It's semi-arrid, it can easily reach 100 in the summer, and it can get really cold in the winter.
Economically, eastern Washington and eastern Oregon have been hit hard by the Great Recession.
Seattle, and Portland to a lesser extent, have both shown considerable economic improvement, but we are still well off the boom years of 2005-2008.
You must not live in Eastern Wa. I do and this is what is happening here. Tri-Cities fastest growth in US
Western WA and Western Or are very liberal but East of the Cascades are pretty much conservative. Also WA has no state income tax where Oregon and Idaho do.