The University of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Also known as Washington and locally as The U or UW (usually pronounced "U-Dub"), it is the largest university in the Northwestern United States and the oldest public university in Washington. The UW maintains three locations, with its flagship campus in Seattle's University District and branch campuses in Tacoma and Bothell. Its operating budget for fiscal year 2005 was $3.1 billion. blank">University of Washington Annual Report (January 2006). The university is known as a _Public Ivy, an American term for state-funded institutions of higher learning that "provide[s] an Ivy League collegiate experience at a public school price."
