Washington Was Almost “Columbia”

When there were preparations for the creation of a new territory in the Pacific Northwest, U.S. officials initially planned to name it “Columbia” after the Columbia River, but they were worried that it would confuse people with the District of Columbia, especially in government paperwork and mail. To avoid that mix-up, they switched the name to “Washington” instead. The change stuck, and the territory later entered the Union as the state of Washington.

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