Washington Fun Facts
Information About Washington, Washington Geography,
and Washington Schools

Washington is abbreviated WA. Olympia is the capital, and the largest city of Washington is Seattle. Residents of Washington are referred to as “Washingtonians.”

The unofficial state motto is the Al-ki or Alki -- an Indian word meaning "bye and bye." The state song is “Washington, My Home.” The state motto is “Freedom and Unity.”

The Washington Territory established in 1853 was named to honor George Washington. The state bird of Washington is the Goldfinch. The state flower is Coast Rhododendron and the state tree is the Western Hemlock.

Washington is ranked 15th in population and received its statehood November 11, 1889.

Bordering states of Washington are Idaho and Oregon. The Pacific Ocean is the major body of water bordering Washington.

The major industries of Washington are farming (fruit, berries, nuts, cattle, wheat), lumber, tourism, hydroelectric power, computer software, aircraft and aluminum refining.

There were 974,504 K12 students in the Washington public schools in 1996. Out of those students 78,077 were first grade students. There were also 48,307 K12 public school teachers in the Washington public schools system. There were a total of 2,180 Washington public schools in 1996. (Source: IES National Center for Education Statistics)