Washington State Information

By Ms. Molthan’s class

Room 402

Haller Middle School

Basic Information

State Capital: Olympia Gained statehood: November 11, 1889

The 42nd State in the USA Population 4,870,000 Nickname: The Evergreen State Named after George Washington--the

first president in the USA

More information

There are 39 counties in Washington. We live in Snohomish county. It has the second highest population in the state.

Largest cities: Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Bellevue, and Everett (Everett is 20 minutes away from Arlington)

Bordering states: Oregon and Idaho

Geography

Land area: 66,512 square miles. It is the 20th largest state in the USA

Highest Point: Mt. Rainier. This is the highest point in the 48 contiguous states in the USA

Lowest point: Pacific Ocean--sea level

State Symbols

Bird: Willow Goldfinch Flower: Western Rhododendron

(Rhodie for short) Tree: Western Hemlock Song: Washington My Home Gem: Petrified Wood Colors: Green and Gold

More Symbols

Fish: Steelhead Trout Insect: Blue Damer Dragonfly Fruit: Apple Mammal: Orca Whale

Timeline of History

1543 Pacific Northwest claimed by Spain 1572 Washington coast sighted by Sir Francis Drake and claimed for

England 1592 Discovery of the Strait of Juan de Fuca 1774 Juan Perez leads a Spanish expedition and discovers the

Olympic Mountains 1778 James Cook explores and charts Northwest coast 1792 Robert Gray names the Columbia River after his ship 1792 George Vancouver explores The Columbia River up to Point

Vancouver. 1792 Spain establishes the first non-Indian settlement near Neah Bay

Timeline

1803-1806 Captains William Clark and Meriwether Lewis explore the lands west of the Mississippi River. They end their journey at Fort Clatsop at the mouth of the Columbia River.

1807-1811 David Thompson charts the Columbia River. 1811 John Jacob Astor builds Fort Astoria at the mouth of the

Columbia River as a part of his Pacific Fur Company 1818 United States and England agree to joint occupation of the

Oregon Territory 1834 Marcus and Narcissa Whitman establish the Whitman

Mission on the Columbia River. The Whitman’s travel route west would become known as the Oregon Trail.

1843 Approximately 1,000 pioneers head West on the Oregon Trail. They were led by Marcus Whitman.

Timeline

1844 President James K. Polk wants to extend Oregon Territory to the 54th parallel. Even if he has to go to war.

1846 Treaty is signed between the US and England setting the border between the US and Canada at the 49th parallel. War was avoided.

1851 The first settlers arrive on the site of Seattle. 1853 Washington Territory created. 1860 Gold and silver discovered in the Okanogan region of

Eastern Washington 1865 Civil War ends and the Union Pacific Railroad heads west. 1872 American-British border dispute in San Juan Islands

settled by German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm

Timeline

1883 Northern Pacific Railroad completed to Tacoma. This links Eastern and Western Washington together.

1889 Washington becomes the 42nd state in the union. 1897-99 Klondike Goldrush; Seattle grows quickly and a jump-

off point for people heading to the gold fields in Alaska. 1900 Frederick Weyerhaeuser sets up a logging business in

western Washington 1910 Women gain the right to vote in Washington 1914-18 World War I 1929 US Stock Market crashes 1931 Hovervilles appear in cities because of high

unemployment rates

Timeline

1933 Unemployment rate reaches 25% 1933 President Roosevelt begin New Deal program. Grand

Coulee Dam construction is begun 1937 Bonneville Dam on Columbia River is completed 1941 Grand Coulee Dam is completed. The US enters World

War II. In December Pearl Harbor is bombed in Hawaii by the Japanese

1943 Hanford (in Eastern Washington) Engineers produce plutonium for the first nuclear bomb.

1945 US bombs Hiroshima and Nagasaki with bombs built in Washington State

1948 First TV station begins broadcasting in Seattle

Timeline

1954 First flight of Boeing 707, the first jetliner 1962 Seattle World’s Fair 1975 Mircosoft founded. Becomes a major producer of

computer software 1976 Dixy Lee Ray becomes 1st woman governor 1980 Mount St. Helens erupts, scattering ash throughout the

state 1989 Washington celebrates 100 years as a state

Economy

Washington is a leading lumber producer. The state holds first place for producing apples, lentils, dry edible peas, hops, pears, red raspberries, spearmint oil, and cherries. It also ranks high for producing apricots, asparagus, grapes, peppermint oil, and potatoes.

Manufacturing Industries

Aircraft industry --Boeing Company Computer software--Microsoft Ship building Food processing

Points of Interest

Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens volcanoes Grand Coulee Dam--the largest electricity producing

dam in the USA.

Mt. Rainier Grand Coulee Dam

Points of Interest

Olympic and Cascade Mountain Ranges Whitman Mission, Fort Vancouver, Space Needle, Pike’s Place

Market, Pacific Science Center, Seattle Zoo, tulip fields in Skagit county.

Space NeedleTulip Fields (about 20 minutes from Arlington)

Arlington, WA

Located in northern Snohomish county. Bordered by the town of Marysville to the south.

Population over 14,500 people Area of city 7.6 square miles Elevation 115 feet Geographic coordinates

48.181101°N 122.138955 °W

More on Arlington Arlington was named after Lord Henry

Arlington in 1890. Lord Arlington was a member of Charles II of England’s cabinet.

Arlington officially became a city 1903

Arlington The town in situated in the Stillaguamish valley. It is

at the junction of the North and South Forks of the Stillaguamish River at the base of the Cascade Mountain Range.

The town is located near Interstate 5 which is the main North/South Route in Western Washington

City

The city has experienced growth over the last 20 years. The population has increased 450% since 1980.

People and businesses are drawn to the area by the availability of property and the proximity to major cities like Everett and Seattle.

Schools

1 High School 1 Alternative High School 2 Middle Schools (Haller opened in

September 2006) 5 Elementary Schools

More on Schools

Students attend school from the ages of 5 to 18.

In grades 3-10 students must take a state proficiency test to measure their learning. The test is called the WASL. Students must pass all sections of the test before they can graduate from high school. The test is quite difficult. It is given each year in April.

Even more on schools

The school year begins in early September and ends in the middle of June.

There is a 2 week vacation for Christmas. There is also a vacation the first week of April. There are occasional days off to celebrate US holidays or for teachers to have an all-day meeting.

Most of the time kids attend school Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 2:30pm.

School Activities

Sports, but 6th graders can’t participate until 7th grade. This is a state law. Sports include basketball, volleyball, track, cross country, wrestling, and soccer.

Dances or Hootenanny’s– Students stay at school from 2:30-4:00 to socialize with

friends. We only have 4-5 of these a year. There is a dance coming up in December.

– A Hootenanny has an open gym, movies, board games, and karaoke for students. Dances give students a chance to listen to music and dance with each other.