Washington forms the northwest corner of the Lower 48 states. The Coast Ranges are topped by the towering Olympic Mountains. Temperate ran forests of spruce, hemlock, fir, and cedar thrive there. Just east is glacially-carved Puget Sound where most of the state’s residents live. On clear days, they can see majestic, snow-clad Mountain Rainier, an active volcano in the nearby Cascade Range.

The first railroad reached the territory in the 1880s, and by the end of the decade Washington gained statehood. When gold was discovered in Alaska in the 1890s, Washington became the shipping gateway to the gold fields. The Evergreen State boomed, growing from 75,000 people in 1889 to 1.25 million by 1920.

Its nickname suits the state, with more than half the land covered in forests. Early development centred on logging, along with fishing from coastal waters, cattle, and wheat farming in the east, and orchard scattered throughout. Manufacturing took off when aircraft builders, aluminum companies, and defense industries set up shop in the Puget Sound area during the two world wars. The success of Starbucks and computer software giant Microsoft caused Seattle’s population to explode in the 1990s.