Capital: Olympia
Population: 5,894,121
Governor: Christine Gregoire (D, to January 2009)
Entered the Union: November 11, 1889 as the 42nd state
Motto: Al-Ki (Native American word meaning by and by)
Nickname: Evergreen State, Chinook state
Flower: Coast Rhododendron
Bird: Willow Goldfinch
Song: Washington, My Home
Sports Teams: Seattle Mariners (baseball); Seattle Supersonics (basketball); Seattle Seahawks (football)
Origin of Name: In honor of George Washington
Major Industries: Aerospace, Software Development, Lumber, Agriculture, Hydroelectric Energy
Historical Sites: Whitman Mission and Fort Vancouver National Historic Sites
Points of Interest: Mt. Rainier and the Cascade mountains; Mount St. Helens (a semi-active volcano); and the Pacific Science Center and Space Needle in Seattle
Bordering States: Washington borders Idaho and Oregon.
Source: State of Washington
Population, 2006 estimate: 6,395,798
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006: 8.5%
Population, 2000: 5,894,121
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2006: 6.4%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2006: 23.9%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 11.5%
Female persons, percent, 2006: 50.1%
White persons, percent, 2006 (a): 84.8%
Black persons, percent, 2006 (a): 3.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2006 (a): 1.6%
Asian persons, percent, 2006 (a): 6.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2006 (a): 0.5%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2006: 3.0%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006 (b): 9.1%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2006: 76.5%
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over: 48.6%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000: 10.4%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000: 14.0%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 87.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 27.7%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000: 981,007
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000: 25.5
Housing units, 2006: 2,699,333
Homeownership rate, 2000: 64.6%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000: 25.6%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $168,300
Households, 2000: 2,271,398
Persons per household, 2000: 2.53
Median household income, 2004: $48,438
Per capita money income, 1999: $22,973
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004: 11.6%
Source: U.S.Census Bureau
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
Total Gross Domestic Product by State: 271,381
Private industries: 233,449
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 5,030
Crop and animal production (Farms): 2,888
Forestry, fishing, and related activities: 2,142
Mining: 290
Oil and gas extraction: 0
Mining, except oil and gas: 264
Support activities for mining: 26
Utilities: 2,541
Construction: 13,311
Manufacturing: 29,266
Durable goods: 20,476
Wood product manufacturing: 1,731
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing: 1,026
Primary metal manufacturing: 612
Fabricated metal product manufacturing: 1,691
Machinery manufacturing: 1,128
Computer and electronic product manufacturing: 1,580
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing: 553
Motor vehicle, body, trailer, and parts manufacturing: 643
Other transportation equipment manufacturing: 10,180
Furniture and related product manufacturing: 506
Miscellaneous manufacturing: 826
Nondurable goods: 8,790
Food product manufacturing: 2,627
Textile and textile product mills: 114
Apparel manufacturing: 116
Paper manufacturing: 1,576
Printing and related support activities: 550
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 2,322
Chemical manufacturing: 730
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing: 755
Wholesale trade: 17,251
Retail trade: 19,986
Transportation and warehousing, excluding Postal Service: 7,545
Air transportation: 1,036
Rail transportation: 619
Water transportation: 551
Truck transportation: 2,096
Transit and ground passenger transportation: 251
Pipeline transportation: 35
Other transportation and support activities: 2,420
Warehousing and storage: 536
Information: 21,155
Publishing including software: 13,006
Motion picture and sound recording industries: 211
Broadcasting and telecommunications: 7,219
Information and data processing services: 719
Finance and insurance: 15,480
Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation and related services: 8,937
Securities, commodity contracts, investments: 1,550
Insurance carriers and related activities: 4,821
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles: 171
Real estate and rental and leasing: 37,829
Real estate: 35,939
Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets: 1,889
Professional and technical services: 16,729
Legal services: 3,016
Computer systems design and related services: 2,760
Other professional, scientific and technical services: 10,953
Management of companies and enterprises: 3,736
Administrative and waste services: 8,061
Administrative and support services: 6,382
Waste management and remediation services: 1,679
Educational services: 1,512
Health care and social assistance: 18,173
Ambulatory health care services: 10,065
Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities: 6,270
Social assistance: 1,839
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 2,264
Performing arts, museums, and related activities: 989
Amusement, gambling, and recreation: 1,275
Accommodation and food services: 7,011
Accommodation: 1,793
Food services and drinking places: 5,218
Other services, except government: 6,277
Government: 37,932
Federal civilian: 6,274
Federal military: 5,985
State and local: 25,672
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Longitude: 116° 57'W to 124° 48'W
Latitude: 45° 32'N to 49°N
Length / Width: Washington is about 360 miles long and 240 miles wide.
Geographic Center: The geographic center of Washington is located in Chelan County, 10 miles WSW of Wenatchee.
Borders: Washington is bordered by Canada in the north and Oregon in the south. On the east, Washington is bordered by Idaho and, on the west, Washington is bordered by the Pacific Ocean.
Total Area: Washington covers 71,303 square miles, making it the 18th largest of the 50 states.
Land Area: 66,582 square miles of Washington are land areas.
Water Area: 4,721 square miles of Washington are covered by water.
Highest Point: The highest point in Washington is Mt. Rainier at 14,410 feet above sea level.
Lowest Point: The lowest point in Washington is sea level where Washington meets the Pacific Ocean in the west.
Mean Elevation: The Mean Elevation of the state of Washington is 1,700 feet above sea level.
Major Rivers: Columbia River, Snake River, Yakima River
Major Lakes: Lake Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lake Washington
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
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