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Explore the States Washington
 
graphic map, seal and images of Washington

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In 1853, the Washington Territory was formed from part of the Oregon Territory. Named in honor of George Washington, Washington was the 42nd state to join the Union, in 1889. Its coastal location and Puget Sound harbors give it a leading role in trade with Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Rim. The state has two major mountain ranges--the 7,000-foot Olympic Mountains surrounded by temperate rain forest on the peninsula west of Puget Sound, and the more majestic Cascade Range, which boasts the 14,410-foot Mount Rainier and the volcanic Mount St. Helens, which erupted twice in the 1980s. Although the capital is Olympia, most people live in the metropolitan areas of Seattle-Everett and Tacoma. The state tree of the "Evergreen State" is the western hemlock, and the flower is the western rhododendron.

Photo of a beach with lots of kites
Go Fly a Kite!
A Mountain With Two Names
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More Stories About Washington
Washington
37 Miles of the Centennial Trail
"The Centennial Trail"
A Mountain With Two Names
"Mount Rainier, Washington"
Dance of the Killer Whales
"Northwest Folklife Festival"
Go Fly a Kite!
"Washington State International Kite Festival"
My Old School
"Reflections from the Heart of a Small Community"
Saving Suquamish Culture
"Suquamish Tribe"
The Milk Carton Derby
"Seafair"


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