La Conner
Welcome to Washington
Before there were skyscrapers, interstates, and cars;
before there was electricity-producing-juggernaut
Grand Coulee Dam or software giant Microsoft, there
was a relatively unexplored area in the upper
northwest corner of what is now the United States.
This area would eventually be named Washington,
after the first President.
Washington is a land of variety, going from sea level at
the Pacific Ocean to the highest peak, Mount Rainier at
14,410 feet. Washington has temperate rain forests,
high mountains, deserts, and just about everything in
between. West of the Cascade Mountain Range, which
essentially divide the state in two, people enjoy a
milder, wetter climate than the east side, which is more
arid, with hotter summers and colder winters.
In terms of population, a much larger percentage of
Washington’s 7 million people live on the western side,
with Seattle boasting the biggest number at over
600,000. The second largest city, Spokane, resides in
the northeast corner where over 200,000 people live.
Washington’s history is an amazing story. It’s one of
perseverance, deception, war, courage, and exploration.
It’s a history filled with life and death, justice and
injustice, of settlement and displacement. By
understanding Washington’s history, we can better
understand our world today . . .
