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Washington Federal, Inc. Business Information, Profile, and History

425 Pike Street
Seattle, Washington 98101
U.S.A.

History of Washington Federal, Inc.

One of the largest savings and loan institutions in Washington, Washington Federal, Inc., operates as the one-bank holding company for Washington Federal Savings, a thrift that traces its roots to 1917. Washington Federal was formed by Washington Federal Savings in 1994 to effect a reorganization completed in February 1995, when Washington Federal Savings officially became a wholly owned subsidiary of Washington Federal. During the mid-1990s, Washington Federal operated 89 branch offices scattered throughout a five-state area surrounding its headquarters in Seattle, Washington, with 30 offices located in Washington, 20 offices located in Idaho, 21 offices in Oregon, 11 offices located in Utah, and seven offices located in Arizona. During its rise from a fledgling, state-chartered savings and loan association in 1917 to a formidable, federally chartered savings and loan in 1990s, Washington Federal carved a distinct niche for itself by remaining a traditional bank while others in its industry pursued frequently destructive business strategies. Throughout its history, Washington Federal achieved its consistent record of growth by obtaining funds primarily through savings deposits from the general public and by providing low-risk, single-family housing loans. In addition to its mainstay Washington Federal Savings subsidiary, Washington Federal also owned another subsidiary, First Insurance Agency, Inc., which provided general insurance services to the public.

Founded in the Late 1910s

Concurrent with the United States' entry into the First World War, the predecessor to Washington Federal entered into business itself, taking root in a bustling section of Seattle known as Ballard. The community of Ballard, like the city it was a part of, was growing by leaps and bounds. Its mostly Scandinavian residents and its predominate businesses of fishing and milling, added to the Northern European flavor of the community. Aside from providing the perfect setting for a largely immigrant, Scandinavian neighborhood, the fishing and milling industries supported many of Ballard's families and fueled the community's growth, creating the need for financial institutions, which historically had played in integral role in the development of burgeoning communities. One such financial institution, the Ballard Savings and Loan Association, was the predecessor organization to the Washington Federal of the 1990s.

Ballard Savings and Loan was organized on April 24, 1917, beginning business as a savings and loan institution to serve the surrounding and rapidly expanding milling and fishing community. The thrift was created to take deposits and provide single-family home loans, a mission it would pursue throughout its existence. Like the conservative residents that populated Ballard, Ballard Savings and Loan wavered little from its original objectives of the late 1910s, remaining steadfast to its original principles and business strategy into the 20th century as other financial institutions, and particularly savings and loans, adjusted their strategies to conform with prevailing banking trends. Ballard Savings and Loan's self-restrained and conservative business approach held it and its future parent company, Washington Federal, in good stead from the thrift's first days of business into the 1990s, enabling it to weather the numerous financial storms punctuating the 20th century. The steadfastness with which Ballard Savings and Loan Stuck to its principles was never more important than during the thrift's 12th year of business, when the collapse of the stock market touched off the decade-long Great Depression. In response to the economic chaos that ensued, Ballard Savings and Loan assuaged the fears of its customers by vowing to only collect interest on home loans and promising it would not move aggressively toward repossession as long as the property was kept in good repair and the taxes and assessments were paid. Before the financial panic of the 1930s gave way to the economic boom years of the 1940s, more than half of the country's financial institutions collapsed, financially ruined by the devastating affects of an anemic national economy. Ballard Savings and Loan, however, persevered and made it through the Great Depression without a loss to any of its depositors.

Aside from distinguishing itself as one of the minority of financial institutions to survive the Great Depression, Ballard Savings and Loan also joined the ranks of federally chartered financial institutions during the decade. In 1935, the state-charted savings and loan converted to a federal charter and adopted Ballard Federal Savings and Loan Association as its official corporate title. Revitalized economic conditions and population growth in the Seattle area during the 1940s and 1950s eliminated any lingering effects of the economically moribund 1930s, giving Ballard Federal Savings and Loan a two-decade-long opportunity to build on the pace of growth established during its inaugural decade. The thrift opened its first branch office in an outlying area of metropolitan Seattle, Lynnwood, Washington, in May 1958. The following month Ballard Federal Savings and Loan completed its first merger, the first of many to come.

Post-World War II Expansion

In June 1958, Ballard Federal Savings and Loan merged with Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association of Bothell, a deal that marked the departure of "Ballard" from the association's corporate title and the adoption of Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association as the new corporate title. The decision to take on Washington Federal as the new name for the thrift was a telling one, one made at the time because of the greater geographic stature the new title lent to the financial institution. In the wake of this signal deal, Washington Federal made good on the geographic presence its new name suggested and embarked on the most prolific era of growth in its history, beginning its rise with more than $35 million in assets. Much of the association's physical expansion was achieved through external means, rather than by establishing its own branches. Although Washington Federal continued to add its own branches from 1958 forward, the thrift's greatest geographic leaps were made overnight, with the quick stroke of a pen on a contract ceding Washington Federal control over an already established network of branches. But Washington Federal also expanded through internal means, opening its first downtown Seattle office in April 1961 and another branch office in nearby Rainier Valley two years later.

By the end of the 1960s, roughly one decade after assets amounted to $36 million, Washington Federal's assets had eclipsed the $100 million mark to reach $101 million. Though the 1960s had engendered vigorous financial growth for Washington Federal, the physical and financial growth recorded during the 1970s far exceeded the thrift's animated rise during the 1960s. As would be the case for the ensuing two decades, Washington Federal achieved its greatest strides by acquiring other financial institutions, such as the 1971 merger with Seattle Federal Savings and Loan Association, a thrift formed by ten Seattle businessmen one year before Washington Federal first opened its doors. The union with Seattle Federal Savings and Loan added three branches offices to Washington Federal's slowly expanding network of branches, giving the thrift a total of eight branch offices at the beginning of the decade. The boost to Washington Federal's assets was more explosive. A scant few months after assets had nudged past the $100 million plateau, Washington Federal's asset total leaped to $173 million by virtue of the merger with Seattle Federal Savings and Loan.

An equally beneficial merger was completed in late 1978 when Washington Federal merged with First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Mount Vernon, a thrift founded by prominent Pacific Northwest businessmen in August 1934. The merger added 10 new branch offices to Washington Federal's fold, extending its territory of service up to the Canadian border and lifting assets to $733 million. By the end of the 1970s, after recording a phenomenal increase in assets, Washington Federal stood positioned as one of the venerable and most stable financial institutions in the state of Washington, its conservative, low-risk lending policy proved to be a winning formula. In the decade ahead, the thrift's growing presence in Washington would be extended throughout a four-state area, as Washington Federal built upon the momentum achieved during the 1960s and 1970s to develop into a formidable power in the western United States.

Strong Growth During the 1980s

In 1982, Washington Federal become a public company supported chiefly by its customers who purchased 62 percent of the subscription offering. Concurrent with the switch from private to public ownership, Washington Federal converted from a federal mutual to a federal stock association. As a public company, Washington Federal, embarked on a decade that would prove disastrous for the savings and loan industry, but conversely constructive for Washington Federal. During the 1980s, when many of the nation's thrifts fell by the wayside after embracing imprudent investment strategies, Washington Federal bucked the industry-wide trend and grew significantly stronger. According to analysts who monitored the savings and loan industry during the 1980s, Washington Federal's success was attributable to its emphasis on providing single-family housing loans and to its location in the Pacific Northwest where the housing industry flourished during the 1980s. Buoyed by its prime location and its concentration on providing low-risk loans, Washington Federal increased its asset total from $705 million following its public offering to $2.2 billion by 1988. Perhaps more encouraging to the thrift's management was the percentage Washington Federal earned on its swelling assets. By the end of the 1980s, Washington Federal was recording the highest return on assets of any savings and loan institution in the United States, distinguishing itself with a percentage that was between two and two-and-a-half times the figure averaged by regional banks in the country.

As was the case throughout the thrift's history, stability was the primary characteristic describing Washington Federal during the late 1980s. For the previous two decades, the association had been led by the same four executives, a constancy that permeated throughout the organization. With this cadre of management at the helm, Washington Federal once again resumed its acquisition program and completed several deals that extended the thrift's presence beyond Washington's borders. In July 1987, the thrift made a bold move into Idaho by acquiring United First Federal and Provident Federal Savings and Loan Association, both of which were headquartered in Boise, Idaho. The acquisition of the two financial institutions gave Washington Federal 22 new branch offices in Idaho. Another four offices in Idaho were added a little more than a year later when Washington Federal purchased Boise-based Northwest Federal Savings and Loan Association. One month after the acquisition of Northwest Federal Savings and Loan was completed in August 1988, Washington Federal moved resolutely into Oregon by acquiring the 13 branch offices operated by Corvallis, Oregon-based Freedom Federal Savings and Loan Association.

Acquisitions in the 1990s

Entering the 1990s, Washington Federal's acquisitive pace picked up speed, as the thrift bolstered its presence in the four-state area surrounding its headquarters in Seattle. In June 1990, Washington Federal acquired the eight branch offices belonging to Family Federal Savings Association, then merged with Idaho Falls, Idaho-based First Federal Savings and Loan Association and added three more offices to its growing branch network. Next, on the last day of 1991, Washington Federal concluded an agreement with First Western Savings Association, an Oregon-based Metropolitan Savings Association, to acquire its deposits in Eugene, Oregon, and its deposits and leased buildings in downtown Portland, Oregon. By this point, Washington Federal was nearing $3 billion in assets and continuing to draw praise for its industry-leading return on assets, leading one industry analyst to remark to a Financial World reporter that "they [Washington Federal] are the pinnacle of the industry in terms of return on equity."

The deal struck with First Western Savings also gave Washington Federal two branch offices in Las Vegas, adding the state of Nevada to the thrift's expanding service territory. Another state was added to the Seattle-based company's geographic scope in March 1993 when Washington Federal acquired First Federal Savings Bank of Salt Lake City, Utah. The purchase of the Salt Lake City bank lifted Washington Federal's assets by $352 million, its deposits by $294 million, and gave the thrift ten new branch offices in Utah. In 1994, when the talks of forming a holding company for Washington Federal turned to action, the thrift opened seven new branch offices--three in Washington, two in Arizona, and one each in Oregon and Utah--and acquired the deposits at two branch locations operated by Great American Federal Savings Association in Tucson, Arizona.

In November 1994, Washington Federal, which had shortened its name in May 1992 from Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association to Washington Federal Savings, formed Washington Federal, Inc., the holding company for the thrift and another subsidiary, First Insurance Agency, Inc., a provider of general insurance services. During the next several months the Washington Federal system was reorganized to create the structure for the new holding company. On February 3, 1995, the work was completed and Washington Federal became the new parent company for the 78-year-old thrift, with its inaugural year of existence highlighted by another year of strong growth for its consistently stable subsidiary. By the end of 1995, assets had increased an encouraging 20 percent, climbing from $3.8 billion to $4.6 billion, and the number of branch offices operated by Washington Federal had risen to 89. As Washington Federal charted its course for the late 1990s and its 80th year of business, there was every expectation that the enviable achievements of its past would continue to describe its future. Reliable, conservative, and embracing the same business philosophy formulated during the late 1910s, Washington Federal moved toward the late 1990s and beyond, intent on holding sway in the western United States as one of the region's dominant banks.

Principal Subsidiaries: First Insurance Agency, Inc.

Related information about Washington

40º10N 80º14W, pop (2000e) 15 300. City in Washington Co, W Pennsylvania, USA; incorporated as a borough, 1810; gained city status, 1924; birthplace of Edward Goodrich Acheson and Rebecca Harding Davis.

pop (2000e) 5 894 100; area 176 473 km²/68 139 sq mi. State in NW USA, divided into 39 counties; the ‘Evergreen State’; first settled in the late 18th-c, part of Oregon Territory, a prosperous fur-trading area; Britain and the USA quarrelled over the region until the international boundary was fixed by treaty to lie along the 49th parallel, 1846; became a territory, 1853; joined the Union as the 42nd state, 1889; after arrival of the railway (1887), developed through lumbering and fishing; Seattle an important outfitting point during the Alaskan gold rush, 1897–9; capital, Olympia; other chief cities, Seattle, Tacoma, Edmonds, Bellingham; bounded N by Canada (British Columbia), NW by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, W by the Pacific Ocean; rivers include the Columbia, Snake, Okanogan, Sanpoil, Yakima; Olympic Peninsula with the Olympic Mts in the NW (Mt Olympus 2428 m/7966 ft); Puget Sound to the E, extending c.160 km/100 mi inland, with numerous bays and islands; Cascade Range runs N–S through the middle of the state; mountainous and forested country in the W; dry and arid land in the E; highest point Mt Rainier (4395 m/14 419 ft); Mt Saint Helens volcano in the S (erupted May 1980); North Cascades National Park; apples (nation's largest crop), wheat, livestock, dairy produce; aircraft, aerospace, oil refining, food processing; mining (wide range of minerals); major tourist area; substantial Indian population and several reservations.

38°54N 77°02W, pop (2000e) 572 000. Capital of the USA, co-extensive with the District of Columbia; situated between Maryland and Virginia, on the E bank of the Potomac R, at its junction with the Anacostia R; the US legislative, administrative, and judicial centre: the Federal Government provides most of the city's employment; site chosen in 1790 by George Washington, planned by Pierre L'Enfant; occupied by the Federal Government, 1800; sacked and burned by the British, 1814; centre of government, justice, and law enforcement; two airports (Reagan National, Dulles); railway; five universities; professional teams, Bullets (basketball), Capitals (ice hockey), Redskins (football); the International Spy Museum opened in 2002.

Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Idaho to the east and British Columbia, Canada to the north. Its coastal location and Puget Sound harbors give it a leading role in trade with Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Rim. The deep forests of the Olympic Peninsula are among the rainiest places in the world and the only rainforests (such as the Hoh Rain Forest) in the continental United States, but the flat semi-desert that lies east of the Cascade Range stretches for long distances without a single tree. Mount Rainier, the highest mountain in the state, appears to "float" on the horizon southeast of Seattle and Tacoma on clear days. The eastern side of the state can be divided into two regions: the Okanogan Highlands and the Columbia River Basin.
Areas under the management of the National Park Service include:

Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve near Coupeville
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site at Vancouver
Klondike Gold Rush Seattle Unit National Historical Park in Seattle
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area near Stehekin
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area along the Columbia River
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
Mount Rainier National Park
Nez Perce National Historical Park
North Cascades National Park near Marblemount
Olympic National Park at Port Angeles
Ross Lake National Recreation Area at Newhalem
San Juan Island National Historical Park in Friday Harbor
Whitman Mission National Historic Site at Walla Walla

Geographical features

Puget Sound
- Bainbridge Island
- Camano Island
- Whidbey Island
- Vashon Island
San Juan Islands
Columbia River
Snake River
Yakima River
Cascade Range
- Mount Adams
- Mount Baker
- Glacier Peak
- Mount Rainier
- Mount St. Helens
- Mount Stuart
Olympic Mountains
- Mount Olympus

History

Prior to the arrival of explorers from Europe, this region of the Pacific Coast had many established tribes of Native Americans, each with its own unique culture. In the east, nomadic tribes traveled the land and missionaries such as the Whitmans settled there.

The first European record of a landing on the Washington coast was by Spanish Captain Don Bruno de Heceta in 1775, on board the Santiago, part of a two-ship flotilla with the Sonora. They claimed all the coastal lands up to the Russian possessions in the north for Spain.

In 1778, British explorer Captain James Cook sighted Cape Flattery, at the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but the straits would not be explored until 1789, by Captain Charles W. Further explorations of the straits were performed by Spanish explorers Manuel Quimper in 1790 and Francisco de Eliza in 1791, then by British Captain George Vancouver in 1792.

The Spanish Nootka Convention of 1790 opened the northwest territory to explorers and trappers from other nations, most notably Britain and then the United States. Captain Robert Gray (for whom Grays Harbor county is named) then discovered the mouth of the Columbia River. The Lewis and Clark expedition entered the state on October 10, 1805.

In 1819, Spain ceded their original claims to this territory to the United States. This began a period of disputed joint-occupancy by Britain and the U.S. that lasted until June 15, 1846, when Britain ceded their claims to this land with the Treaty of Oregon.

What was to become Washington State's first family was that of Washington's founder, the Black pioneer George Washington Bush and his White wife, Isabella James Bush, from Missouri and Tennessee, respectively. www.ci.tumwater.wa.us/research%20bushTOC.htm

Because of the overland migration along the Oregon Trail, many settlers wandered north to what is now Washington and settled the Puget Sound area. In 1853, Washington Territory was formed from part of Oregon Territory.

Washington became the 42^nd state in the United States on November 11, 1889.

Early prominent industries in the state included agriculture and lumber. One city in particular, Aberdeen, had the distinction of being "the roughest town west of the Mississippi" because of excessive gambling, violence, extreme drug use and prostitution (the city itself changed very little over the years and remained off-limits to military personnel well into the early 1980s).

For a long period, Tacoma was noted for its large smelters where gold, silver, copper and lead ores were treated. The region around eastern Puget Sound developed heavy industry during the period including World War I and World War II, and the Boeing company became an established icon in the area.

During the Great Depression, a series of hydroelectric dams were constructed along the Columbia river as part of a project to increase the production of electricity. This culminated in 1941 with the completion of the Grand Coulee Dam, the largest dam in the United States.

During World War II, the Puget Sound area became a focus for war industries, with the Boeing Company producing many of the nation's heavy bombers and ports in Seattle, Bremerton, and Tacoma were available for the manufacture of warships. In eastern Washington, the Hanford Works atomic energy plant was opened in 1943 and played a major role in the construction of the nation's atomic bombs.

On May 18, 1980, following a period of heavy tremors and eruptions, the northeast face of Mount St. Helens exploded outward, destroying a large part of the top of the volcano. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 134,242 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 80,974 people.

As of 2004, Washington's population included 631,500 foreign-born (10.3% of the state population), and an estimated 100,000 illegal aliens (1.6% of state population).fact

Washington is currently the 12th fastest growing state.fact

The six largest reported ancestries in Washington are: German (18.7%), English (12%), Irish (11.4%), Norwegian (6.2%), Mexican (5.6%) and Filipino (3.7%).

There are many migrant Mexican farm workers living in the southeast-central part of the state, though are also increasing as laborers in Western Washington.

Washington is the location of many Indian reservations, with some placing prominent casinos next to major interstate highways, and residents have adopted many of the artwork themes of the northwest coast indians who were noted for totem poles, longhouses, dugout canoes and pictures of animals such as the design used for the Seattle Seahawks. Significant business within the state include the design and manufacture of jet aircraft (Boeing), computer software development (Microsoft, Amazon.com, Nintendo of America), electronics, biotechnology, aluminum production, lumber and wood products, mining, and tourism. See list of United States companies by state.

The state of Washington is one of only seven states that does not levy a personal income tax. The total value of its livestock and specialty products was $1.5 billion, the 26th highest.

In 2004, Washington ranked first in the nation in production of red raspberries (90.0% of total U.S. production), wrinkled seed peas (80.6%), hops (75.0%), spearmint oil (73.6%), apples (58.1%), sweet cherries (47.3%), pears (42.6%), peppermint oil (40.3%), Concord grapes (39.3%), carrots for processing (36.8%), and Niagara grapes (31.6%). Washington also ranked second in the nation in production of lentils, fall potatoes, dry edible peas, apricots, grapes (all varieties taken together), asparagus (over a third of the nation's production), sweet corn for processing, and green peas for processing; third in tart cherries, prunes and plums, and dry summer onions; and fifth in wheat, cranberries, and strawberries.

Transportation

Washington has an extensive system of state highways, called State Routes, as well as the third-largest ferry system in the world. There are 140 public airfields in Washington, including 16 state airports owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation. Washington is home for the five longest floating bridges in the world: the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, Lacey V. Hadley Bridge over Lake Washington, and the Hood Canal Bridge connecting the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas.

The Cascade Mountain Range also provides unique transportation challenges.

Law and government

The bicameral Washington State Legislature is the state's legislative branch. The state legislature is composed of a lower House of Representatives and an upper State Senate, with 49 legislative districts apiece.

The U.S. Congress

The two U.S. Senators from Washington are Senator Patty Murray (D) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D).

Washington representatives in the United States House of Representatives are Jay Inslee (D-1), Richard Ray (Rick) Larsen (D-2), Brian Baird (D-3), Richard Norman "Doc" Hastings (R-4), Cathy McMorris (R-5), Norm Dicks (D-6), Jim McDermott (D-7), David Reichert (R-8), and Adam Smith (D-9).

State elected officials

Executive

Christine Gregoire, Governor (D)
Brad Owen, Lieutenant Governor (D)
Sam Reed, Secretary of State (R)
Rob McKenna, Attorney General (R)
Mike Murphy, Treasurer (D)
Brian Sonntag, Auditor (D)
Terry Bergeson, Superintendent of Public Instruction (non partisan office)
Doug Sutherland, Commissioner of Public Lands (R)
Mike Kreidler, Insurance Commissioner (D)

Legislature

Washington State Legislature
- Washington House of Representatives
- Washington State Senate

Judicial

Washington Supreme Court

Politics

The state has been thought of as politically divided by the Cascade Mountains, with Western Washington being liberal (particularly greater Seattle) and Eastern Washington being conservative. In 1968, it was the only Western state to give its electoral votes to Hubert Humphrey.

While the Democratic Party has long dominated Washington, the 2004 Washington gubernatorial election was among the closest races in United States election history. This final recount overturned the initial results and resulted in a lead for Christine Gregoire, the Democratic candidate, of 129 votes, or 0.0045% of the 2,810,058 votes cast.2004 Washington State Gubernatorial Election 2nd Recount Results As this second recount was the last allowed for by Washington election law, Gregoire was inaugurated on 12 January 2005. The final official count left Gregoire ahead by 133 votes.

Washington has the distinction for being the first and so far only state to elect women to all three major statewide offices (state governor and two U.S. Senate seats) at the same time.

On January 30, 2006 Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law legislation making Washington the 17th state in the nation to protect gay and lesbian people from discrimination in housing, lending, and employment, and the 7th state in the nation to offer these protections to transgendered people. As a result, the law went into effect on June 7, 2006.

See also List of Washington Governors

Important cities and towns

Seattle
Spokane
Tacoma
Tri-Cities
Vancouver
Bellevue
Everett
Bremerton
Bellingham
Yakima
Olympia
Port Angeles

Education

Colleges and universities

State universities

Central Washington University
Eastern Washington University
The Evergreen State College
University of Washington
Washington State University
Western Washington University

Private universities

Antioch University Seattle
Argosy University/Seattle
Art Institute of Seattle
Bastyr University
City University
Cornish College of the Arts
DeVry University
DigiPen Institute of Technology
Gonzaga University
Henry Cogswell College
Heritage College
Northwest University

Pacific Lutheran University
St. Martin's University
School of Visual Concepts
Seattle Bible College
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle University
Trinity Lutheran College
University of Puget Sound
Walla Walla College
Whitman College
Whitworth College

Community colleges

Bates Technical College
Bellevue Community College
Bellingham Technical College
Big Bend Community College
Cascadia Community College
Centralia College
Clark College
Clover Park Technical College
Columbia Basin College
Edmonds Community College
Everett Community College
Grays Harbor College
Green River Community College
Highline Community College
Lake Washington Technical College
Lower Columbia College

Olympic College
Peninsula College
Pierce College
Renton Technical College
Seattle Community College District
Shoreline Community College
Skagit Valley College
South Puget Sound Community College
Spokane Community College
Spokane Falls Community College
Tacoma Community College
Walla Walla Community College
Wenatchee Valley College
Whatcom Community College
Yakima Valley Community College

Professional sports teams

Club	Sport	League	City & Stadium
Seattle Seahawks	Football	National Football League;NFC	Seattle, Qwest Field
Seattle Mariners	Baseball	Major League Baseball;AL	Seattle, Safeco Field
Seattle SuperSonics	Basketball	National Basketball Association	Seattle, KeyArena
Seattle Thunderbirds	Ice Hockey	Western Hockey League	Seattle, KeyArena
Seattle Storm	Basketball	Women's National Basketball Association	Seattle, KeyArena
Seattle Sounders	Soccer	USL First Division(men's) W-League (women's)	Seattle, Qwest Field
Bellingham Slam	Basketball	American Basketball Association	Bellingham, Whatcom Community College
Bellevue Blackhawks	Basketball	American Basketball Association	Bellevue, Meydenbauer Center
Everett Silvertips	Ice Hockey	Western Hockey League	Everett, Everett Events Center
Spokane Chiefs	Ice Hockey	Western Hockey League	Spokane, Spokane Arena
Tri-City Americans	Ice Hockey	Western Hockey League	Kennewick, Toyota Center
Tri-City Fever	Indoor Football	National Indoor Football League	Kennewick, Toyota Center
Tri-City Dust Devils	Baseball	Northwest League;A	Pasco, Tri-City Stadium
Tacoma Rainiers	Baseball	Pacific Coast League;AAA	Tacoma, Cheney Stadium
Spokane Indians	Baseball	Northwest League;A	Spokane, Avista Stadium
Everett AquaSox	Baseball	Northwest League;A	Everett, Everett Memorial Stadium
Yakima Bears	Baseball	Northwest League;A	Yakima, Yakima County Stadium
Everett Hawks	Arena Football	AF2	Everett, Everett Events Center
Spokane Shock	Arena Football	AF2	Spokane, Spokane Arena

Miscellaneous topics

Three ships of the United States Navy, including two battleships, have been named USS Washington in honor of the state.

State symbols

The State song is "Washington, My Home", the State bird is the American Goldfinch and the State fruit is the Apple.

References

Additional topics

Company HistoryFinance: Holding Companies

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