What Was The Original Name Of Washington State?

Before Washington became an official state in 1889, it was part of the Oregon Territory. The territory stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains and from California to Canada.

canva
canvaKentucky Played A Part In Picking Washington State's Name In 1853
loading...

In 1846, the Oregon Treaty settled a dispute between Great Britain and the United States over who would control this land. As a result, the future states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming were established.

98.3 KEYW logo
Get our free mobile app

When Congress created the Washington Territory in 1853 out of the Oregon Territory, they initially wanted to name it Columbia Territory after the Columbia River that runs through it.

However, there was already a District of Columbia (DC) named after George Washington. This confused lawmakers who were concerned that using "Columbia" would be too similar to DC.

rik/canva
rik/canva
loading...

To avoid any confusion with DC, Kentucky Representative Richard H. Stanton proposed naming the new territory after George Washington instead. Congress agreed on his proposal and officially named it "Washington Territory" on March 2nd, 1853.

It wasn't until November 11th, 1889 that it became known as "The State of Washington."

rik/canva
rik/canva
loading...

Another fun fact about Washington's original name is that it was not the first name proposed for the territory. Before Columbia and Washington, other names were suggested including "Tacoma," "Shoshone," and "Sahale."

Washington state's original name was intended to be Columbia, but it ended up being named after the first president of the United States due to confusion with DC. It's fascinating to think about what could have been if they had decided on a different name

20 Things That Something Only a Washington Native Would Know

If you are a true Washingtonian, these 20 Washington "Only" phrases, places, food and music should be a no-brainer.

Gallery Credit: Rik Mikals

Washington City Nicknames

There's nothing more personal than a nickname, and even cities and suburbs can end up with special nicknames. Sometimes it's something tongue-in-cheek from its residents or rivals, and sometimes it's an official "motto" meant to promote the city through tourism.

We've compiled dozens of Washington city nicknames to offer you a virtual tour of the weird and wacky names we've given our favorite local areas in the Evergreen state. How many of them have you heard?

Gallery Credit: Jaime Skelton

Bailing on Washington State? Here’s 9 States That’ll Give You Free Land

10 States will give you free land if you're interested in moving there. Based on data from DollarBreak and My Millennial Guide.

Gallery Credit: Rik Mikals

More From 98.3 KEYW