Washington State Facts – Part I

1. State Capital – Olympia
2. State nickname – The Evergreen State
3. State motto – “Alki” (Chinook Wawa: “Eventually” or “By and by”)
4. Population – 6,724,540
5. Population rank – 13th
6. Physical Size – 71,362 sq. mi.
7. Physical Size rank – 18th
8. Population density – 102.6 per sq. mi.
9. Population density rank – 25th
10. Number of counties – 39
11. Largest county by population – King County (1,931,249)
12. Smallest county by population – Garfield County (2,266)
13. Highest elevation – Mount Rainier (14,417 ft.)
14. Tallest building – Columbia Center (932 ft.)
15. Lowest elevation – Pacific Ocean, sea level
16. Record highest temperature – 118 F (48 C) – August 5, 1961
17. Record lowest temperature – -48 F (-44 C) – December 30, 1968
18. Date Joined Union – November 11, 1889
19. Date Joined Union rank – 42nd
20. Adjoining states or countries – Idaho, Oregon, Canada
21. Flag Fact – Adopted in 1923, the flag of the State of Washington consists of the state seal on a field of dark green, with gold fringe being optional.
22. State seal – The Seal of the State of Washington contains a portrait of George Washington, with an outer ring containing the text “The Seal of the State of Washington” and “1889,” the year Washington State was admitted to the Union.
23. State quarter – The 42^nd state quarter released, the Washington state quarter has an image of a king salmon breaching the water in front of Mount Rainier. The coin bears the inscriptions “The Evergreen State,” “Washington,” and “1889.”
24. State amphibian – Pacific Chorus Frog
25. State bird – Willow Goldfinch