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americas-florists.com directory
of florists in Washington, USA
In 1853, the Washington Territory was formed from part of the
Oregon Territory. Named in honor of George Washington, Washington
was the 42nd state to join the Union, in 1889. Its coastal
location and Puget Sound harbors give it a leading role in trade
with Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Rim. The state has two major
mountain ranges--the 7,000-foot Olympic Mountains surrounded by
temperate rain forest on the peninsula west of Puget Sound, and
the more majestic Cascade Range, which boasts the 14,410-foot
Mount Rainier and the volcanic Mount St. Helens, which erupted
twice in the 1980s. Although the capital is Olympia, most people
live in the metropolitan areas of Seattle-Everett and Tacoma. The
state tree of the "Evergreen State" is the western
hemlock, and the flower is the western rhododendron.
State Flower: Coast or Western rhododendron
State Motto: By and by
State Nickname: Evergreen State
State Bird: Willow goldfinch
Land area: 66,582 sq mi. - Length: 360 miles - Width: 240 miles
10 largest cities (1999 est.):
Seattle, 537,150;
Spokane, 184,323;
Tacoma, 180,020;
Vancouver, 118,743;
Bellevue, 105,521;
Everett, 87,352;
Federal Way, 74,398;
Yakima, 72,483;
Kent, 66,233;
Lakewood, 66,158; - Persons per square mile (1999): 86.5
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