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^ Oh I'm sure Washington is far more than just Amazon, Microsoft and Starbucks despite my lame joke, in fact now that you mentioned the flora and fauna, a while ago I read somewhere that a little southwards from there (Oregon and California) can be found earth's oldest trees. I personally don't care about plants but it's one of those things you can't debate/object, like if Nepal say they have the highest mountain it's pointless to argue that "yeah but our mountains have more grass" - it's over, Everest is the winner.
It's definitely quite a bit of natural beauty. Some of the cities and towns are pretty nice when they deviate from the American suburban sprawl of strip malls and big box stores.
That's offensive to the UK lol. You're comparing arguably the most popular city in the world (London - competing vs NYC and Paris...) to a state where the only interesting thing is a guy with questionable "work ethic" who somehow got the richest person in the world (Jeff Bezos).
Not only that but you have Scotland, Liverpool etc...
Lol are you serious? Jeff Bezos is one of the least interesting things about Washington.
Let's start with the biodiversity and geological diversity. The UK doesn't even come close. Washington is one of the most beautiful places on this planet.
Next let's talk about contributions.
Dale Chihuly, native to Tacoma, Wa. Tacoma is the 3rd largest city in Wa with the largest port in the state and an industrial/ artsy/ funky culture. https://flic.kr/p/25p3Hnc
Museum of Glass, funded and created by Dale Chihuly. Chihuly also invested in the city's public schools that have had glass blowing programs and opportunities for years. You'll find a lot of glass artists in and from Tacoma. https://flic.kr/p/ciF3pU https://www.flickr.com/photos/ap0013/39337980595
We also have some of the wealthiest people in the world who live here. (Not a good thing, but should be noted, and yes that includes Bezos)
Bill Gates (Microsoft/ Bill and Melinda Gates foundation)
Jeff Bezos (Amazon)
Howard Schultz (Starbucks)
There are many more, those I believe are the top 3.
In addition to having Microsoft, Amazon, and Starbucks being from/ headquartered here there is also
Zillow
Redfin
Nordstrom
Boeing (was from here, large part of Wa state history)
Costco
T-Mobile
Expedia
Alaska Airlines
REI
Weyerhaeuser
Eddie Bauer
Nintendo
Tableau
Zulily
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
many many more.
We also have a major tech presence from Bay Area companies such as Google, Facebook, Apple, etc.
We're home to some of the biggest names in music - Odesza, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Macklemore, Heart, Sir Mix a lot, Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, the Head and the Heart, Lil Mosey, Band of horses, Quincy Jones, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, The Presidents of the United States of America, Bing Crosby, and more.
Known as one of the most progressive places in the United States, first to legalize marijuana (and Colorado), fist to set 15/ h minimum wage, most progressive labor laws in the U.S., decriminalized drugs, many cities require developers to create affordable housing, representative Jayapal is working on medicare for all, college for all, and an ultra billionare tax, one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly places in the U.S...
I could go on. These are some highlights I wanted to share to give you and others a better idea of Washington state.
I think the UK is a clear winner in many categories such as more International, diverse, larger economy, more major cities, more urban amenities, better transit, etc.
I thought about making it just England vs. Washington instead of UK. I get that the cities don't compare since you can't really compare Spokane to Manchester or even Edinburgh for that matter. WA has some advantages though, especially the scenery/mountains. London has a similar climate as Seattle but without the background of mountains. The highest mountain in England is under 1000 meters/3200 ft (Scafell Pike), while Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest in the British Isles at 1345 m/4400 ft. London makes up for it with its world class amenities however. Seattle does have a "Little London" kind of vibe, although I was surprised (and disappointed) that there aren't many British pubs there. One of them is an Elephant & Castle which is a part of a chain with a handful of locations throughout the US.
I live in Seattle and would prefer the UK for both. I don’t think it’s particularly close, either, outside of a few specific categories. I think the culture/people in the UK are fantastic. The culture in Washington state, for the most part, sucks. The only area where Washington wins is nature/outdoors which is pretty amazing.
I thought about making it just England vs. Washington instead of UK. I get that the cities don't compare since you can't really compare Spokane to Manchester or even Edinburgh for that matter. WA has some advantages though, especially the scenery/mountains. London has a similar climate as Seattle but without the background of mountains. The highest mountain in England is under 1000 meters/3200 ft (Scafell Pike), while Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest in the British Isles at 1345 m/4400 ft. London makes up for it with its world class amenities however. Seattle does have a "Little London" kind of vibe, although I was surprised (and disappointed) that there aren't many British pubs there. One of them is an Elephant & Castle which is a part of a chain with a handful of locations throughout the US.
There are a few decent British pubs to be found and there’s also a place I found that makes very respectable Cornish pasties.
The stereotype of "Washington" as mild, rainy, and green dies hard. The eastern two-thirds of Washington is arid with hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. The UK has nothing like it.
I agree that Washington doesn't rival the UK in several of the other categories, but I think it wins in weather for having more variety and an actual summer.
I'm sure what you say here rings true, but believe me NOWHERE on the planet suffers from inaccurate weather stereotypes more than the UK! As much as you protest about Washington being classed as 'rainy and green' I bet if you were asked you would pretty much lump the whole UK as 'rainy' or drizzly wouldn't you?
I'm sure what you say here rings true, but believe me NOWHERE on the planet suffers from inaccurate weather stereotypes more than the UK! As much as you protest about Washington being classed as 'rainy and green' I bet if you were asked you would pretty much lump the whole UK as 'rainy' or drizzly wouldn't you?
Also the British have been stereotyped as always being irritated and complaining about the weather. I once had a friend in England who admitted it herself saying "That's what we do", complaining from all the rain and then complaining because it's too hot. Meanwhile Washingtonians are stereotyped as being depressed and antisocial (so many discussions about the "Seattle Freeze" phenomenon).
I'm sure what you say here rings true, but believe me NOWHERE on the planet suffers from inaccurate weather stereotypes more than the UK! As much as you protest about Washington being classed as 'rainy and green' I bet if you were asked you would pretty much lump the whole UK as 'rainy' or drizzly wouldn't you?
Well...er...compared to where I live, very much so. A stretch of six rainless months every year is very normal and expected here.
Washington only has a slice that is rainy and green. If there are areas of the UK that are actually dry like Eastern Washington or Southern California, I'd like to know about them. I just read an article that said the driest city in the UK has "only" 11 days of rain per month between October and March. Hilarious.
Well...er...compared to where I live, very much so. A stretch of six rainless months every year is very normal and expected here.
Washington only has a slice that is rainy and green. If there are areas of the UK that are actually dry like Eastern Washington or Southern California, I'd like to know about them. I just read an article that said the driest city in the UK has "only" 11 days of rain per month between October and March. Hilarious.
Thanks for proving my point so explicitly!
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