A few words about Seattle: climate, location, features

Seattle is located between Puget Sound in the west and Lake Washington in the east. The city’s main harbor, Elliott Bay, is part of Puget Sound, which makes the city a port. The seas, rivers, forests, lakes and fields are great for sailing, skiing, biking, camping and hiking.

Seattle has a generally warm temperate climate. It has cool, wet winters and mild, relatively dry summers, which have a strong effect on vegetation. Thanks to the lakes and bays adjacent to the city, there is almost no extreme heat or cold.

Despite the reputation of a rainy city, there is less rainfall in Seattle than in Chicago or New York, but there are many more days when there is light drizzle. According to statistics, it is cloudy 201 days a year and partially cloudy 93 days.

Seattle's economy is driven by a combination of industrial and technology companies related to service and design. The gross income of the city in 2010 amounted to 231 billion dollars. After the 2008 crisis, Seattle maintained a relatively strong economy and remained a place for numerous startups.

In February 2010, the government decided to make the city “climate neutral” and achieve a reduction in per capita greenhouse gas emissions by zero by 2030.

Seattle story

Seattle was founded in 1851 by settlers led by Arthur Denny, who were led here by a craving to find useful resources. The goal was fulfilled successfully — rich forests were found here, which were very convenient to deliver through calm bays. And if at first the city was very small, then by the end of the 19th century the number of inhabitants reached 42,000.

In 1889, a fire in the workshop spread to neighboring wooden houses, as a result of which pretty quickly most of Seattle burned out. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and the city itself was recovering again.

The gold rush brought prosperity, and the settlement grew even larger. By 1900, more than 80,000 people lived here, and by 1920 — 315,000, many of whom worked in the field of lumber and shipbuilding.

Pike Place Market was founded in 1907, and in 1916, William Boeing founded an aircraft manufacturing company here. Berta Landes became Seattle's first female mayor in 1926.

The city was badly damaged during the Depression of the 1930s, but its industry flourished again during World War II. A huge number of aircraft were assembled here. After establishing peace in 1945, Seattle experienced a recession from which the 1962 World Fair helped to climb out. The Space Needle Tower, impressive in appearance, has become the main asset of the fair.

Meanwhile, by 1950, the population of Seattle had grown to 467,000. Many parks began to open: Occidental, Klondike, Gas Plant. Today, Seattle is one of the thriving US technology cities with large corporations, from Amazon to Microsoft. In 2018, the number of inhabitants amounted to 730,000 people.

Interesting Facts

• The name of the city comes from the name Chief Sealth, the leader of the Duvish tribe, who worked closely with the first settlers.
• Over 50% of people over 25 years old have graduated, making Seattle the most educated city in America.
• Seattle is surrounded by the Merrow and Evergreen Point bridges, which are the two longest floating bridges not only in the US but also in the world.
• In the United States, there are 6 large companies based here: Costco, Boeing, Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft and UPS.
• Since the city was devastated by fire in the 19th century, its restoration led to the emergence of the underground part — 31 quarters were demolished, two floors above which new buildings were rebuilt.
• When you reach the observation deck of the Space Needle Tower, you will see the Rainier and Baker Mountains, as well as Elliott Bay. As the upper part of the tower is constantly turning, the opening appearance also changes.
• Seattle played a key role in the history of American music. The jazz career of such great people as Ray Charles and Quincy Jones, as well as the grunge musical style, originated here.
• This is one of the few major cities in the United States where there is no theme park. The city is considered too rainy for them to be profitable.
• Seattle is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire geographical region, known for its seismic activity.