Washington History and Information
The State of Washington is just north of Portland a few miles. Heading north on I-5, you will pass over the Columbia River into Washington. Heading up I-5, you will see Mt. St. Helens on the Eastern side of the freeway, in the Cascade Mountains. I-5 will continue north for some 300 miles, going into Canada. Along the way, you will pass through Olympia, Tacoma and Seattle. To the East few hundred miles, will be Yakima, and the Tri-cities of Richland, Kennewick and Pasco.
Washington, like Oregon was first settled by the native peoples over 13,000 years ago. The main draw for people in modern times were furs and trees, with beaver, sea otter, mink, and other animals being plentiful along with vast numbers lumber camps and mills being set up. Following Lewis and Clark's expedition, the migration of people along the Oregon Trail populated most of the towns we see today.
Seattle is the largest city in Washington, being larger than Portland. Once home to Boeing, it's still a large part of the Boeing business. The metropolitan area includes Amazon dot com, Microsoft, Real Networks and a wide variety of business. Being on the Puget Sound, the natural beauty of the city is awe inspiring.
For more on Washington history, see
Washington History
Washington State History Museum
Seattle History