Washington: Hidden Gem Of The U.S.

It's only the greatest forgotten state in the union.

Before we get in too deep, I'd like to admit my bias of being born and raised in Western Washington. I apologize to all the angry Eastern Washington readers in advance (if you even have internet)*

Let's start with physical beauty

Bellingham Bay

chuckanutdrive.com / Via Google

Sunsets here are epic. And with the Olympic Mountains in the distance, who couldn't find this jaw-dropping sight off of Chuckunut Drive gorgeous?

Mt. Rainier

fatpacking.com / Via Google

It's only 14,000 feet of pure majesty that towers over Seattle, Tacoma, and other smaller towns of the south Puget Sound. Also remember: sunsets.

Puget Sound

upload.wikimedia.org / Via Wikipedia

With water and mountains close to most cities in Western Washington, you can't miss this scene. Also Washington has one of the largest ferry fleets in the country AND you can drink booze during your ride. All aboard, amirite?!

Dry Falls

Via wordpress.com

These falls were carved out 20,000 years ago and were TEN TIMES bigger than Niagara before running dry. The left over water accumulated into the Sun Lakes (a place which you should go camp at now). And you thought only the Southwest had epic canyons.

Columbia River

Washington is home to countless rivers and lakes. This is the mighty Columbia that not only separates Oregon and Washington, but is also a vacation destination to cliff jump, soak up some sun, jet-ski, and generally have the time of your life.

Moving on...

We pretty much support every human right ever

You most likely know about us passing marriage equality by popular vote this year, but did you also know that Washington has always been on the forefront of human equality? For real. From interracial marriage to abortion, Washington is always one of the first states to make a leap towards equality.

You may think it rains all the time...

But actually the summer months of June through September average 75 degrees and the records go into the 100s. Soak up some sun in Seattle of all places!

Speaking of Seattle...

it's a pretty cool place, but we have other cities that are smaller and still cool!

Seattle

Being the largest city in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle is also one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. What's not to love? There's the Space Needle from the 1962 World's Fair, Mt. Rainier in the distance, great music, and it sits on the sound? What more could you possibly want?

Tacoma: so much more than just an aroma

traveltacoma.com

Tacoma is one of the most underrated cities in the state. Yeah, it did have a distinct smell back in the day, but it isn't too bad in present times. Now, it has swanky piano bars, cool glass museums as well as its own ballet company that puts on a kick-ass Nutcracker every year. ALSO THERE IS A ZOO. Sorry, I really like animals.

Olympia

It's nestled between Capital Lake, the Puget Sound, and mountains. Our capital city is one of the most liberal places on earth, with Evergreen State College which doesn't give out grades. Maybe math will make you feel sunshine covered by clouds.

Bellingham

This beauty of a town is midsized and between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. It's also on the water (Bellingham Bay) and guarded by a mountain (Mt. Baker). The small city also has two downtowns.

Port Townsend

This crazy town features both Victorian-style houses and an old military fort turned state park. You can shop antiques or play laser tag in the old bunkers. (Option #2 recommended).

In general, we're just great.

We're attractive

Anna Faris grew up in Edmonds, just north of Seattle, and attending University of Washington before starting her career. You need more sexy examples? Hillary Swank, Macklemore, and Kyle MacLachlan all grew up in Washington, too. Great place to find your soulmate, don't you think?

Our economy is booming

When you're the headquarters of Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, Costco, Nordstrom, T-Mobile, and Boeing, the recession didn't hit so hard.

We never wanted you to realize our state's beauty

buzzfeed.com

We're selfish and wanted it all to ourselves. Sorry about that.

Please come visit us!

Because everyone should experience the beauty of Washington State, the greatest place on earth.

*JUST KIDDING ABOUT THAT EASTERN WASHINGTONIANS. You guys are just as cool as us Westerners.