Seattle is the most populous city in the U.S state of Washington and the Northwestern United States. The encompassing Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan statistical area is the 15th largest in the United States, and the largest in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle is part of the 13th largest combined statistical area (CSA) in the US. A coastal city and major seaport, it is located in the western part of the state between Puget Sound, an arm of the Pacific Ocean, and Lake Washington, about 96 miles (154 km) south of the Canada – United States border. A major economic, cultural and educational center in the region, Seattle is the county seat of King County.
The Seattle area has been inhabited for at least 4,000 years, but European settlement began only in the mid-19th century. The first permanent white settlers—Arthur A. Denny and those subsequently known as the Denny Party—arrived November 13, 1851. Early settlements in the area were called "New York-Alki" ("Alki" meaning "by and by" in the local Chinook Jargon) and "Duwamps." In 1853, Doc Maynard suggested that the main settlement be renamed "Seattle," an anglicized rendition of the name of Sealth, the chief of the two local tribes.
By 2007 Census estimate, the city has a municipal population of 594,210, and a metropolitan area population of 3,263,497.
From 1869 until 1982, Seattle was known as the "Queen City." Seattle's current official nickname is the "Emerald City", the result of a contest held in the early 1980s; the reference is to the lush evergreen trees in the surrounding area. Seattle is also referred to informally as the "Gateway to Alaska," "Rain City," and "Jet City", the latter from the local influence of Boeing. Seattle residents are known as Seattleites.
Seattle is the birthplace of grunge music and has a reputation for heavy coffee consumption; coffee companies founded or based in Seattle include Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee, and Tully's. There are also many successful independent artisanal espresso roasters and cafes. Researchers at Central Connecticut State University ranked Seattle the most literate city of America's sixty-nine largest cities in 2005 and 2006, second most literate in 2007 (after Minneapolis), and tied with Minneapolis in 2008. Moreover, analysis conducted by the United States Census Bureau of 2003 survey data indicated that Seattle was the most educated large city in the U.S. with 51.6 percent of residents 25 and older having at least bachelor degrees. Based on per capita income, in 2006 the Seattle metropolitan area ranked 17th out of 363 metropolitan areas in a study by the Census Bureau. |
