washington state

Washington State

The Other Washington

Spencer Houck

Common Misconception

• There are two places in the United States named after our first president: George Washington

• Washington D.C. (District of Columbia) Our Capital

• Washington State, where I live!

Statistics

• Population: 6,664,195

• 13th Most Populated State

• Area:184,827 km2• 18th Largest State• France=551,695 km2• Washington=about

1/3 of the Area of Metropolitan France

Population Centers

• Seattle: 612,000: King County

• Spokane: 204,200: Spokane County

• Tacoma: 204,200: Pierce County

• Vancouver: 165,500: Clark County

• Bellevue: 122,900: King County

• All of these cities except for Spokane are in Western Washington.

• A “County” is a region of government similar to Departments in France

Seattle

• My City!

• Located between Puget Sound and Lake Washington

• About 160km South of the Canadian Border and about 225km South of Vancouver B.C.

• 15th Largest Metropolitan Area in the U.S.

Seattle Landmarks

• Pike Place Market• Qwest Field: Home of

the Seattle Seahawks (American Football) and the Seattle Sounders (MLS Football)

• Safeco Field: Home of the Seattle Mariners (Baseball)

Seattle Landmarks

Businesses Founded in Seattle

• Starbucks Coffee: Coffee

• Amazon.com: Books and CD’s

• Boeing: American Manufacturer of Airplanes (only competition of Airbus)

• Microsoft: Computer Programs

• Costco: American Equivalent of Carrefour

• Nintendo of America: Video Games

• Nordstrom: Clothes

Seattle Businesses

Culture

• Historical Home to Grunge Music

• Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit

• Birthplace of Jimmy Hendrix

• Pearl Jam• Death Cab for Cutie• Modest Mouse• Hip/Hop-Rap has a

unique style in

Seattle Industry

• Besides our famous businesses the majority of Seattle Industry is Maritime (with the Ocean), Biotechnology, and “Green Technology.”

• Biotechnology: Making pharmaceutical products (Capsules and Pills for Sicknesses)

• Green Technology: Making things more environmentally Friendly

The Space Needle

• Seattle’s Most Famous Landmark

• Built in 1962 for the World’s Fair

• Located in the Seattle Center Fairgrounds

• Site of Fireworks for celebrating the New years

Mt. Rainier

• Largest mountain in Washington State: 14,410 Feet (4,392m)

• Just Smaller than Mont. Blanc

• One of the five Active Volcanoes of Washington in the Pacific “Ring of Fire”

Volcanoes

• Mt. St. Helens• Erupted in 1980• One of the largest

eruptions in modern history

• Picture is of my father on top of Mt. Rainier looking southwest to Mt. St. Helens in 1979, the year before it erupted

The Olympics

• Second Major Mountain Range in Washington State.• 95% of Area is a National Park thus is remains

undisturbed• Located on the Olympic Peninsula• Eastern Skyline is seen from Seattle

Olympic Mountains

Rain Forest

• The Olympic peninsula is home to the wettest place in the United States

• Hoh Rain Forest receives over 150 inches (3800mm) of rain per year (Chambery receives 1,136mm per year)

• Temperate Rainforest unlike rainforest in the Amazon in Brazil

Puget Sound

• Small piece of the Pacific Ocean located between the Olympic Peninsula and Washington Mainland

• Left over from the last Ice Age~10,000 years ago

• Very important to trade and industry in Washington

San Juan Islands

• Located in Puget Sound• 15 Islands are accessible

by ferry• Very popular summer

vacation destination• Other islands are shared

with Canada• Almost the site of a war

between the British and Americans

San Juan Islands

The Cascades

• Major Mountain Range that runs from Mexico to Alaska

• Smaller than the Alps but just as rugged and wild

• Less than an hour by car from most major cities in Western Washington

• Separates Western and Eastern Washington

Cascade Mountains

• Location of the Mountains is what distinguishes Western from Eastern Washington (wet vs. dry)

• Great skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, and all outdoor sports

Cascade Mountains

Hunting and Fishing

• Hunting is a past-time (loisirs) of many people in the Pacific Northwest

• Hunt for Deer, Elk, and Various Birds

• Fishing for Trout and Salmon in our Many Rivers

Eastern Washington

• Heart of Washington’s Agriculture

• Largest Producer of Apples in the United States

• Heart of Washington Wine Country

• Good Hunting and Fishing on the East side of the Cascade Mountains

Columbia River

• Largest River in the Pacific Northwest• Begins in the Rocky Mountains of Canada and

ends at the Border of Washington and Oregon• Drains an Area the Size of France

Hanford Nuclear Project

• Built in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project

• Site of the first full-scale plutonium Reactor in the world

• Focus of the largest environmental cleanup effort in the United States (extremely polluted)

University of Washington

• First University in Washington State

• Rated the 8th Best Public University in the United States

• Home to the Washington Huskies

• Located in the Heart of Seattle

Western Washington University

• My University!• Located in Bellingham,

Washington at the top of Puget Sound

• 45minutes by car from Vancouver B.C.

• Closest City to Mt. Baker Home of the world record snowfall in the 1998-1999 Winter 1140inches(28,956mm)