Washington

Named for the first president

Washington is the only state named for a US president. Settlers north of the Columbia River had asked Congress for a “Columbia Territory,” named for the river, but during House debate on February 8, 1853, Representative Richard H. Stanton of Kentucky amended the bill to call it Washington, both to honor the “Father of the Country” and to avoid confusion with the District of Columbia. The House passed the renamed bill two days later, and President Millard Fillmore signed it on March 2, 1853. The state kept the territorial name at statehood.

The 42nd state

Washington was admitted under the Enabling Act of February 22, 1889, which also covered the Dakotas and Montana, and President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed it the 42nd state on November 11, 1889.

Olympia

Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens chose Olympia as the capital in November 1853, and the first territorial legislature met there in 1854. Rival towns tried to take the title, and an 1861 act moving the capital to Vancouver passed, only to be voided by the territorial supreme court over a drafting error. At statehood the constitution left the permanent choice to the voters, and in 1890 Olympia won with more than 70 percent of the vote, over Ellensburg and North Yakima. Its Legislative Building, finished in 1928, has a 287-foot dome, the tallest masonry dome in North America. The capital page tells the story.

Evergreen and by-and-by

Washington’s best-known nickname, the Evergreen State, was coined by the Seattle real estate man and historian C. T. Conover for the state’s evergreen forests. It is used everywhere, but it has never been adopted in law. Neither has the traditional motto, “Al-ki,” a Native word usually translated “by and by.” The state flag, adopted in 1923, is dark green with the state seal and its portrait of George Washington in the center.

Goldfinches, rhododendrons and orcas

Washington has 27 official state symbols. Washington women chose the coast rhododendron in a statewide vote in 1892, years before they could vote in elections, so the state would have a flower for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The willow goldfinch is the state bird and the western hemlock the state tree. Schoolchildren proposed many of the others, among them the orca, the Olympic marmot, found nowhere but the Olympic Peninsula, the Pacific chorus frog and the Walla Walla sweet onion. The apple, of which Washington is the nation’s top producer, is the state fruit, and pickleball, invented on Bainbridge Island, the state sport. See them all on the Washington symbols page.

Land and people

Washington covers 71,298 square miles, 18th among the states, and had about 8 million residents in 2025, 13th in the country. It borders Canada to the north, Idaho to the east and Oregon to the south, and faces the Pacific Ocean. Seattle, with about 785,000 people, is the largest city, followed by Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver and Bellevue. Olympia has about 57,000.