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Eastern Washington
Region
Country	United States
State	Washington
Part of	Pacific Northwest
Borders on	British Columbia, Eastern Oregon, Idaho Panhandle, Cascade Range/Western Washington
Parts	Central Washington
Rivers	Columbia River, Snake River
Coordinates	47°30′N 119°0′W / 47.5°N 119°W / 47.5; -119

Eastern Washington is the portion of the US state of Washington east of the Cascade Range. The region contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the fertile farmlands of the Yakima Valley and the Palouse.

  Statehood

There have been sporadic movements to create a 51st state out of Eastern Washington by splitting the current state down the Cascades, but proposals have rarely progressed out of the state legislature's committees. Recent proposals were made in 1996, 1999, and 2005. Proposed names for the new state have included Lincoln, and Columbia, or simply Eastern Washington. Many of these proposals were to include the Idaho Panhandle. See: State of Lincoln for more information.

  Geography

  Nomenclature

Other terms used for Eastern Washington or large parts of it include:

• Columbia Basin
• Eastside or east side of the state^[1][2][3]
• Inland Empire/Inland Northwest (also includes the Idaho Panhandle)

  Cities

  Spokane is the largest city in eastern Washington and the metropolitan center of the Inland Empire region

The following cities and towns in Eastern Washington have over 10,000 inhabitants.^[4]

• Spokane (pop. 208,916)
• Yakima (pop. 91,067)
• Spokane Valley (pop. 89,755)
• Kennewick (pop. 73,917)
• Pasco (pop. 59,781)
• Richland (pop. 48,058)
• Wenatchee (pop. 31,925)
• Walla Walla (pop. 31,731)
• Pullman (pop. 29,799)
• Moses Lake (pop. 20,366)
• Ellensburg (pop. 18,174)
• Sunnyside (pop. 15,858)
• East Wenatchee (pop. 13,190)
• West Richland (pop. 11,811)
• Cheney (pop. 10,590)

  National Parks and other protected areas

  The summit of Goat Peak in the Okanogan National Forest

• Colville National Forest
• Idaho Panhandle National Forest (partial)
• Kaniksu National Forest (partial)
• Okanogan National Forest
• Umatilla National Forest (partial)
• Wenatchee National Forest
• Hanford Reach National Monument

  Counties

Eastern Washington is composed of Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima Counties.

  Population

Compared to Western Washington, Eastern Washington has roughly twice the land area and one-third the population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau the population estimate as of 2004 was 1,371,802. The population growth rate between the two is roughly the same. Of Washington's nine Congressional districts, Eastern Washington exactly encompasses two (the 4th and 5th), aside from a small portion of the 4th in Skamania County.

  Educational institutions

  Bryan Hall, Washington State University

Eastern Washington hosts a number of world-renowned universities including three of the state's five public universities.

  Public institutions

• Central Washington University
• Eastern Washington University
• Washington State University
• A number of local community colleges including:
  • Big Bend Community College
  • Columbia Basin College
  • Spokane Community College
  • Spokane Falls Community College
  • Wenatchee Valley College
  • Yakima Valley Community College

  Private institutions

• Gonzaga University
• Heritage University
• Whitman College
• Whitworth University

  Research institutions

• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute

  Images

• 

  The Palouse Hills of southeastern Washington

• 

  Dry Falls in the semi-desert Channeled Scablands that dominate much of eastern Washington.

• 

  Truck transport in the wheat farming region of Eastern Washington

• 

  Apple orchards in Azwell, Washington surrounding a community of pickers' cabins

  Notes and references

1. ^ WSP Eastside Recruiter Returns to Face Recruitment Challenge, Washington State Patrol Government and Media Relations, September 8, 2010, http://www.wsp.wa.gov/information/releases/2010_archive/mr090810.htm, retrieved 2010-12-27 
2. ^ "Eastside steelheading enters last month". Bellingham Herald. March 4, 2010. http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/03/04/1323457/eastside-steelheading-enters-last.html. Retrieved 2010-12-27. 
3. ^ "Eastside Earthquakes Get Attention At Conference In Yakima". Oregon Public Broadcasting. October 17, 2007. http://news.opb.org/article/eastside-earthquakes-get-attention-conference-yakima. Retrieved 2010-12-27. 
4. ^ Population figures are the most recent figures contained in the respective Wikipedia articles, or in the List of cities in Washington.

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