-- By Tom Phillips
To judge by the news in Seattle, Lewis and Clark discovered America. The business section of the Seattle Times covers western firms almost exclusively, and lists only Northwest stocks. These are led by some of the biggest companies in America -- Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks, all headquartered in the Seattle area. Washington is one of the most prosperous states in the US, kicking off so much tax revenue that the legislature just reduced tuition at state colleges by up to 20 percent. Meanwhile, housing prices statewide are rising at the fastest rate in the US.
Eastern Washington produces and exports a staggering quantity of food and drink -- wheat and barley, beans, apples, peaches, grapes and berries, wine and beer. The Palouse in southeast Washington -- wave after wave of gently rounded hills -- is the most densely cultivated farmland in the world. Unlike most of the country, Washington State is a net winner in world trade, exporting much more than it imports.
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| The Palouse, Eastern Washington |
Eastern Washington produces and exports a staggering quantity of food and drink -- wheat and barley, beans, apples, peaches, grapes and berries, wine and beer. The Palouse in southeast Washington -- wave after wave of gently rounded hills -- is the most densely cultivated farmland in the world. Unlike most of the country, Washington State is a net winner in world trade, exporting much more than it imports.
