MAIN Home Life House & Home Moving Washington State

Once most famous for its acres of timber and lumber production, Washington is most noted today as the corporate home to such hi-tech industries as Boeing, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, and Amazon.com.

Tourism is another major industry offering scenic attractions along its Pacific Northwest coastline and more outdoor adventures inland with world-class skiing, hiking and mountain climbing.

The unofficial capital, Seattle, has also recently appeared on several Top Ten lists of major cities to which Americans most want to relocate.

Bisected by Cascade Range mountains, Washington contains several volcanoes including those at Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount St. Helens (which most famously erupted in 1980), Mount Adams and Mount Rainier, the state's highest peak.

• Demographics : (Washington Census Data)
  Major cities: Olympia (capital), Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma
  Population : 6,395,798
  White : 85%
  Black, African American : 3.5%
  Hispanic : 8.8%
  High school graduates : 87.1%
  Bachelor's degree or higher : 27.7%
  Average household income: $44,438
  
  
• Crime : see Washington Crime Rates 1960 - 2005
  
  
• Cost of Living: Sperling's Best Places - Washington - Compared to the rest of the country, Washington's cost of living is 9.92% higher than the U.S. average.
  
  
• Property Taxes : Washington Tax Climate - Washington's combined per capita collection amounts to $1,029, raking it 22nd highest nationally.
  
  
• Housing & Real Estate Overview : see Zillow - Washington Real Estate
  Home ownership rate : 64.6%
  Average home price : $311,329
  Average travel time to work : 25.5 minutes
  
  
• Schools : see Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
  
  
• Weather : Along the coast, temperatures are typically warmer in winter and cooler in summer, with abundant rainfall throughout the year. Much drier inland around the Cascade Range, the general climate also varies greatly depending on elevation with record winter snowfalls occurring in higher mountain regions.

More about relocating to Washington State around the Web:

Become a Washington State Resident - The official state portal with information on voter registration, student aid, state taxes.

Parents Berkeley Network - Moving to Washington State - Archived posts with advice on family-friendly communities, schools, suburbs, weather facts, and related tips on moving to Seattle and Tacoma.

Seattle Relocating - One-stop browsing for information on real estate and apartment rentals, jobs & employment, newspapers & media, schools, churches & hospitals, local shopping.

10 Things You Should Know Before Moving to Seattle - Local real estate blog with insider tips on rain (and more rain), restaurants, traffic and getting around, with related visitor comments.

City of Spokane Official Website - Directory of city services, neighborhood guides, traffic advisories, local news & events, Web cams.

Washington State Real Estate, Apartments & Job Classifieds:

• Seattle : Post Intelligencer | Times
• Spokane : Spokesman-Review
• Olympia : Olympian
• Tacoma : News Tribune

Washington State Real Estate Map:

View Larger Map

also see -> Washington Beaches | Washington Eviction Laws

Washington Fall Foliage | Washington Taxes | Washington Tourism

Washington Wine Tours | Christmas in Washington

Seattle Kids Party Locations | Seattle Street Fairs & Festivals