Education in Washington

State of Washington
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): "The Evergreen State" (unofficial)
Motto(s): Al-ki or Alki, "bye and bye" in Chinook Jargon (unofficial)
State song(s): "Washington, My Home"
Official language	None (de jure) English (de facto)
Demonym	Washingtonian
Capital	Olympia
Largest city	Seattle
Largest metro	Metro Seattle
Area	Ranked 18th
• Total	71,362 sq mi (184,827 km2)
• Width	360 miles (580 km)
• Length	240 miles (400 km)
• % water	6.6
• Latitude	45°  33′ N to 49° N
• Longitude	116°  55′ W to 124°  46′ W
Population	Ranked 13th
• Total	7,288,000 (2016 est.)
• Density	103/sq mi  (39.6/km2) Ranked 25th
• Median household income	$67,243 (2015) (9th)
Elevation
• Highest point	Mount Rainier 14,411 ft (4,392 m)
• Mean	1,700 ft  (520 m)
• Lowest point	Pacific Ocean sea level
Before statehood	Washington Territory
Admission to Union	November 11, 1889 (42nd)
Governor	Jay Inslee (D)
Lieutenant Governor	Cyrus Habib (D)
Legislature	Washington State Legislature
• Upper house	State Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. Senators	Patty Murray (D) Maria Cantwell (D)
U.S. House delegation	6 Democrats, 4 Republicans (list)
Time zone	Pacific: UTC −8/−7
ISO 3166	US-WA
Abbreviations	WA, Wash.
Website	access.wa.gov

Washington state symbols
The Flag of Washington
The Seal of Washington
Living insignia
Amphibian	Pacific chorus frog
Bird	American goldfinch
Fish	Steelhead trout
Flower	Rhododendron
Grass	Bluebunch wheatgrass
Insect	Green Darner
Mammal	Olympic marmot/Orca
Tree	Western Hemlock
Inanimate insignia
Dance	Square dance
Food	Apple
Gemstone	Petrified wood
Ship	Lady Washington
Soil	Tokul
Song	"Washington, My Home"
Tartan	Washington state tartan
Other	Vegetable: Sweet onion
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2007
Lists of United States state symbols

Washington (/ˈwɒʃɪŋtən/ ( listen)), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Named after George Washington, the first President of the United States, the state was made out of the western part of the Washington Territory, which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 in accordance with the Oregon Treaty in the settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. Olympia is the state capital. Washington is sometimes referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the U.S., which is often shortened to Washington.

Washington is the 18th largest state with an area of 71,362 square miles (184,827 sq km), and the 13th most populous state with over 7 million people. Approximately 60 percent of Washington's residents live in the Seattle metropolitan area, the center of transportation, business, and industry along Puget Sound, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean consisting of numerous islands, deep fjords, and bays carved out by glaciers. The remainder of the state consists of deep temperate rainforests in the west, mountain ranges in the west, central, northeast and far southeast, and a semi-arid basin region in the east, central, and south, given over to intensive agriculture. Washington is the second most populous state on the West Coast and in the Western United States, after California. Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano, is the state's highest elevation at almost 14,411 feet (4,392 m) and is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States.