Choose Washington Blog
Shine on me, shine on me.
In a state that’s often maligned for its cloudy weather comes proof that the sun does actually shine in Washington. Workers are putting finishing touches to 82,000 solar panels that will soon be converting energy from the sun into energy for homes and businesses in...
And the runner-up is…
After an exhaustive nationwide search, Amazon announced that it would divide some of its future operations between New York City and Arlington, Virginia, creating HQ2a and 2b instead of the much-anticipated HQ2. Each location will eventually employ 25,000 Amazonians...
Seattle waterfront to get a facelift.
While city planners are excited to connect the waterfront with the Pike Place Market and downtown Seattle, the Port of Seattle has some big plans of its own. The port and the city are studying a plan to invest $340 million in new facilities for cargo operations and...
Patty cake, patty cake.
It’s been said that cooking is art, baking is science. It certainly looks that way at the Washington State University Bread Lab in Mount Vernon, where leading researchers not only conduct important research on grains, but preach what they practice in an innovative...
Things are sure hoppin’ around here!
Anyone who lives in Western Washington knows that the greater Seattle area is a great place to start a business and put down some roots. The economy's growth is 5.2% net of inflation, three times faster than the average U.S. city. Incomes have grown too, up 4.7%...
Seattle is the place to be in 2019.
We usually don’t even bother to mention when we place lower than #5 in a ranking of states, but we can’t resist bragging about being the 8th top destination to visit in 2019 – in the world! Yes, the world. Lonely Planet, one of the largest publishers of guidebooks and...
Rocket test facility on state’s wish list.
Washington's growing space cluster is gaining the attention of Congress. With such industry stalwarts as Blue Origin, Spaceflight and Aerojet-Rocketdyne headquartered here, the future of the state's commercial space industry could never be brighter.Well, there is one...
Taking a quantum leap.
Quantum physics is a strange world indeed, but Boeing, Microsoft and others are exploring this new frontier to see how it can be applied to computer science. It's so important, in fact, that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says that along with artificial intelligence...
Kent in final hunt for restoration funds.
The Morrill Bank building in downtown Kent is on the shortlist to get $150,000 from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, if the city gets enough votes. Built in 1924, the building is Kent’s first bank. In its heyday, it sported a grand,...
Blue Origin snags big rocket order.
United Launch Alliance has decided that Blue Origin’s BE-4 rocket engine will be the propulsion of choice for its new Vulcan launch platform. The BE-4 has been under development since 2011 and has been vying for the contract for the last four years, completing with...
Washington snags 7th STEP grant.
Washington State received the second largest round of funding – $750,000 – in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s competitive State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) program. This marks the seventh year Washington has received the funding, which supports export...
Communities get $2.9 million for rural broadband.
Washington’s Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) is offering rural communities throughout the state $2.9 million in low-interest loans and grants to create additional connectivity to high-speed, open access broadband. Access to high-speed broadband is a key...