We’re a little quirky in Washington, and perhaps considered a little odd by the rest of the country. But our eccentricities make us who we are, and we wouldn’t want to live any other way. Here are a few ways Washington could be considered America’s black sheep.
1. We have our own sense of style, and we embrace it.
Washington is a "come as you are" kind of place. You'll see people wearing jeans to formal restaurants and dressed in eccentric colors and patterns walking down the street. One of our favorite "designers" is North Face.
2. We name our cities and towns things like Humptulips and Tokeland.
3. We were one of the first states to legalize marijuana, and now our pot shops and products are legendary.
These are cookies from The Goodship Company, a Seattle-based business that makes gourmet edibles.
4. We have some WEIRD laws.
For example, it is illegal to harass Bigfoot here. You’re also not supposed to buy mattresses on Sundays (oops).
5. We love to exercise in odd and exciting ways.
If there’s a themed 5K or a weird obstacle race coming to our town, we’re all about it.
6. Speaking of exercise, we love a challenging hike.
Bring it on.
7. Whether you love it or hate it, four of our state electors went faithless on December 19, and that's some black sheep behavior.
Four electors cast their votes for president in different ways than they were legally obligated to do. This has only happened one other time in our state history.
8. Our restaurant names can get pretty interesting.
This is How to Cook a Wolf in Seattle.
9. We have a rhino cave and an ape cave...
The rhino cave was formed by an actual rhinoceros meeting an untimely demise via lava. The Ape Cave was formed over 2,000 years ago on the south side of Mt. St. Helens when lava flowed down the volcano in streams. This is a very unusual formation for the Cascade Range volcanoes.
10. … and a troll that watches over us in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood…
11. … and a bike in a tree in Vashon Island.
12. There’s a tree graveyard near Forks.
Rialto Beach on the Olympic Peninsula is where you go to see the remnants of uprooted fallen trees.
13. We take littering VERY seriously.
Most of us will walk out of our way to find a garbage can or recycling area rather than litter… and when someone else doesn’t, we get pretty offended.
14. We are part of the Unchurched Belt (with California and Oregon). The percentage of non-religious people in Washington is the highest of any state.
This is not the same as having the most atheists - that honor belongs to the state of Vermont right now (the statistics change often). Many Washingtonians just don’t enjoy going to church or consider themselves very religious.
Just like everywhere else in the country, you’ll find all kinds of people in Washington. Here are 10 experiences most of us have had at least once.
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