Seattle
Largest city in Washington, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Seattle (/siˈætəl/ ⓘ see-AT-əl) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2022 population of 749,256[10] it is the most populous city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The Seattle metropolitan area's population is 4.02 million, making it the 15th-largest in the United States.[11] Its growth rate of 21.1% between 2010 and 2020 made it one of the country's fastest-growing large cities.[12]
Seattle | |
|---|---|
| City of Seattle | |
 Downtown Seattle skyline The Space Needle with the Olympic Mountains in the background | |
| Nickname(s): The Emerald City, Jet City, Rain City | |
| Motto(s): The City of Flowers, The City of Goodwill | |
 Location within King County | |
  Seattle Location within the State of Washington Show map of Washington (state) Seattle Location within the United States Show map of the United States Seattle Location within North America Show map of North America | |
| Coordinates: 47°36′35″N 122°19′59″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | King |
| Founded | November 13, 1851 (1851-11-13) |
| Incorporated as a town | January 14, 1865 (1865-01-14) |
| Incorporated as a city | December 2, 1869 (1869-12-02) |
| Named for | Chief Si'ahl |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Body | Seattle City Council |
| • Mayor | Bruce Harrell (D) |
| • Deputy mayors | Monisha Harrell, Tiffany Washington, and Kendee Yamaguchi |
| Area | |
| • City | 142.07 sq mi (367.97 km2) |
| • Land | 83.99 sq mi (217.54 km2) |
| • Water | 58.08 sq mi (150.43 km2) |
| • Metro | 8,186 sq mi (21,202 km2) |
| Elevation | 175 ft (53 m) |
| Highest elevation | 520 ft (158 m) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Population | |
| • City | 737,015 |
| • Estimate (2022)[2] | 749,256 |
| • Rank | 58th in North America 18th in the United States 1st in Washington |
| • Density | 8,775.03/sq mi (3,387.95/km2) |
| • Urban | 3,544,011 (US: 13th) |
| • Urban density | 3,607.1/sq mi (1,392.7/km2) |
| • Metro | 4,018,762 (US: 15th) |
| Demonym | Seattleite[5] or Seattlite[6] |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Codes | |
| Area code | 206 |
| FIPS code | 53-63000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1512650[9] |
| Website | www |
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Seattle is situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington. It is the northernmost major city in the United States, located about 100 miles (160 km) south of the Canadian border. A major gateway for trade with East Asia, the Port of Seattle is the fourth-largest port in North America in terms of container handling as of 2021[update].[13]
The Seattle area was inhabited by Native Americans for at least 4,000 years before the first permanent European settlers.[14] Arthur A. Denny and his group of travelers, subsequently known as the Denny Party, arrived from Illinois via Portland, Oregon, on the schooner Exact at Alki Point on November 13, 1851.[15] The settlement was moved to the eastern shore of Elliott Bay in 1852 and named "Seattle" in honor of Native American Chief Si'ahl of the local Duwamish and Suquamish tribes. Seattle currently has high populations of Native Americans alongside Americans with strong Asian, African, European, and Scandinavian ancestry, and hosts the sixth-largest LGBT community in the U.S.[16]
Logging was Seattle's first major industry, but by the late 19th century, the city had become a commercial and shipbuilding center as a gateway to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. Growth after World War II was partially due to the local Boeing company, which established Seattle as a center for aircraft manufacturing. The Seattle area developed into a technology center from the 1980s onwards with companies like Microsoft becoming established in the region; Microsoft founder Bill Gates is a Seattleite by birth. Internet retailer Amazon was founded in Seattle in 1994, and major airline Alaska Airlines is based in SeaTac, Washington, serving Seattle's international airport, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. The stream of new software, biotechnology, and Internet companies led to an economic revival, which increased the city's population by almost 50,000 between 1990 and 2000.
The culture of Seattle is heavily defined by its significant musical history. Between 1918 and 1951, nearly 24 jazz nightclubs existed along Jackson Street, from the current Chinatown/International District to the Central District. The jazz scene nurtured the early careers of Ernestine Anderson, Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and others. The city is also the origin of rock acts such as Foo Fighters, Heart, and Jimi Hendrix, as well as the grunge subgenre of rock and its pioneering bands Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden.[17]