Located in the “upper left corner” of the continental United States, Washington State is the 42nd state, admitted to the union in 1889. It is bordered by the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north, Idaho to the east, Oregon to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
The state is divided by the Cascade Mountain Range. The area to the east is referred to as Eastern Washington and conversely, the west is known as Western Washington, where approximately 60% of the state’s residents live.
The Cascades and the Olympic Mountains along the coast create tremendous geological diversity in the state. Along the coast, you’ll find a temperate rainforest and quaint beach communities. The Puget Sound region is characterized by deep natural harbors and bays and major population centers. Eastern Washington is semi-arid, a perfect growing region for the 300 crops that grow in the state. Hurricanes, tornadoes and blizzards are not part of the daily weather reports in Washington; the weather is comparatively mild in comparison to other U.S. states.
The state is the 18th largest in the U.S. with 71,300 square miles of land. Washington is 240 miles long and 360 miles wide and has a population of 7.9 million.
Washingtonis in the Pacific time zone of the United States (UTC -8/-7).
