These are 25 of the most underrated things about WA, here’s why

Don't sleep on Washington State, and don't take these wonderful things for granted!

Washington State™ is one of the most desired places to live in America, and why not? There’s so much to love about it! We have amazing national parks, historic sites along the Lewis & Clark Trail, award-winning restaurants, funtastic festivals and parades, friendly-ish people, and scenic beauty that surpasses all the rest of the country!

We take so many things for granted. Here's a quick refresh about why we are so lucky to be living here! If you were to ask a Washington State™ resident to name something that is underrated, you would likely be surprised by what they say.

One comment I saw about what we take for granted here in Washington (that I saw on Reddit) includes “the smell in the forest after a rain.” That is one activity I have never tried, so I’ll have to add it to my bucket list!

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Here’s why I think the items on this list resonate with so many people here in WA State: we are smart enough to see just how much we can take for granted during the course of our daily lives. Take #17 on the list, for example: Drinkable water. It makes us think of other states that don’t have that luxury (like some parts of Michigan). And item #6? I can’t think of any other states on the mainland that have ice caves! We are so lucky to live here!

The Debbie Downer Side Effects of Living in Washington State

via GIPHY

Sure, there are some Debbie Downer side effects, like what you might hear on one of those prescribed medication TV commercials, ha!

Side Effects of Washington State™ include: The cost of living is sky high; sometimes we pay almost $5 a gallon for gas; affordable housing is a thing of the past; traffic in Seattle will almost literally drive you batty; we might be facing a serious budget deficit in the billions by 2026; one of our volcanoes is due to explode any day now; and for some reason we sure do have a lot of weird serial killers… Consult your therapist to see if living in Washington is right for you!

25 Things We Shouldn't Take for Granted in Washington State

1. Being able to take the ferry (and we have the largest ferry system in the USA)
2. Little to no mosquitoes compared to the Midwest and The South
3. We’ve got Bigfoot and named him Sasquatch
4. North Cascades Scenic Highway 20
5. Waterfalls
6. Ice Caves
7. Volcanoes
8. Boater’s and paddleboarder’s paradise
9. River Rafting
10. The salmon
11. Voting by mail
12. We grow more potatoes than Idaho
13. The fresh air
14. You can forage for food in all seasons
15. Our wine is better than California's
16. Our beer
17. Drinkable water
18. No Income Tax
19. Blue Agates in Ellensburg
20. Strength, resilience, and beauty of our Washington tribes
21. Orcas
22. The Weather
23. Lack of bugs compared to the rest of the US
24. It’s just so beautiful
25. Cities like Leavenworth and Seattle

Notable things I didn’t see much mention of our food beyond foraging and salmon. Wait, someone did mention blackberries (but that comment wasn’t liked by a lot of people)!

You can see some of the other comments here.