Eastern Washington is the region of the
U.S. state of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
located east of the
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...
. It contains the city of
Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the
Tri-Cities Tri-Cities most often refers to:
*Tri-Cities, Tennessee, United States
*Tri-Cities, Washington, United States
Tri-City, Tricity or Tri-Cities may also refer to:
Populated places
Americas
Canada
*Tri-Cities (British Columbia), consisting of Co ...
, the
Columbia River
The Columbia River ( Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia ...
and the
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water. Constructed between 1933 and 1942, Grand Coulee originally had two powerho ...
, the
Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the fertile farmlands of the
Yakima Valley and the
Palouse
The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primar ...
. Unlike in
Western Washington, the climate is dry, including some desert environments.
Climate
A significant difference between Eastern Washington and the western half of the state is its climate. While the west half of the state is located in a rainy
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
, the eastern half receives little rainfall due to the
rainshadow created by the
Cascade Mountains. Also, due to being farther from the sea, the east side has both hotter summers and colder winters than the west. Most communities in Eastern Washington, for example, have significant yearly snowfall, while in the west snowfall is minimal and not seen every year. The east and west do still have some climatic traits in common, though: more rainfall in winter than summer, a lack of severe storms, and milder temperature ranges than more inland locations.
There is some variation in both temperature and rainfall throughout Eastern Washington. Generally, lower elevations are both hotter and drier than higher elevations. This is easily seen in the comparison between low-elevation
Richland with higher elevation
Spokane.
Geography
Nomenclature
Other terms used for Eastern Washington or large parts of it include:
*
Columbia Basin
*Eastside or east side of the state
*
Inland Empire
The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the citie ...
/Inland Northwest (also includes the
Idaho Panhandle
The Idaho Panhandle—locally known as North Idaho—is a salient region of the U.S. state of Idaho encompassing the state's 10 northernmost counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, an ...
)
Cities
The following cities and towns in Eastern Washington have over 10,000 inhabitants.
*
Spokane (pop. 217,300)
*
Spokane Valley (pop. 94,919)
*
Yakima (pop. 93,701)
*
Kennewick (pop. 80,280)
*
Pasco (pop. 71,680)
*
Richland (pop. 54,150)
*
Wenatchee (pop. 34,070)
*
Walla Walla (pop. 33,840)
*
Pullman (pop. 33,280)
*
Moses Lake
Moses Lake is a lake and reservoir along the course of Crab Creek, in Washington state, USA.
Moses Lake is part of the Columbia River basin, as Crab Creek is a tributary of the Columbia River.
Although originally a shallow natural lake, Moses ...
(pop. 22,720)
*
Ellensburg
Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 at the 2020 census. and wa ...
(pop. 19,550)
*
Sunnyside (pop. 16,640)
*
West Richland
West Richland is a city in Benton County, Washington. The population was 16,295 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is part of the Tri-Cities metropolitan area, whose principal cities (the Tri-Cities) are Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco ...
(pop. 14,660)
*
East Wenatchee (pop. 13,600)
*
Cheney (pop. 11,880)
*
Grandview (pop. 11,170)
Protected areas
*
Hanford Reach National Monument
*
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
*
Juniper Dunes Wilderness
*
Salmo-Priest Wilderness
Salmo-Priest Wilderness is a 41,335 acre (167.28 km2) wilderness area located in the Selkirk Mountains in the northeast corner of Washington state, within the Colville National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest.
Topography
The high-cou ...
*
Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness (partial)
*
Colville National Forest
*
Idaho Panhandle National Forest
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests are a jointly administered set of three national forests located mostly in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 1973, major portions of the Kaniksu, Coeur d'Alene, and St. Joe National Forests were combined to be a ...
(partial)
*
Kaniksu National Forest (partial)
*
Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest
The Okanogan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Okanogan County in north-central Washington, United States.
The forest is bordered on the north by British Columbia, on the east by Colville National Forest, on the south by the ...
*
Umatilla National Forest (partial)
*
Columbia National Wildlife Refuge
Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, and sagebrush grasslands. Formed by fire, ice, floods, and volcanic tempest, carved by periods of extreme violence of natural forces, the refuge lies in the mi ...
*
Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located on the east slope of the Cascade Mountains at the base of Mount Adams in southern Washington state.
It encompasses on the lakebeds of the historic Conboy and Camas lakes, a shallow marshy wetla ...
*
Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge
*
McNary National Wildlife Refuge
*
Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge
The Hanford Reach National Monument is a national monument in the U.S. state of Washington. It was created in 2000, mostly from the former security buffer surrounding the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The area has been untouched by development or ...
*
Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge
*
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
*
Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge (partial)
*
Crawford State Park
Counties
Eastern Washington is composed of
Adams,
Asotin,
Benton,
Chelan,
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...
,
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
*Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
* Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...
,
Ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...
,
Franklin,
Garfield,
Grant,
Kittitas,
Klickitat,
Lincoln,
Okanogan,
Pend Oreille,
Spokane,
Stevens,
Walla Walla,
Whitman, and
Yakima counties. Some definitions also include part of
Skamania County that lies east of the ridge line of the Cascade Mountains.
Population
Compared to
Western Washington, Eastern Washington has roughly twice the land area and one-fifth the population. According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
the population estimate as of July 2019 was 1,641,900. The population growth rate between the two is roughly the same. Of Washington's ten Congressional districts, Eastern Washington exactly encompasses two (the 4th and 5th), aside from a small portion of the 3rd in
Skamania County.
Education
Eastern Washington hosts a number of universities including three of the state's five public universities.
Public institutions
*
Central Washington University
*
Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University (EWU) is a public university in Cheney, Washington. It also offers programs at a campus in EWU Spokane at the Riverpoint Campus and other campus locations throughout the state.
Founded in 1882, the university is ...
*
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...
*A number of local community colleges including:
**
Big Bend Community College
Big Bend Community College (BBCC) is a public community college in Moses Lake, Washington.
History
Big Bend Community College was authorized by the Washington State Board of Education in 1961. Beginning fall quarter 1962 BBCC held its first r ...
**
Columbia Basin College
**
Spokane Community College
**
Spokane Falls Community College
Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC) is a public community college in Spokane, Washington. It was established in 1967 and is part of the Community Colleges of Spokane.
History
The land upon which SFCC is located was given to the city after ...
**
Walla Walla Community College
Walla Walla Community College (WWCC), often referred to as just “CC” locally, is a multi-campus community college in southeastern Washington state.
History
Walla Walla Community College was founded in 1967 by Peter Dietrich when the regio ...
**
Wenatchee Valley College
Wenatchee Valley College (WVC) is a public community college in Wenatchee, Washington. The college provides students with adult education classes, certifications, associate degrees, and four bachelor's degrees. WVC's primary service district i ...
**
Yakima Valley College
Yakima Valley College (YVC) is a public college in Yakima, Washington. It was founded as Yakima Valley Community College in 1928 with Elizabeth Prior serving as the institution's first president. The college offers five Bachelor of Applied Scienc ...
Private institutions
*
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the ...
*
Heritage University
*
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
*
Walla Walla University
*
Whitman College
*
Whitworth University
Whitworth University is a private, Christian university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Spokane, Washington. Founded in 1890, Whitworth enrolls nearly 3,000 students and offers more than 100 graduate and undergraduate ...
Research institutions
*
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is one of the United States Department of Energy national laboratories, managed by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science. The main campus of the laboratory is in Richland, Washington. ...
*
Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute
The Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI) was located on the campus of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. CHCI included a sanctuary for chimpanzees who have learned to communicate with humans and each other using ...
at Central Washington University
Proposed statehood
There have been sporadic movements to create a
51st state
51st state in American political discourse refers to areas considered candidates for U.S. statehood, joining the 50 states that have constituted the United States since 1959. The phrase has been applied to external territories as well as parts ...
out of Eastern Washington by splitting the current state down the Cascades, but proposals have rarely progressed out of the state legislature's committees. Bills in the
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Sena ...
which would have requested the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
to take up the question were proposed in 1996, 1999, 2005, and 2017. Proposed names for the new state have included Lincoln, Columbia,
Liberty
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
,
or simply ''Eastern Washington''. Many of these proposals would include the
Idaho Panhandle
The Idaho Panhandle—locally known as North Idaho—is a salient region of the U.S. state of Idaho encompassing the state's 10 northernmost counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, an ...
as part of the proposed state of
Lincoln.
Eastern Washington tends to vote
Republican, whereas Western Washington usually votes
Democratic, however
Spokane, the proposed capital and largest city, tends to have a higher democratic vote than other Eastern Washington cities. Additionally,
Whitman County votes Democratic.
Images
File:Palouse Hills from Steptoe Butte.jpg, The Palouse
The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primar ...
Hills of southeastern Washington
File:Dry Falls.jpg, Dry Falls in the semi-desert Channeled Scablands that dominate much of eastern Washington.
File:Eastern Washington Truck.jpg, Truck transport going east on Highway 2, near Waterville
Image:Azwell WA.jpg, Apple orchards in Azwell, Washington
Azwell is a small unincorporated community in Okanogan County, Washington, United States.
History
Azwell is named for its founder, Alfred Z. Wells (Alfred Z. Wells). Wells and his nephew Alfred Morris were owners of a hardware store in Wenatche ...
surrounding a community of pickers' cabins
References
{{Authority control
Regions of Washington (state)