Southwest Washington

For the neighborhood in the national capital, see Southwest, Washington, D.C.

Southwest Washington
Region
Southwest Washington with Chehalis River watershed highlighted
Coordinates: 46°30′N 122°45′W
Country	United States
State	Washington

Southwest Washington is a geographical area of the U.S. state of Washington, encompassing roughly half of Western Washington.^[a] It generally includes the Olympia area southwards to the Oregon-Washington state line at Vancouver. Olympia, the state capital, has been a transshipment center for Southwest Washington since its settlement in the mid-19th century.^[5]

Cities

Cities and towns in Southwest Washington include:^{[citation needed]}

• Aberdeen
• Camas
• Centralia
• Chehalis
• Hoquiam
• Kelso
• Lacey
• Longview
• Olympia
• Raymond
• Shelton
• South Bend
• Tumwater
• Vancouver
• Washougal
• Woodland
• Yelm
• Ridgefield

Culture

The Southwest Washington Fair is held annually in the city of Chehalis.

In the early 20th century, the region was home to a Class-D Minor league baseball league known as the Southwest Washington League.

The Sou'wester is the magazine of the Pacific County Historical Society.^[6]

Education

The Southwest Washington State College Committee study of the late 1960s eventually resulted in the establishment of The Evergreen State College in Olympia.^[7]

Healthcare

PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver is the region's largest medical center.

Transportation

The major north–south highways in Southwest Washington are U.S. Route 101, which runs along the Pacific Coast, and Interstate 5, a freeway between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Several east–west highways connect these two routes, including State Route 4 along the Columbia River; State Route 6 between Raymond and Chehalis;^[8] and U.S. Route 12, which also traverses the Cascade Range at White Pass.^[9]

See also

• Area code 360 – serves Southwest Washington and other areas of Western Washington outside of the Seattle metropolitan area
• List of regions of the United States

Notes

1. Pacific, Lewis, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Clark and Skamania Counties according to Washington Tourism Alliance^[1] and other organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters include Thurston, Mason, and Grays Harbor Counties in addition.^[2] NOAA fisheries in Southwest Washington include basins leading to Grays Harbor, including the Chehalis River.^[3] Washington State Department of Ecology includes the Olympic Peninsula and Pierce County in addition to those mentioned before (Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Mason, Lewis, Pierce, Skamania, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties).^[4]

References

1. Washington Tourism Marketing Act HB 1938/ SB 5916 (PDF), Washington Tourism Alliance.
2. "About Us". official website. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Washington. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Washington serves children and families within Thurston, Mason, Pacific, Lewis, and Grays Harbor Counties.
3. Southwest Washington Coho Salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit (PDF), NOAA, January 2013
4. Southwest Regional Office, Washington State Department of Ecology
5. WPA Guide 1941, p. 179.
6. The Sou'wester, WorldCat.
7. Rita Sevcik, "THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE - PLANNING MILESTONES and EARLY YEARS 1967 - 1977", The Evergreen State College archives
8. "Corridor Sketch Summary – SR 6: US 101 Jct (Raymond) to I-5 Jct (Chehalis)" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. April 2, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
9. Washington State Department of Transportation (2014). Washington State Highways, 2014–2015 (PDF) (Map). 1:842,000. Olympia: Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 10, 2023.

Bibliography

• Federal Writers' Project (1941), The WPA Guide to Washington: The Evergreen State, American Guide Series, ISBN 9781595342454

External links