Western Washington
{{About|the geographic region|the university|Western Washington University}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Western Washington
| native_name =
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| settlement_type = Region
| image_skyline = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = Downtown Seattle skyline from Kerry Park - October 2019.jpg
| photo2a = Washington State Capitol Legislative Building.jpg
| photo2b = Ferry Wenatchee enroute to Bainbridge Island WA.jpg
| photo3a = Mount Rainier sunset.jpg
| photo4a = Diablo Lake.jpg
| photo4b = Mt Shuksan from Picture Lake (7942389350).jpg
| photo5a = Bellevue Sunset.jpg
| size = 280
| spacing = 2
| color = white
| border = 0
| foot_montage = Left-right from top: Seattle skyline, Washington State Capitol, WSF MV Wenatchee, Mount Rainier, Diablo Lake, Mount Shuksan, Bellevue skyline
}}
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| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = Washington
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| image_map = Western Washington map.svg
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| coordinates = {{coord|48|N|122|W|display=inline,title}}
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| area_total_sq_mi =
| area_land_sq_mi = 24742
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| population_as_of = 2020 census
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| population_total = 6,037,688
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
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}}
Western Washington is a region of the United States defined as the area of Washington State west of the Cascade Mountains. This region is home to the state's largest city, Seattle, the state capital, Olympia, and most of the state's residents. The climate is generally far more damp and temperate than that of Eastern Washington.
Climate
File:Western Washington Köppen.png in western Washington]]
Western Washington is known as having a far wetter climate than the eastern portion of the state, primarily due to the effects of the Cascades' rain shadow. The average location in Eastern Washington only receives an average of {{convert|46.87|cm|in|abbr=off}} of precipitation per year,http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/Climsmwa.html Western Regional Climate Data Center Website whereas the average place in Western Washington receives {{convert|167.72|cm|in|abbr=off}}. The average location in Western Washington gets 168 days of measurable precipitation per year.http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/wa/wa.01.html Western Regional Climate Data Center, Days of Precipitation
The place that receives the most recorded precipitation is Lake Quinault on the Olympic Peninsula, with an average of {{convert|332.92|cm|in|abbr=off}} per year.{{cite web|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?wa6864|title=QUINAULT RS, WASHINGTON - Climate Summary|work=dri.edu|access-date=20 June 2015}} The Long Beach Experimental Station has the most days of measurable precipitation, averaging 215 each year.
Population
As of the 2020 census, Western Washington was home to 6,037,688 of the state's total 7,705,281 residents, making its population comparable to that of Missouri.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/WA/PST045219|title=Census QuickFacts: Washington|access-date=15 August 2021}}See List of U.S. states and territories by population for the most recent state population figures. The region has a land area of {{convert|24742|sqmi|km2}}, making its land area comparable to that of West Virginia. The population density of Western Washington is {{convert|244.03|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people |abbr=off|sp=us}}.
Counties
Cities of note
{{Div col start | colwidth=15em}}
- Aberdeen
- Anacortes
- Auburn
- Bellevue
- Bellingham
- Bremerton
- Everett
- Edmonds
- Federal Way
- Issaquah
- Kelso
- Kirkland
- Lake Stevens
- Longview
- Lynnwood
- Monroe
- Mount Vernon
- Oak Harbour
- Olympia
- Port Angeles
- Port Townsend
- Puyallup
- Redmond
- Renton
- Seattle
- Shelton
- Tacoma
- Vancouver
{{Div col end}}