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WASHINGTON FACT SHEET

  • Name origin: Named for George Washington (1732-99), 1st President of the United States (1789-97)
  • Admitted as the 42nd state: 1889 Nov 11
    • Established as a territory: 1853 Mar 2
  • State capital: Olympia
  • State government website
  • State governors: #1 Elisha P. Ferry to #23 Jay Inslee
  • Current US Senators, US Representatives
  • Current State Executive Office-Holders, State Legislators, State Supreme Court Justices
  • Official state symbols
  • Number of counties: 39
  • Upcoming events (via WA-List’s events calendar)
  • Population (2010): 6,724,543 (Rank: 13 of 50)
    • Largest county (2010): King, 1,931,249 (see 10 Largest Counties by Population list below)
    • Largest city (2010): Seattle, 608,660 (see 25 Largest Cities list below)
  • Area (2010): 66,455.52 square miles (Rank: 20 of 50)
    • Largest county (2010): Okanogan, 5,267.98 square miles (see 10 Largest Counties by Area list below)
    • Smallest county (2010): San Juan, 173.92 square miles
  • Density (2010): 101.2 people per square mile
  • Highest elevation: 14,411 feet, Mount Rainier.
  • Lowest elevation: Sea level.
  • Largest island: Whidbey (Island County), 168.7 square miles (see 10 Largest Islands list below)
  • Largest artificial lake: Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake (spanning six counties), 79,400 acres surfaces area and 9.4 million acre-feet volume. (see 10 Largest Artificial Lakes list below)
  • Largest natural lake: Lake Chelan (Chelan County), 32,000 acres surface area and 15.8 million acre-feet volume. (see 10 Largest Natural Lakes list below)
  • Mean center of population (2010): 47°19’51” N, 121°37’12” W (eastern King County)
  • Geographic compass points
    • Geographic center: In Chelan County approximately 10 miles west-southwest of Wenatchee.
    • Northernmost points: 49th parallel, in Whatcom, Okanogan, Stevens, Ferry, and Pend Oreille counties.
    • Southernmost point: The mainland northeast of Reed Island, Clark County. Reed Island is even farther south.
    • Westernmost point: Cape Alava, Clallam County. Several islands offshore are even farther west. (Cape Alava is the westernmost spot among the 48 contiguous states.)
    • Easternmost point:  Southeast corner of Asotin County.

 

25 Largest Cities (2010) Population ……. 10 Largest Counties
1. Seattle King 608,660   by Population (2010) Population
2. Spokane Spokane 208,916 1. King County 1,931,249
3. Tacoma Pierce 198,397 2. Pierce County 795,225
4. Vancouver Clark 161,791 3. Snohomish County 713,335
5. Bellevue King 122,363 4. Spokane County 471,221
6. Everett Snohomish 103,019 5. Clark County 425,363
7. Kent King 92,411 6. Thurston County 252,264
8. Yakima Yakima 91,067 7. Kitsap County 251,133
9. Renton King 90,927 8. Yakima County 243,231
10. Spokane Valley Spokane 89,755 9. Whatcom County 201,140
11. Federal Way King 89,306 10. Benton County 175,177
12. Bellingham Whatcom 80,885 …..
13. Kennewick Benton 73,917 10 Largest Counties    
14. Auburn King 70,180   by Land Area (2010)   Area (sq mi.)
15. Marysville Snohomish 60,020 1. Okanogan County 5,267.98
16. Pasco Franklin 59,781 2. Yakima County 4,295.40
17. Lakewood Pierce 58,163 3. Chelan County 2,920.53
18. Redmond King 54,144 4. Grant County 2,679.51
19. Shoreline King 53,007 5. Stevens County 2,477.77
20. Kirkland King 48,787 6. Lewis County 2,402.80
21. Richland Benton 48,058 7. Lincoln County 2,310.49
 22. Olympia Thurston  46,478 8. Kittitas County 2,297.27
23. Sammamish King 45,780 9. Ferry County 2,203.16
 24. Lacey  Thurston  42,393 10. Whatcom County 2,106.86
 25. Edmonds Snohomish  39.709  
10 Largest Islands Square Miles ……. Square Miles
1. Whidbey
 Island 168.7 6. Vashon-Maury King 37.0
2. Orcas
 San Juan 57.3 7. Lopez San Juan 29.8
3. San Juan
 San Juan 55.0 8. Bainbridge
 Kitsap 27.6
4. Fidalgo
 Skagit 41.2 9. Harstine  Mason 18.7
5. Camano
 Island 40.6 10. Lummi  Whatcom 9.3
10 Largest Artificial Lakes Acres ……. 10 Largest Natural Lakes Acres
1. Franklin D Roosevelt Lake
 NE Wash 79,400 1. Lake Chelan Chelan 32,000
2. Lake Umatilla
 S Wash 48,700 2. Lake Washington King 22,138
3. Lake Wallula
  SE Wash 42,500 3. Lake Ozette
 Clallam 7,787
4. Potholes Reservoir
 Grant 27,800 4. Moses Lake Grant 6,815
5. Banks Lake
 Cent Wash 26,900 5. Lake Osoyoos Okanogan 5,723
6. Wanapum Lake
 Cent Wash 14,600 6. Lake Crescent Clallam 5,100
7. Riffe Lake
 Lewis 11,800 7. Lake Whatcom Whatcom 4,900
8. Ross Lake
 N Wash 11,700 7. Lake Sammamish King 4,900
9. Rufus Woods Lake
  Cent Wash 7,800 9. Cle Elum Lake Kittitas 4,800
10. Lake Herbert G. West
  SE Wash 6,600 10. Kachess Lake Kittitas 4,500

 

Notes

  • This page is updated as needed.
  • All population, area, and density figures are from the 2010 United States Census.
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