Washington’s state motto is “Alki,” a Native American Chinook word meaning “future hope” or “eventually.” It comes from the settlement of “New York Alki” which later became Seattle. It is the only unofficial state motto and is depicted on the Washington Territory seal. The state seal and flag are simple, depicting George Washington and the state seal respectively. State mottos are adopted to mark important moments or express beliefs, and are made official by legislators to protect their meaning.
Washington’s state motto is “Alki,” a Native American Chinook word meaning “bye and bye,” “I’ll see you again,” “future hope,” or “eventually.” The Alki motto comes from a group of early New York settlers who named their new settlement “New York” after the great city on the East Coast. This new settlement did not experience such explosive growth, however, and was renamed “New York Alki” or “Alki Point, New York” in hopes that the area would eventually thrive. Alki Point later developed into the present day cosmopolitan city of Seattle. Washington’s state motto is the only motto of all 50 states to remain unofficial.
The word alki was depicted on the Washington Territory seal before the territory obtained statehood in 1889. On one side of the seal is depicted an immigrant wagon and the ubiquitous early settler’s log cabin in a spruce forest; the other side shows an anchor and a sailing ship in the water and the Native American “goddess of hope” pointing to the word alki. The territorial seal was replaced in 1889 with the state seal which depicted the namesake of the new state.
Washington’s other state emblems are often considered simple. The state seal depicts an ink drawing of President George Washington, his likeness taken from a silver dollar and postage stamp. As for the state flag, it is dark green with the state seal in the center. The Washington state motto may be the shortest motto of all the states, consisting of one simple word: alki.
A state usually adopts a motto to mark an important moment in its history, or to express the beliefs, ideas or thoughts of its citizens or the state as a whole. State legislators make the motto official to protect the phrase and its meaning from unauthorized official use, usually as part of a state seal or other state symbol, and to set a standardized word or patriotic phrase common to all citizens of the state. In some cases, a territory or state may have casually adopted a state motto for many years before deeming it official in legislative acts. The Washington state motto is unique in that the motto “Alki” has been in use since 1851, but the Washington state legislature has not officially adopted it as a state symbol.
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