Washington
Washington entered the Union on November 11, 1889 as the 42nd state. Washington entered the Union as the Pacific Northwest was rapidly changing through trade, rail connections, resource extraction, and new urban growth on Puget Sound. Today its state government is centered in Olympia and follows the common model of a governor and a bicameral legislature with a Senate and House of Representatives.
Government & Representation
Use this section to understand how the state organizes executive authority, legislative power, and federal representation.
Washington organizes state government around an elected governor and a bicameral legislature made up of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Olympia anchors statewide policymaking for a state shaped by major metro growth, trade, natural resources, and regional differences east and west of the Cascades.