America at 250: Washington Uncovered — 20 Facts About the Evergreen State, Home of Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing and Mount Rainier

America at 250: Washington Uncovered — 20 Facts About the Evergreen State, Home of Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing and Mount Rainier

As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, a state-by-state journey — from the Seattle tech giants and the Space Needle to Mount Rainier, apple orchards, coffee and grunge — through the numbers, the history and the emergency lifelines every traveler should carry.

As the United States marks the landmark 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 — its semiquincentennial — our state-by-state journey reaches Washington: the “Evergreen State,” a Pacific Northwest powerhouse of towering forests, snow-capped volcanoes and world-changing companies. It is the only state named after a U.S. president — George Washington himself — a fitting stop in this anniversary year.

Home to Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing and Starbucks, and to some of the most spectacular scenery in the country, Washington blends global technology with natural grandeur. What follows is a fact-checked portrait drawn from official sources — the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, state agencies and federal registries — followed by the safety information every visitor to the Evergreen State should keep close at hand.

From the founding of Seattle in the 1850s to its emergence as a capital of the digital economy, Washington has repeatedly reinvented itself while never losing sight of the mountains and water that surround it. It is a state of contrasts — rainforest and high desert, global corporations and remote fishing villages, progressive coastal cities and conservative rural counties — held together by a shared pride in the landscape and the innovation that define the Pacific Northwest.

How Big Is Washington? About 8 Million People Across 71,362 Square Miles

Washington is a populous and fast-growing state. The U.S. Census Bureau put its population at about 7,958,180 in 2024, ranking it around 13th nationally, spread across roughly 71,362 square miles of remarkably varied terrain, from Pacific coast rainforest to high desert.

The great majority of Washingtonians live west of the Cascade Mountains, in the Puget Sound region around Seattle (the largest city, a global tech hub), Tacoma and the capital, Olympia. East of the Cascades, the landscape turns dry — the agricultural Columbia Basin, the wheat country of the Palouse, and cities like Spokane. This “Cascade Curtain” divides the wet, urban west from the dry, rural east.

Washington’s geography is stunning: the Olympic Peninsula’s rainforests and rugged coast, the volcanic peaks of the Cascades (including Mount Rainier at 14,411 feet and Mount St. Helens, which famously erupted in 1980), the island-dotted Puget Sound, and the mighty Columbia River, whose dams generate vast amounts of hydroelectric power.

A Pacific Northwest History: The 42nd State, Admitted in 1889

Home to many Coast Salish and other Native peoples, the region that became Washington was jointly claimed by Britain and the United States before an 1846 treaty set the boundary. Named in honor of George Washington — the only state named for a president — it was admitted as the 42nd state on November 11, 1889.

Washington’s economy was built first on timber, fishing and the trade of the port of Seattle (a gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush), then on hydroelectric power from the Columbia (the massive Grand Coulee Dam) and on aviation, as Boeing grew into an aerospace titan in Seattle. In the late 20th and 21st centuries, Microsoft, Amazon and a wave of technology companies made the Puget Sound one of the great innovation centers of the world.

The Economy: About $800 Billion GDP From Software to Jets

Washington’s economy, with a GDP of roughly $800 billion, is one of the most dynamic and innovative in the nation. The Seattle area is a global technology capital — home to Microsoft (Redmond) and Amazon (Seattle), among the most valuable companies on Earth — and a magnet for software, cloud-computing and biotech talent.

Aerospace remains foundational: Boeing’s commercial-jet manufacturing is centered in the Puget Sound region, one of the world’s great aviation clusters. Washington is also home to Starbucks and Costco, a leader in agriculture (it grows the vast majority of the nation’s apples, along with cherries, hops and wine), and a major trade gateway through its ports. Crucially, Washington has no state personal income tax, though it recently added a capital-gains tax.

Schools and Universities: About 1.1 Million Pupils and the Huskies and Cougars

Washington’s public schools enroll roughly 1.09 million K-12 students across the state, from dense Seattle-area districts to rural eastern communities.

In higher education, the University of Washington in Seattle is a top public research university and academic medical center (its medical school and global-health programs are world-renowned), and Washington State University in Pullman is the land-grant institution — their “Apple Cup” rivalry between the Huskies and Cougars is a statewide tradition. The state also hosts a strong community and technical college system feeding its tech and aerospace workforce.

Hospitals and Health Care: About 100 Hospitals

Washington has roughly 100 hospitals, anchored by UW Medicine in Seattle — including Harborview Medical Center, the region’s only Level I trauma center for a multi-state area — along with the Providence, MultiCare and Kaiser Permanente systems and the renowned Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Seattle is a global center for medical research and global health.

Serving both the dense Puget Sound region and the rural east, and the Olympic Peninsula, presents contrasting challenges, addressed through major medical centers, critical-access hospitals and telemedicine. The Washington State Department of Health coordinates statewide public-health services.

Getting Around: Sea-Tac and the Nation’s Largest Ferry System

Washington’s main airport is Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac), one of the busiest and fastest-growing airports in the country and a major gateway to Asia. Spokane and other regional airports serve the rest of the state.

On the ground, Interstate 5 runs the length of the populous west, and Interstate 90 crosses the Cascades to the east. Uniquely, Washington operates the largest ferry system in the United States, carrying millions across Puget Sound each year, and the Columbia–Snake river system and the ports of Seattle and Tacoma make the state a major trade hub.

Culture: The Space Needle, Grunge and Coffee Culture

Washington’s culture is centered on Seattle’s creative, tech-savvy energy. The Space Needle, built for the 1962 World’s Fair, is the state’s icon; Pike Place Market (home of the original Starbucks) is a beloved landmark; and Seattle is a world capital of coffee culture. The city gave birth to grunge music in the early 1990s — Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden — and to a thriving arts and museum scene, including the Museum of Pop Culture and Chihuly Garden and Glass.

Beyond Seattle, Washington offers the wine country of the Columbia Valley, the Bavarian-themed town of Leavenworth, the Native American heritage of the Coast Salish peoples, and the natural spectacle of three national parks — Mount Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades.

Sport and the Outdoors: Major Pro Teams and Three National Parks

Washington hosts major professional franchises in Seattle: the Seahawks (NFL, Super Bowl champions), the Mariners (MLB), the Kraken (NHL), the Storm (a WNBA dynasty) and the Sounders (MLS), with more on the way. College sports, led by the Apple Cup rivalry, round out the scene.

Outdoors, Washington is a paradise: hiking and climbing on Mount Rainier and in the North Cascades, the rainforests and wild coast of Olympic National Park, skiing in the Cascades, kayaking and whale-watching in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, and cycling and wine touring east of the mountains. Few states offer such varied terrain.

Faith and Places of Worship: Hundreds of Congregations

Washington is one of the least religiously affiliated states in the country — part of the largely secular Pacific Northwest “None Zone,” with a high share of residents claiming no religious affiliation. Among the religious, Roman Catholicism and a range of Protestant and evangelical traditions are the largest, alongside growing and diverse communities — including significant Asian and Pacific Islander religious communities — in the Seattle area.

Because no single official registry counts every congregation, the closest reliable measures come from religious censuses and the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns data on religious organizations, which together point to thousands of congregations statewide.

The Justice System: About 13,000 People Incarcerated

The Washington State Department of Corrections holds roughly 13,000 people, and the state’s incarceration rate is below the national average. Washington has been active in criminal-justice reform, including changes to drug policy, sentencing and police accountability, and it has closed prison facilities as its population declined.

The state emphasizes reentry, treatment and community supervision, and its comparatively low incarceration profile is often cited alongside its progressive policy tradition.

5 Washington Laws and Distinctions That Set It Apart

Washington has often been a national policy pioneer, and several of its laws stand out:

1. No income tax (with a new twist): Washington has no personal income tax, but in 2021 it enacted a novel capital-gains tax on high earners, upheld by its courts.

2. Early cannabis legalization: In 2012 Washington (with Colorado) became one of the first two states to legalize recreational marijuana.

3. Death with Dignity: Washington’s 2008 law made it one of the first states to allow medical aid in dying for terminally ill patients.

4. Climate leadership: Washington’s Climate Commitment Act created one of the most ambitious cap-and-invest carbon-pricing programs in the country.

5. Long-term-care insurance: Washington created the nation’s first state-run long-term-care benefit (WA Cares), funded by a payroll premium.

State Symbols by the Numbers: One Green Flag and a President’s Portrait

Washington’s official symbols reflect its Pacific Northwest character. Admitted on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd state, it is governed from the capital, Olympia, and is nicknamed the “Evergreen State” for its abundant forests. The state motto is “Al-ki,” a Chinook word meaning roughly “bye and bye” or “hope for the future.”

The state flag — a green field bearing the state seal with a portrait of George Washington — is the only U.S. state flag that is green and the only one to feature the image of a specific president. The state bird is the willow goldfinch, the state tree the western hemlock, the state flower the coast rhododendron, and the state fruit, fittingly, the apple. The state fish is the steelhead trout and the state gem is petrified wood — small emblems that together capture a state of forests, orchards and rivers.

The People: A Fast-Growing, Increasingly Diverse Population

Washington has been one of the faster-growing states of the 21st century, its population swelling with tech-driven migration to the Puget Sound region. The median age is around 38, and the state is increasingly diverse: while a majority of residents are white, Washington has significant and growing Asian American, Hispanic and multiracial communities, especially in the Seattle metro area, along with Native American nations and a Black community concentrated in the cities.

Roughly 85 percent of Washingtonians live in urban areas, overwhelmingly west of the Cascades, even as vast eastern counties remain sparsely populated farm country. The state also has one of the higher shares of foreign-born residents in the nation, drawn by its technology and health-care economy, and its median household income ranks well above the national average — though so does the cost of housing in the Seattle region.

Washington’s growth has not been without strain: the influx of high-earning tech workers has driven housing costs in Seattle to among the highest in the nation, fueling debates over affordability, homelessness and transit. In response, the state and region have invested heavily in light rail, housing and infrastructure, even as the eastern half of the state — more affordable, more agricultural and more conservative — often feels overlooked in policy shaped largely around the booming Puget Sound corridor.

Tourism by the Numbers: Millions Drawn to Peaks and Puget Sound

Tourism is a major Washington industry, generating tens of billions of dollars in annual visitor spending and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. The state’s three national parks — Mount Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades — together draw millions of visitors a year, and Seattle’s attractions, from the Space Needle and Pike Place Market to its museums and waterfront, anchor a thriving urban tourism scene.

Cruise ships bound for Alaska sail from the Port of Seattle each summer, carrying more than a million passengers a season, while the San Juan Islands, the wine country of the Columbia Valley and the Bavarian-styled village of Leavenworth draw their own crowds. Outdoor recreation — hiking, skiing, kayaking and whale-watching — is not only a way of life for residents but a powerful economic engine, reinforcing Washington’s identity as a place where a global city sits within reach of genuine wilderness.

The state’s calendar of events adds to the draw: the Seattle International Film Festival, one of the largest in the country; the seasonal whale-watching runs off the San Juan Islands, where resident orca pods are a global attraction; and the agritourism boom, from the tulip fields of the Skagit Valley — which turn hundreds of acres brilliant each spring — to the cideries, hop farms and vineyards east of the Cascades. Together they give visitors a taste of the produce and creativity that make Washington one of the nation’s agricultural and cultural leaders, and they spread tourism dollars well beyond the Seattle core.

Famous Washingtonians: World-Changing Talent From the Evergreen State

Washington has produced or been home to world-changing figures. Rock guitar revolutionary Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, singer Bing Crosby in Tacoma, and grunge icon Kurt Cobain of Nirvana grew up in Aberdeen. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, one of the most influential figures of the digital age, is a Seattle native.

The state has been the launching pad for era-defining companies — Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, Starbucks and Costco — whose founders and innovations reshaped technology, retail, aviation and daily life around the world. From the recording studio to the tech campus, Washington’s influence is global.

Who Runs Washington? Governor Bob Ferguson and State Leadership

Washington’s executive branch is led by Governor Bob Ferguson, a Democrat who became the 24th governor in January 2025 after serving as the state’s attorney general. A former chess champion known for high-profile legal fights, Ferguson has focused on housing affordability, public safety, the state budget and the economy.

Washington’s government features several independently elected statewide officials alongside the Governor, plus appointed agency heads. Key members of state leadership include:

As listed by the State of Washington and the Office of the Governor (governor.wa.gov), key members of state leadership include:

Source: State of Washington and the Office of the Governor (governor.wa.gov). Several statewide officials are independently elected; agency heads are appointed. Officeholders change over time.

Traveling to Washington? 1 App for Every Emergency Number

Whether you are exploring Washington during this 250th-anniversary year, following its history, or simply passing through, one piece of preparation matters more than any other: knowing who to call in an emergency. The free InfoCons app puts that information in your pocket. Its dedicated SOS section gathers the essential emergency and consumer-protection numbers for the United States and for the individual states, so travelers and residents alike can reach the right service instantly — without searching, without roaming confusion, and without wasting the precious minutes that matter most in a crisis.

Nationwide Emergency Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

Across the United States, the single universal emergency number is 911, which connects callers to police, firefighters, and ambulance services alike. For non-emergency municipal services and information in many cities, 311 is available. The app also lists 1-800-342-3377 for telecommunications complaints and 202-326-2180 for consumer-protection matters at the federal level.

Washington Emergency and Assistance Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

For Washington specifically, the InfoCons SOS section provides a detailed directory. The core lifelines are:

Police, Ambulance, and Firefighters: 911. State Police (State Patrol): 253-538-3240. Road conditions: 509-456-4101. Electricity emergency: 1-877-737-2662. Gas emergency: 844-927-4427.

Consumer protection: Office of the Attorney General — Consumer Protection: 1-800-551-4636 and 360-753-6200. Identity theft: 1-877-438-4338. Department of Financial Institutions (Banking): 1-877-746-4334. Office of the Insurance Commissioner: 1-800-562-6900. Utilities & Transportation Commission: 1-888-333-9882.

Support: Child abuse reporting: 1-866-363-4276. Domestic violence and sexual assault hotline: 800-656-4673. Animal protection: 206-386-7387. (The nationwide Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached at any time by dialing 988.)

These numbers are provided for convenience and may change over time; in any life-threatening situation, always dial 911 first.

The InfoCons Travel Passport: 1 App, 33 Languages, Every Destination

The InfoCons app is more than an emergency directory — it is designed to function as a genuine “travel passport” for the modern consumer. Available free of charge and offered in 33 internationally spoken languages, it gives users access to accurate, transparent, and independent information wherever they go. For a traveler moving between states — or between countries — that means the emergency numbers, consumer-protection contacts, and practical guidance for each destination are all gathered in a single place, ready before you even land.

The idea is simple but powerful: your safety information should travel with you as reliably as your passport does. Whether you are exploring Washington during this 250th-anniversary year or planning a trip abroad next month, the InfoCons app aims to be the first thing you check when you arrive somewhere new — helping you make informed decisions, protect your rights as a consumer, and know exactly whom to call if something goes wrong. Download the free InfoCons app and let your phone become your travel passport for a safer, smarter 250th-anniversary year and beyond.

A Fitting Way to Celebrate 250 Years of Independence

Washington’s story — of Coast Salish homelands and the Klondike gateway, of Grand Coulee Dam and Boeing’s jets, of Microsoft and Amazon and the grunge sound of Seattle, of Mount Rainier and the wild Olympic coast — is a forward-looking Pacific Northwest chapter of the American story. As the only state named for a president, Washington carries the founder’s name into the nation’s 250th year.

To visit Washington is to sip its coffee, climb its volcanoes and glimpse the future being built on Puget Sound. And to visit it prepared — with the InfoCons app and its emergency lifelines close at hand, valuable in a state of mountains, coast and volcanic and seismic risk — is simply to travel wisely. Here is to the next 250 years — happy semiquincentennial, America.

InfoCons Communication Department