50 Interesting & Fun Facts About Washington State

Destguides may receive commissions from purchases made through affiliate links in this article.

Washington is the most northwestern state in the continental United States. It sits on the Pacific Ocean and borders the states of Oregon and Idaho and the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, Washington's capital is Olympia, but its largest and most famous city is Seattle. And while the state is known as the second-largest wine producer in the United States, it's probably more famous for coffee since the first Starbucks opened at Pike Place Market in 1971.

From a major war nearly starting over a pig to a native population whose history stretches back more than 10,000 years, there are enough fun facts about Washington State to keep you busy reading for hours.

Continue scrolling through this article to learn 50 of the most interesting Washington facts about everything, from the fake neighborhood built during World War II to the punishment for going Bigfoot hunting.

50 Washington State Facts

Washington Fun Facts

The Evergreen State is Washington's nickname

It only takes one look at the sprawling forests stretching across Washington to understand why it's called the Evergreen State. In 1889, Charles Tallmadge Conover, an early Washington settler who made his fortune in the newspaper and real estate industries, coined the Evergreen State phrase for a pamphlet promoting the region.

Washington's state bird is the American goldfinch

The American goldfinch was designated the state bird of Washington State in 1951. Easily spotted by its vibrant yellow color and high-pitched song, the American goldfinch can be found in yards and fields across the region.

One of many interesting facts about the state of Washington is that legislators allowed schoolchildren to vote on the state's bird. They chose the goldfinch over the popular meadowlark.

The coast rhododendron is Washington's state flower

The the state flower of Washington state is the coast rhododendron, also commonly called the Pacific rhododendron. It was selected by the legislature as the official state flower in 1959.

The coast rhododendron's connection with Washingtonians goes back even further. It was initially chosen as the flower representing Washington State for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

The state tree of Washington is the western hemlock

Selected as the state tree of Washington State in 1947, the western hemlock is a massive evergreen. It's the largest of the hemlock trees and can grow up to 200 feet tall. Experts believe the oldest western hemlocks date up to 1,200 years ago.

When proposing it be designated the official tree, Washington politician George Adams noted the western hemlock as the backbone of the state's foresting industry.

Washington is the second-largest wine-producing state

Unsurprisingly, California holds the record for producing more wine than anywhere else in the country. But one of the most interesting facts about Washington state is that it's the second-largest wine producer in the United States . Around 5% of the country's wine comes from Washington, equating to more than 40 million gallons annually.

Washington State is named after President George Washington

The origins of Washington State date to the 1850s, following the transfer of the Oregon Territory to the United States from Great Britain. First called the Territory of Columbia, the state's name was changed to Washington to avoid confusion with the District of Columbia. Did you know that Washington State is the only one in the United States named after a president?

dbvirago/Depositphotos.com

Starbucks was first brewed in Seattle

The first Starbucks opened for business at the Pike Place Market in Seattle in 1971, and around a decade later, current chairman and CEO Howard Schultz joined the business in 1982. The original location is still open at 1912 Pike Place.

More apples are grown in Washington than in any other state

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, Washingtonians have nothing to worry about! The state of Washington produces more apples than anywhere else in the United States, holding onto that lead by a longshot. Washington has been at the top of the list since the 1920s, growing more than 65% of the country's apple supply.

There are nearly 200 named glaciers in Washington State

Washington has the second most named glaciers of any state in the United States. With 186 recognized by the Geographic Names Information System, you can find major glaciers on peaks throughout Washington.

Mount Rainier alone is home to 25 named glaciers. Emmons Glacier, on Mount Rainier, is the largest in the contiguous United States.

The state of Washington is home to three national parks

Nature lovers enjoy Washington State because of its pristine wilderness areas. Washington has three national parks: North Cascades National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, and Olympic National Park. These parks span over 1.5 million acres.

The state also contains many federally protected historic sites, trails, and recreation areas, including Fort Vancouver, Lake Roosevelt, and the Whitman Mission.

marleyPug/Shutterstock.com

Seattle's Space Needle was designed to look like a UFO for the World's Fair

Easily one of the most famous landmarks in Seattle, Architect John Graham sketched out the idea for the iconic Space Needle on a napkin with the final draft being inspired by the shape of a flying saucer.

The Space Needle opened in April 1962 for the Seattle World's Fair, also called the Century 21 Exposition, because of its Space Age theme.

Funny Facts About Washington State

Square Dance is the official state dance of Washington

One of the funniest facts on Washington State is that the square dance was voted the official state dance back in 1979. That's because the earliest settlers in Washington, then called the Oregon Territory, brought the dance with them when they headed west. The square dance originated from the French quadrille and evolved among the pioneers on the American frontier.

Spokane, Washington, was the smallest city to host the World's Fair

The 1974 World's Fair was held in Spokane, Washington. At the time, Spokane was the smallest city to host the world's fair.

The 1982 World's Fair handed that title to Knoxville, Tennessee, but many Washington residents still consider Spokane the rightful champion, adamantly declaring Spokane's overall metropolitan area to be smaller than Knoxville's.

The first Washington State Patrol officers were motorcycle cops

The Washington State Patrol started in 1921 with an initial force of six officers. They didn't patrol the road by car, however. Their first vehicles were a fleet of Indian Motorcycles.

Today, the agency has more than 1,000 state troopers. They haven't forgotten their roots, though, as you can still find more than 40 motorcycle officers stationed across the state.

Boeing built a fake neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, during World War II

During World War II, airplane and defense manufacturer Boeing built a giant fake neighborhood atop its Plant No. 2 in Seattle.

The counterfeit community nicknamed the Boeing Wonderland, served as a decoy to hide the plant from potential bombing runs by the Japanese military. There were 53 "homes" in the neighborhood, which were demolished after the war.

A pig in Washington State nearly caused a major war

The Pig War occurred in 1859 after an American living on the contested San Juan Islands shot a pig rooting through his garden. The pig belonged to a British resident who reported the American, Lyman Cutlar, to the island's British authorities.

The situation escalated to a standoff between the American and British forces involving three warships and more than 2,500 soldiers before being peacefully resolved through negotiations.

An internet hoax led to the legend of Tree Octopi in Washington

Some of the oddest information about Washington is that the Olympic National Forest is allegedly home to a land-dwelling octopus that lives in trees and regional waterways.

At least that's what hoax creator Lyle Zapato claimed on his 1998 website, "Save The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus." The story may be fake, but that didn't stop many early internet users from believing the compelling claim.

It's illegal to kill Sasquatch in Skamamia County, Washington

Sasquatch, also known as Bigfoot, may or may not be real. But if so, one of the weird facts about Washington state that you'll want to note is that killing the creature in Skamamia County, Washington, is illegal.

In 1969, a law was passed to punish anyone proven guilty of murdering Sasquatch with up to five years in jail. The law was amended in 1984, reducing the penalty to no more than six months of incarceration and a 500 USD fine.

There's a bridge just for squirrels in Longview, Washington

By the early 1960s, residents and office workers in Longview, Washington, were fed up seeing squirrels get hit by cars trying to cross busy Olympia Way in the city's downtown. So in 1963, Amos Peters built the 60-foot Nutty Narrows Bridge six yards above the road to allow for safe squirrel passage between R. A. Long Park and the neighboring area.

Bickleton, Washington, is the Bluebird Capital of the World

The small town of Bickleton, Washington, is known as the Bluebird Capital of the World, thanks to the thousands of Mountain and Western Bluebirds living in the region throughout the year.

For a town with a population of fewer than 100 residents, they impressively maintain around 2,000 wooden bluebird houses in Bickleton and the surrounding area.

You can see the world's largest egg in Winlock, Washington

Winlock, Washington, has boasted the world's largest egg since 1923. Weighing in at 1,200 pounds, the massive egg is crafted from fiberglass and measures 12 feet long.

The egg pays homage to the area's poultry and egg production history. It was built two years after the first celebration of Winlock Egg Days, an annual event still going strong more than a century later.

Northgate Mall in Seattle was the first to have public restrooms

Much to the relief of shoppers everywhere, Northgate Mall (now Northgate Station) in Seattle became the first mall to have public restrooms in the United States when it opened in 1950.

Interestingly, it was also the first shopping mall built in the United States after World War II. Additionally, Northgate Station now houses the practice arena for the National Hockey League's Seattle Kraken.

Interesting Facts About Washington State

Mount Rainier is a dangerous active volcano

Perhaps the most frightening information on the state of Washington concerns Mount Rainier, its tallest mountain. Easily one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the United States Geological Survey says Mount Rainier may potentially be the most dangerous volcano in the Cascade Range, which spans 700 miles from Canada to California.

Bill Gates didn't found Microsoft in Washington State

Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. Microsoft was initially located in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1975, but he and co-founder Paul Allen relocated the company to Bellevue, Washington, in 1979.

Microsoft then moved from Bellevue to its current campus in Redmond in 1986. Gates still resides in the nearby community of Medina.

VDB Photos/Shutterstock.com

Evergreen Point Floating Bridge is the longest in the world

Did you know that Washington State is home to the longest floating bridge in the world? The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge connects Seattle and Bellevue, spanning 7,708 feet across Lake Washington.

Construction on the floating bridge was completed in 2016 at a cost of $4.5 billion. Nearly 75,000 vehicles travel across the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge daily.

Washington's Cascade Range is a section of the Pacific Ring of Fire

The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area around the Pacific Ocean known for abundant active volcanoes, with the Ring of Fire's Cascade Range partly within Washington State. The Cascade Range is home to several threatening peaks and goes from California to British Columbia, Canada, passing through Oregon and Washington.

Washington's Mount St. Helens is the most famous active volcano within the Cascade Range, having erupted last in 1980. Oregon's Mount Hood, California's Mount Shasta, and Washington's Glacier Peak remain constantly monitored as well.

Grand Coulee Dam produces the most hydroelectric power in the United States

The Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in Washington contains almost 12 million cubic yards of concrete that could have paved a highway from Washington State to Florida.

It's the largest hydroelectric power producer in the country, with nearly two million households powered by the 21 billion kilowatt-hours generated by the Grand Coulee Dam each year.

The Columbia River was named after a boat

Did you know that the Columbia River got its name from a sailing vessel? One of the most interesting historical facts about Washington State is that its longest river was named by trader Robert Gray when he explored the area in 1792. His inspiration? None other than his ship, the Columbia, which he sailed from Boston to present-day Washington.

Olympic National Park is the largest wilderness area in Washington State

Spanning over 900,000 acres, Olympic National Park is the largest wilderness area in Washington and one of the best national parks on the West Coast.

Sitting on the Olympic Peninsula west of Seattle, Olympic National Park boasts 611 miles of trails, over 3,000 miles of waterways, and scenic beaches. Second-ranked North Cascades National Park covers just over 500,000 acres, while the smaller Mount Rainier National Park sits on 250,000 acres.

Puget Sound has world-class whale watching

Puget Sound, located on Washington State's northwestern coast, has some of the best whale watching in North America. Humpback and gray whales, and orcas can be spotted throughout the year around the San Juan Islands in the upper Puget Sound. However, Washington's best time for whale watching is in the summer, from June through September.

Seattle is the most educated city in the country

According to data from the U.S. Census, Seattle has a higher percentage of college-educated adults than any other major US city. According to the Census, 62.6% of adults in the Seattle area have a college degree.

San Francisco takes the number two spot at 57.8%, while nearby Portland sits seventh with 49.9%. The University of Washington is its flagship higher learning institution.

The city of Sunnyside is the driest in Washington

Most people associate the Pacific Northwest with being rainy most of the year, but that's different in the city of Sunnyside, in the state's south-central region. It's the driest city in Washington.

While parts of Washington's Olympic Peninsula suffer under more than 11 feet of rain yearly, the aptly named Sunnyside averages just 7.5 inches.

The Hoh Rain Forest in Washington State gets nearly 12 feet of rain a year

The Pacific Northwest is no stranger to rainy weather, but the Hoh Rain Forest is one of the wettest spots in the region. The rainforest sees, on average, 140 inches of rain annually.

The Hoh isn't the only rainforest in Washington, but it's the only one designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site.

North Cascades National Park is home to over 300 glaciers

Here are some chilly Washington facts and information: you can find more than 300 separate glaciers at North Cascades National Park.

Covering a sprawling 505,000 acres, North Cascades National Park is the second largest park in Washington State and is often referred to as the North American Alps. In addition to the glaciers, the park is known for its alpine landscapes and evergreen forests.

Washington State History Facts

CamomileLeyla/Depositphotos.com

Native American history in Washington dates back more than 10,000 years

Washington facts and history often go hand in hand, like how researchers have found evidence of Native Americans living in the state for over 10,000 years.

First arriving following the end of the last Ice Age, the Lushootseed people found plentiful resources in present-day Washington State's fields, forests, and waterways. By contrast, the first Europeans set foot in Washington in 1775.

LifeisticAC/Shutterstock.com

Washington's Kennewick Man is over 9,000 years old

The Kennewick Man, often called the Ancient One, comprises the remains of a prehistoric Native American man found in 1996 along the Columbia River in Columbia Park, in the city of Kennewick. The remains, some of the oldest and most complete found in North America, have been carbon-dated to be more than 9,000 years old and are held in the Burke Museum.

Washingtonian Sonora Smart Dodd was the mother of Father's Day

Father's Day owes its start to Spokane, Washington resident Sonora Smart Dodd. Dodd, born in 1882, was inspired by her father, who, after their mother passed away in 1898, raised her and her younger siblings on his own.

She began advocating for the commemorative holiday in 1909 and was successful in seeing the first Father's Day celebration in the city of Spokane in 1910.

Ginkgo Petrified Forest has more than 50 petrified wood species

The ancient Ginkgo Petrified Forest in central Washington State spans over 7,100 acres and is home to over 50 species of petrified wood.

The ancient forest, believed to have lived approximately 15.5 million years ago, was eventually covered in volcanic ash, which allowed the trees to petrify into their modern form. Thanks to the Ginkgo Petrified Forest, petrified wood became the state gem of Washington in 1975.

Washington became the 42nd state in 1889

After falling under the authority of the United States as part of the Oregon Territory in 1848, Washington became the 42nd state to join the union in 1889. Washington's admission into the United States came on November 11th, 1889.

Scary Facts About Washington State

seesaw1/Shutterstock.com

Mount St. Helens was the site of a deadly volcano eruption in 1980

Here's some scary Washington State trivia: Mount St. Helens' eruption in 1980 was the most destructive volcano eruption in US history. Fifty-seven deaths were attributed to this natural disaster, with the massive blast sending ash flying across eleven states and throughout Canada. The eruption of Mt. Saint Helens caused an estimated $1 billion in damages.

Aberdeen, Washington, used to be one of the most dangerous towns in the United States

Originally a logging town at the end of the Northern Pacific Railroad, Aberdeen, Washington, had developed a reputation as one of the most dangerous towns in the United States by the turn of the 20th century.

Aberdeen has since shed its moniker as the "Hellhole of the Pacific," and today, the area is home to the largest coastal shipping port in Washington State.

bloodua/Depositphotos.com

The historic Pike Place Market was nearly torn down in 1969

Pike Place Market originated in 1907 as a hub for local farmers and has since become an iconic piece of the Seattle waterfront. But scarily, its history nearly ended in 1969 when the city council discussed plans to replace the market with hotels and office buildings. Thankfully, local citizens banded together and voted to make Pike Place Market a protected historic district.

The legend of Bigfoot got its start in the Pacific Northwest

While Bigfoot may be synonymous with creatures described by other names in cultures worldwide, the legend of Bigfoot originates in the Pacific Northwest.

Bigfoot, allegedly a large humanoid creature, has been reported by settlers in the Washington area since the 1800s. But with 21 million forested acres in the state, Bigfoot could be hiding in plenty of places.

Washington's Hanford Site is the largest environmental cleanup in the United States

Hanford Engineer Works opened in 1943 and was essential in producing plutonium for the American nuclear program during World War II. After the war, the site was put under the care of General Electric and remained in operation until 1990. Official cleanup on the 400,000-acre site began in 1989 to remediate the dangerously extensive nuclear waste on the property.

Cool Facts About Washington State

Oscar C. Williams/Shutterstock.com

Legendary rocker Jimi Hendrix grew up in Seattle, Washington

One of the grooviest facts about the State of Washington is that legendary rocker and Woodstock alum Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle at King County Hospital.

Hendrix played with several bands around the Seattle area before joining the army in 1961. He moved to New York City after receiving a medical discharge from the military, gaining widespread fame following the 1967 Monterey International Pop Music Festival in Monterey, California.

Washington State doesn't charge most residents income tax

If you live in Washington State, you probably don't need to worry about paying state income tax. How cool is that? That's because Washington is one of nine states with either no or minimal taxation.

The only people paying income tax in Washington are those earning more than $250,000 per year from investments, not their labor, with capital gains taxed at 7% after the first quarter million dollars.

The San Juan Islands don't have any traffic signals

Sitting in the idyllic Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands are such a laid-back place that they don't even have any traffic signals on their roads. the streets are so peaceful that many people enjoy getting out their bicycles and cycling rather than driving.

Plus, that makes stopping and checking out San Juan County's more than 400 miles of marine shoreline easier.

The Olympic Peninsula is home to the Lavender Capital of North America

The Olympic Peninsula's Sequim-Dungeness Valley is nicknamed the Lavender Capital of North America because of the innumerable lavender fields throughout the area.

The local landscape turns purple every June when the lavender blossoms and remains a popular tourist destination through harvest season in mid-August. In addition, the Sequim Lavender Weekend is held annually in July.

melissamn/Shutterstock.com

Grunge rock got its start in Seattle in the 1980s

Grunge is a unique style of rock music that grew out of Seattle's punk scene in the mid-1980s. Brought into the mainstream by bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, other famous grunge groups from Washington include Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. Green River, also from Seattle, is widely considering the pioneering act of the genre.

The first gas station was built in Seattle, Washington

Historians believe the world's first gas station was built in Seattle, Washington in 1907. Owner John McLean opened his station on the property next to the Standard Oil Company's central depot, where he worked as head of sales.

Gas was piped directly from Standard's main tank. McLean's forward-thinking paid off because, by 1910, gasoline had overtaken kerosene to become the bestselling of all oil-refined fuels.

In Summary

If you've made it this far, you've likely discovered many new facts about Washington, the state, like how the northwestern state is known for its sprawling natural spaces, such as its three national parks.

Armed with facts like Washington being home to the world's longest floating bridge or that the iconic Space Needle is designed after a flying saucer, you should be well prepared for your next round of bar trivia!

But don't let shocking facts like how Mount Rainier is probably the most dangerous volcano in the Cascade Range scare you away from learning more about the exciting state of Washington.

This article was edited by Alli Sewell.

Give us feedback about this article