OLYMPIA, Wash – For decades, people have referred to Washington as the evergreen state. Turns out, the nickname is not official. A bill moving through the state legislature would change that.
Senate Bill 5000 would adopt the evergreen state as the official state nickname.
According to the bill, a newspaper columnist and Seattle realtor named Charles Tallmadge (C.T.) Conover coined the name “The Evergreen State” in a booklet called Washington the Evergreen State and Seattle its Metropolis.
The nickname is used on state license plates and memorabilia; however, it never became the official nickname.
The bill’s summary notes that Washington has an official flag, a state song, a state dance and a state seal.
Heck, the legislature is even considering naming a state cactus this session.
Why not an official nickname?
The bill says this wouldn’t require any state entities to update or revise existing documents or publications.
SB 5000 passed unanimously in the senate last session but never made it out of committee in the house.
This session, it again passed the senate with all yea votes. It’s moving through house committees now.
Washington is home to about 25 native evergreen tree species.
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