Hail Washington!

This week we're starting out with the great state of Washington. Add your comments here or head over to our Facebook group "What Makes Your State Great". We're looking for thoughts, comments, well wishes and positive energy today to show support for the people of Washington State.

Most of my facts come from the website 50state.com.

Hail Washington!

The state of Washington is the only state to be named after a United States president. Washington state produces more apples than any other state in the union.

Medina is the home of the United States wealthiest man, Microsoft's Bill Gates. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family". The primary aims of the foundation are, globally, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and in America, to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology.

Before it became a state, the territory was called Columbia (named after the Columbia River). When it was granted statehood, the name was changed to Washington, supposedly so people wouldn't confuse it with The District of Columbia.

Washington is the birthplace of both Jimi Hendrix (Seattle) and Bing Crosby (Tacoma).

Washington is home to four of the five longest floating bridges in the world: the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge and Homer M. Hadley Bridge over Lake Washington, and the Hood Canal Bridge connecting the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas.


There are 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington State. The original inhabitants of the area that is now Washington included:

The Cayuse tribe
The Chehalis tribe
The Chinook tribe
The Colville and Okanagan tribes
The Coeur d'Alene tribe
The Cowlitz tribe
The Kalispel and Spokane Salish tribes
The Klallam tribe
The Kwalhioqua tribe
The Lummiand Samich tribes
The Makah tribe
The Nez Perce tribe
The Nooksack tribe
The Quileute, Hoh and Chemakum tribes
The Quinault tribe
The Thompson Salish tribe
The Umatilla tribe
The Walla Walla and Palouse tribes
The Wasco and Wishram tribes
The Yakima tribe
The Puget Sound Salish tribes including the Puyallup, Snohomish, Muckleshoot, Snoqualmie, Nisqually, Skagit, Suquamish, Squaxin, Swinomish, Stillaguamish, and Sauk-Suiattle tribes.

This six-minute piece documents the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe's efforts to continue their traditional methods of fishing, hunting and gathering.

Upper Skagit Tribe - Fishing Rites from How Loud Media on Vimeo.

Namaste & Blessed Be
Sosanna
)O(