Seattle is a city located in the northwest of the United States of America and is the largest city in the State of Washington and the largest in the Pacific Northwest. The city is located between Lake Washington and Puget Sound Bay, on the shores of the Pacific Ocean and just 155 kilometers south of the Canadian border. It is a major cultural, educational, and economic center for the region and is the seat of King County.
The surroundings of the city lend themselves to the practice of sailing, camping, hiking, skiing, cycling among other recreational and sports activities throughout the year.
The first European settlements were established in the mid-19th century, but Seattle has been inhabited for approximately 4,000 years. The first permanent white settler was Arthur A. Denny which was followed by an integration called the Denny Party which arrived in the area on November 13, 1851. In 1853 settler David S. Maynard suggested that the settlement be called “Seattle “On behalf of the chief of the two local tribes that existed in the area called Ce-Atl, which meant Water. From that date on, the city took several nicknames, including Queen City, Gateway to Alaska, Rain City among others, currently the official nickname of the city is Emerald City.
The arts have given Seattle a lot of fame, especially for being the birthplace of grunge music and bands that popularized that style in the 90s, where the famous group Nirvana was established and it is the hometown of the extraordinary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix..
The symbol and greatest attraction of the city is the Space Needle, a 184-meter tower that dates back to 1962 and is located in the center of the city which is a kind of copy of the tower in Stuttgart, Germany.
Seattle is considered among one of the most literate cities in the United States and its population is said to be the largest coffee consumer in the country.
History
Foundation
Seatle was founded on November 13, 1851 with the arrival at Alki Point of the first European settlers, belonging to the Denny Party, then in April 1852 they moved their camp to Elliot Bay and it is incorporated as a city from 1869.
Seattle’s name comes from Noah Sealth known as Chief Seattle for being the chief of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes. By then David Swinson Maynard, one of the founders of the city, promoted naming the city with the name it currently bears in honor of the great Indian Chief.
Geography
Location
Seattle is a city with shores to the Pacific Ocean and is located between Lake Washington to the east and Puget Sound to the west. Elliott Bay is located at an entrance to this cove, where the main city’s port is located. All this vast area including the surroundings of Seattle in the past were inhabited by sedentary groups or societies of hunters and gatherers.
The Puget Sound inlet connects with Lake Washington through the navigation channel with the same name, which is located north of the city. This channel also allows the connection of Lake Union and Salmon, Portage and Union bays.
Relief
The predominant relief is undulating and the phrase that the city lies on seven hills is famous, among which we can mention Capitol Hill, First Hill, West Seattle, Beacon Hill, Queen Anne, Magnolia and the old Denny Hill.
Near the center of the city are located many of the highest areas such as Capitol Hill, First Hill and Beacon Hill which together constitute a kind of ridge along an isthmus between Elliott Bay and Lake Washington.
Seattle is located in an area of great seismic activity that is included in the Pacific Ring of Fire, for which reason the region has been affected on several occasions by phenomena of this type, including the city itself, however and despite the fact that the fault of Seattle passes just south of downtown it has not caused an earthquake since the founding of Seattle, however the Cascadia subduction zone is a constant threat of an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 or greater, capable of causing a major disaster.
The topography of the city center was altered by the construction of a boardwalk and the artificial Island Harbor.
Extension
The city has a total area of 142.5 square miles (369 km2), of which 83.9 square miles (217 km2) are land and 58.7 square miles (152 km2) are water (41.16 percent of the total area).
Climate
The climate of Seattle maintains a pleasant temperature moderate by the sea and by the protection that the mountains provide by preventing the influence of winds and storms, which is also directly related to the frequent but light orographic rains that fall in the form of drizzle caused by the Olympic Mountains, which have given rise to that it is also known as “the rainy city”. However, it only receives about 970 mm of precipitation per year.
The average temperature ranges from 0 ° C at night in winter, to 24.6 ° C in summer. The highest temperature recorded was 43.7 ° C, on July 20, 1994 and the sunniest weather typically dominates between July and September.
Snow is not seen much in the region and when it does occur it is usually light and for a short time.
Population
Seattle had 592,800 residents in 2008, of which 74.1% were white, 15.4% Asian, 9% African-American, and the remainder included American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders. The Hispanic Latino community population was 6.2% including all races.
Seattle has seen extraordinary immigration in recent decades, currently boasting the highest concentration of people of mixed race in the major metropolitan areas of the country.
Economy
Countless large companies have their headquarters in Seattle, among which are some of the largest in the United States, where the large Boeing aircraft manufacturing plants in Everett and Renton stand out, which constitute the largest company in the metropolitan area, Also Among the large companies located there are: Nordstrom, Amazon.com, and Starbucks and other powerful but lower-ranking companies are Costco, Microsoft and Nintendo, Weyerhaeuser and the truck manufacturer PACCAR as well as T-Mobile, Corixa, Immunex Amgen and ZymoGenetics
Culture
Seattle is considered an important nucleus of culture within the country and is the home of grunge for having originated there the most influential bands of this genre such as Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Soundgarden among others, it is also the regional center of performing arts and is famous for its centuries-old Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Opera, and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. The PNB School (founded 1974) is one of America’s top three ballet training institutions, and the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra is the largest youth symphony organization in the United States.
Among the cultural centers are the 5th Avenue Theater, the Benaroya Hall, the McCaw Hall and two dozen more rooms where around 100 theater production companies are prepared, including the rooms associated with the alternative theater, the Municipal Chamber also stands out. of Seattle, of neo-Romanesque style, which hosts several cultural events, especially readings and recitals.
The city’s broad cultural activity and musical life includes various musicians such as saxophonist Kenny G, two jazz greats such as Bill Frisell and Wayne Horvitz, rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot, heavy metal bands Queensryche and Nevermore and bands of rock like Harvey Danger, Goodness, among many more. Also musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Duff McKagan, Nikki Sixx and Quincy Jones received their training in Seattle.
It can be said that since the birth of grunge, the area has witnessed a diverse and influential alternative music scene.
The city is also home to countless important museums, galleries and other diverse cultural attractions.
Districts
Seattle is a city that has been increasing over time and this expansion has been the fundamental cause that has motivated a series of annexations of small towns, neighborhoods or nearby towns that later have become an integral part of the city, among of which we can highlight Wallingford, Magnolia, the University District, South Seattle, part of King County, including Southeast Seattle, Ravenna, South Park, Columbia, Ballard, West Seattle, Georgetown, Maple Leaf, Lake City, Northgate and View Ridge, which is why out of a dozen Seattle neighborhoods have local Service Centers, like small town halls, they have their own festivities, parades and summer fairs.
