Things You Might Not Know About the State of Washington

There are facts about each of the 50 states that many people aren’t aware of, in large part, because they don’t live there. Such is the case of Washington, the only state named after a president. There are a number of facts about this state that even people who live there might not know.

As of 2018, Washington was the most populated state in the Pacific Northwest, with just under 7.5 million residents. However, this is only a tiny portion of the approximately 330 million citizens living in the US. Let’s look at some of the interesting Washington facts you might not know. Then again, you might know some of this.

* There are more glaciers in Washington than in all of the other lower 47 states combined.

* The largest county in Washington is King County. It was named after a vice president of the US, William King, who was the vice president for Franklin Pierce. The county was renamed in 1986, though the name wasn’t actually changed. It is now King County, named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. The only thing that was actually changed was who the county is named after.

* The first revolving restaurant in the United States was built in Seattle, Washington, and this was the second revolving restaurant in the world. The restaurant is located on top of the Space Needle, which was built for the World’s Fair, and it opened in 1961. The view can be spectacular, owing to the fact that the restaurant is 500 feet above sea level.

* Mount Rainier, one of the tallest mountains in the US, is located in Washington. The mountain was named after a British soldier named Peter Rainier. Ironically, Mr. Rainier fought against the Americans during the Revolutionary War.

* Washington is the home of the oldest operating gas station in the US.

* While it was still a territory and before it became a state, Washington was called Columbia, named for the river that forms the boundary between Washington and Oregon.

* The world’s richest man lives in Washington and the headquarters of the corporation he founded is located there; Bill Gates and the Microsoft Corporation, respectively. Washington was also the birthplace of Bing Crosby and Jimi Hendrix and it is where Bruce Lee is buried.

* Both Boeing Aircraft and Starbucks are headquartered in Washington. 

* As of 1975, the smallest city to ever host a World’s Fair was Tacoma, Washington.

* One of the rainiest places in the world is located in Washington. The area is also the only true rainforest in the US.

* The longest floating bridge in the world is located in Washington. It is called the Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge and it connects the town of Medina and the city of Seattle. In fact, 4 of the 5 longest floating bridges are located in Washington.

* The largest dam in the US is the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River, completed in 1941.

* Washington has had the distinction of being number one in the production of red raspberries, apples, hops, sweet cherries, pears, and Concord grapes, in the US.

Now you probably know more about the state of Washington, though you may have already known some of this. Each state can make claims that no other state can truthfully make.