Cities You Dreamed Off: Amazing Washington D.C

Washington D.C

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. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889.

Washington is the 18th most extensive and the 13th most populous of the 50 United States. Approximately 60 percent of Washington's residents live in the Seattle metropolitan area, the center of transportation, business, and industry along the Puget Sound region of the Salish Sea, an inlet of the Pacific consisting of numerous islands, deep fjords, and bays carved out by glaciers. The remainder of the state consists of deep rainforests in the west, mountain ranges in the west, center, northeast and far southeast, and a semi-arid eastern basin given over to intensive agriculture. Washington is the second most populous state on the west coast and in the western United States after California.

The state is often called "Washington state" to distinguish it from Washington, D.C., also named for George Washington. Another nickname is "the Evergreen State". Its largest city is Seattle and its capital is Olympia.

Temperatures

The average annual temperature ranges from 51 °F (11 °C) on the Pacific coast to 40 °F (4 °C) in the northeast. The lowest temperature recorded in the state was −48 °F (−44 °C) in Winthrop and Mazama. The highest recorded temperature in the state was 118 °F (48 °C)at Ice Harbor Dam. Both records were set east of the Cascades. Western Washington is known for its mild climate, considerable fog, frequent cloud cover and long-lasting drizzles in the winter, and sunny and dry summers. The western region occasionally experiences extreme climate. Arctic cold fronts in the winter and heat waves in the summer are not uncommon. In the Western region, temperatures have reached as high as 112 °F (44 °C) in Marietta and as low as −20 °F (−29 °C) in Long view.

Population of Washington:

The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Washington was 6,897,012 on July 1, 2012, a 2.6% increase since the 2010 United States Census.

Washington Population Density Map.

According to the U.S. Census, as of 2010, Washington has a historical estimated population of 6,724,540 which is an increase of 830,419 or 14.1 percent, since the year 2000.This includes a natural increase of 380,400 people, and an increase from net migration of 450,019 people into the state. Washington ranks first in the Pacific Northwest region in terms of population, followed by Oregon, and Idaho. There has historically been a lot of German American, Irish American and English American immigration to what is now the state of Washington. In 1980, the Census Bureau reported Washington's population as 90% non-Hispanic white.

Largest cities:

The largest cities in Washington according to 2011 state estimate

Seattle.

Spokane.

Rank	City	Population	Metropolitan Area
1	Seattle	620,778	Seattle
2	Spokane	210,103	Spokane
3	Tacoma	200,678	Seattle
4	Vancouver	164,759	Portland, Oregon
5	Bellevue	124,798	Seattle
6	Kent	120,916	Seattle
7	Everett	104,295	Seattle
8	Renton	92,812	Seattle
9	Yakima	92,512	Yakima
10	Federal Way	91,085	Seattle
11	Spokane Valley	90,279	Spokane
12	Bellingham	81,862	Bellingham
13	Kennewick	76,224	Tri-Cities
14	Auburn	71,517	Seattle
15	Pasco	63,186	Tri-Cities
16	Marysville	60,785	Seattle
17	Lakewood	58,839	Seattle
18	Redmond	55,228	Seattle
19	Shoreline	54,044	Seattle
20	Kirkland	49,755	Seattle

Washington has the largest ferry system in the United States.

Floating bridges on Lake Washington.

Transportation:

Washington has a system of state highways, called State Routes, as well as an extensive ferry system which is the largest in the nation and the third largest in the world. There are 140 public airfields in Washington, including 16 state airports owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation. Boeing Field in Seattle is one of the busiest primary non-hub airports in the US. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea Tac) is the other major airport of greater Seattle. The unique geography of Washington creates exceptional transportation challenges.

There are extensive waterways in the midst of Washington's largest cites, including Seattle,Bellevue, Tacoma and Olympia. The state highways incorporate an extensive network of bridges and the largest ferry system in the United States to serve transportation needs in the Puget Sound area. Ortation challenges. Washington operates and maintains roads over seven major mountain passes and eight minor passes. During winter months some of these passes are plowed, sanded, and kept safe with avalanche control. Not all are able to stay open through the winter. The North Cascades Highway, State Route 20, closes every year. This is because the extraordinary amount of snowfall and frequency of avalanches in the area of Washington Pass make it unsafe in the winter months.

Washington was rated the best state (amongst fifty U.S. states) in the 2011 American State Litter Scorecard, for overall effectiveness and quality of its public space cleanliness from state and related litter/debris removal efforts, unseating Vermont, the previous topmost winner.

Washington is crossed by a number of freight railroads, and Amtrak's passenger Cascade route between Eugene, OR and Vancouver, BC is the eighth busiest Amtrak service in the USA and one of the few profitable routes in the system. Public transportation has generally lagged, although the much-delayed link light rail system in the greater Seattle region opened its first line in 2002. Residents of Vancouver have resisted proposals to extend Portland's mass transit system into Washington.

Education:

Elementary and secondary

The state also has several public arts focused high schools including Tacoma School of the Arts, Vancouver school of Arts and Academics, and The Center School. There area also three Science and Math based high schools one in the Tri-Cities, Washingtonknown as Delta, one in Tacoma, Washington known as SAMI, and another in Des Moines known as Aviation High School.

Higher education

There are more than 40 institutions of higher education in Washington. The state has major research universities, religious schools, and private career colleges.

Fashion:

DC Fashion Washington Fashion Week has been the talk of fashionist as everywhere recently. But while New York is undoubtedly an epicenter of fashion, Washington has its own distinct style that’s not just about New York and not just about Brooks Brothers and Ann Taylor. D.C. fashion can be funky. It can be loud..