WASHINGTON

town in Sunderland metropolitan borough, metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, historic county of Durham, England. It lies along the north side of the River Wear below Chester-le-Street. The site was an area of early coal mining and industrial activity and was associated with the Wear coal trade to London from the 17th century. It includes the ancient village of Washington, together with its hall, which was the family seat of the forebears of the first U.S. president, George Washington. The modern town is laid out on a grid plan. New industries are being attracted to employ population from the nearby Tyneside industrial belt and from surrounding former colliery villages in the wake of the coal industry's collapse. The town has a wildfowl refuge and an arts centre. Pop. (1991) 56,848. county, southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S., bordered by West Virginia to the west, Enlow Fork and Tenmile Creek to the south, and the Monongahela River to the east. It consists of a hilly region on the Allegheny Plateau. The county was created in 1781 and named for George Washington. It was the site of unrest during the Whiskey Rebellion (1794), a farmers' uprising against a tax on liquor. The city of Washington, the county seat, is the home of Washington and Jefferson College (founded 1781), the oldest university west of the Allegheny Mountains. Other communities include Canonsburg, Donora, Monongahela, Charleroi, and California, the latter the site of California University of Pennsylvania (1852). The economy is based on services (health care and engineering), retail trade, manufacturing (steel and electronic equipment), and mining (bituminous coal). Area 857 square miles (2,220 square km). Pop. (1990) 204,584; (1996 est.) 206,708. The northern Pacific Coast. constituent state of the United States of America, lying at the northwest corner of the coterminous 48 states. The capital is Olympia. Facing the Pacific Ocean to the west, Washington is bounded on the south by Oregon, on the east by Idaho, and on the north by the Canadian province of British Columbia. Roughly rectangular in shape, the state extends about 350 miles (560 km) from east to west and 240 miles (386 km) from north to south. The Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound extend inland into the state about 200 miles (320 km) from the open Pacific, providing excellent harbours. At the time of initial European exploration, the leading Indian tribes in the area were the Chinook, the Coast Salish, and the Nez Perc and Yakima. The first white men to see the Washington coast were 16th-century Spanish sailors searching for a Northwest Passage to facilitate trade with the Orient. Bruno Heceta landed and claimed the Washington area for Spain in 1775. George Vancouver, an Englishman, and Robert Gray, an American, both sea captains, made claims for their respective countries in 1792. The Lewis and Clark expedition, traveling from the east, reached the mouth of the Columbia River in 1805, strengthening the United States' claim to the region. Protestant and Roman Catholic Indian missions had been established in eastern Washington by the 1830s. American and British fur trading was the predominant activity into the 1840s. Spain surrendered to the United States its claims to the territories north of California in 1819. Until the 1840s international agreement permitted citizens of both the United States and Great Britain to settle and trade in what was still known as Oregon Country. In 1846 a treaty with Great Britain set its northern limit at the present Washington-Canada boundary, and the Oregon Country was formally added to the United States. It was renamed the Territory of Oregon in 1848. The first settlements were mainly logging camps and sawmills, which prospered by supplying the demand for construction materials in California following the Gold Rush. In 1853 Washington was granted separate territorial status, and, following the growth stimulated by the extension of the telegraph and railroads during the 1870s and 1880s, Washington was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. In the late 1890s Washington was the main staging point for gold miners who set out for the Alaskan and Yukon strikes. The state's major undertaking of the 20th century was the harnessing of the Columbia Basin for navigation, irrigation, hydroelectric-power generation, flood control, and recreation. The climates of eastern and western Washington are dominated by the Pacific Ocean and are relatively milder than other states at the same latitudes. Seattle, on the west, has an average January temperature of 41 F (5 C) and a July temperature of 66 F (19 C), while Spokane, on the east, registers 25 F (-4 C) and 70 F (21 C). Washington has seven distinct geographic regions. The Olympic Mountains in the northwest reach 7,965 feet (2,428 m), and densely wooded rain forests extend along the western slopes. Annual rainfall in the region is extremely diverse, varying from more than 150 inches (3,810 mm) along the western coast to only 16 inches (406 mm) in the northeast. The Willapa Hills parallel the coast from Grays Harbor to the Columbia River. The Puget Sound Lowland, stretching from Canada to Oregon between the Olympic and the Cascade mountains, has a mild climate, relatively flat terrain, and excellent harbours. The Cascade Range has peaks ranging from 4,000 feet (1,220 m) in the south to 8,000 feet (2,440 m) in the north, as well as several higher peaks of volcanic origin such as Mount Rainier (14,410 feet ) and Mount St. Helens, which erupted in 1980 and again in 1981. The Columbia Basin is a basalt plateau cut with steep-walled gorges, called coulees, and covered with fertile, volcanic soils. In the northeastern corner of the state are the Okanogan Highlands, and in the extreme southeast is an extension of the Blue Mountains of Oregon. Streams in the area east of the crest of the Cascade Mountains drain into the Columbia River and its major tributaries, the Snake, the Yakima, the Okanogan, the Pend Oreille, and the Spokane. Rivers west of the Cascade crest generally flow directly into the Pacific Ocean or Puget Sound. The early white settlement of Washington was primarily by Americans from the Middle West and by Canadians and Scandinavians. Less than one-tenth of the state's population is nonwhite, the largest groups being American Indians and Asians. Seattle, the largest city, is the focal point of a large urban conglomeration contained in five counties bordering on southern Puget Sound, which together contain more than half the state's population. The economy of Washington is largely based on its water and forest resources, agriculture, and government. It leads all states in hydroelectric-power generation, with more than one-third of the national total. The state's most important manufactures are aircraft and aircraft parts, lumber and wood products, processed food, paper and allied products, primary metals (aluminum), and nonelectrical machinery. Relatively large agricultural crops include wheat, apples, and potatoes. Government controls almost half the land area, generates almost all the state's electrical power, and operates most irrigation projects and several military bases. Employment is heavily dependent on military contracts to the aircraft, aerospace, shipbuilding, and construction industries. Washington's role in interstate and international commerce is made most important by its strategic waterways and air links. A growing tourism industry is focused on the state's scenic mountains and water. The National Park Service operates Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic national parks and seven other national historic sites and recreation areas. Washington retains a Western and pioneer flavour. Growing cosmopolitanism, especially in the Puget Sound area, has developed particularly around festivals, sports, and the arts. The largest institutions of higher education are the University of Washington at Seattle and Washington State University at Pullman. Established by Congress in 1982, the Mount St. Helen's National Volcanic Monument is administered by the U.S. Forest Service. Area 68,139 square miles (176,479 square km). Pop. (1990) 4,866,692. in full Washington, D.c. ("District of Columbia"), city and capital of the United States of America. The city of Washington, which is coextensive with the District of Columbia, is situated at the navigational head of the Potomac River between Maryland to the northeast and Virginia to the southwest. The District of Columbia was chosen by Congress in 1790 as the site for a permanent seat of government for the new nation. Washington thus became one of the few cities in the world that was planned expressly as a national capital; it contains many historical artifacts and revered monuments. The site for the city of Washington was proposed by the city's namesake, the first U.S. president, George Washington. He negotiated a contract with the French military engineer Pierre-Charles L'Enfant to design a plan for the city. Influenced by Baroque landscape architecture, L'Enfant incorporated much of that style into his design. L'Enfant was dismissed from the project before the Capitol's cornerstone was laid, and his plan was never fully realized. His scheme for wide avenues radiating from the Capitol and the executive mansion, which later became known as the White House, through a grid of rectangularly drawn streets was adopted, however, and resulted in the interesting complex of circles and parks throughout the city. His vision of the Capitol's long vista westward down the Mall and of the executive mansion's similar vista southward across it were realized as well. Despite the changing styles of architecture over the years, the Capitol and White House remain the focal point for the city. The largest complex of public buildings in the city joins the Capitol to the White House and is known as the Federal Triangle, its base and altitude being the Mall and the Ellipse and its hypotenuse Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House. The buildings within it are occupied by various Cabinet departments and other government agencies. The several buildings of the Smithsonian Institution-including the National Gallery of Art and other museums-are also within the Federal Triangle. The House and Senate office buildings, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress surround the Capitol. The Washington Monument's lofty obelisk stands on the Mall between the Capitol (east) and the Lincoln Memorial (west) and between the White House (north) and the Jefferson Memorial (south); these three are the most famous of the city's more than 300 memorials and statues. Much of the contrast evident within the Washington area stems from the diversity of its neighbourhoods. Stretching from the northwestern section of the city into the Maryland suburbs are the generally white middle-class neighbourhoods housing many of the city's civil servants. Overlooking the Potomac in the western part of the city is Georgetown, the oldest and most prestigious neighbourhood in Washington. Foreign embassies dot these two areas. From 16th Street northeastward, joining other Maryland suburbs, lies most of the city's black community, whose dwellings range from homes for the conspicuously well-to-do to tenements. To the southwest across the Potomac River in Virginia are the Arlington National Cemetery, the Washington National Airport, and the Pentagon, headquarters of the military establishment. To the south and within the District, the area between the Anacostia and Potomac rivers has been the site of some of the newest government office buildings, and urban renewal has replaced slums there with upper middle-class apartments and townhouses. The southeast quarter of the city has a large black population and many individual homes of middle- and high-ranking congressional staff members and other government employees. Nine colleges and universities are located in the Washington area. Outstanding are Georgetown University, the area's oldest; Howard University, opened in the 1860s as a university for blacks; George Washington University; and American University. Washington has become a major cultural centre, especially since the opening in 1971 of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, with its three theatres for concerts, drama, and opera. Area District of Columbia 69 square miles (179 square km), metropolitan area 2,809 square miles (7,275 square km). Pop. (1990) District of Columbia, 606,900; Washington MSA, 3,923,574. city, seat of Wilkes County, northeastern Georgia, U.S. First settled by the Stephen Heard family in 1773, it was laid out in 1780 and was one of the first U.S. communities to be named in honour of George Washington. During the Revolutionary War the Battle of Kettle Creek, which was fought nearby, disrupted the British plans to recapture Georgia (1779). The last Cabinet meeting of the Confederacy was held there on May 5, 1865, at the end of the American Civil War. Local residents, who call the city Washington-Wilkes (to distinguish it from Washington, D.C.), perpetuate the legend that when Union troops seized the Confederate treasury (June 1865), they missed $400,000 in gold that remains buried in the vicinity. The Washington-Wilkes Historical Museum has a collection of Civil War artifacts. The city produces textiles and lumber. It is also the shipping point for agriculture and dairy products. Clark Hill Dam and Lake and Elijah Clark Memorial State Park are nearby. Inc. 1804. Pop. (1990) 4,279. city, seat of Beaufort County, eastern North Carolina, U.S. It lies along the Pamlico-Tar River estuary, just east of Greenville. Founded by Colonel James Bonner in 1771, it was one of the first places in the United States to be named (Dec. 7, 1776) for George Washington. During the American Civil War it was occupied by Union troops (1862-64). Major fighting took place at Hills Point, 7 miles (11 km) downriver, where the Union steamer Louisiana was sunk by Confederate guns. Its basic market economy (tobacco, peanuts [groundnuts], vegetables, and cotton) is supplemented by light manufacturing and mining (phosphates). Lake Mattamuskeet and Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge on Pamlico Sound are on the north-south Atlantic flyway of migratory birds. Inc. 1782. Pop. (1990) 9,075. city, seat (1781) of Washington county, southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S. It lies 28 miles (45 km) southwest of Pittsburgh. Prior to the American Revolution the area was the centre of a land dispute with Virginia. Pennsylvania's claim was finally validated by the Virginia constitution of 1776. Laid out by David Hoge in 1781, Washington was early known as Catfish's Camp for a Delaware Indian chief who lived there about 1750. It was known as Bassett-town for a short time until renamed for General George Washington. It was a hotbed of activity during the Whiskey Rebellion (an uprising against an excise tax on distilled liquor) of 1794 and was organized as a borough in 1810. The first crematory in the United States was built in Washington in 1876 by Francis Julius Le Moyne, who had to contend with an aroused public opinion, which forced the construction of the building at night. Washington was chartered as a city in 1924. The city is a service point for an agricultural, light industrial, and coal-mining area. Washington and Jefferson College was formed in 1865 by the merger of Washington Academy (1781) and Jefferson College (1802). The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum offers rides on vintage streetcars. Pop. (1990) 15,864; (1998 est.) 14,805. also called Washington-on-the-brazos, historic town on the Brazos River, Washington County, southeastern Texas, U.S. The town lies 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Houston. It originated in 1821 as a ferry crossing. Washington is remembered as the birthplace of the Texas Republic. At a convention held there in an unfinished wooden building (reconstructed as Independence Hall), the Texas Declaration of Independence was issued (March 2, 1836) and the Constitution adopted (March 17); David G. Burnet was inaugurated as provisional president and Sam Houston as commander in chief of the Texas Army. Because the town was threatened at that time by General Santa Anna's Mexican forces, Burnet named Harrisburg on the Buffalo Bayou as temporary capital. Washington, however, did serve briefly as the capital in 1842. The community, incorporated in 1837, remained important until bypassed by the railroad in 1858, after which it rapidly declined. Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park, occupying 164 acres (66 hectares) along the river and deeded by private owners in 1916, has been the site of extensive restoration; it embraces the replica of Independence Hall, the Star of the Republic of Texas Museum, and the office and home of Anson Jones (last president of the republic). county, northern Maryland, U.S., bounded by Pennsylvania to the north and the Potomac River (which constitutes the border with Virginia and West Virginia) to the south and southwest. The county lies in the Cumberland Valley between the Allegheny (west) and the Blue Ridge (east) mountains; the Appalachian National Scenic Trail follows the crest line of the Blue Ridge. The county was created in 1776 and named for George Washington. Hagerstown, the county seat, is located north of the Antietam National Battlefield, site of the Battle of Antietam (Sept. 17, 1862), one of the bloodiest conflicts in the American Civil War. The partially restored stone fort in Fort Frederick State Park was erected in 1756 during the French and Indian War. The economy is based on manufacturing and agriculture. Area 458 square miles (1,187 square km). Pop. (1990) 121,393; (1996 est.) 127,278. in full Washington, D.C. ("District of Columbia"), city and capital of the United States of America. The city is coextensive with the District of Columbia, whose site was agreed upon by Congress in 1790 as the permanent seat of government for the new nation. It is located at the head of navigation of the Potomac River, which separates it from Virginia to the southwest, while its other boundaries make it essentially a 68-square-mile (177-square-kilometre) enclave carved from Maryland. The Washington Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA), however, encompasses 2,809 square miles, including two counties in Maryland and the cities of Fairfax, Falls Church, and Alexandria and four counties in Virginia. county, eastern Maine, U.S., bordered to the east by New Brunswick, Can. (the Chiputneticook Lakes, the St. Croix River, and Passamaquoddy Bay constituting the boundary), and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of a hill-and-valley region and includes several islands in the Atlantic. Other waterways are West Grand, Big, Meddybemps, and Baskahegan lakes and the Machias, Narraguagus, and Pleasant rivers. The easternmost point in the United States is West Quoddy Head (longitude 6657 W). The county is primarily forested with spruce and fir trees, with large stands of maple and beech. Public lands include Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge; Rocky Lake; and Cobscook Bay, Quoddy Head, and Roque Bluffs state parks. The county is home to the Pleasant Point Indian Reservation. St. Croix Island was the site of a temporary French settlement in 1604 that was headed by explorer Samuel de Champlain. In June 1775 the first naval battle of the American Revolution occurred in Machias Bay near Fort O'Brien (built 1775). Washington county was formed in 1827 and named for George Washington. Machias, the county seat, is a town long associated with maritime industries. Eastport, the easternmost city in the nation, developed as a centre for canning sardines. Other communities are Calais, Woodland, Lubec, and Jonesport. The economy is based on lumber and wood products, pulp mills, and spinning mills. Area 2,569 square miles (6,653 square km). Pop. (1990) 35,308; (1996 est.) 36,224. county, eastern New York state, U.S. It is bordered by Lake George to the northwest, Vermont to the northeast and east (Lake Champlain and the Poultney River constituting the northeastern boundary), and the Hudson River to the west. The lowlands of the Hudson valley and central area rise to the Taconic Range in the east and the Adirondack Mountains in the northwest. Other waterways include Champlain Canal, Black Creek, the Hoosic and Mettawee rivers, and Batten and Owl kills. Adirondack Park occupies the county's northwestern corner. The dominant forest types are oak and hickory, with stands of pine trees in the north. Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk and Algonquian-speaking Mahican (Mohican) Indians inhabited the region before the arrival of European-American settlers. From the 19th century, paper manufacturing was an important industry. The principal communities are Hudson Falls (the county seat), Fort Edward, Granville, Greenwich, and Cambridge. Washington county was created in 1772. Originally named Charlotte county (for Queen Charlotte Sophia, wife of King George III), it was renamed in 1784 for George Washington. The main economic activities are manufacturing (paper products and medical instruments) and agriculture (corn , dairy products, and cattle). Area 836 square miles (2,164 square km). Pop. (1990) 59,330; (1996 est.) 60,777. constituent state of the United States of America. Lying at the northwest corner of the 48 coterminous states, it is bounded by the Canadian province of British Columbia on the north, Idaho on the east, Oregon on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It has an area of 68,139 square miles (176,479 square kilometres). The capital is Olympia. The state's coastal location and excellent harbours give it a leading role in trade with Alaska, Canada, and countries of the Pacific Rim. Washington cities have sister cities in several countries, and their professional and trade associations commonly include Canadian members. The terrain and climate of Washington divide the state into a rainy western third and a drier eastern two-thirds in the rain shadow of the Cascade Range. Western Washington industries depend on agriculture, forests, and fisheries and imported raw materials, whereas eastern Washington is mainly agricultural, producing wheat, irrigated crops, and livestock. Most of the people live in the metropolitan areas of Seattle-Everett and Tacoma and other cities along Puget Sound. county, central Vermont, U.S. It comprises a piedmont region in the east that rises up into the Green Mountains in the west. The Winooski River rises near the village of Cabot. Its tributaries are the Little, Mad, and Dog rivers and the North, Stevens, and Kingsbury branches. Dominated by evergreens, county woodlands include Roxbury, Mount Mansfield, Camel's Hump, and Putnam state forests. The Mad River Glen and Sugarbush Valley ski resorts are located near Green Mountain National Forest. Little River State Park borders Waterbury Reservoir. The city of Montpelier was named the Vermont state capital in 1805 and the county seat in 1811. The county was formed in 1810 and named for George Washington. The arrival of the Central Vermont Railroad to Barre in 1875 spurred the city's growth as a centre of the granite industry, resulting in large-scale immigration. Local granite was used to construct the Vermont State House (built 1857) and Barre City Hall (built 1899). Norwich University (founded 1819), the oldest private military academy in the nation, was moved from Windsor county to Northfield in 1867. Goddard College (founded 1863) was relocated to the village of Plainfield from Barre in 1938. Other villages are Waterbury, East Montpelier, and Marshfield. The county contains 10 covered bridges. The economy relies on state government activities as well as tourism, insurance, trade, and granite quarrying. Area 690 square miles (1,786 square km). Pop. (1990) 54,928; (1996 est.) 56,437. county, southwestern Rhode Island, U.S. It is bordered by Connecticut to the west, Narragansett Bay to the east, and Block Island Sound to the south and includes Block Island south of the mainland. The Pawcatuck River flows through the western portion of the county and defines the southwestern border with Connecticut. The county was formed in 1729. It was originally called the Narragansett country; its present name (honouring George Washington) was adopted in 1781. There is no county seat, but the principal towns are North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Westerly, and Narragansett. Principal industries are textiles, tourism, and industrial machinery. Area 333 square miles (862 square km). Pop. (1990) 110,006; (1996 est.) 118,175. Additional reading A general description and guide to the city is E.J. Applewhite, Washington Itself, 2nd ed. (1993). A complete and reliable history is Wilhelmus Bogart Bryan, A History of the National Capital from Its Foundation Through the Period of the Adoption of the Organic Act, 2 vol. (1914-16). More recent histories include Constance McLaughlin Green, Washington: A History of the Capitol, 1800-1950, 2 vol. (1962-63, reissued 2 vol. in 1, 1976); David L. Lewis, District of Columbia: A Bicentennial History (1976); Philip Bigler, Washington in Focus: The Photo History of the Nation's Capital (1988); and John W. Reps, Washington on View: The Nation's Capital Since 1790 (1991), an extensively illustrated architectural history. Kenneth R. Bowling, The Creation of Washington, D.C.: The Idea and Location of the American Capital (1991), documents the issues surrounding the selection of the city as the nation's capital. Among works on planning for the city are United States, National Capital Planning Commission, Worthy of the Nation: The History of Planning for the National Capital (1977); Atlee E. Shidler (ed.), Greater Washington in 1980 (1980); and Dennis E. Gale, Washington, D.C.: Inner-City Revitalization and Minority Suburbanization (1987). Richard Walton Stephens The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica Additional reading Federal Writers' Program, Washington: A Guide to the Evergreen State (1941, reprinted 1972), also available as New Washington: A Guide to the Evergreen State, rev. ed. (1950), provides a still useful overview. D.W. Meinig, The Great Columbia Plain: A Historical Geography, 1805-1910 (1968), covers the settlement and organization of an area that includes eastern Washington. John A. Alwin, Between the Mountains: A Portrait of Eastern Washington (1984), has exceptional photographs and revealing text. James W. Scott et al., Historical Atlas of Washington (1988); and DeLorme Mapping Company, Washington Atlas & Gazetteer, 4th ed. (1998), are useful reference works. Robert Hitchman, Place Names of Washington (1985), combines geography and local history. Daniel M. Ogden, Jr., and Hugh A. Bone, Washington Politics (1960, reprinted 1981), is an informative account. Ruth Kirk and Richard D. Daugherty, Exploring Washington Archaeology (1978), reviews the geology and culture of prehistoric settlements. An excellent general history is Mary W. Avery, Washington: A History of the Evergreen State, rev. ed. (1965). Norman H. Clark, Washington: A Bicentennial History (1976), is an introduction. Howard J. Critchfield