Why So Few Americans Live in Eastern Washington Compared to Western Washington

Описание: Look at Washington State from space at night, and you'll see something strange — a bright blaze of city lights clustered along the coast, then almost complete darkness across the eastern half. King County alone, home to Seattle, has more people than the entire eastern side of the state combined. Same state, same latitude, yet one half holds millions while the other remains one of the emptiest regions in America. Why?

In this video, we uncover the powerful geographic force that split Washington in two: the Cascade Mountains and their dramatic rain shadow effect. We explore how Pacific moisture drenches Seattle with 37 inches of rain while Yakima survives on just 8 inches. We trace the history from the Klondike Gold Rush that supercharged Seattle's growth, to the Columbia Basin Project that tried to turn desert into farmland. And we reveal why modern tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft chose the wet side — sealing Eastern Washington's fate as agricultural land, not urban sprawl. Geography doesn't just shape landscapes. It shapes destinies.

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📍 Exploring the patterns that divide America — one region at a time.

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