华盛顿州小档案：
人口：约620万
面积：约176，616平方公里，排名第20位
州府：奥林匹亚Olympia
华盛顿州的名称为纪念华盛顿总统而得名。
1811年开始殖民。1889年11月11日成为美国第42州。以山杜鹃花rhododendron为州花。本州别名叫做“常绿之州”Evergreen State。本州箴言：“未来”By and By。
州府是奥林匹亚Olympia，位于本州西中部，普吉海峡西南岸。大都市兼大商港西雅图Seatle在普吉海峡东岸。他科马Tacona，本州第三大都市，位于普吉海峡南岸。斯波肯Spokane位于本州东境中部，本州第二大都市。1974年5月，在斯波肯河中两小岛上举行世界博览会。这次大会展览的主题是“清新环境”。
本州大专学院有40多所，其中最著名的是华盛顿大学，创于1861年，其校址设在西雅图。
本州特征有二：第一，本州是美国通往阿拉斯加州必经之地。第二，美国超音速巨型航机制造之州（波音飞机制造公司在西雅图）。
本州位于美国大陆西北角，北接加拿大，西濒太平洋，东界爱达荷州，南邻俄勒冈州。
本州物产很丰富，海岸山脉东西两麓为伐木区。普吉海峡沿岸平原为蔬菜、养鸡及乳牛区。喀斯开山脉之东坡，较西坡微干，为大果园区，盛产苹果，其产量之多为各州之冠。哥伦比亚高原为小麦区。自从大深谷水坝Grand Coulee Dam完工之后，可以大量灌溉，且可大量发电，农业发达，工业进步。本州飞机制造业享誉全世界。此外，造船业及造纸业，也很发达。
Introduction简介
Many Native Americans lived in the Washington region when European explorers first visited the area．Some of these groups lived west of the Cascades．The Chinook，Nisqually，Quinault，and Puyallup hunted deer and fished for salmon（［鱼］鲑鱼）and clams（蛤）．Others，the Cayuse，Colville，Spokane，and Nez Percé，lived east of the Cascades on the plains and valleys．
Russian fur traders settled what is now Alaska during the mid－1700s．In 1775，Spanish explorers landed near present－day Point Grenville and claimed the Washington region for Spain．Spain began exploration of Washington in an attempt to stop the Russians from claiming land farther south．
George Vancouver explored much of the Washington coast and Puget Sound between 1792and 1794，claiming the land for England．Other British explorers visited the area in the early 1800s from Canada．The United States also claimed rights to the area in 1792．Robert Gray explored the Columbian River and claimed all land surrounding the area．In 1805，Meriwether Lewis and William Clark also explored the area and gave the U．S．a second claim to the Northwest．
Both American and British fur trading companies came to Washington in the early 1800s．In 1810，a trading post was built near Spokane．In 1811，John Jacob Astor established Fort Okanogan，the first permanent American settlement within what is now the state of Washington．In 1818，the U．S．and England agreed that settlers from both countries could move into Washington，which was then part of the Oregon Country．In 1825，John McLoughlin of the British Hudson’s Bay Company established Fort Vancouver（范库弗峰［北美洲］）．
Many Americans wanted all of the Oregon Country to belong to the United States．In 1846，a treaty was signed with Great Britain creating the 49th parallel as the border between Washington and Canada．By 1850，more than 1，000people lived in Washington．This led to the creation of the Washington Territory in 1853．
Government leaders desiring to open more land for white settlement，wanted the Native Americans to sign treaties（条约，谈判）in 1855．This action led to a war that lasted until 1858，when the Indians surrendered at Four Lakes and moved onto reservations．During the 1860s，thousands of settlers moved to Washington as gold was discovered in Idaho，Oregon，and British Columbia．When large amounts of gold were not found in Washington，many settlers stayed to become farmers and loggers（樵夫）．
In 1883，railroad connection with the East brought many new settlers to Washington．Washington became the 42nd state on Nov．11，1889，with Olympia as the state capital．In 1890，Washington’s population reached more than 350，000．
Due to irrigation projects（农田水利规划）during the 1890s，farmers moved to Washington to plant fruit orchards and wheat fields．Fishing，lumbering（木材业），and mining industries continued to increase as well．Railroad expansion allowed coastal cities to become great port centers，the largest among them being Seattle．During the Alaska gold rush（1897—1898），this great city grew immensely（无限地）as it became the chief supply center for the prospectors．
During World War I（1914—1918），Washington supplied lumber，food，and ships．Camp Lewis was established as a military training center．After the war，many workers lost their jobs and unemployment rose sharply．In the “Seattle Revolution of 1919”，over 60，000workers protested by walking off their jobs．The Great Depression（1929—1939）also caused many industries to decline（下降）and unemployment to increase．The federal government provided thousands of jobs through construction of the Bonneville and Grand Coulee（深谷）dams．
Many jobs were created as the United States entered World War II in 1941．Washington built airplanes and ships．Railroads and the wood product industry expanded．In 1943，Hanford Works（Hanford Project of the U．S．Department of Energy）was established．The first atomic bombs were made here；then in the 1960s，it began to produce electricity．
After the war，thousands of people that had come to Washington to work on newly built military bases，stayed．Many people continued to move to Washington as its industries expanded and increased．The construction of several federal dams along the Columbia River led to development of many hydroelectric（水力电气的）projects by the U．S．and Canada in 1964．The tourist industry was promoted in 1962at a world’s fair held in Seattle．The Space Needle observation tower was built at this time．
During the late 1960s，Washington’s population grew rapidly in Seattle（西雅图）and the Puget Sound area．New industries were expanded．The Boeing Company，a builder of military aircraft，expanded its business into the commercial jet and aerospace（航空宇宙）industries．Electronic and computer software companies also moved into these cities at this time．
Large growth and industrial change caused increased pollution along Puget Sound and the Columbia River．Seattle spent 130million to clean Lake Washington and Elliott．Logging（〈美〉伐木搬运业）known as clear cutting had destroyed much of Washington’s forests．Since that time，state leaders are striving to help the economy grow without destroying much of its natural resources．
Mount St．Helens erupted（爆发）on May 18，1980，in southwestern Washington．It killed 57people and caused billions of dollars in damage．The eruption led to floods and forest fires and spread a thick volcanic ash over a large area．
Governor州长