I felt a little guilty about making Detroit the first city—in the entire world—that I featured. Not everyone gets the Rust Belt obsession, so sorry. I’m moving on to a better-branded metro, but it’s still one that I can relate to. You know, a little cloudy, loaded with dark coffee shops, and kind of gritty (or grungy) in all its glamour. Here are 15 things that Seattle is known for. Because I’m a little sensitive about being defined by weather, I won’t allude to the clouds (rain) any further.
Its People
The city of Seattle has about 737,000 residents, and the metropolitan area has just over 4 million, good for 15th in the US. Interestingly, as of 1980, the city was actually shrinking, though it is now considered one of the fastest growing large cities—defined by having over 300,000 residents—in the country. Did you hear that Detroit?
Intelligence
On average, a lot of those people are pretty smart, earning the region the label of the eighth most-educated in the US, as measured by 11 key metrics.
Homelessness
Unfortunately, some of those people are homeless. In fact, among major metropolitan areas in the US, Seattle is in the top five in terms of the total number of homeless.
Water
Seattle is surrounded by water, with the Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) to the west and Lake Washington to the east. If you want to get fancy, Seattle could be described as an isthmus. Over 40 percent of the area of the city is attributed to water.
Shipping
Given the above, it’s not surprising that Seattle and nearby Tacoma combine to form one of the five busiest ports in the US. The Pacific Northwest location serves as a logical landing point for Asian goods destined for the American Midwest and East Coast.
Nature
To the west lie the Olympic Mountains, and to the east lie the Cascade Mountains, of which the 14,411-foot Mount Rainier is a part. As mentioned, water is in ample supply, and a car ride in essentially any direction will be met with forest, explaining why logging was the city’s first major industry.
Its Latitude
Seattle is actually farther north than places like Minneapolis, Montreal, and Quebec City. Proximity to the Pacific Ocean and protection from cold air provided by the Cascade Mountains explain the surprisingly temperate climate.
Its Companies
The Seattle area is home to some pretty big-name companies. Examples include Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Costco, Expedia, Eddie Bauer, and REI. Some other big names that started in the area and have since moved their headquarters are Boeing, UPS, and Cinnabon.
Its History
The shortest version ever—in somewhat chronological order—includes the Big Bang, Native Americans (dating back at least 4000 years), the arrival of Europeans, logging, railroad building with subsequent anti-Chinese riots, the fire of 1889 and eventual rebuild, the Klondike Gold Rush (as a supply point), shipbuilding, Boeing, Boeing’s crash in about 1970 (explaining the 1980 census numbers), and finally a rebirth starting in the 1980s fueled by none other than tech.
The Space Needle
Seattle is known for this interesting structure, completed in 1962 in advance of the World’s Fair (and inspired by the ongoing Space Race). The 30-foot deep foundation—created with a single continuous pour of concrete—provides a center of gravity near the ground floor and a sturdiness that can withstand winds up to 200 miles per hour and earthquakes up to a magnitude of 9.0. The antenna spire reaches 605 feet, and an observation deck providing 360-degree views is found at 520 feet. Other unique features include outdoor elevators and a revolving glass floor.
A Public Market
On the city’s western waterfront is located Pike Place Market, opened in 1907 and now one of the oldest continuously operating public markets in the US. An attraction is the original Starbucks (actually its second location), explaining the name of one of their most popular roasts.
Coffee
In addition to Starbucks, the area also produced other big-name coffee chains like Seattle’s Best Coffee (now a subsidiary of Starbucks) and is home to a vast array of independent coffee shops. For whatever it’s worth, among the 100 most-populated American cities—as assessed using 12 metrics—Seattle has been deemed the country’s best coffee city.
Music
The city and surrounding area were home to the grunge music scene of the 1980s and 1990s, producing the likes of Nirvana (and then Foo Fighters), Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. Seattle was also a key part of the stories of legends like Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones. Here is a more comprehensive list.
Sports
Seattle has teams in four of the five major American professional sports leagues, namely the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Soccer (MLS). Its National Basketball Association (NBA) team left for Oklahoma City in 2008.
A Hot Dog
So I’m not sure exactly how noteworthy this is, but there’s a thing called a Seattle-style hot dog, or Seattle Dog, that comes with cream cheese, sautéed onions, and other stuff if so desired. I wish I would have heard about this when I wrote about the causes of heart disease. In any event, rumor has it a Seattle Dog tastes good if you’ve indulged in craft beer.
Okay, fine. I’ll mention the rain. Seattle is not on this list of the 15 major US metropolitan areas with the most annual precipitation. So there. (Just don’t scroll down to the part about the most days with precipitation.)
4 Responses
Rain is good. Keeps the forest fires away! Sounds like a nice city.
So true!!
Was surprised about the rain fact. I wonder why so many big companies are headquartered there? Lack of state taxes?
Yes, Seattle has a lot of drizzly days, but the total amount of precipitation is not huge. In terms of the companies, that’s a good question. Perhaps the right blend of intelligence, frontier spirit, drizzly days, coffee, and no state income tax?