Interesting Facts about Washington

Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States located north of Oregon, west of Idaho, and south of the Canadian province of British Columbia on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Named after George Washington, the first President of the United States, the state was carved out of the western part of the Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as a settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889.

View of Washington

Here are some interesting facts about Washington DC:

• Washington produces more apples than any other state.
• Starbucks, the biggest coffee chain in the world was founded in Seattle.
• Seattle was the first American city to put police on bicycles.
• Eighty percent of the glacial ice in the U.S is found in Washington State.
• There are over 40,000 miles of rivers and streams and more than 8,000 lakes in Washington.
• The Washington State Ferry System is the largest Ferry System in the US and the state’s number one tourist attraction.
• The Washington State Ferry System is the largest Ferry System in the US and the state’s number one tourist attraction.
• Washington is home to many innovative Internet companies, including Amazon.com, Classmates.com, Whitepages.com, and Marchex.
• Washington is the only state named for a president. It was nicknamed “The Evergreen State” by C.T. Conover, pioneer Seattle realtor and historian, for its abundant evergreen forests.
• Washington is home to Boeing, the world’s largest aircraft maker.
• Microsoft Corporation is located in Redmond. Its founder, Bill Gates, is the world’s wealthiest man.
• Starbucks, the biggest coffee chain in the world was founded in Seattle.
• Washington is number one in the country in the production of apples, pears, red raspberries, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries.
• Seattle was the first city in the US to play a Beatles song on the radio.
• The world’s first soft-serve ice cream machine was located in an Olympia Dairy Queen.
• Seattle sells more sunglasses per capita than any other major city in the nation.
• Harbor Island is the largest man made island in the nation.
• There are over 40,000 miles of rivers and streams and more than 8,000 lakes in Washington.
• The Washington State Ferry System is the largest Ferry System in the US and the state’s number one tourist attraction.
• Long Beach, Washington is home to the world’s largest frying pan.
• Washington State has the longest single beach in the United States
• The Library of Congress, the biggest library in the country, contains 535 miles of bookshelves. In the Reading Room alone there are 45,000 reference books.

Join us on our bus tour to Washington to learn even more interesting facts from our tour guide and the locals!