1.
Washington (state)
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It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. Washington is sometimes referred to as Washington State or the State of Washington to distinguish it from Washington, Washington is the 18th largest state with an area of 71,362 square miles, and the 13th most populous state with over 7 million people. Washington is the second most populous state on the West Coast and in the Western United States, Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano, is the states highest elevation at almost 14,411 feet and is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States. Washington is a leading lumber producer and its rugged surface is rich in stands of Douglas fir, hemlock, ponderosa pine, white pine, spruce, larch, and cedar. Manufacturing industries in Washington include aircraft and missiles, shipbuilding and other equipment, lumber, food processing, metals and metal products, chemicals. Washington has over 1,000 dams, including the Grand Coulee Dam, built for a variety of purposes including irrigation, power, flood control, the Washington Territory was named after George Washington, the first President of the United States. The area was part of a region called the Columbia District after the Columbia River. The area was renamed Washington in order to avoid confusion with the District of Columbia, Washington is the only U. S. state named after a president. To distinguish it from the U. S. capital, which is named for George Washington, Washington is sometimes referred to as Washington State, or, in more formal contexts. Washingtonians and other residents of the Pacific Northwest refer to the state simply as Washington, calling the nations capital Washington, D. C. or, often, Washington is the northwestern-most state of the contiguous United States. Washington is bordered by Oregon to the south, with the Columbia River forming the western part, to the west of Washington lies the Pacific Ocean. The high mountains of the Cascade Range run north-south, bisecting the state, from the Cascade Mountains westward, Western Washington has a mostly marine west coast climate, with mild temperatures and wet winters, autumns and springs, and relatively dry summers. The Cascade Range contains several volcanoes, which reach altitudes significantly higher than the rest of the mountains, from the north to the south, these major volcanoes are Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams. Mount Rainier, the tallest mountain in the state, is 50 miles south of the city of Seattle and it is also covered with more glacial ice than any other peak in the contiguous 48 states. Western Washington also is home of the Olympic Mountains, far west on the Olympic Peninsula and these deep forests, such as the Hoh Rainforest, are among the only temperate rainforests in the continental United States. Eastern Washington – the part of the state east of the Cascades – has a dry climate. It includes large areas of steppe and a few truly arid deserts lying in the rain shadow of the Cascades. Farther east, the climate becomes less arid, with annual rainfall increasing as one goes east to 21.2 inches in Pullman, the Okanogan Highlands and the rugged Kettle River Range and Selkirk Mountains cover much of the northeastern quadrant of the state
2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
3.
Thomas Jefferson
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Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and later served as the third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Previously, he was elected the second Vice President of the United States, Jefferson was primarily of English ancestry, born and educated in colonial Virginia. He graduated from the College of William & Mary and briefly practiced law and he became the United States Minister to France in May 1785, and subsequently the nations first Secretary of State in 1790–1793 under President George Washington. Jefferson and James Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose the Federalist Party during the formation of the First Party System, as President, Jefferson pursued the nations shipping and trade interests against Barbary pirates and aggressive British trade policies. He also organized the Louisiana Purchase, almost doubling the countrys territory, as a result of peace negotiations with France, his administration reduced military forces. Jeffersons second term was beset with difficulties at home, including the trial of former Vice President Aaron Burr, American foreign trade was diminished when Jefferson implemented the Embargo Act of 1807, responding to British threats to U. S. shipping. In 1803, Jefferson began a process of Indian tribe removal to the newly organized Louisiana Territory. Jefferson mastered many disciplines, which ranged from surveying and mathematics to horticulture and he was a proven architect in the classical tradition. Jeffersons keen interest in religion and philosophy earned him the presidency of the American Philosophical Society and he shunned organized religion, but was influenced by both Christianity and deism. He was well versed in linguistics and spoke several languages and he founded the University of Virginia after retiring from public office. He was a letter writer and corresponded with many prominent and important people throughout his adult life. His only full-length book is Notes on the State of Virginia, Jefferson owned several plantations which were worked by hundreds of slaves. Most historians now believe that, after the death of his wife in 1782, he had a relationship with his slave Sally Hemings and fathered at least one of her children. Various modern scholars are more critical of Jeffersons private life, pointing out the discrepancy between his ownership of slaves and his political principles, for example. Presidential scholars, however, consistently rank Jefferson among the greatest presidents, Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13,1743, at the family home in Shadwell in the Colony of Virginia, the third of ten children. He was of English and possibly Welsh descent and was born a British subject and his father Peter Jefferson was a planter and surveyor who died when Jefferson was fourteen, his mother was Jane Randolph. Peter Jefferson moved his family to Tuckahoe Plantation in 1745 upon the death of a friend who had named him guardian of his children, the Jeffersons returned to Shadwell in 1752, where Peter died in 1757, his estate was divided between his sons Thomas and Randolph. Thomas inherited approximately 5,000 acres of land, including Monticello and he assumed full authority over his property at age 21
4.
County seat
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A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is used in the United States, Canada, Romania, China, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, county towns have a similar function. In the United States, counties are the subdivisions of a state. Depending on the state, counties may provide services to the public, impose taxes. Some types of subdivisions, such as townships, may be incorporated or unincorporated. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government is known as the seat of its respective county, a county seat is usually, but not always, an incorporated municipality. The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia, likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey, though unincorporated, is a section of Middle Township, in some of the colonial states, county seats include or formerly included Court House as part of their name. Most counties have only one county seat, an example is Harrison County, Mississippi, which lists both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats. The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult, there have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of pride for the towns involved. There are 36 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states, Coffee County, for example, the official county seat is Greensboro, but an additional courthouse has been located in nearby High Point since 1938. For example, Clearwater is the county seat of Pinellas County, Florida, in New England, the town, not the county, is the primary division of local government. Historically, counties in this region have served mainly as dividing lines for the judicial systems. Connecticut and Rhode Island have no county level of government and thus no county seats, in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine the county seats are legally designated shire towns. County government consists only of a Superior Court and Sheriff, both located in the shire town. Bennington County has two towns, but the Sheriff is located in Bennington. In Massachusetts, most government functions which would otherwise be performed by county governments in other states are performed by town governments. As such, Massachusetts has dissolved many of its county governments, two counties in South Dakota have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county
5.
Port Townsend, Washington
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Port Townsend /ˈtaʊnzənd/ is a city in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,113 at the 2010 census, an increase of 9. 3% over the 2000 census and it is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. The Port Townsend Historic District is a U. S. National Historic Landmark District, the bay was originally named Port Townshend by Captain George Vancouver in 1792. It was immediately recognized as a safe harbor, although strong south winds. The official European-American settlement of the city of the name took place on April 24,1851. American Indian tribes located in what is now Jefferson County in the century included the Chimakum, Hoh, Klallam, Quinault. Port Townsend is also called the City of Dreams because of the speculation that the city would be the largest harbor on the west coast of the United States. By the late 19th century, Port Townsend was a seaport, very active. Many homes and buildings were built during that time, with most of the architecture ornate Victorian, during this period, in 1888, the Port Townsend Police Department was established. Railroads were built to more areas in the 1870-1890s and Port Townsend was to be the northwest extension of the rail lines. Its port was large and frequented by vessels, so shipping of goods. Many of the buildings were built on the speculation that Port Townsend would become a shipping port. When the depression hit, those plans lost the capital to continue and rail lines ended on the east side of Puget Sound, mainly in Tumwater, Tacoma, by the late 1890s, the boom was over. Without the railroad to spur growth, the town shrank. Over the decades that followed, Port Townsend maintained its stability in a variety of ways. Many people left the area and many buildings were abandoned, Port Townsends economy was very weak until the 1920s when a paper mill was built on the edge of the town. The bay is now home to Naval Magazine Indian Island, the US Navys primary munitions handling dock on the Pacific coast, since the 1970s new residents, including many retirees, have moved to town. The waterfront retail district has restaurants, services and tourist destinations, since 1999, the city has had an annual international film festival in September
6.
United States Census Bureau
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The United States Census Bureau is a principal agency of the U. S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureaus primary mission is conducting the U. S. Census every ten years, in addition to the decennial census, the Census Bureau continually conducts dozens of other censuses and surveys, including the American Community Survey, the U. S. Economic Census, and the Current Population Survey, furthermore, economic and foreign trade indicators released by the federal government typically contain data produced by the Census Bureau. The Bureaus various censuses and surveys help allocate over $400 billion in federal funds every year and help states, local communities, the Census Bureau is part of the U. S. Department of Commerce and its director is appointed by the President of the United States. The Census Bureau now conducts a population count every 10 years in years ending with a 0. Between censuses, the Census Bureau makes population estimates and projections, the Census Bureau is mandated with fulfilling these obligations, the collecting of statistics about the nation, its people, and economy. The Census Bureaus legal authority is codified in Title 13 of the United States Code, the Census Bureau also conducts surveys on behalf of various federal government and local government agencies on topics such as employment, crime, health, consumer expenditures, and housing. Within the bureau, these are known as surveys and are conducted perpetually between and during decennial population counts. The Census Bureau also conducts surveys of manufacturing, retail, service. Between 1790 and 1840, the census was taken by marshals of the judicial districts, the Census Act of 1840 established a central office which became known as the Census Office. Several acts followed that revised and authorized new censuses, typically at the 10-year intervals, in 1902, the temporary Census Office was moved under the Department of Interior, and in 1903 it was renamed the Census Bureau under the new Department of Commerce and Labor. The department was intended to consolidate overlapping statistical agencies, but Census Bureau officials were hindered by their role in the department. An act in 1920 changed the date and authorized manufacturing censuses every 2 years, in 1929, a bill was passed mandating the House of Representatives be reapportioned based on the results of the 1930 Census. In 1954, various acts were codified into Title 13 of the US Code, by law, the Census Bureau must count everyone and submit state population totals to the U. S. President by December 31 of any year ending in a zero. States within the Union receive the results in the spring of the following year, the United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions. The Census Bureau regions are widely used. for data collection, the Census Bureau definition is pervasive. Title 13 of the U. S. Code establishes penalties for the disclosure of this information, all Census employees must sign an affidavit of non-disclosure prior to employment. The Bureau cannot share responses, addresses or personal information with anyone including United States or foreign government, only after 72 years does the information collected become available to other agencies or the general public
7.
Washington's 6th congressional district
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Washingtons 6th congressional district encompasses the Olympic Peninsula, most of the Kitsap Peninsula, and most of the city of Tacoma. The 6th District has been represented in the U. S. House of Representatives by Derek Kilmer and he succeeded 36-year incumbent and fellow Democrat Norm Dicks, at the time the dean of the Washington delegation. Established after the 1930 U. S. Presidentially, the 6th leans Democratic, al Gore and John Kerry carried the district in 2000 and 2004 with 52% and 53% of the vote, respectively. Barack Obama swept the district in 2008 with 57% of the vote, the Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts
8.
Time in the United States
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The time zone boundaries and DST observance are regulated by the Department of Transportation. The clocks run by these services are synchronized with each other as well as with those of other international timekeeping organizations. It is the combination of the zone and daylight saving rules, along with the timekeeping services. The use of solar time became increasingly awkward as railways. American railroads maintained many different time zones during the late 1800s, each train station set its own clock making it difficult to coordinate train schedules and confusing passengers. Time calculation became a problem for people travelling by train. Every city in the United States used a different time standard so there were more than 300 local sun times to choose from, Time zones were therefore a compromise, relaxing the complex geographic dependence while still allowing local time to be approximate with mean solar time. Railroad managers tried to address the problem by establishing 100 railroad time zones, operators of the new railroad lines needed a new time plan that would offer a uniform train schedule for departures and arrivals. Four standard time zones for the continental United States were introduced at noon on November 18,1883, the conference therefore established the Greenwich Meridian as the prime meridian and Greenwich Mean Time as the worlds time standard. The US time-zone system grew from this, in all zones referred back to GMT on the prime meridian. It is, within about 1 second, mean time at 0°. It does not observe daylight saving time and it is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. For most purposes, UTC is considered interchangeable with GMT, standard time zones in the United States are currently defined at the federal level by law 15 USC §260. The federal law establishes the transition dates and times at which daylight saving time occurs. As of August 9,2007, the time zones are defined in terms of hourly offsets from UTC. Prior to this they were based upon the solar time at several meridians 15° apart west of Greenwich. Only the full-time zone names listed below are official, abbreviations are by common use conventions, the United States uses nine standard time zones. The Central standard time zone, which comprises roughly the Gulf Coast, Mississippi Valley, the Mountain standard time zone, which comprises roughly the states that include the Rocky Mountains
9.
Pacific Time Zone
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The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC−7 and is based on the mean solar time of the 105th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. In the United States and Canada, this zone is generically called the Pacific Time Zone. Specifically, it uses Pacific Standard Time when observing standard time, most of Canada uses daylight saving time. In Mexico, the UTC−8 time zone is known as the Northwest Zone, the largest city in the Pacific Time Zone is Los Angeles, the citys metropolitan area is the largest in the zone. The following states or areas are part of the Pacific Time Zone, California Washington Oregon – all, except for most of Malheur County, nevada Idaho Panhandle – the northern half of Idaho, north of the Salmon River. The town of Hyder, Alaska, is officially in the Alaska Time Zone, however, most of the town observes the Pacific Time because of strong connections with nearby Stewart, British Columbia, which is in the Pacific Time Zone. The United States Post Office in Hyder strictly adheres to Alaska Time, in Canada, the Pacific Time Zone includes most of British Columbia, all of Yukon, and the townsite of Tungsten. In Mexico, the state of Baja California lies completely within the Pacific Time Zone and this does not include the state of Baja California Sur, which is south of Baja California. Through 2006, the time changed to daylight time at 02,00 LST to 03,00 LDT on the first Sunday in April. The Canadian provinces and territories that use daylight time each adopted these dates between October 2005 and February 2007, in Mexico, beginning in 2010, the portion of the country in this time zone uses the extended dates, as do some other parts. The vast majority of Mexico, however, still uses the old dates
10.
Coordinated Universal Time
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Coordinated Universal Time, abbreviated to UTC, is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is within about 1 second of mean time at 0° longitude. It is one of closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. For most purposes, UTC is considered interchangeable with GMT, the first Coordinated Universal Time was informally adopted on 1 January 1960. This change also adopted leap seconds to simplify future adjustments, a number of proposals have been made to replace UTC with a new system that would eliminate leap seconds, but no consensus has yet been reached. Leap seconds are inserted as necessary to keep UTC within 0.9 seconds of universal time, see the Current number of leap seconds section for the number of leap seconds inserted to date. The official abbreviation for Coordinated Universal Time is UTC and this abbreviation arose from a desire by the International Telecommunication Union and the International Astronomical Union to use the same abbreviation in all languages. English speakers originally proposed CUT, while French speakers proposed TUC, the compromise that emerged was UTC, which conforms to the pattern for the abbreviations of the variants of Universal Time. Time zones around the world are expressed using positive or negative offsets from UTC, the westernmost time zone uses UTC−12, being twelve hours behind UTC, the easternmost time zone, theoretically, uses UTC+12, being twelve hours ahead of UTC. In 1995, the nation of Kiribati moved those of its atolls in the Line Islands from UTC-10 to UTC+14 so that the country would all be on the same day. UTC is used in internet and World Wide Web standards. The Network Time Protocol, designed to synchronise the clocks of computers over the internet, computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC as it is more specific than GMT. If only limited precision is needed, clients can obtain the current UTC from a number of official internet UTC servers, for sub-microsecond precision, clients can obtain the time from satellite signals. UTC is also the standard used in aviation, e. g. for flight plans. Weather forecasts and maps all use UTC to avoid confusion about time zones, the International Space Station also uses UTC as a time standard. Amateur radio operators often schedule their radio contacts in UTC, because transmissions on some frequencies can be picked up by many time zones, UTC is also used in digital tachographs used on large goods vehicles under EU and AETR rules. UTC divides time into days, hours, minutes and seconds, days are conventionally identified using the Gregorian calendar, but Julian day numbers can also be used. Each day contains 24 hours and each hour contains 60 minutes, the number of seconds in a minute is usually 60, but with an occasional leap second, it may be 61 or 59 instead
11.
Daylight saving time
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Daylight saving time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that evening daylight lasts an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions that use Daylight Savings Time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring, American inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin proposed a form of daylight time in 1784. New Zealander George Hudson proposed the idea of saving in 1895. The German Empire and Austria-Hungary organized the first nationwide implementation, starting on April 30,1916, many countries have used it at various times since then, particularly since the energy crisis of the 1970s. The practice has both advocates and critics, DST clock shifts sometimes complicate timekeeping and can disrupt travel, billing, record keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Computer software often adjusts clocks automatically, but policy changes by various jurisdictions of DST dates, industrialized societies generally follow a clock-based schedule for daily activities that do not change throughout the course of the year. The time of day that individuals begin and end work or school, North and south of the tropics daylight lasts longer in summer and shorter in winter, with the effect becoming greater as one moves away from the tropics. However, they will have one hour of daylight at the start of each day. Supporters have also argued that DST decreases energy consumption by reducing the need for lighting and heating, DST is also of little use for locations near the equator, because these regions see only a small variation in daylight in the course of the year. After ancient times, equal-length civil hours eventually supplanted unequal, so civil time no longer varies by season, unequal hours are still used in a few traditional settings, such as some monasteries of Mount Athos and all Jewish ceremonies. This 1784 satire proposed taxing window shutters, rationing candles, and waking the public by ringing church bells, despite common misconception, Franklin did not actually propose DST, 18th-century Europe did not even keep precise schedules. However, this changed as rail transport and communication networks came to require a standardization of time unknown in Franklins day. Modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist George Hudson, whose shift work job gave him time to collect insects. An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk and his solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later. The proposal was taken up by the Liberal Member of Parliament Robert Pearce, a select committee was set up to examine the issue, but Pearces bill did not become law, and several other bills failed in the following years. Willett lobbied for the proposal in the UK until his death in 1915, william Sword Frost, mayor of Orillia, Ontario, introduced daylight saving time in the municipality during his tenure from 1911 to 1912. Starting on April 30,1916, the German Empire and its World War I ally Austria-Hungary were the first to use DST as a way to conserve coal during wartime, Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the year
12.
County (United States)
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In the United States, an administrative or political sub-division of a state is a county, which is a region having specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The term county is used in 48 U. S. states, while Louisiana and Alaska have functionally equivalent subdivisions called parishes, most counties have subdivisions which may include municipalities and unincorporated areas. Others have no divisions, or may serve as a singular consolidated city-county. Some municipalities are in multiple counties, New York City is uniquely partitioned into multiple counties/boroughs, the U. S. federal government uses the term county equivalent to describe non-county administrative or statistical areas that are comparable to counties. Alaskas Unorganized Borough is divided into 11 census areas that are equivalent to counties. As of 2013, the United States has 3,007 counties and 137 county equivalents for a total of 3,144 counties, the number of counties per state ranges from the 3 counties of Delaware to the 254 counties of Texas. Counties have significant governmental functions in all states except Rhode Island and Connecticut, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has removed most government functions from eight of its 14 counties. The county with the largest population, Los Angeles County, counties were among the earliest units of local government established in the Thirteen Colonies that would become the United States. Virginia created the first counties in order to ease the workload in Jamestown. Americas oldest intact county court records can be found at Eastville, Virginia, in Northampton County, maryland established its first county, St. Marys, in 1637, and Massachusetts followed in 1643. When independence came, the framers of the Constitution did not provide for local governments, rather, they left the matter to the states. Subsequently, early state constitutions generally conceptualized county government as an arm of the state, in some states, these powers are partly or mostly devolved to the counties smaller divisions usually called townships, though in New York, New England and Wisconsin they are called towns. The county may or may not be able to override its townships on certain matters, the newest county in the United States is the city and county of Broomfield, Colorado, established in 2001 as a consolidated city-county. The newest county-equivalents are the Alaskan boroughs of Skagway established in 2007, Wrangell established in 2008, there are 40 consolidated city-counties in the U. S. Similarly, some of Alaskas boroughs have merged with their principal cities creating unified city-boroughs. Some such consolidations and mergers have created cities that rank among the geographically largest cities in the world, see also, #County names, regarding Louisiana. Independent cities, These are cities that legally belong to no county, Washington, D. C. outside the jurisdiction of any state, has a special status. The city of Washington comprises the entirety of the District of Columbia, when founded in 1801, the District consisted of two counties and three cities. In 1846, Alexandria County – including the then–City of Alexandria – was given back to Virginia, in 1871, the three remaining entities – the City of Washington, Georgetown City, and Washington County – were merged into a consolidated government by an act of Congress
13.
U.S. state
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A U. S. state is a constituent political entity of the United States of America. There are 50 states, which are together in a union with each other. Each state holds administrative jurisdiction over a geographic territory. Due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the government, Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons covered by certain types of court orders. States range in population from just under 600,000 to over 39 million, four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names. States are divided into counties or county-equivalents, which may be assigned some local authority but are not sovereign. County or county-equivalent structure varies widely by state, State governments are allocated power by the people through their individual constitutions. All are grounded in principles, and each provides for a government. States possess a number of powers and rights under the United States Constitution, Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation, with the government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a debate over states rights, which concerns the extent and nature of the states powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government. States and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a legislature consisting of the Senate. Each state is represented in the Senate by two senators, and is guaranteed at least one Representative in the House, members of the House are elected from single-member districts. Representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census, the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50, alaska and Hawaii are the most recent states admitted, both in 1959. The Constitution is silent on the question of states have the power to secede from the Union. Shortly after the Civil War, the U. S. Supreme Court, in Texas v. White, as a result, while the governments of the various states share many similar features, they often vary greatly with regard to form and substance
14.
2010 United States Census
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The 2010 United States Census, is the twenty-third and currently most recent United States national census. National Census Day, the day used for the census, was April 1,2010. As part of a drive to increase the accuracy,635,000 temporary enumerators were hired. The population of the United States was counted as 308,745,538, as required by the United States Constitution, the U. S. census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790. The 2000 U. S. Census was the previous census completed, participation in the U. S. Census is required by law in Title 13 of the United States Code. On January 25,2010, Census Bureau Director Robert Groves personally inaugurated the 2010 Census enumeration by counting World War II veteran Clifton Jackson, more than 120 million census forms were delivered by the U. S. Post Office beginning March 15,2010, the number of forms mailed out or hand-delivered by the Census Bureau was approximately 134 million on April 1,2010. The 2010 Census national mail participation rate was 74%, from April through July 2010, census takers visited households that did not return a form, an operation called non-response follow-up. In December 2010, the Census Bureau delivered population information to the president for apportionment, personally identifiable information will be available in 2082. The Census Bureau did not use a form for the 2010 Census. In several previous censuses, one in six households received this long form, the 2010 Census used only a short form asking ten basic questions, How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1,2010. Were there any additional people staying here on April 1,2010 that you did not include in Question 1, mark all that apply, Is this house, apartment, or mobile home – What is your telephone number. What is Person 1s age and Person 1s date of birth, is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin. Does Person 1 sometimes live or stay somewhere else, the form included space to repeat some or all of these questions for up to twelve residents total. In contrast to the 2000 census, an Internet response option was not offered, detailed socioeconomic information collected during past censuses will continue to be collected through the American Community Survey. The survey provides data about communities in the United States on a 1-year or 3-year cycle, depending on the size of the community, rather than once every 10 years. A small percentage of the population on a basis will receive the survey each year. In June 2009, the U. S. Census Bureau announced that it would count same-sex married couples, however, the final form did not contain a separate same-sex married couple option
15.
Thurston County, Washington
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Thurston County is a county located in the U. S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, its population was 252,264, the county seat and largest city is Olympia, the state capital. Thurston County was created out of Lewis County by the government of Oregon Territory on January 12,1852, at that time, it covered all of the Puget Sound region and the Olympic Peninsula. On December 22 of the year, Pierce, King, Island. It is named after Samuel R. Thurston, the Oregon Territorys first delegate to Congress, Thurston County comprises the Olympia-Tumwater, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 774 square miles. Major watersheds, Black River, Budd/Deschutes, Chehalis River, Eld Inlet, Henderson Inlet, Nisqually River, Skookumchuck River, Totten Inlet, interstate 5 SR507 SR510 U. S.12 U. S. The population density was 285 per square mile, there were 86,652 housing units at an average density of 119 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 85. 66% White,2. 35% Black or African American,1. 52% Native American,4. 41% Asian,0. 52% Pacific Islander,1. 69% from other races, and 3. 85% from two or more races. 4. 53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,17. 1% were of German,10. 2% English,9. 8% Irish,6. 9% United States or American and 5. 5% Norwegian ancestry. 25. 10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8. 00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.99. Age distribution was 25. 30% under the age of 18,9. 30% from 18 to 24,29. 30% from 25 to 44,24. 60% from 45 to 64, the median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.00 males, for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males. The median household income was $46,975, and the family income was $55,027. Males had an income of $40,521 versus $30,368 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,415, about 5. 80% of families and 8. 80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9. 80% of those under age 18 and 5. 00% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 252,264 people,100,650 households, the population density was 349.4 inhabitants per square mile. There were 108,182 housing units at a density of 149.8 per square mile
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Oregon Territory
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Originally claimed by several countries, the region was divided between the UK and US in 1846. When established, the territory encompassed an area included the current states of Oregon, Washington. The capital of the territory was first Oregon City, then Salem, followed briefly by Corvallis, then back to Salem, originally inhabited by Native Americans, the region that became the Oregon Territory was explored by Europeans first by sea. The first documented exploration came in 1777 by the Spanish, with British, during the period of joint occupation, most activity in the region outside of the activities of the indigenous people came from the fur trade, which was dominated by the British Hudsons Bay Company. Over time, some began to settle down in the area and began farming. Some settlers also began arriving in the late 1830s, and covered wagons crossed the Oregon Trail beginning in 1841, at that time, no government existed in the Oregon Country, as no one nation held dominion over the territory. A group of settlers in the Willamette Valley began meeting in 1841 to discuss organizing a government for the area and these earliest documented discussions, mostly concerning forming a government, were held in an early pioneer and Native American encampment and later town known as Champoeg, Oregon. These first Champoeg Meetings eventually led to discussions, and in 1843 the creation of the Provisional Government of Oregon. In 1846, the Oregon boundary dispute between the U. S. and Britain was settled with the signing of the Oregon Treaty. The British gained sole possession of the north of the 49th parallel and all of Vancouver Island. On August 14,1848, Congress passed the Act to Establish the Territorial Government of Oregon, the Territory of Oregon originally encompassed all of the present-day states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington, as well as those parts of present-day Montana and Wyoming west of the Continental Divide. Its southern border was the 42nd parallel north, and it extended north to the 49th parallel, Oregon City, Oregon, was designated as the first capital. The territorial government consisted of a governor, a marshal, a secretary, an attorney, judges on the court also sat as trial level judges as they rode circuit across the territory. All of these offices were filled by appointment by the President of the United States, taxation took the form of an annual property tax of 0. 25% for territorial purposes with an additional county tax not to exceed this amount. This tax was to be paid on all town lots and improvements, mills, carriages, clocks and watches, Oregon City served as the seat of government from 1848 to 1851, followed by Salem from 1851 to 1855. Corvallis served briefly as the capital in 1855, followed by a permanent return to Salem later that year, in 1853, the portion of the territory north of the lower Columbia River and north of the 46th parallel east of the river was organized into the Washington Territory. On February 14,1859, the territory entered the Union as the U. S. state of Oregon within its current boundaries, the remaining eastern portion of the territory was added to the Washington Territory
17.
Olympic Peninsula
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The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous United States, and Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point, are on the peninsula. Comprising about 3600 square miles, the Olympic Peninsula contained many of the last unexplored places in the contiguous United States and it remained largely unmapped until Arthur Dodwell and Theodore Rixon mapped most of its topography and timber resources between 1898 and 1900. The Olympic Peninsula is home to temperate forests, including the Hoh, Queets Rain Forest. The Olympic mountain range sits in the center of the Olympic Peninsula and this range is the second largest in Washington State. Its highest peak is Mt. Olympus, natural lakes on the peninsula including, Lake Crescent, Lake Ozette, Lake Sutherland, Lake Quinault, and Lake Pleasant. Two dammed rivers form the reservoirs of Lake Cushman and Wynoochee Lake, within the Olympic National Forest, there are five designated wilderness areas, The Brothers, Buckhorn, Colonel Bob, Mt. Skokomish, and Wonder Mountain. Just off the west coast is the Washington Islands Wilderness, clallam and Jefferson Counties, as well as the northern parts of Grays Harbor and Mason Counties, are on the peninsula. The Kitsap Peninsula, bounded by the Hood Canal and the Puget Sound, is an entirely separate peninsula and is not connected to the Olympic Peninsula. From Olympia, the capital, U. S. Route 101 runs along the Olympic Peninsulas southern edge. Most of the peninsula has a climate, or Cfb under the Köppen climate classification. Most populated areas, however, have a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, the Olympic Peninsula is represented in the U. S. House of Representatives by Derek Kilmer
18.
Washington Territory
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It was created from the portion of the Oregon Territory north of the lower Columbia River and north of the 46th parallel east of the Columbia. At its largest extent, it included the entirety of modern Idaho and parts of Montana and Wyoming. Agitation in favor of self-government developed in the regions of the Oregon Territory north of the Columbia River in 1851–1852, after gaining approval from the Oregon territorial government, the proposal was sent to the federal government. The bill to establish the territory, H. R.348, was reported in the U. S. House of Representatives by Representative Charles E. Stuart on January 25,1853. Representative Richard H. Stanton argued that the proposed name—the Territory of Columbia—might be confused for the District of Columbia, isaac Stevens, who was appointed the territorys first governor, declared Olympia to be the territorial capital. A territorial legislature was elected and first met in February 1854, Columbia Lancaster was elected as the first delegate to U. S. Congress. The original boundaries of the territory included all of the present day State of Washington, as well as northern Idaho, the southeastern tip of the territory was sent to Nebraska Territory on March 2,1861. S. Oregon, Washington Territory, western Nebraska Territory, southern British Columbia, showing political divisions, counties and Emigrant Trail. W. Washington, a territory of the United States
19.
Clallam County, Washington
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Clallam County is a county in the U. S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 71,404, the county seat and largest city is Port Angeles. The name is a Klallam word for the strong people, the county was formed on April 26,1854. Located on the Olympic Peninsula, it is south from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Clallam County comprises the Port Angeles, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 2,671 square miles. Located in Clallam County is Cape Alava, the westernmost point in both Washington and the continental United States, with a longitude of 124 degrees,43 minutes and 59 seconds West, near Cape Alava is Ozette, the westernmost town in the continental United States. The population density was 37 people per square mile, there were 30,683 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 89. 12% White,0. 84% Black or African American,5. 12% Native American,1. 13% Asian,0. 16% Pacific Islander,1. 18% from other races, and 2. 44% from two or more races. 3. 41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,17. 2% were of German,13. 1% English,9. 3% Irish,8. 3% United States or American and 6. 0% Norwegian ancestry. 95% spoke English and 3. 2% Spanish as their first language,28. 10% of all households were made up of individuals and 13. 40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the family size was 2.78. In the county, the population was out with 22. 00% under the age of 18,7. 10% from 18 to 24,22. 80% from 25 to 44,26. 90% from 45 to 64. The median age was 44 years, for every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.60 males, the median income for a household in the county was $36,449, and the median income for a family was $44,381. Males had an income of $35,452 versus $24,628 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,517, about 8. 90% of families and 12. 50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17. 10% of those under age 18 and 6. 80% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 71,404 people,31,329 households, the population density was 41.1 inhabitants per square mile. There were 35,582 housing units at a density of 20.5 per square mile
20.
Hood Canal Bridge
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The Hood Canal Bridge is a floating bridge in the northwest United States, located in western Washington. It carries State Route 104 across Hood Canal of Puget Sound and connects the Olympic, at 7,869 feet in length, it is the longest floating bridge in the world located in a saltwater tidal basin, and the third longest floating bridge overall. First opened 56 years ago in 1961, it was the second floating bridge constructed in Washington. Since that time, it has become a link for local residents, freight haulers, commuters. The convenience it provides has had a impact on economic development. The bridge is named after William A. Bugge, the director of the Department of Highways from 1949 to 1963. The bridge, however, has continued to be known as the Hood Canal Bridge. The design and planning process for the Hood Canal Bridge took nearly a decade amid criticism from some engineers throughout that time, the depth of the water, however, made construction of support columns for other bridge types prohibitively expensive. The water depth below the ranges from 80 to 340 feet. In its marine environment, the bridge is exposed to tide swings of 16.5 feet, the pontoons for the bridge were fabricated in the Duwamish Waterway in Seattle, during fabrication, two of the pontoons sank. The structural engineers and the decided the design was faulty. A new contractor was hired and the design modified and this system seemed to work from when the bridge opened in 1961 until the disaster of 1979. The east approach span weighs more than 3,800 tons, during the night the bridge had withstood sustained winds of up to 85 mph and gusts estimated at 120 mph, and finally succumbed at about 7,00 a. m. The western drawspan and the pontoons of the half had broken loose and sunk. At the time of the failure, the bridge had been closed to highway traffic, evidence points to blown-open hatches allowing flooding of the pontoons as the cause of the sinking. Efforts to repair the bridge began immediately and Washington Secretary of Transportation William A. Bulley secured a commitment of federal relief money for the project. On June 15,1979 actual work began with the removal of the west truss and this route had been discontinued after the 1961 bridge opening and the state needed to re-acquire access to and restore operational conditions on both landings. During the course of the closure an additional route was temporarily added between Edmonds and Port Townsend
21.
Kitsap County, Washington
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Kitsap County is located in the U. S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, its population was 251,133 and its county seat is Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton. The county was formed out of King County, Washington, and Jefferson County, originally named Slaughter County, it was soon renamed. Kitsap County comprises the Bremerton-Silverdale, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Seattle-Tacoma. The United States Navy is the largest employer in the county, with installations at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Keyport, and Naval Base Kitsap. When the Washington Territory was organized in 1853, the Kitsap Peninsula was divided between King County to the east and Jefferson County to the west. Official public papers were required to be filed at the county seat, upon arrival in Olympia, the two men introduced bills to create a new county, to be named Madison. Representative Abernathy from Wahkiakum County proposed an amendment to name it Slaughter, in recognition of Lt. William Alloway Slaughter and it was signed by Governor Isaac Stevens on January 16,1857. The county seat would be located in Meigss mill town at Port Madison, in Slaughter Countys first election on July 13,1857, voters were given the opportunity to rename the county. The options were Mill, Madison or Kitsap, Slaughter was not one of the options. Kitsap won by an overwhelming majority, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 566 square miles, of which 395 square miles is land and 171 square miles is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Washington by land area and third-smallest by total area, in addition to occupying most of the Kitsap Peninsula, Kitsap County includes both Bainbridge Island and Blake Island. According to Puget Sound Partnership, Kitsap county has over 250 miles of saltwater shoreline, the portion of the county north of Silverdale is often referred to as North Kitsap, and the portion south of Bremerton as South Kitsap. The population density was 635.9 inhabitants per square mile, there were 107,367 housing units at an average density of 271.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 82. 6% white,4. 9% Asian,2. 6% black or African American,1. 6% American Indian,0. 9% Pacific islander,1. 6% from other races, and 5. 8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6. 2% of the population, in terms of ancestry,21. 3% were German,14. 4% were Irish,13. 8% were English,7. 1% were Norwegian, and 4. 2% were American. The average household size was 2.49 and the family size was 2.97. The median age was 39.4 years, the median income for a household in the county was $59,549 and the median income for a family was $71,065
22.
Washington State Ferries
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Washington State Ferries is a government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U. S. state of Washington as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation. It runs ten routes serving 20 terminals located around Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands, the agency maintains the largest fleet of ferries in the United States at 22 vessels, carrying 24.2 million passengers in 2016. As of 2014, it was the largest ferry operator in the United States, by the beginning of the 1930s, two lines remained, the Puget Sound Navigation Company and the Kitsap County Transportation Company. A strike in 1935 forced the KCTC to close, leaving only the Black Ball Line, in 1951, the state bought nearly all of Black Balls ferry assets for $5 million. As of 2016, there are 22 ferries on Puget Sound operated by the state, the largest vessels in this fleet carry up to 2500 passengers and 202 vehicles. They are painted in a white and green trim paint scheme. WSF owned passenger-only vessels between 1985 and 2009, but after discontinuing its two passenger-only routes in the 2000s, WSF has sold its passenger-only ferries to other operators, below is a list of ferries that WSF has retired since 1951. Unless otherwise noted, all introduced in 1951 were acquired from the Black Ball Line when the state took over the companys routes. There are several other publicly operated, private, and passenger-only ferries in Washington state, official website Evergreenfleet. com-- A History of Washington State Ferries Past and Present Vehicle Reservation Predesign Study
23.
Whidbey Island
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Whidbey Island is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, in the United States. Whidbey is about 30 miles north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington, the island forms the northern boundary of Puget Sound. It is home to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Whidbey Island is home to 58,211 residents. An estimated 29,000 of Whidbey Island residents live in rural locations. Whidbey Island is approximately 55 miles long, and 1.5 to 12 miles wide, with a land area of 168.67 square miles. It is ranked as the fourth longest and fourth largest island in the contiguous United States, behind Padre Island, Texas, Long Island, in the state of Washington, it is the largest island, followed by Orcas Island. Whidbey Island was once inhabited by members of the Lower Skagit, Swinomish, Suquamish, Snohomish, the first known European sighting of Whidbey Island was during the 1790 Spanish expedition of Manuel Quimper and Gonzalo López de Haro on the Princesa Real. The island was explored in 1792 by Captain George Vancouver. In May of that year, Royal Navy officers and members of Vancouvers expedition, Joseph Whidbey and Peter Puget, began to map, after Whidbey circumnavigated the island in June 1792, Vancouver named the island in his honor. The first known overnight stay on Whidbey Island by a non-Native American was made on May 26,1840 by a Catholic missionary during travel across Puget Sound. Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, commander of the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842, there he found the largest Native settlement on Puget Sound and noted that a Catholic mission had been started with a 2-acre fenced garden. Wilkes named the lower cove Holmes Harbor, after his assistant surgeon, in 1850, Colonel Isaac N. Ebey became the first permanent white settler on Whidbey Island, claiming a square mile of prairie with a southern shoreline on Admiralty Inlet. Even though he was farming potatoes and wheat on his land, he was also the postmaster for Port Townsend, Washington, on August 11,1857, Colonel Ebey was murdered and beheaded by Haida who traveled from the Queen Charlotte Islands when he was 39 years old. Ebey was slain in proxy-retaliation for the killing of a Haida chief at Port Gamble, Fort Ebey, named for the Colonel, was established in 1942 on the west side of the central part of the island, just northwest of Coupeville. Admiralty Head Lighthouse is located in area, on the grounds of Fort Casey State Park. The area around Coupeville is the federally protected Ebeys Landing National Historical Reserve, in 1984, the island was the site of a violent encounter between law enforcement and white nationalist and organized crime leader Robert Jay Mathews. A large shootout occurred between Mathews and FBI agents in which Mathews was killed in a house fire, Mathews followers have since gathered on the island at the location where he was killed by FBI agents on the anniversary of his death to commemorate it. Whidbey Island, along with Camano Island, Ben Ure Island and six uninhabited islands, comprises Island County, the county seat is located in the town of Coupeville on Whidbey Island
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Island County, Washington
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Island County is a county located in the U. S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, its population was 78,506 and its county seat is Coupeville, while its largest city is Oak Harbor. Its name reflects the fact that it is composed entirely of islands and it contains two large islands, Whidbey and Camano, and seven smaller islands. Island County was created out of Thurston County on December 22,1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory and it originally encompassed what are now Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, and San Juan Counties. Island County comprises the Oak Harbor, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 517 square miles, of which 208 square miles is land and 309 square miles is water. It is the second-smallest county in Washington by area, the population density was 343 people per square mile. There were 32,378 housing units at a density of 155 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 87. 17% White,2. 36% Black or African American,0. 97% Native American,4. 19% Asian,0. 44% Pacific Islander,1. 43% from other races, and 3. 44% from two or more races. 3. 97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,16. 2% were of German,11. 2% English,9. 9% Irish,7. 2% United States or American and 6. 0% Norwegian ancestry. 92. 5% spoke English,2. 5% Spanish and 2. 2% Tagalog as their first language,21. 50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8. 30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the family size was 2.93. In the county, the population was out with 25. 50% under the age of 18,8. 50% from 18 to 24,28. 00% from 25 to 44,23. 70% from 45 to 64. The median age was 37 years, for every 100 females there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.90 males, the median income for a household in the county was $45,513, and the median income for a family was $51,363. Males had an income of $35,331 versus $25,612 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,472, about 5. 10% of families and 7. 00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8. 80% of those under age 18 and 4. 40% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 78,506 people,32,746 households, the population density was 376.6 inhabitants per square mile. There were 40,234 housing units at a density of 193.0 per square mile
25.
Strait of Juan de Fuca
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The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about 95 miles long that is the Salish Seas outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The international boundary between Canada and the United States runs down the center of the Strait, barkley was the first non-indigenous person to find the strait, unless Juan de Fucas story was true. The strait was explored in detail between 1789 and 1791 by Manuel Quimper, José María Narváez, Juan Carrasco, Gonzalo López de Haro, the USGS defines the Strait of Juan de Fuca as a channel. It extends east from the Pacific Ocean between Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, to Haro Strait, San Juan Channel, Rosario Strait, and Puget Sound. The Pacific Ocean boundary is formed by a line between Cape Flattery and Tatoosh Island, Washington, and Carmanah Point, British Columbia, the northern coast of the Olympic Peninsula forms the southern boundary of the strait. In the eastern entrance to the Strait, the Race Rocks Archipelago is located in the current zone halfway between Port Angeles, Washington, and Victoria, BC. While the climate is oceanic in nature, the dry summers result in the Mediterranean classification in the Köppen system. Rainfall ranges from over 100 inches conditions at the west end to as little as 16 inches at the east end and this strait remains the subject of a maritime boundary dispute between Canada and the United States. The dispute is only over the boundary extending 200 miles west from the mouth of the strait. The maritime boundary within the strait is not in dispute, both governments have proposed a boundary based on the principle of equidistance, but with different basepoint selections, resulting in small differences in the line. Resolution of the issue should be simple, but has been hindered because it might influence other unresolved maritime boundary issues between Canada and the United States, the proposed equidistant boundary currently marks the northern boundary of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. British Columbias position is based on the principle of natural prolongation which developed in international law and it poses a dilemma for the federal government of Canada. In this Atlantic Ocean context, Canada favours an outcome based on the principle of equidistance. C, making Salish Sea official required a formal application to the Geographical Names Board of Canada. This latter definition was made official in 2009 by geographic boards of Canada, the United States Board on Geographic Names approved the name on November 12,2009. Some Pacific Coast murres paddle north to the bays of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to feed on herring. A live weather station of the Race Rocks
26.
Admiralty Inlet
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Admiralty Inlet is a strait in the U. S. state of Washington connecting the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Puget Sound. It lies between Whidbey Island and the part of the Olympic Peninsula. It is generally considered to be the part of Puget Sounds Main Basin. Admiralty Inlets area is 437 square kilometres, with a volume of 15,200 cubic metres and its shoreline is 171 kilometres in length. Its mean depth is 35 metres, though only 6 kilometres wide at the narrowest point, it is through this passage that nearly all the seawater flows into and from Puget Sound during daily tidal variations. Tidal currents can reach six knots in the area northeast of Point Wilson, all sea vessels must pass through Admiralty Inlet to enter or leave Puget Sound, except those small enough to use Deception Pass. This fact led to the selection of Port Townsend on the Quimper Peninsula as the port of entry for the Puget Sound region during the early days of commerce in the area. The first Europeans to find and map Admiralty Inlet were the Spanish of the 1790 expedition of Manuel Quimper and it was Quimpers pilot, Juan Carrasco, who sighted the inlet. Thinking it was a bay he named it Ensenada de Caamaño, two years later Admiralty Inlet was given its present name by George Vancouver, after his ultimate commanders, the Board of Admiralty. The Spanish name was given to Camano Island. The Keystone-Port Townsend run of the Washington State Ferries crosses the inlet, a tidal power project was canceled due to costs of monitoring wildlife
27.
Puget Sound
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Puget Sound /ˈpjuːdʒɪt/ is a sound along the northwestern coast of the U. S. state of Washington, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. Flow through Deception Pass is approximately equal to 2% of the tidal exchange between Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Puget Sound extends approximately 100 miles from Deception Pass in the north to Olympia and its average depth is 450 feet and its maximum depth, off Point Jefferson between Indianola and Kingston, is 930 feet. The depth of the basin, between the southern tip of Whidbey Island and Tacoma, Washington, is approximately 600 feet. Since 2009, the term Salish Sea has been established by the United States Board on Geographic Names as the waters of Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Sometimes the terms Puget Sound and Puget Sound and adjacent waters are used for not only Puget Sound proper but also for waters to the north, such as Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands region. The term Puget Sound is used not just for the body of water, major cities on the sound include Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and Everett, Washington. Puget Sound is also the second largest estuary in the United States, in 1792 George Vancouver gave the name Pugets Sound to the waters south of the Tacoma Narrows, in honor of Peter Puget, a Huguenot lieutenant accompanying him on the Vancouver Expedition. This name later came to be used for the north of Tacoma Narrows as well. The USGS defines Puget Sound as all the south of three entrances from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The main entrance at Admiralty Inlet is defined as a line between Point Wilson on the Olympic Peninsula, and Point Partridge on Whidbey Island. The second entrance is at Deception Pass along a line from West Point on Whidbey Island, to Deception Island, the third entrance is at the south end of the Swinomish Channel, which connects Skagit Bay and Padilla Bay. Under this definition, Puget Sound includes the waters of Hood Canal, Admiralty Inlet, Possession Sound, Saratoga Passage and it does not include Bellingham Bay, Padilla Bay, the waters of the San Juan Islands or anything farther north. Another definition, given by NOAA, subdivides Puget Sound into five basins or regions, four of these correspond to areas within the USGS definition, but the fifth one, called Northern Puget Sound includes a large additional region. It is defined as bounded to the north by the boundary with Canada. Kruckeberg uses the term Puget Sound and adjacent waters, continental ice sheets have repeatedly advanced and retreated from the Puget Sound region. The most recent glacial period, called the Fraser Glaciation, had three phases, or stades. S. Since each new advance and retreat of ice erodes away much of the evidence of ice ages
28.
Olympic Mountains
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The Olympic Mountains are a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington in the United States. The western slopes are the wettest place in the 48 contiguous states, most of the mountains are protected within the bounds of the Olympic National Park. The mountains are spread out across four counties, Clallam, Grays Harbor, physiographically, they are a section of the larger Pacific Border province, which is in turn a part of the larger Pacific Mountain System. The Olympics have the form of a cluster of steep-sided peaks surrounded by heavily forested foothills and they are surrounded by water on three sides, separated from the Pacific by the 20 to 35 km wide coastal plain. The general form of the range is more or less circular, or somewhat horseshoe-shaped, rivers radiate outwards to all sides. Of this 95% is part of the Olympic Wilderness, State parks and wildlife areas occur in the lower elevations. Precipitation varies greatly throughout the range, from the wet western slopes to the eastern ridges. 140 to 170 inches of rain falls on the Hoh Rainforest annually, areas to the northeast of the mountains are located in a rain shadow and receive as little as 16 in of precipitation. Annual precipitation increases to about 30 in on the edges of the shadow around Port Townsend, the San Juan Islands. 80% of precipitation falls during the winter, on the coastal plain, the winter temperature stays between −2 to 7 °C. During the summer it warms up to stay between 10 and 24 °C, as a consequence of the high precipitation is the large number of snowfields and glaciers, reaching down to 1,500 m above sea level. There are about 184 glaciers crowning the Olympics peaks, the most prominent glaciers are those on Mount Olympus covering approximately 10 square miles. Beyond the Olympic complex are the glaciers of Mount Carrie, the Bailey Range, Mount Christie, the Olympics are made up of obducted clastic wedge material and oceanic crust. They are primarily Eocene sandstones, turbidites, and basaltic oceanic crust, unlike the Cascades, the Olympic Mountains are not volcanic, and contain no granite. Millions of years ago, vents and fissures opened under the Pacific Ocean and lava flowed forth, creating underwater mountains. Some of the sea floor, however, was scraped off and jammed against the mainland, all this occurred under water, the Olympics began to rise above the sea only 10–20 million years ago. The Olympics were shaped in the Pleistocene era by both alpine and continental glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times, the valleys of the Hoh, Queets, and Quinault rivers are typical U-shaped valleys carved by advancing alpine glaciers. Piles of talus and rockfall were created by retreating alpine glaciers, in the high mountains, the major rivers have their headwaters in alpine glacially carved cirques
29.
Olympic National Park
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Olympic National Park is a United States national park located in the state of Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four regions, the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest. Within the park there are three distinct ecosystems which are sub-alpine forest and wildflower meadow, temperate forest, and the rugged Pacific Shore and these three different ecosystems are in pristine condition and have outstanding scenery. U. S. President Theodore Roosevelt originally created Mount Olympus National Monument on 2 March 1909 and it was designated a national park by President Franklin Roosevelt on June 29,1938. In 1976, Olympic National Park was designated by UNESCO as an International Biosphere Reserve, in 1988, Congress designated 95 percent of the park as the Olympic Wilderness. The coastal portion of the park is a rugged, sandy beach along with a strip of adjacent forest and it is 60 miles long but just a few miles wide, with native communities at the mouths of two rivers. The Hoh River has the Hoh people and at the town of La Push at the mouth of the Quileute River live the Quileute, the beach has unbroken stretches of wilderness ranging from 10 to 20 miles. While some beaches are sand, others are covered with heavy rock. Bushy overgrowth, slippery footing, tides and misty rain forest weather all hinder foot travel, the coastal strip is more readily accessible than the interior of the Olympics, due to the difficult terrain, very few backpackers venture beyond casual day-hiking distances. The most popular piece of the strip is the 9-mile Ozette Loop. The Park Service runs a registration and reservation program to control levels of this area. From the trailhead at Ozette Lake, a 3-mile leg of the trail is a path through near primal coastal cedar swamp. Arriving at the ocean, it is a 3-mile walk supplemented by headland trails for high tides and this area has traditionally been favored by the Makah from Neah Bay. The third 3-mile leg is enabled by a boardwalk which has enhanced the loops popularity, there are thick groves of trees adjacent to the sand, which results in chunks of timber from fallen trees on the beach. The mostly unaltered Hoh River, toward the end of the park, discharges large amounts of naturally eroded timber and other drift. The removal of driftwood – logs, dead-heads, tops and root-wads from streams, even today driftwood deposits form a commanding presence, biologically as well as visually, giving a taste of the original condition of the beach viewable to some extent in early photos. Drift-material often comes from a distance, the Columbia River formerly contributed huge amounts to the Northwest Pacific coasts. The smaller coastal portion of the park is separated from the larger, President Franklin D. Roosevelt originally had supported connecting them with a continuous strip of park land
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Olympic National Forest
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Olympic National Forest is a U. S. National Forest located in Washington, USA. With an area of 628,115 acres, it nearly surrounds Olympic National Park, Olympic National Forest contains parts of Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, and Mason counties. The landscape of the national forest varies, from the temperate Olympic rain forest to the salt water fjord of Hood Canal to the peaks of Mt. Washington, annual precipitation averages about 220 inches, giving rise to streams such as the Humptulips River. Olympic National Forest was originally created as Olympic Forest Reserve in 1897, a 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 266,800 acres. It is administered in two districts, the Pacific Ranger District on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula. Forest headquarters are located in Olympia, with district offices in Forks, Quinault. The former office in Hoodsport closed in 2005, and now houses a local Chamber of Commerce, other Washington towns near entrances of the forest include Port Angeles, Sequim, and Amanda Park
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Pacific Ocean
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The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of the Earths oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south and is bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, the Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres. Both the center of the Water Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere are in the Pacific Ocean, the oceans current name was coined by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish circumnavigation of the world in 1521, as he encountered favourable winds on reaching the ocean. He called it Mar Pacífico, which in both Portuguese and Spanish means peaceful sea, important human migrations occurred in the Pacific in prehistoric times. Long-distance trade developed all along the coast from Mozambique to Japan, trade, and therefore knowledge, extended to the Indonesian islands but apparently not Australia. By at least 878 when there was a significant Islamic settlement in Canton much of trade was controlled by Arabs or Muslims. In 219 BC Xu Fu sailed out into the Pacific searching for the elixir of immortality, from 1404 to 1433 Zheng He led expeditions into the Indian Ocean. The east side of the ocean was discovered by Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1513 after his expedition crossed the Isthmus of Panama and he named it Mar del Sur because the ocean was to the south of the coast of the isthmus where he first observed the Pacific. Later, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailed the Pacific East to West on a Castilian expedition of world circumnavigation starting in 1519, Magellan called the ocean Pacífico because, after sailing through the stormy seas off Cape Horn, the expedition found calm waters. The ocean was often called the Sea of Magellan in his honor until the eighteenth century, sailing around and east of the Moluccas, between 1525 and 1527, Portuguese expeditions discovered the Caroline Islands, the Aru Islands, and Papua New Guinea. In 1542–43 the Portuguese also reached Japan, in 1564, five Spanish ships consisting of 379 explorers crossed the ocean from Mexico led by Miguel López de Legazpi and sailed to the Philippines and Mariana Islands. The Manila galleons operated for two and a half centuries linking Manila and Acapulco, in one of the longest trade routes in history, Spanish expeditions also discovered Tuvalu, the Marquesas, the Cook Islands, the Solomon Islands, and the Admiralty Islands in the South Pacific. In the 16th and 17th century Spain considered the Pacific Ocean a Mare clausum—a sea closed to other naval powers, as the only known entrance from the Atlantic the Strait of Magellan was at times patrolled by fleets sent to prevent entrance of non-Spanish ships. On the western end of the Pacific Ocean the Dutch threatened the Spanish Philippines, Spain also sent expeditions to the Pacific Northwest reaching Vancouver Island in southern Canada, and Alaska. The French explored and settled Polynesia, and the British made three voyages with James Cook to the South Pacific and Australia, Hawaii, and the North American Pacific Northwest, one of the earliest voyages of scientific exploration was organized by Spain in the Malaspina Expedition of 1789–1794. It sailed vast areas of the Pacific, from Cape Horn to Alaska, Guam and the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific. Growing imperialism during the 19th century resulted in the occupation of much of Oceania by other European powers, and later, Japan, in Oceania, France got a leading position as imperial power after making Tahiti and New Caledonia protectorates in 1842 and 1853 respectively. After navy visits to Easter Island in 1875 and 1887, Chilean navy officer Policarpo Toro managed to negotiate an incorporation of the island into Chile with native Rapanui in 1888, by occupying Easter Island, Chile joined the imperial nations
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U.S. Route 101
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U. S. Route 101, or U. S. Highway 101 is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as El Camino Real where its route along the southern and central California coast approximates the old trail which linked the Spanish missions, pueblos and it merges at some points with California State Route 1. US101 is a major parallel freeway or highway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and is an alternative to the Interstate for most of its length, in 1964, California truncated US 101s southern terminus in Los Angeles, as I-5 replaced it. The old road is known as County Route S21 or Historic Route 101 in northern San Diego County, the southern terminus of US101 is in Los Angeles at the East Los Angeles Interchange, the worlds busiest freeway interchange. However, the principal routes were assigned numbers ending in 1. Thus, US101 is treated as a primary, two-digit route with a first digit of 10, rather than a spur of US1, thus US101, not US99, is the westernmost north-south route in the U. S. Highway System. US101 is called the Oregon Coast Highway in Oregon, and it is also called The 101 by Southern Californians or simply 101 by residents of Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. From north of San Francisco and continuing almost to Oregon it is signed as the Redwood Highway though not often spoken of as such outside organizations responsible for tourism marketing. Urban portions of the route in Southern California are named the Santa Ana Freeway, Hollywood Freeway, in 2003, the portion of US101 in Ventura County was named Screaming Eagles Highway in honor of the US Army 101st Airborne Division. Urban portions of the route in the Bay Area are called the James Lick Freeway, Bayshore Freeway, a portion of the route between Cochrane Road in Morgan Hill and SR85 in San Jose is named the Sig Sanchez Freeway. The section of highway between SR-85 in Mountain View and Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto is officially known as the Fredrick E. Terman Highway, Street routings in San Francisco are more commonly referred to by their street names rather than the route number. Portions of the route between Southern California and the Bay Area are named El Camino Real or El Camino Real Freeway, but such names are used colloquially. In Northern California the section of US101 between Sonoma and Marin counties is referred to as the Novato Narrows because of the reduction from four lanes to two. The route is the Santa Ana Freeway from East Los Angeles to Downtown Los Angeles and it becomes the Hollywood Freeway north of Downtown Los Angeles through the Cahuenga Pass, before turning west and becoming the Ventura Freeway. It is one of two major routes connecting the South Bay and Silicon Valley with San Francisco and the North Bay. It serves as an urban alternative to the rural I-280, as US101 runs through Peninsula cities closer to the Bay and I-280 runs closer to the Santa Cruz Mountains. Through northern San Francisco, US101 remains routed on congested city streets due to freeway revolts and it then departs the immediate coast and continues through wine country and Redwood forests until it re-emerges coast-side at Eureka. In areas where US101 turns inland, SR1 branches off to serve the coastal communities, unlike Washington, California does not sign the long east–west section of US101 between Gaviota and its junction with SR134 and SR170 in North Hollywood as west and east
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Chinook wind
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Chinook is claimed by popular folk-etymology to mean ice-eater, but it is really the name of the people in the region where the usage was first derived. The reference to a wind or weather system, simply a Chinook, a strong Chinook can make snow one foot deep almost vanish in one day. The snow partly melts and partly evaporates in the dry wind, Chinook winds have been observed to raise winter temperature, often from below -20 °C to as high as 10-20 °C for a few hours or days, then temperatures plummet to their base levels. The greatest recorded temperature change in 24 hours was caused by Chinook winds on January 15,1972, in Loma, Montana, the temperature rose from -48 to 9 °C. Chinooks are most prevalent over southern Alberta in Canada, especially in a belt from Pincher Creek and Crowsnest Pass through Lethbridge, john in northeastern British Columbia, and as far south as Albuquerque, New Mexico. In southwestern Alberta, Chinook winds can gust in excess of hurricane force 120 km/h, on November 19,1962, an especially powerful Chinook in Lethbridge gusted to 171 km/h. In Pincher Creek, the rose by 41 °C, from −19 to 22 °C. Trains have been known to be derailed by Chinook winds, during the winter, driving can be treacherous, as the wind blows snow across roadways, sometimes causing roads to vanish and snowdrifts to pile up higher than a metre. Empty semitrailer trucks driving along Highway 3 and other routes in southern Alberta have been blown over by the high gusts of wind caused by Chinooks. Calgary, Alberta also gets many Chinooks – the Bow Valley in the Canadian Rockies west of the city acts as a wind tunnel. On 27 February 1992, Claresholm, Alberta a small city just south of Calgary and these are some Canadas highest February temperatures. The Chinook can seem to do battle with the Arctic air mass at times and it is not unheard of for people in Lethbridge to complain of −20 °C temperatures while those in Cardston, just 77 km down the road, enjoy 10 °C temperatures. This clash of temperatures can remain stationary, or move back and forth, in the case causing such fluctuations as a warm morning, a bitterly cold afternoon. A curtain of fog often accompanies the clash between warm to the west and cold to the east, one of its most striking features is the Chinook arch, which is a band of stationary stratus clouds caused by air rippling over the mountains due to orographic lifting. To those unfamiliar with it, the Chinook arch may look like a storm cloud at times. However, they rarely produce rain or snow and they can also create stunning sunrises and sunsets. The stunning colours seen in the Chinook arch are quite common, the Chinook is a föhn wind, a rain shadow wind which results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air which has dropped most of its moisture on windward slopes. As a consequence of the different adiabatic rates of moist and dry air, the dried air then descends on the leeward side of the mountains, warming at the dry adiabatic rate of 10 °C/1000 m
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Rain shadow
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A rain shadow is a dry area on the leeward side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems and cast a shadow of dryness behind them, wind and moist air is drawn by the prevailing winds towards the top of the mountains, where it condenses and precipitates before it crosses the top. The air, without much moisture left, advances behind the mountains creating a side called the rain shadow. The condition exists because warm moist air rises by orographic lifting to the top of a mountain range, as atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude, the air has expanded and adiabatically cooled to the point that the air reaches its adiabatic dew point. At the adiabatic dew point, moisture condenses onto the mountain and it precipitates on the top, the air descends on the leeward side, but due to the precipitation it has lost much of its moisture. There are regular patterns of prevailing winds found in round the Earths equatorial region. The zone designated the trade winds is the zone between about 30° N and 30° S, blowing predominantly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere, the strongest westerly winds in the middle latitudes can come in the Roaring Forties between 30 and 50 degrees latitude. The Dasht-i-Lut in Iran is in the shadow of the Elburz. The Ordos Desert is rain shadowed by mountain chains including the Kara-naryn-ula, the Sheitenula, and the Yin Mountains, which link on to the south end of the Great Khingan Mountains. The Thar desert is bounded and rain shadowed by the Aravalli ranges to the south-east, the Himalaya to the northeast, Eastern Side of Sahyadri ranges on Deccan e. g. Northern Karnataka & Solapur, Beed, Osmanabad and Vidharba Plateau of India. The central region of Myanmar is in the shadow of the Arakan Mountains and is almost semi-arid with only 750 millimetres of rain as against as much as 5.5 metres on the Rakhine State coast. The High Peaks of Mount Lebanon rain-shadow the northern parts of the Beqaa Valley, the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea and the western slopes of the Moab Mountains on the opposite side are rain-shadowed by the Judean Hills. The Atacama Desert in Chile is the driest non-polar desert on Earth because it is blocked from moisture on both sides, Cuyo and Eastern Patagonia is rain shadowed from the prevailing westerly winds by the Andes range and is arid. The Argentinian wine region of Cuyo and Northern Patagonia is almost completely dependent on irrigation, on the largest scale, the entirety of the North American Interior Plains are shielded from the prevailing Westerlies carrying moist Pacific weather by the North American Cordillera. More pronounced effects are observed, however, in valley regions within the Cordillera. Most rainshadows in the western United States are due to the Sierra Nevada, champlain Valley in upstate New York. It is protected by the Adirondack Mountains, hawaii also has rain shadows, with some areas being desert. Orographic lifting produces the worlds second-highest annual precipitation record,12.7 meters, on the island of Kauai, the entire island of Kahoolawe lies in the rain shadow of Mauis East Maui Volcano
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Destruction Island
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Destruction Island is a 30-acre island located approximately 3.5 miles off the Washington coast. Home to seabirds, shorebirds, and marine mammals, it is part of the Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge, the Hoh Indians used to frequent Destruction Island to capture rhinoceros auklets. In recent years the population of rhinoceros auklet have been in decline as a result of habitat loss, Destruction Island was used as an anchorage by Spanish ships in 1775. Twelve years later, Captain Charles William Barkley, an independent English fur trader, arrived in the ship Imperial Eagle and he named the river where the second massacre took place the Destruction River. Captain George Vancouver later transferred the name to the Isla de Dolores when the river was given its Indian name, three shipwrecks occurred at the island in 1889, Cassanora Adams, Port Gordon, and Wide West. The 94 foot Destruction Island Lighthouse was built on Destruction Island in 1888-91, a US Coast Guard detachment operated the lighthouse from 1939 to the early 1970s. The light was automated in 1968, before it was shut off for good in April 2008, the island itself is accessible only by boat
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Discovery Bay, Washington
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The bay was named by George Vancouver after the Discovery, a ship used in his 1792 expedition of the area. The community at the foot of the bay eventually assumed the same name, Discovery Bay is located on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The bay enters the Strait of Juan de Fuca between the Miller and Quimper Peninsulas, the bays mouth is just south of Protection Island, a small federally protected nature preserve. Discovery Bay is 6–7 miles in length, and a bit over a mile wide at its mouth and it is fed by Snow Creek, among other small watercourses. It is a mix of residential areas and commercial enterprises, including crabbing, oystering, clamming, timbering, security training, a few restaurants and stores on US101 near SR20 primarily serve drivers and truckers along US101. Discovery Bay is the current name generally associated with the area and its use for the community, as opposed to the bay itself, is relatively recent. Discovery Junction is a railroad junction near Fairmont. Uncas is an old mill community to the southwest of Fairmont, a famous abandoned sawmill, just to the east of US101, is a well-known remnant of this community. That mill has often been identified as the 1858 Port Discovery Mill. It was, in fact, the Maynard mill and these names often appear on maps and persist in local road names. The mill communities no longer have the population or visibility they enjoyed when the mills were operating, making these hamlets primarily matters of local historical interest, however, changing demographics and rising property values are leading to redevelopment of this area, and breathing new life into older names. South Discovery now constitutes the entirety of the area around Discovery Bay, the South Discovery voting precinct includes areas away from Discovery Bay, as well. Several nearby place names are prominent in Discovery Bay history, Eaglemount is an area on the hills to the south of Discovery Bay. Port Discovery is the location of George Vancouvers 1792 visit to Discovery Bay, many sources incorrectly identify the current Discovery Bay community as the location of Port Discovery, however, Port Discovery was several miles away, at Mill Point. This is several miles further west along US101, near what today is called Broders Road, also see below for historical notes. There are several communities located on Discovery Bay. Proceeding clockwise from the northeast corner, Port Townsend occupies the end of the Quimper Peninsula. The downtown area of Port Townsend, a seaport, is on the opposite side of the peninsula
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Hood Canal
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Hood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins, of Puget Sound in the state of Washington. Hood Canal is not a canal in the sense of being a man-made waterway—it is a natural waterway, Hood Canal is long and narrow with an average width of 1.5 miles and a mean depth of 53.8 metres. It has 342.6 kilometres of shoreline and 42.4 square kilometres of tideland and its surface area is 385.6 square kilometres and it contains a volume of water totaling 21 cubic kilometres. Hood Canal extends for about 50 miles southwest from the entrance between Foulweather Bluff and Tala Point to Union, where it sharply to the northeast. It continues for about 15 miles to Belfair, where it ends in a shallow tideland called Lynch Cove, along its entire length, Hood Canal separates the Kitsap Peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. The U. S. Navys Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor Annex, is located on the shore of Hood Canal near the town of Bangor. Hood Canal has several bays, the largest of which is Dabob Bay. Most of Dabob Bay is a Naval Restricted Area, and is used by the submarines stationed at the Bangor Base, Quilcene Bay is an inlet extending northwest from Dabob Bay. Near the north end of Hood Canal is Port Gamble, a bay, several rivers flow into Hood Canal, mostly from the Olympic Peninsula, including the Skokomish River, Hamma Hamma River, Duckabush River, Dosewallips River, and Big Quilcene River. Small rivers emptying into Hood Canal from the Kitsap Peninsula include the Union River, Tahuya River, Hood Canal and the rest of Puget Sound were created about 13,000 years ago, during the Late Pleistocene, by the Puget Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet. Hood Canal was named by the Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver on May 13,1792, Vancouver used the name Hoods Channel in his journal, but wrote Hoods Canal on his charts. The United States Board on Geographic Names decided on Hood Canal as its name in 1932. U. S. Route 101 runs along the west shore of Hood Canal, Hood Canal is spanned by the Hood Canal Bridge, the third longest floating bridge in the world at 6,521 feet. The Hood Canal Bridge accommodates sixteen and a half foot tides, there are a number of small towns located along the length of the Hood Canal. Those on the shore have access to hiking and recreation within the Olympic National Forest. Some of the popular areas include Staircase Campground and Hama Hama Recreation Area and act as the gateways to miles of hiking trails through quiet. ExploreHoodCanal. com publishes travel guides and curates up-to-date information about these adventures, physical maps on recreation along the great bend of Hood Canal can be found in the picturesque town of Union, which was voted one of Americas twenty prettiest small towns by Forbes Traveler. The Hoodsport Visitor Center, Shelton Visitor Center, and North Mason Chamber Visitor Center also offer a wealth of visitor information, september 2006 marked the discovery of the largest dead zone in the history of Hood Canal
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Mount Olympus (Washington)
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Mount Olympus is the tallest and most prominent mountain in the Olympic Mountains of western Washington state. Located on the Olympic Peninsula, it is the feature of Olympic National Park. Mount Olympus is the highest summit of the Olympic Mountains, however, peaks such as Mount Constance, with notable local relief, Mount Olympus ascends over 2,100 m from the 293 m elevation confluence of the Hoh River with Glacier Creek in only 8.8 km. Mount Olympus has 2,386 m of prominence, ranking 5th in the state of Washington, due to heavy winter snowfalls, Mount Olympus supports large glaciers, despite its modest elevation and relatively low latitude. These glaciers include Blue, Hoh, Humes, Jeffers, Hubert, Black Glacier, and White, the largest is Blue with a volume of 0.14 cubic miles and area of 2.05 square miles. The local Native American name for the peak is Sunh-a-do, and upon sighting in 1774 by the Spanish explorer Juan Pérez and this is said to be the first time a European named a geographic feature in what is now Washington state. In 1788, on July 4, the British explorer John Meares gave the mountain its present name, on March 2,1909, Mount Olympus National Monument was proclaimed by President Theodore Roosevelt. On June 28,1938, it was designated a park by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1976 the Olympic National Park became an International Biosphere Reserve, in 1981 it was designated a World Heritage Site. In 1988 Congress designated 95% of the park as the Olympic Wilderness, List of mountain peaks of North America List of mountain peaks of the United States List of Ultras of the United States List of highest points in Washington by county Mount Olympus. The Mountaineers,1920 Outing to Mt. Olympus - University of Washington Library The Mountaineers Photography - University of Washington Library
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Point Wilson
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This low, broad sand-spit, extends over a half-mile into the water and marks the entrance to Admiralty Inlet from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Here, the shipping channel narrows and makes a sharp turn to the south into Puget Sound. Nearby shoals, heavy rip-tides, and persistent fogs influenced the placing of a lighthouse on Point Wilson in 1879, in 1913, the present Point Wilson Lighthouse was built by the United States Lighthouse Service. The point is also the site of a meteorological station, the Chimakum Indians named this point Kam-kam-ho and the SKlallam Indians called it Kam-Kum. Point Wilson was discovered by Europeans on July 5,1790 by Juan Carrasco, Captain George Vancouver of the Royal Navy named Point Wilson on June 5,1792, in honor of a colleague, Captain George Wilson
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Queets River
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The Queets River is a river in the U. S. state of Washington. It is located on the Olympic Peninsula, mostly within the Olympic National Park, the Queets River is 52.8 miles long. Its drainage basin is 204 square miles in area and its main tributaries include the Clearwater River, Salmon River, Sams River, Matheny Creek, and Tshetshy Creek, as well as the Clearwaters main tributaries, the Snahapish River and Solleks River. According to Queets and Quinault legend, river was originally called Kwitzqu or quitzqu, pronounced Kw-ā-tz, the legend tells of Kwate, the changer, or sqitu, the Great Spirit and Transformer, came to the mouth of the Queets River. After fording the river he rubbed his legs to restore circulation. He threw them into the water and from them a man and a woman came forth, Kwate told them they would remain on the river and would be known as Kwitzqu, because of the dirt from which your skin was made. According to William Bright the rivers name comes from the Quinault word /qʷícx̣ʷ/, the name Queets River first appeared on the Surveyor Generals map of Washington Territory and was later applied to other features. The word Queets was derived from the name of the Quaitso tribe, despite the name Queets River appearing on official maps, settlers called it Big River for many years, in contrast to its tributary the Clearwater River, which was called the Little River. The Queets River originates at the foot of the Humes Glacier on the southeast side of Mount Olympus in the Olympic Mountains and it is also fed by Jeffers Glacier, on the south side of Mount Olympus, and Queets Glacier, on the north side of Mount Queets. The river flows through a canyon to just below Paull Creek. From there the river flows generally west to just below Kilkelly Creek, then south to just below Alta Creek, nearly all of the river is within Olympic National Park. The last 4 miles are outside the park, within the Quinault Indian reservation, a short portion of the river near its mouth is within Grays Harbor County while the rest is in Jefferson County. The Queets River is unusual in being a river flowing through a relatively low-gradient. The forests on the side of the Olympic Mountains have one of the highest rates of biomass production per unit area in North America. Discharge rates in the winter can be high, sometimes with surges up to or over 100,000 cubic feet per second. This combination results in frequent log jams and new channels, the river is not kept clear of woody debris, making it one of the few North American rivers of its size in which large log jams are common. The USGS operates a stream gage 4.6 miles above the mouth of the Queets,2.4 miles downriver from the mouth of the Clearwater River. The mean annual discharge recorded over the lifetime of this gage up to 2009, is 4,347 cubic feet per second, the peak maximum discharge was 133,000 cubic feet per second, recorded on December 15,1999
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U.S. Route 101 in Washington
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In the U. S. state of Washington, U. S. Route 101 is the westernmost state highway, serving the Olympic Peninsula. US101 in Washington begins at the Astoria-Megler Bridge on the Columbia River, carrying traffic to and from Astoria, the first highway US101 intersects is SR401. After going north for a few miles, US101 turns west after intersecting with US101 Alternate, the route goes west to Ilwaco and north to Long Beach, where it intersects SR100 and SR103 before finally turning east back to US101 Alt. Soon, US101 turns north towards Raymond and intersects the west end of SR4, in Downtown, US101 intersects the western end of SR6 and southern end of SR105, which it will intersect again in Cosmopolis. After intersecting with SR105 and SR107, US101 crosses the Chehalis River, the roadway turns southwest and splits into two streets for each direction until it reaches Hoquiam, where it intersects the southern end of SR109 and the eastern end of SR109 Spur. US101 then turns north to the Quinault Indian Reservation and then into the area bordered by Olympic National Park. After turning east at Lake Quinault and entering the Quinault Indian Reservation again, the road then curves north Forks and north to Beaver, where it turns east after intersecting with SR113 and touching the shore of Lake Pleasant. After a mile of going east, US101 enters its second segment in the Olympic National Park, about one-mile east of the west shore of Lake Crescent, after exiting park boundaries, US101 intersects SR112. Shortly later, it intersects SR117 in an odd interchange/intersection hybrid and it then enters Port Angeles and turns onto Lincoln Street. It then turns onto a one-way couplet of First and Front streets, there, the roads merge into one four-lane road, divided only by a two-way left turn lane, and leaves Port Angeles. Following the dangerous Morse Creek S-Curves is a Rest Area and viewpoint at the Deer Park Loop interchange, the road then becomes a divided expressway until it reaches Carlsborg and crosses the Dungeness River. It enters the town of Sequim and turns into a super-two expressway, east of Sequim, the road turns back into a standard two-lane road and goes to Sequim Bay and then Discovery Bay, where it intersects SR20 and turns south. After a short distance, US101 intersects the end of SR104. The road then turns south to the town of Quilcene, at the Hood Canal, US101 follows the western shore to SR106, where it turns directly south to the east end of SR106 and Shelton, to meet the west end of SR3. After some time going south, US101 meets SR108, after going southeast, US101 finally joins SR8 and turns into a freeway to its easternmost point of US101 in Washington, the so-called north end at I-5 near Tumwater. Before U. S. Route 101 was created, two existed in the place of US101. They were State Road 9 and State Road 12 and these were two roads that were part of the early Washington State Road system that was created in 1923. US101 was created in 1926 and was co-signed with these two routes, US101 took part of State Road 9s route and part of State Road 12s route
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Washington State Route 20
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State Route 20, also known alternately as the North-Cross Highway or the North Cascades Highway, is a state route in the state of Washington. It travels from an intersection with U. S. Route 101 at Discovery Bay near Port Townsend to Newport at a junction with US2 about 400 feet from the Idaho state line and it includes the Port Townsend–Keystone Ferry between the Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island. Although US12 has a larger east–west extent, SR20 is the longest highway in Washington at 436.13 miles, the highway has been called The Most Beautiful Mountain Highway in the State of Washington. After the California Gold Rush of 1849, white settlers started to arrive in the North Cascades looking for gold as well as fur-bearing animals and this far north, the settlers needed a clear route through some of the most rugged terrain in Washington Territory. It wasnt until 1895, however, that funding to explore a route through the Cascade Range was appropriated. After one year of surveying possible routes in the Upper Skagit River region, instead, the commission settled upon the Cascade Pass route, several miles south of the Skagit gorge. The Cascade Pass route began to be roughed out in 1897 and shortly afterward and this road was completed in 1909. By 1936, both of Seattle City Light projects, Gorge Dam and Diablo Dam had been completed and were attracting visitors, in 1940, the first stage of the completion of Ross Dam was reached. In 1953, the North Cascades Highway Association was formed with politicians, lobbyists, as these boosters pushed Olympia harder to move forward on the highway plan, more and more requests for huge sales of old-growth timber from along the highway corridor came in. These increasing timber requests were used to support the need for a highway, finally, in 1958, the State of Washington appropriated funds to build a highway from the Seattle City Light company town of Diablo to Thunder Arm, a southern arm of Diablo Lake. Funds were also allotted to improve access roads on both sides of the North Cascades and construction on this section of the began in 1959. Over the next nine years, construction of the road would continue along with the signing of the North Cascades National Park bill by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968, with this bill, the hope of using the highway as access for high-dollar timber sales was quashed. Nonetheless, businessmen and residents on both sides of the North Cascades were hopeful and supportive of the tourist dollars that would be seen with the opening of the North-Cross Highway. Finally, in mid-1972, the idea of connecting western Washington with eastern Washington by a northern highway route had come to fruition. Amidst fanfare, music provided by the Concrete High School Band, then-governor Daniel J. Evans, a host of state dignitaries, and then-President Richard M. Nixons brother Donald were in attendance for the opening and vehicle procession over the Cascade Mountains. From 1964 until 1973, SR20 was designated as SR113 from Discovery Bay to Coupeville. The route had historically been the Port Townsend branch of Primary State Highway 9, in 1964, these two highways became SR113, as part of a new numbering system created by the Washington State Legislature and the Washington State Department of Transportation. When SR20 was extended west from Fredonia in 1973, SR113 was decommissioned, the Port Townsend–Keystone ferry wasnt technically part of SR20 until 1994 when all of the Washington State Ferries routes were added to the state highway system
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Washington State Route 104
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It begins south of Discovery Bay at U. S. Route 101 south of Discovery Bay and crosses the Hood Canal Bridge over Hood Canal to the terminus of SR3 near Port Gamble. SR104 continues southeast onto the Edmonds–Kingston Ferry to cross the Puget Sound and intersects SR99, SR104 also has a short spur route that connects the highway to SR99 at an at-grade signal on the Snohomish–King county line. PSH21 was originally part of State Road 21, added to the highway system in 1915 to connect the Port Gamble–Shine ferry to the Kingston ferry landing. The Edmonds–Kingston ferry at the end of State Road 21 has been in operation under various companies since 1923 and was served by the 14-car City of Edmonds. SSH 9E extended from Discovery Bay to Port Ludlow initially and was moved south, the Edmonds–Kingston ferry was added to the state ferry system in 1951 before it was incorporated into SR104 in 1994. SR104 begins at an intersection with US101, located south of Discovery Bay on the Olympic Peninsula, the highway travels south through rural Jefferson County towards Crocker Lake and turns southeast, intersecting SR19 south of Port Ludlow. The highway serves as the terminus of SR3 east of the bridge and turns northeast towards Port Gamble. SR104 turns south along the shore of Port Gamble, the bay the community is named after. The highway continues east from the intersection to Kingston, where it splits into a one-way pair before the designation travels onto the Edmonds–Kingston Ferry, the ferry, operated by Washington State Ferries, takes approximately 30 minutes to cross 5.95 miles across Puget Sound. It departs from Kingston on Appletree Cove and arrives in Edmonds in Snohomish County, WSF operates thirteen round-trip crossings every day. Westbound passengers must pay a $7.70 toll or they may alternately pay with a prepaid Wave2Go card, SR104 resumes in Edmonds on Main Street and crosses a BNSF rail line south of Edmonds Station. The highway turns south at an intersection with SR524 onto Sunset Avenue towards Woodway, the roadway travels southeast along Edmonds Way towards the Snohomish–King county line, intersecting SR524 Spur and 5th Street at a grade-separated interchange. Edmonds Way travels through a cloverleaf interchange with SR99 before SR104 intersects its spur route. The highway continues east along Ballinger Way to a cloverleaf interchange with I-5 southeast of Lake Ballinger. The highway travels southeast into Lake Forest Park, where SR104 ends at SR522 on the shore of Lake Washington. SR104 is considered, by the Washington State Department of Transportation, every year, WSDOT conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of average daily traffic, which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2011, WSDOT calculated that between 3,800 and 44,000 vehicles per day used the highway, mostly in the Shoreline area, the Edmonds–Kingston ferry carried 3.808 million passengers and 2.025 million vehicles in 2012, according to WSF statistics
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Mason County, Washington
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Mason County is a county located in the U. S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,699, the county seat and only incorporated city is Shelton. The county was formed out of King County on March 13,1854, originally named Sawamish County, it took its present name in 1864 in honor of Charles H. Mason, the first Secretary of Washington Territory. Mason County comprises the Shelton, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1,051 square miles. The population density was 51 people per square mile, there were 25,515 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 88. 46% White,1. 19% Black or African American,3. 72% Native American,1. 05% Asian,0. 45% Pacific Islander,2. 10% from other races, and 3. 03% from two or more races. 4. 78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,16. 7% were of German,9. 9% Irish,9. 8% English,8. 6% United States or American and 6. 8% Norwegian ancestry. 23. 30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9. 90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the population was out with 23. 50% under the age of 18,7. 70% from 18 to 24,26. 50% from 25 to 44,25. 80% from 45 to 64. The median age was 40 years, for every 100 females there were 107.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.30 males, the median income for a household in the county was $39,586, and the median income for a family was $44,246. Males had an income of $37,007 versus $25,817 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,056, about 8. 80% of families and 12. 20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17. 30% of those under age 18 and 4. 90% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 60,699 people,23,832 households, the population density was 63.3 inhabitants per square mile. There were 32,518 housing units at a density of 33.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 86. 1% white,3. 7% American Indian,1. 2% Asian,1. 1% black or African American,0. 4% Pacific islander,3. 4% from other races, and 4. 1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8. 0% of the population, in terms of ancestry,19. 7% were German,13. 8% were English,13. 5% were Irish,6. 7% were Norwegian, and 4. 9% were American
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Grays Harbor County, Washington
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Grays Harbor County is a county in the U. S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 72,797, the county seat is Montesano, and its largest city is Aberdeen. The county is named after a large estuarine bay near its southwestern corner, on May 7,1792, Boston fur trader Robert Gray crossed the bar into the bay he called Bullfinch Harbor, but which later cartographers would label Chehalis Bay, and then Grays Harbor. The county, originally named Chehalis County, was formed out of Thurston County on April 14,1854 and its name was subsequently changed to Grays Harbor County by the Washington legislature, effective June 9,1915. The name change helped eliminate confusion resulting from the fact that the city named Chehalis was in Lewis County, Grays Harbor County comprises the Aberdeen, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 2,224 square miles. Griffiths-Priday Ocean State Park Lake Sylvia State Park Ocean City State Park Pacific Beach State Park Twin Harbors State Park Westhaven State Park Westport Light State Park U. S. Route 12 U. S, the population density was 35 people per square mile. There were 32,489 housing units at a density of 17 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 88. 30% White,0. 34% Black or African American,4. 66% Native American,1. 22% Asian,0. 11% Pacific Islander,2. 27% from other races, and 3. 10% from two or more races. 4. 85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,16. 3% were of German,11. 9% United States or American,9. 9% English,9. 2% Irish, and 6. 1% Norwegian ancestry. 94. 1% spoke English and 3. 9% Spanish as their first language,26. 70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11. 60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was out with 25. 70% under the age of 18,7. 90% from 18 to 24,26. 00% from 25 to 44,25. 00% from 45 to 64. The median age was 39 years, for every 100 females there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.20 males, the median income for a household in the county was $34,160, and the median income for a family was $39,709. Males had an income of $35,947 versus $24,262 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,799,16. 10% of the population and 11. 90% of families were below the poverty line. 21. 60% of those under the age of 18 and 9, 40% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line
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San Juan County, Washington
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San Juan County is a county located in the Salish Sea in the far northwestern corner of the U. S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, its population was 15,769, the county seat and only incorporated city is Friday Harbor, located on San Juan Island. It is the county in Washington not to have state highways. The San Juan Islands were the subject of a dispute between Great Britain and the United States from 1846 to 1872, leading to the Pig War in 1859. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 621 square miles. It is the smallest county in Washington by land area and fourth-smallest by total area, San Juan County is a cluster of more than 400 islands and rocks with elevations above mean high tide. 134 of these islands and rocks are named, the county has rugged, rocky shoreline and several mountains. The highest point in the county is Mount Constitution on Orcas Island at 2,407 feet above sea level, boundary Pass Haro Strait Rosario Strait San Juan Islands Strait of Georgia Strait of Juan de Fuca There are approximately 743 islands and rocks in the San Juan Island chain. Most of the population lives on the largest four islands. The census reported 9,752 housing units at a density of 56 per square mile. 2. 40% of the population identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino of any race. In response to the question concerning ancestry,16. 7% reported English ancestry,15. 0%, German,11. 6%, Irish,5. 7%, United States or American,5. 4%, French. The average household size was 2.16 persons and the family size was 2.65. 19. 10% of the population was under the age of 18,4. 50% ranged in age from 18 to 24,21. 70%, 25–44,35. 70%, 45–64. The median age was 47 years, for every 100 females, there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males, the median income for a household in the county was $43,491, and the median income for a family was $51,835. Males had an income of $36,250 versus $26,516 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,603, about 6. 00% of families and 9. 20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12. 40% of those under age 18 and 3. 10% of those age 65 or over
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Geographic data related to Jefferson County, Washington at OpenStreetMap
Geographic data related to 
Jefferson County, Washington
