| Geographically, Washington is through
the Cascade Range, a mountain range characterized by
volcanoes that runs through the state from north to
south. The highest volcanoes in this region are
Mount Rainer, Mount Adams, Mount Baker, Glacier Peak
and Mount St. Helens. These volcanoes are over 3,000
meters high. Mount Rainer reaches a height of more
than 4,000 meters, making it the highest of these
volcanic mountains. According to
allcitypopulation, the city of Tacoma offers an
unforgettable panoramic view of this mountain. The
eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 attracted
worldwide attention, and 57 people fell victim
despite warnings and security measures.
The main river Columbia runs on the southern
border with Oregon. The natural border with Idaho is
the Snake River. In addition to these two natural
national borders, there are numerous other small and
large rivers that all drain into the Pacific
Ocean. The beauty of this part of the country is
also due to the strong contrast between the
forest-covered mountain regions and the extensive
coastal areas along the Pacific.
52 percent of Washington is covered with
coniferous forests, mostly conifers and cedars. The
high forests of the Olympic Peninsula are among the
rainiest of their kind in the world. In the east of
the Cascade Mountains there are semi-deserts with
sparse vegetation. The geographic location is not
only shaped by the volcanic chain of the cascades,
but also by the Pudget Sound, a widely branched bay
in the sea that extends just as far into the
country. This bay with numerous small islands is
directly connected to the Pacific Ocean by a sea
road.
Different climate conditions in Washington
The diverse landscapes change the climate from
east to west. There is a Mediterranean climate in
the west, but a dry climate in the east, as the
mountain range of cascades keeps out the humid air
of the Pacific. Therefore, there is less rainfall in
this region than in other parts of the country. The
stretches of coastline along the Pacific are
affected by the weather conditions of this
ocean. The weather here is often pleasant but not
too warm.
While the temperatures in the mountain region are
cooler and snow sometimes falls in winter, these
weather conditions are not known in the coastal
areas. In the spring and summer months, the
thermometer reaches pleasant temperatures between 18
and 26 degrees. In the autumn and winter months, the
temperatures are between 2 and 9 degrees, minimum
temperatures are around minus five degrees.
Good living conditions in Washington: population
development
Washington has just over 6.7 million
residents. Since this state is one of the
wealthiest in the United States and the quality of
life is comparatively high, the population has
consistently developed well since the mid-19th
century. In 1850, just 1,201 people lived here, ten
years later 11,594, which corresponds to population
growth of more than 800 percent. The reason for this
high migration rate was the first gold discoveries
and the positive development of the timber industry.
Up until 1890, Washington was able to enjoy
similarly positive developments, with the influx
rates fluctuating between 106 and 375 percent during
this period. After that, there were no more
spectacular outliers, but the population development
remained constant between 11 and 21 percent. The
only outlier was the year 1910 with more than 120
percent, a number that is probably due to the
continuing good economic development in the marriage
of industrial development.
18 percent of the population are of German
descent, followed by Americans of Irish, English,
Latin American and Asian descent. African Americans
are represented with a little more than four percent
in a comparatively small number. Indians form a
minority with less than one percent. The population
is distributed unevenly between town and country.
Most residents are located in the Pudget Sound
and Seattle area. Other metropolitan areas are
Tacoma, Bellevue, Everett, Kent and Renton. These
cities have between 198,000 and 90,000
residents. It is interesting that the capital
Olympia is not one of the metropolitan regions,
because only a little more than 46,000 residents
live here. |
