Interesting Facts About Your State

Ok, I started thinking about how all the various different states have
different and interesting things in them, and I thought I'd make a
thread and have everyone name some unique/interesting things in
there own states.

Oh, and since I know were not all American, use the equivalent in
whichever country you hail from.


WASHINGTON


-Hosts the largest ferry fleet in the United States,
and third largest in the world.

-Has the only rainforest(s) in the continental United States.

-Has some of the rainiest spots in the world.

-Has one of the largest non-religious populations in the
United States.

-Is the birthplace of the term flying saucer.

-Is the state that Kenneth Arnold's UFO sighting occured in.

-Is the birth place of grunge rock.

-Is the birth state of Kurt Cobain.

-Is the birth state of Amazon.com.

-Hosts the Jackie and Bender morning show.

-Is one of the seven states that does'nt levy a personel
income tax.

-Has the largest building by volume in the world,
Boeing's Everett plant.

-Has the busiest (by amount of planes) airport in the world.
(Boeing Field)

-Is home to the five longest floating bridges in the world.

-Is the 17th state to institute anti-discrimination laws to include
people of homosexual sexual orientation.

-Is the home state of the Mariners and Seahawks.

-Until the last two years had no anti-bestiality laws.

-Has had three USN battleships named after it.

-Has the USNs most modern facility in the United States,
Navy Station Everett.

-Hosts the U.S.S Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz class supercarrier.

-Is the birth state of Starbucks coffee.

-Is the birth state of Bill Gates.

-Is the location of NOA (Nintendo Of America).

-Is the birth state of Jimi Hendrix.

-Is the birth state of Frank Herbert,
(Writer of the Dune series).

-Is the birth state of Adam West.


I could go on, but as I know there are other Washingtonians on
ATS/BTS, I'll leave some for them.

So, what interesting facts are their about your state,
or equivalent there of?

[edit on 9/10/2006 by iori_komei]

*BuMp*

Come one now people, lets try and educate people about
other geopolitical places.

I'd thought I'd get atleast one post by now..

My state is fine at the moment but after about 8ish tonight I will be on my way to a very drunken state:w: lol

Im from the UK and we have no states like you guys in the US, but nice read Iori, I hope you get a few more of your fellow Americans to keep your thread going!!

Heres a few facts about where i'm from.

- the first recorded history of Worcester comes from 680 AD.

- In 1041 the king sent a tax collector to Worcester, the towns people murdered him, and so the king sent an army, the people fled leaving Worcester to plundered.

- 1348-49 The Black Death claimed half the county!!!

- I'm from the county that invented "Worcestershire sauce" mmmmmmmm tasty!!!

- We were the last county to surender to cromwell during the civil war.

- The area was also famous for making needles, gloves and porcelain.



[edit on 15-9-2006 by Kurokage]

-The Poet Laureate of Indiana, James Whitcomb Riley was born in Greenfield in 1849. He glorified his rural Indiana childhood in such poems as "The Old Swimmin' Hole" "Little Orphant Annie", and " When the Frost is on the Punkin".

-Comedian Red Skelton, who created such characters as Clem Kadiddlehopper, and Freddie the Freeloader, was born in Vincennes.

-The Saturday Evening Post is published in Indianapolis.

-From 1900 to 1920 more than 200 different makes of cars were produced in Indiana, including Duesenbergs, Auburns, Stutzes, and Maxwells.

-The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was organized in Terre Haute in 1881.

-In 1862, Richard Gatling, of Indianapolis, invented the rapid-fire machine gun.

-Indiana University's greatest swimmer was Mark Spitz, who won 7 gold medals in the 1972 Olympic games.

-Indianapolis grocer Gilbert Van Camp discovered his customers enjoyed an old family recipe for pork and beans in tomato sauce. He opened up a canning company and taadaah! Van Camp's pork and beans.

-One of the richest deposits of top-quality limestone found anywhere is in southern Indiana. New York City's Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center as well as the Pentagon, the U.S. Treasury, a dozen other government buildings in Washington D.C. as well as 14 state capitols around the nation are built from Indiana limestone.

-Indiana has more miles of Interstate Highway per square mile than any other state.

-David Letterman, host of television's "Late Show with David Letterman," was born April 12, 1947, in Indianapolis.

-James Dean, a popular movie star of the 1950s in such movies as "East of Eden" and "Rebel without a Cause", was born February 8, 1941, in Marion. He died in an auto crash at age 24.

-The first professional baseball game was played in Fort Wayne on May 4, 1871.

-Before the NBA Detroit Pistons were in Detroit, they were the Ft Wayne Pistons.

-Marcella Gruelle of Indianapolis created the Raggedy Ann doll in 1914.

-Abraham Lincoln moved to Indiana when he was 7 years old. He lived most of his boyhood life in Spencer County.

-The Indianapolis 500 is held every Memorial Day weekend at the Speedway. There's also the "Brickyard" NASCAR race and the F1 US Grand Prix.

-And hey, we haven't had a Klan governor since 1929.

Well, since no one has posted for eight months, I thought I'd add a
few more facts.


Washington state.

-Least religious state in the United States.
-Ranked 2nd in U.S. wine production.
-The following companies started and are based in the state
Amazon.com
Boeing
Costco
Eddie Bauer
Expedia
Jones Soda Co.
Microsoft
Nordstrom's
R.E.I
Starbucks
Tully's Coffee
Weyerhauser
Zumiez

-Is the state that T-mobile USA's headquarters are located in.

[edit on 5/3/2007 by iori_komei]

News of the Weird -- CALIFORNIA

In Pacific Grove there is a law on the books establishing a $500 fine for molesting butterflies. (Molesting HOW is what I want to know)

Totaling nearly three million acres, San Bernardino County is the largest county in the country.

Located in Sacramento, the California State Railroad Museum is the largest museum of its kind in North America.

Reputed to be the most corrupt politician in Fresno County history, Vice-leader Joseph Spinney was mayor for only ten minutes.

The Hollywood Bowl is the world's largest outdoor amphitheater.

Death Valley is recognized as the hottest, driest place in the United States. It isn't uncommon for the summer temperatures to reach more than 115 degrees.

San Francisco Bay is considered the world's largest landlocked harbor.


California has the largest economy in the states of the union.


California is the first state to ever reach a trillion dollar economy in gross state product.

One out of every eight United States residents lives in California.

If California's economic size were measured by itself to other countries, it would rank the 7th largest economy in the world.

Los Angeles is ranked the fourth largest economy in the United States compared to other states.

California produces more than 17 million gallons of wine each year.


State of California Facts, Population

2000 state resident census population: 33,871,648

10 largest cities (2000):

* Los Angeles, 3,694,820
* San Diego, 1,223,400
* San Jose, 894,943
* San Francisco, 776,733
* Long Beach, 461,522
* Fresno, 427,652
* Sacramento, 407,018
* Oakland, 399,484
* Santa Ana, 337,977
* Anaheim, 328,014

By Gender

* Male: 16,874,892 (49.8%)
* Female: 16,996,756 (50.2%)

By Age

* 18 and over: 72.7%
* 65 and over: 10.6%
* Median age: 33.3

By Origin

* White: 20,170,059 (59.5%)
* Black: 2,263,882 (6.7%)
* American Indian: 333,346 (1.0%)
* Asian: 3,697,513 (10.9%)
* Other race: 5,682,241 (16.8%)
* Two or more races: 1,607,646 (4.7%)
* Hispanic/Latino: 10,966,556 (32.4%)

flower golden poppy (1903)

tree California redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens & Sequoiadendron giganteum) (1937, 1953)

bird California valley quail (1931)

animal California grizzly bear (1953)

fish California golden trout (1947)

colors blue and gold (1951)

song “I Love You, California” (1951)

More turkeys are raised in California than in any other state in the United States.

Alpine County is the eighth smallest of California's 58 counties. It has no high school, ATMs, dentists, banks, or traffic lights.


California's Mount Whitney measures as the highest peak in the lower 48 states. Its most famous climb is Mount Whitney Trail to the 14,495 feet summit. Wilderness permits are required.

There are tons more interesting facts and trivia, but I don't want to sound elitist or anything.

Oregon's state flag pictures a beaver on its reverse side. It is the only state flag to carry two separate designs.

Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state.

The Columbia River gorge is considered by many to be the best place in the world for windsurfing.

Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and is formed in the remains of an ancient volcano.

Oregon and New Jersey are the only states without self-serve gas stations.

Eugene was the first city to have one-way streets.

Pilot Butte, a cinder cone volcano, exists within the city limits of Bend.

At 329 feet the Coast Douglas-Fir in Oregon is considered the tallest tree in the state.

At 8,000 feet deep Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America.

The hazelnut is Oregon's official state nut. Oregon is the only state that has an official state nut. The hazelnut is also known as the filbert.

Oregon's state birthday is on February 14, Valentine's Day.

The "Oregon Pioneer" statue that tops the capitol building is a work by Ulric Ellerhusen. This heroic figure represents the spirit of Oregon's early settlers.

The state park system has 159 yurts located in 19 parks. Yurts are a circular domed tent suitable for camping.

Navy blue and gold are Oregon's official state colors.

The Chinook salmon is Oregon's official state fish.

The Willamette River was discovered in 1792.

In 1858 the richest gold find in the Cascade Mountains was discovered in the Bohemia Mining District at Sharp's Creek near Cottage Grove.

Dorris Ranch in Springfield became the first commercial filbert orchard in the state.

In 1876 the University of Oregon opened in Eugene. Deady Hall was the first building on campus and still exists.

In 1880 a sea cave was discovered near what is now known as Florence. Sea Lion Caves is known to be the largest sea cave in the world.

The nation's most photographed lighthouse is the Heceta Head Lighthouse located in Lane County.

Darlingtonia Wayside is Oregon's only rare plant sanctuary.

Oregon's second highest waterfall is Salt Creek Falls in the Cascade Mountain range. It drops 286 feet.

The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest is one of the largest long-term ecological research sites in the United States.

Eugene is rated by "Bicycling Magazine" as one of the top ten cycling communities in the United States.

There are nine lighthouses standing along the coastline. Five are still being used; the others are designated historic monuments.

Portland is an example of outstanding urban planning. The city is known as The City of Roses.

High above the city of Portland the International Rose Test Garden features more than 500 varieties of roses cultivated continuously since 1917.

At 11,239 feet Mount Hood stands as the tallest peak in Oregon. Mount Hood is a dormant volcano.

Silver Falls State Park is the Oregon's largest state park. It features 10 waterfalls and contains a wide variety of forested hiking trails.

Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. It was formed more than 6,500 years ago. Its crystal-blue waters are world renowned.

Discovered in 1874 the caves located in Oregon Caves National Monument are carved within solid marble.

The world's largest rosary collection is exhibited at The Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center. A local resident collected the exhibit.

The Carousel Museum contains the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of carousel horses.

Fort Clatsop National Memorial contains a replica of Lewis and Clark's 1805-1806 winter outpost.

The small village of Bickelton is filled with bluebird houses seen on the posts of every house.

The Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area is a spectacular river canyon cutting the only sea-level route through the Cascade Mountain Range.

The Ries-Thompson House is the oldest remaining residence in Parkdale. Built circa 1900 the home and area offer a commanding view of Mount Hood.

Tillamook is home to Oregon's largest cheese factory.

Florence is known as Oregon's rhododendron capital.

The Oregon Legislature designated the Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) as the Oregon state flower by resolution in 1899.

Oregon's capitol building is located in Salem. Earlier capitals include the cities of Oregon City and Corvallis.

The Columbia River forms most of the northern border between Oregon and Washington. The Snake River forms over half of the eastern boundary with Idaho.

In 1905 the largest long cabin in the world was built in Portland to honor the Lewis and Clark expedition.

A treaty between the United States and Spain established the current southern border between Oregon and California. The treaty was signed in 1819.

The Oregon Trail is the longest of the overland routes used in the westward expansion of the United States.

The Tillamook Naval Air Museum is housed in the world's largest wooden clear-span building.

Haystack Rock off Cannon Beach is 235 feet high and is the third largest coastal monolith in the world.

The Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, built in 1880, is currently used as the site of the final resting place of up to 467,000 cremated individuals.

The Seaside Aquarium was the first facility in the world to successfully breed harbor seals in captivity.

Great job ladies, very informative.
(I feel sort of sexist saying that.)


It would appear that the West coast has been covered, with the exception
of Alaska, but who really considers them to be part of the West coast?