Washington State

Washington Cities, Climate and Sights

Washington State is located in the northwest of the United States on the Pacific coast. In terms of area, Washington ranks 18th among US states at 184,666 square kilometers, about half the size of Germany, which has 357,050 km².

  • Liuxers: List of Federal school codes for educational institutions located in Washington. Includes FAFSA codes in the state of Washington.

The US state of Washington State

Washington State in the southeast

Washington State

Washington as a state has about 6.5 million inhabitants. Most of the population is concentrated around Puget Sound, a roughly 150 km long island-rich bay in the west of the state. Here you will also find the capital Olympia, as well as Seattle, by far the largest city in Washington. See Washington counties list.

It’s hard to believe, but deep in the western United States, the majority of the population are of German origin. A total of 21% of the residents are of German descent.

Far behind are those of English origin with 13% and residents from Ireland with 12.5%. Hispanics, i.e. Latinos and Spanish speakers, are 9.1% and Asians 6.6% of the population, even more numerous than the residents of Norwegian descent, who also make up a good 6% of the compatriots here. Furthermore, African Americans 3.5%, well below the national average. 1.5% are Native American and 0.4% of the population is descended from Pacific Islanders (such as Hawaii).

The state was named after the first US President, George Washington, and became the 42nd state to become part of the United States of America in 1889 . The state is nicknamed the “Evergreen State ” due to the abundance of coniferous trees.

The term ” Washington State ” is used to distinguish the state from the capital of the USA, Washington DC, which is located on the East Coast.

Washington State is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, Oregon to the south, Idaho to the east, and British Columbia ( Canada ) to the north.

Washington is characterized by the sharp contrast between the mountainous and coastal regions in the west and the arid areas in the east of the state. The coastal location offers the best opportunities for overseas trade on the Pacific Ocean, with Canada and Alaska. More than half of the state’s land area is covered by coniferous forests (mainly conifers and cedars).

East of the Cascade Mountains are the semi-deserts of the country, which are completely devoid of any vegetation worth mentioning. Mount Rainier, a dormant volcano, is the state’s tallest mountain at 15,000 feet (4,392 m). He was also the namesake of one of the three national parks, Mount Rainier National Park, established in 1899. The North Cascades and Olympic National Parks are a little younger but no less interesting to visit.

Cascade Mountain Pass

The time difference to UTC is -7 hours, to Germany -8 hours. When it’s 3 p.m. in Germany, the alarm clock in Washington State doesn’t show until 7 a.m. in the morning.

Biggest cities

Major cities in Washington with their populations using 2010 census numbers, rounded.

  • Seattle 596.000
  • Tacoma 197.000
  • Bellevue 122.000
  • Everett 98.000
  • Federal Way 85.000

Climate and weather

The climate in Washington changes radically from west to east. While a mild and humid, oceanic climate prevails in the western part of the state, it is significantly colder and drier east of the Cascade Range. Most rain falls between January and May and between October and December, but daytime temperatures are mild year-round.

June to August is the warmest and driest time of the year, with summer temperatures averaging a very comfortable 25 degrees Celsius, while winter mercury sporadically falls below zero. The best travel time for us is therefore from mid-April to early November.