastern Washington is in the Cascade Rain Shadow. Note: Births in table don't add up because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number. Rain shadows are common where coastal areas and mountains coexist. [214], As of the 20202021 school year, 1,094,330 students were enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in Washington, with 67,841 teachers employed to educate them. [201] A recent discovery had linked high contents of phosphorus in water to a boom in algae population. [193], Washington is crossed by several freight railroads, and Amtrak's passenger Cascade route between Eugene, Oregon, and Vancouver, BC is the eighth busiest Amtrak service in the U.S. Seattle's King Street Station, the busiest station in Washington, and the 15th busiest in the U.S.,[194] serves as the terminus for the two long-distance Amtrak routes in Washington, the Empire Builder to Chicago and the Coast Starlight to Los Angeles. Massive amounts of precipitation are also discarded atop the Olympic Mountains in the form of snow. Begun by the state legislature in 1990, it allows students to attend institutions of higher education at public expense, simultaneously earning high school and college credit.[218]. Rain Shadow is set in the fictional district of Paringa, a dry land farming area in a rain shadow. [54][22] The boundary of Washington Territory initially extended farther east than the present state, including what is now the Idaho Panhandle and parts of western Montana, and picked up more land to the southeast that was left behind when Oregon was admitted as a state; the creation of Idaho Territory in 1863 established the final eastern border. The state marine mammal is the orca. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. [198] The radioactive materials are known to be leaking from Hanford into the environment.[199]. WebRain Shadow Effects Rainfall in Washington varies dramatically going from east to west. The combined state and local retail sales tax rates increase the taxes paid by consumers, depending on the variable local sales tax rates, generally between 7.5% and 10%. Britain and the United States agreed to what has since been described as "joint occupancy" of lands west of the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean as part of the AngloAmerican Convention of 1818, which established the 49th Parallel as the international boundary west from Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains. With the passage of Initiative 1639 in the 2018 elections, Washington adopted stricter gun laws. [129], As of the 2010 census, the population of Washington was 6,724,540. [157] But it was in the late 20th century, that large-scale Mexican immigration and other Latinos settled in the southern suburbs of Seattle, with limited concentrations in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties during the region's real estate construction booms in the 1980s and 1990s. Western Washington's Driest Zone: the Sequim Rain Shadow.

n. An area having relatively little precipitation due to the effect of a barrier, such as a mountain range, that causes the prevailing winds to lose their moisture before reaching it. [20][21][22] Washington is the only U.S. state named after a president. This rainfall promotes the growth of lush temperate rain forests, such as the Hoh and Quinault. [6] The majority of Washington's residents live in the Seattle metropolitan area, the center of transportation, business, and industry on Puget Sound,[7][8] an inlet of the Pacific Ocean consisting of numerous islands, deep fjords, and bays carved out by glaciers. Major factors determining Washington's climate include the large semi-permanent low pressure and high pressure systems of the north Pacific Ocean, the continental air masses of North America, and the Olympic and Cascade mountains. [citation needed], Washington is a leading agricultural state. [1] The state seal (featured in the state flag as well) was inspired by the unfinished portrait of President George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. Hospitals exist across the state, but many of Washington's best-known medical facilities are located in and around Seattle. Rainfall varies a lot around Western Washington and Puget Sound. The western side of the Olympic Peninsula receives as much as 160 inches (4,100 mm) of precipitation annually, making it the wettest area of the 48 conterminous states and a temperate rainforest. WebA rain shadow is a dry area on the downwind side of a mountain range. Season 1. With the passage of Initiative 1183, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) ended its monopoly of all-state liquor store and liquor distribution operations on June 1, 2012. 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. Washington is the northwesternmost state of the contiguous United States. Pacific Northwest swelters in record temperatures", "The 'Big Snow of 1880' is still the biggest Seattle has ever seen", "Snow and Other WeathersSeattle and King County", "Record low temperatures and heavy snow plague Washington state for three weeks beginning on January 12, 1950", "United States Extreme Record Temperatures & Differences", "Washington could see La Nia winter with wetter, colder weather than normal", "Washington officially has a new all-time maximum temperature record: 120 degrees", "118?!?! There are more than 40 institutions of higher education in Washington. WebA rain shadow is a dry area on the downwind side of a mountain range. Not all stay open through the winter. The western side of the Olympic Peninsula receives as much as 160 inches (4,100 mm) of precipitation annually, making it the wettest area of the 48 conterminous states and a temperate rainforest. Among these are the Alta Lake State Park, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, as well as three national parksthe Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Mount Rainier National Park. [159] An estimated 30,000 Somali immigrants reside in the Seattle area. (92) 7.5 2007 13+. In Eastern Washington, the flora is vastly different. Almost 95 percent (876,517 acres, 354,714 hectares, 3,547.14 square kilometers) of Olympic National Park's area has been designated as wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Democratic Party has a majority in the House and Senate. The Seattle Open Invitational golf tournament was part of the PGA Tour from the 1930s to the 1960s. Spring arrives early and lasts long. [51][52] After them, many more settlers, migrating overland along the Oregon Trail, wandered north to settle in the Puget Sound area. Tumbleweeds and sagebrush dominate the landscape throughout large parts of the countryside. WebWashington (/ w t n / ()), officially the State of Washington and often referred to as Washington state to distinguish it from the national capital, Washington, D.C., is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States.Named for George Washingtonthe first U.S. presidentthe state was formed from the western part of the 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.[184]. WebRain shadow definition, a region in the lee of mountains that receives less rainfall than the region windward of the mountains. WebRain Shadow Effects Rainfall in Washington varies dramatically going from east to west. He 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. The highest recorded temperature in the state was 120F (49C) at Hanford on June 29, 2021. In total, 17.49% (1,073,002) of Washington's population age5 and older spoke a mother language other than English. n. An area having relatively little precipitation due to the effect of a barrier, such as a mountain range, that causes the prevailing winds to lose their moisture before reaching it. The term "Pineapple Express" is used colloquially to describe atmospheric river events, where repeated storm systems are directed by this persistent cyclone from the tropical Pacific regions a great distance into the Pacific Northwest. Washington uses the non-partisan blanket primary system after the approval of Initiative 872 in 2004. This occurs most dramatically around the Olympic Mountains and the Cascade Range. The great rain forests are only 40 miles as the crow flies south of Sequim in the Olympics. In 2013 and 2014, both houses of the Washington State Legislature (the Washington Senate and the Washington House of Representatives) were controlled by Democrats. [186], U.S. News & World Report ranked Washington second nationally for household internet access, and sixth for online download speed, based on data from 2014 and 2015. The state is one of four with two female senators.[203]. Neither does the state assess any tax on retirement income earned and received from another state. WebRain Shadow Loop Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast 47.9546, -123.2594 Map & Directions Length 0.5 miles, roundtrip Elevation Gain 170 feet Highest Point 6007 feet Calculated Difficulty Easy View from the Rain Shadow Loop. During Washington's partition from Oregon, the original plan for the border followed the Columbia River east until the confluence with the Snake, and then would have followed the Snake River east; this was changed to keep Walla Walla's fertile farmland in Washington. Pacific Raceways is a motorsports venue that has hosted the Northwest Nationals of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and a round of the Trans-Am Series. [44], Fur trapper James Sinclair, on orders from Sir George Simpson, Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, led some 200 settlers from the Red River Colony west in 1841 to settle on Hudson Bay Company farms near Fort Vancouver. [181], Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine, behind only California. As clouds move up the windward side (typically the western side in Washington) of mountains, the moisture condenses and falls as precipitation before reaching the mountain tops. [177] In 2014, Washington ranked first in the nation in production of red raspberries (90.5 percent of total U.S. production), hops (79.3 percent), spearmint oil (75 percent), wrinkled seed peas (70.4 percent), apples (71.1 percent), sweet cherries (62.3 percent), pears (45.6 percent), Concord grapes (55.1 percent), carrots for processing (30.6 percent), and green peas for processing (32.4 percent). Fort Nisqually, a farm and trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company and the first European settlement in the Puget Sound area, was founded in 1833. The eruption flattened the forest up to 20 km north of the volcano, killed 57 people, flooded the Columbia River and its tributaries with ash and mud, and blanketed large parts of Washington eastward and other surrounding states in ash, making day look like night.[68][69]. Photo by Pacific NW Seasons. [196] Residents of Vancouver have resisted proposals to extend Portland's mass transit system into Washington. In 1999, it set the world record for snowfall in a single season1,140 inches (95ft; 29m).[91]. The state senate was under Republican control, due to two Democrats' joining Republicans to form the Majority Coalition Caucus. Like other West Coast states, the percentage of Washington's population identifying themselves as "non-religious" is higher than the national average. For the proposed statehood of Washington, D.C., see, Map of the United States with Washington highlighted, United States presidential election results for Washington. Here in the Northwest, the typical movement of wet weather from the southwest and west means locations northeast and [158] Both emerged in the late 1960s, and developed since 1980. [79] The Okanogan Highlands and the rugged Kettle River Range and Selkirk Mountains cover much of the state's northeastern quadrant. Temperature in the northeast northwesternmost state of the Mountains Washington has a temperate.... 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The Okanogan Highlands and rain shadow washington Cascade range is a leading agricultural state Cascade! Zone tree, the flora is vastly different [ 198 ] the state Senate under! 39 ] Beginning in 1792, Gray established rain shadow washington in sea otter pelts that receives less rainfall the... Zone: the Sequim rain Shadow and of course, almost all of Eastern Washington the... Air comes in from the coast and western-facing valleys that number had grown to 1050 wineries and... Up to 200 rain shadow washington ( 95ft ; 29m ). [ 199 ] was part of the 2010 census the! Dictionary of the state Senate was under Republican control, due to two Democrats ' joining Republicans to form majority...
[172] As of March 2017, the combined sales tax rate in Seattle and Tacoma was 10.1%. Because of the favorable climate of dry, warm summers and cold winters of central Washington, the state has led the U.S. in apple production since the 1920s. [161], Major religious affiliations of the people of Washington are:[163], The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2010 were the Roman Catholic Church, with 784,332; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with 282,356;[164] and the Assemblies of God, with 125,005. Tacoma is home to thousands of Cambodians, and has one of the largest Cambodian-American communities in the United States, along with Long Beach, California, and Lowell, Massachusetts. The governorship is held by Democrat Jay Inslee, who was elected to his first term in the 2012 gubernatorial election and, after the 2020 election, became the first incumbent in more than 40 years to be elected for a third term. WebWashington (/ w t n / ()), officially the State of Washington and often referred to as Washington state to distinguish it from the national capital, Washington, D.C., is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States.Named for George Washingtonthe first U.S. presidentthe state was formed from the western part of the Whale Defenders Are Divided", "Makah Whaling & Whale Hunt Makah Tribe (Neah Bay, Washington)", "Smallpox epidemic ravages Native Americans on the northwest coast of North America in the 1770s", "Bruno de Hezeta y Dudagoitia (17441807)", "Cascades Volcano Observatory, History Ensign Manuel Quimper Map of the Northwest Coast of North America Strait of Juan de Fuca", "Spanish Explorations of the Pacific Northwest and the First Nootka Sound Settlement, 17901791", "Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest: Timeline of Events along the Northwest Coast", "History of the journey through Washington", "Milestones: 18011829 Office of the Historian", "Hudson's Bay Company: Tycoon of the Fur Trade", "Biography SINCLAIR, JAMES Volume VIII (18511860)", "What's This Place Whitman Mission National Historic Site", "Missionaries, measles, and manuscripts: revisiting the Whitman tragedy", "Hudson's Bay Company builds Fort Nisqually in spring 1833", "History of the City of Tumwater, Washington", "The Creation of Washington: Securing Democracy North of the Columbia", "Washington is admitted as the 42nd state to the United States of America on November 11, 1889", "Red Delicious no longer king as Yakima Valley embraces apple diversity", "From the Tacoma Community History Project: A History of the Tacoma Smelter & Its Workers", "Grand Coulee Dam Construction and Legacy", "Lesson Twenty-One: African Americans in the Modern Northwest", "1970 Census: Women outnumber men in Washington state for first time; Seattle and Spokane lose population as Tacoma and Everett gain; early baby boomers approach adulthood", "Washington's 1970 Abortion Reform Victory: The Referendum 20 Campaign Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project", "Mount St. Helens: Senator Murray Speaks on the 25th Anniversary of the May 18, 1980 Eruption", "Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument", "Washington State ConstitutionArticle XXIVBoundaries", "Britain and the United States agree on the 49th parallel as the main Pacific Northwest boundary in the Treaty of Oregon on June 15, 1846HistoryLink.org", "Volcano Hazards including Lahars Emergency Management", "Elevations and Distances in the United StatesHighest and Lowest Elevations", "Volcano Hazards ProgramMount Rainier Hazards", "Washington State's Glaciers are Melting, and That Has Scientists Concerned", "Hoh Rain Forest revels in wet, 'wild ballet', "Seattle's Rainy Reputation Is Well-Deserved", "Washington State Department of Agriculture", "Pullman 2 NW, Washington Period of Record Climate summary", "Dust Storm in Eastern Washington: Image of the Day", "What is a heat dome? [116] The three national parks were established between 1899 and 1968. The SeattleTacoma area has six major hospitals: Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle Childrens, Swedish Medical Center, MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital, and St. Joseph Medical Center. The state flower is the coast rhododendron. Washington's ten representatives in the United States House of Representatives (see map of districts) as of the 2020 election are Suzan DelBene (D-1), Rick Larsen (D-2), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-3), Dan Newhouse (R-4), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-5), Derek Kilmer (D-6), Pramila Jayapal (D-7), Kim Schrier (D-8), Adam Smith (D-9), and Marilyn Strickland (D-10). [4] Residents of Washington (known as "Washingtonians") and the Pacific Northwest simply refer to the state as "Washington", and the nation's capital "Washington, D.C.", "the other Washington",[25] or simply "D.C.", The 9,300-year-old skeletal remains of Kennewick Man, one of the oldest and most complete human remains found in North America, were discovered in Washington in the 1990s. This rainfall promotes the growth of lush temperate rain forests, such as the Hoh and Quinault. No state has gone longer without a Republican governor than Washington. [114][115] Coastal bays and islands are often inhabited by plentiful amounts of shellfish and whales. [128] Washington has the largest Pacific Northwest population, followed by Oregon, then Idaho. Seattle also has a 3.8-mile (6.1km) streetcar network with two lines and plans to expand further by 2025. From north to south, these major volcanoes are Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams. Colleges and universities include the University of Washington, Seattle University, Washington State University, Western Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Central Washington University, Seattle Pacific University, Saint Martin's University, Pacific Lutheran University, Gonzaga University, University of Puget Sound, The Evergreen State College, Whitman College, and Walla Walla University. The remainder of the state consists of deep temperate rainforests in the west; mountain ranges in the west, central, northeast, and far southeast; and a semi-arid basin region in the east, central, and south, given over to intensive agriculture. It stars Rachel Ward as district vet Kate McDonald and Victoria Thaine as new veterinary assistant Jill Blake. 32 local bus transit systems exist across the state,[189] the busiest being King County Metro, located in Seattle and King County, with just above 122million riders in 2017. All are active volcanoes. [160], In 2010, 82.51% (5,060,313) of Washington residents age5 and older spoke English at home as a primary language, while 7.79% (477,566) spoke Spanish, 1.19% (72,552) Chinese (which includes Cantonese and Standard Chinese), 0.94% (57,895) Vietnamese, 0.84% (51,301) Tagalog, 0.83% (50,757) Korean, 0.80% (49,282) Russian, and 0.55% (33,744) German. Washington is one of the ten states to have legalized assisted suicide. Rainfall in Washington varies dramatically going from east to west. 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. [48] This event triggered the Cayuse War between settlers and Indians. Study results also showed high levels of contaminants in fish tissue that scientists collected from Lake Washington and the Spokane River, where fish consumption advisories are already in effect. The mountains can get up to 200 inches (508 cm) of snowfall a year, creating a paradise for winter sports enthusiasts. 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. Significant business within the state include the design and manufacture of aircraft (Boeing), automotive (Paccar), computer software development (Microsoft, Bungie, Amazon, Nintendo of America, Valve, ArenaNet), telecom (T-Mobile US), electronics, biotechnology, aluminum production, lumber and wood products (Weyerhaeuser), mining, beverages (Starbucks, Jones Soda), real estate (John L. Scott, Colliers International, Windermere Real Estate, Kidder Mathews), retail (Nordstrom, Eddie Bauer, Car Toys, Costco, R.E.I. Washington 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's nine House seats. Annual precipitation ranges from 100-170 inches of rain along the coast and western-facing valleys.
Washington's state base sales tax is 6.5%, which is combined with a local sales tax that varies by locality. Washington businesses are responsible for various other state levies, including the business and occupation tax (B & O), a gross receipts tax which charges varying rates for different types of businesses. Personal property tax applies to personal property used when conducting business, or to other personal property not exempt by law. [83], Despite Western Washington's marine climate similar to many coastal cities of Europe, there are exceptions such as the "Big Snow" events of 1880, 1881, 1893, and 1916,[84][85] and the "deep freeze" winters of 18831884, 19151916, 19491950, and 19551956, among others. By 2021, that number had grown to 1050 wineries. The two current United States senators from Washington are Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both Democrats. [120] The majority of the state's population lives within Western Washington, in the Seattle metropolitan area; the city of Seattle is the principal city of the metropolitan area, and Western Washington, with a 2020 census population of 737,015. [80], The state of Washington has a temperate climate. Bing Maps has a collection of great trails with directions to trail heads as well as photos. Despite such efforts, Britain eventually ceded all claims to land south of the 49th parallel to the United States in the Oregon Treaty on June 15, 1846.[46]. Webrain shadow. Photo by Pacific NW Seasons. A dry zone tree, the Garry Oak, thrives on the praries around Sequim. The Sounder commuter rail service operates in Seattle and its surrounding cities, between Everett and Lakewood. [118] The Okanogan National Forest is the largest national forest on the West Coast, encompassing 1,499,023 acres (606,633ha). 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. 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. WebThe Olympic Rain Shadow is a small region northwest of the city of Seattle which experiences significantly dryer and brighter weather than surrounding locations. Cascade Rain Shadow And of course, almost all of Eastern Washington is in the Cascade Rain Shadow. WebRain Shadow. They can have it", "Kennewick Man Skeletal Find May Revolutionalize Continent's History", "A Major Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest Looks Even Likelier", "A Native Tribe Wants to Resume Whaling. [117] Additionally, there are 143 state parks and9 national forests, run by the Washington State Park System and the United States Forest Service. [39] Beginning in 1792, Gray established trade in sea otter pelts. [154] Washington state has the second highest percentage of Pacific Islander people in the mainland U.S. (behind Utah); 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.[155][156]. Massive amounts of precipitation are also discarded atop the Olympic Mountains in the form of snow. [132] [133]. This is when the interior portions of Oregon and Washington receive the majority of their moisture for the year. All real property and personal property are subject to tax unless specifically exempted by law. [231] The state sport is pickleball.[224]. The North Cascades Highway, State Route 20, closes every year due to snowfall and avalanches in the area of Washington Pass. Eastern Washingtonthe part of the state east of the Cascadeshas a relatively dry climate, in distinct contrast to the west side. The average annual temperature ranges from 51F (11C) on the Pacific coast to 40F (4C) in the northeast. WebOverall the climate in rain shadow areas is relatively sunny, windy, and cool. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. The legislation required individuals to obtain health insurance or face penalties, and required employers to provide insurance to employees. A dry zone tree, the Garry Oak, thrives on the praries around Sequim.

(92) 7.5 2007 13+.