|
|
Background • Federal Census Summary • State Map with County Boundaries • Counties • Links to State Resources Background
After a period when Great Britain also claimed it, Washington was definitively acquired in 1846 and was included in Oregon Territory, established in 1848. Washington became a separate territory in 1853, acquired essentially its present boundaries in 1863, and was admitted as a State on November 11, 1889.
| Capital: Olympia | Total Area: 71,342 sq mi | ||
| Latitude: 45°32' N to 49°00' N | Longitude: 116°57' W to 124°48' W | ||
| Last Significant Boundary Change: 1870 | |||
The 1850 population is that of Clark and Lewis Counties, Oregon Territory; census coverage extended only to the southwestern part of present-day Washington. In 1860 census coverage included nearly the whole present State, and some persons in present-day northern Idaho and northwestern Montana.
| 1790: --- | 1800: --- | 1810: --- | 1820: --- |
| 1830: --- | 1840: --- | 1850: 1,201 | 1860: 11,594 |
| 1870: 23,955 | 1880: 75,116 | 1890: 357,232 | 1900: 518,103 |
| 1910: 1,141,990 | 1920: 1,356,621 | 1930: 1,563,396 | 1940: 1,736,191 |
| 1950: 2,378,963 | 1960: 2,853,214 | 1970: 3,409,169 | 1980: 4,132,156 |
| 1990: 4,866,692 | 2000: 5,894,121 |