Evergreen forever? Washington finally on the verge of having official nickname

Published 9:38 pm Friday, February 27, 2009

First, we have to get into our Wayback Machine and head to Nov. 11, 1889. That’s when Washington became the 42nd state in the union. And that’s when Seattle real estate agent C.T. Conover bestowed the nickname “The Evergreen State.”

You’d think after 120 years and the fact that this nickname is engraved on license plates, painted on souvenirs and inscribed on the April 2007 U.S. memorial quarter honoring Washington state, that the “Evergreen State” would be official.

Well, it’s not. Nothing’s official until the lawmakers sing.

Senate Bill 5116, which would settle the issue of Washington state’s official nickname once and for all, is pending before legislators this year.

Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, is sponsoring the bill. He remains confident it should sail through with no opposition and no alternatives being offered.

“There are some bad ones out there,” Honeyford said. “So let’s codify this one and put it in a statute and kind of protect it.”

Saving us a world of embarrassment and shame. Let’s second that.

Look what happened to Oregon. “The Beaver State.” Can you say that without snickering? And poor Connecticut, once the sweetly named “Nutmeg State,” now the oh-so-boring “Constitution State.”

Hawaii is the “Aloha State.” Is that hello or goodbye? Missouri’s the “Show-me State.” Show me what? Huh? And New Mexico is the “Land of Enchantment.” What are they smoking?

So you see, Honeyford has the right idea: Once you’ve tested out a nickname that works, best to nail it down.

“I think it’s a good nickname and that prevents having the option of calling us ‘The Boeing State,’ ” Honeyford said. “That is kind of ridiculous. So I thought, ‘Put (the bill) in.’ It doesn’t cost anything and that’s important these days.”

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424, goffredo@heraldnet.com.