Central Washington is a
region of the U.S. state of Washington between the western and eastern parts of the state extending from the border with the Canadian province of
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
in the north to the border with the U.S. state of
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
in the south. Generally, the western edge is the
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...
and the eastern edge is in the vicinity of the
119th meridian west.
Central Washington is also further divided into North Central and South Central. Washington State Department of Transportation uses these groupings as part of their district office divisions.
*North Central Washington, or NCW, is defined as including Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties. The Washington State Department of Transportation and the North Central Region Library includes Grant County In addition, the library system and the Heritage Museum includes Ferry County. Wenatchee is the largest city in this region.
*South Central Washington includes Benton, Kittitas, Klickitat, and Yakima Counties, in addition to all counties south of the Snake River, in the Department of Transportation use of the term.
Washington State DOT South Central district
/ref> Yakima is the largest city in this region.
Counties
Central Washington is made up of the following counties:
* Benton
* Chelan
* Douglas
* Grant
* Kittitas
* Klickitat
* Okanogan
* Yakima
Cities of note
* Chelan
* East Wenatchee
* Ellensburg
* Ephrata
* Moses Lake
* Omak
* Wenatchee
* Yakima
* Quincy
Colleges and universities
* Central Washington University in Ellensburg
* Washington State University Tri-Cities in Richland
* Heritage University in Toppenish
* Wenatchee Valley College in Wenatchee
* Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake
* Yakima Valley College in Yakima
Notable mountain ranges
*Cascade Range
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...
* Chiwaukum Mountains
*Stuart Range
The Stuart Range is a mountain range in central Washington (state), Washington, United States. The range lies within the eastern extent of the Cascade Range immediately southwest of Leavenworth, Washington, Leavenworth and runs east–west. ...
* Wenatchee Mountains
References
External links
North Central Washington photos and information
{{Washington
Regions of Washington (state)