Saying This Will Surely Piss Off People Living in Washington

It's not easy living in Washington sometimes. It's the only state named after a president and yet it's still so foreign to people living in other states. Whenever I travel out of state and people ask me where I'm from, I hear one of two phrases that every Washingtonian knows all too well.

Oh, you're from Washington D.C.?

People on the east coast always assume Washington is short for something. The fact that I have to call my home state "Washington State" to avoid confusion is pretty sad. No other state seems to have this problem. There is a whole different coast on the other side of the country, you know. I heard this one far too many times to count when I told my friends in Iowa I was moving to Washington. Sure, we were grade school kids but Washington is one of the fifty states! I thought this was elementary.

You must love all the rain!

Washington is more than Seattle. Sure, almost half of the state's population is in King County but it does not represent the life of every Washingtonian. Eastern Washington is almost desert-like with its arid climate. Most people don't realize that Washington is one of the biggest exporters of agriculture in the United States, and by the way, it's more than just apples. Washington boasts a large dairy industry alongside wheat, potatoes, cherries, and other essential foods. As far as wine production, only California exports more than Washington. I love Seattle, don't get me wrong. I'm just tired of explaining that there's more going on in Washington than Starbucks, rain, and serial killers. I have to admit that I would probably annoy people visiting from other states with my ignorance but I allow myself to be hypocritical sometimes.