Seattle,
Washington lies between
Puget Sound and
Lake Washington in the
Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Seattle's wet climate causes the hilly
terrain to remain a deep green, earning the city
its nickname, "Emerald City". In summer, the
temperatures average 75 degrees, and they rarely
drop below freezing in the winter. As the
largest city in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle
reported a population of
563,374 in the 2000 Census.Seattle
provides the finest in urban entertainment and
recreation, such as hiking, fishing,
clamming, kayaking and golfing. A variety of
family friendly attractions include the
Seattle Aquarium, the
Freemont Troll,
Woodland Park Zoo,
Discovery Park,
Seattle Art Museum,
Museum of Flight,
Burke Museum,
Seattle Children's Museum,
Alki Beach and Seattle's most famous
attraction, the
Space Needle. Throughout the year, Seattle's
neighborhoods host street fairs, festivals and
larger celebrations, such as
Bumbershoot,
Seafair and the
Seattle International Film Festival. Just
outside the city limits, you can find
opportunities for river rafting, skiing,
snowboarding and hiking through breathtaking
parks.
Olympic National Park and Rainforest,
Mt. Rainier National Park,
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
and
North Cascades National Park are among the
numerous scenic areas.
Seattle, Washington is rich in cultural
history - from its founder, Chief Seattle of the
local
Suquamish tribe, to its contributions to the
music and performing arts industries. Renowned
as the birthplace of
grunge music, Seattle is where musicians
such as
Kurt Cobain of
Nirvana got their start. Seattle has
inspired a variety of other talented musicians
such as
Bill Frisell,
Kenny G.,
Queensryche and
Jimi Hendrix. Seattle is a vital center of
the performing arts. There are twenty-nine
professional
theatres, fifty-six fringe theatre
companies, and seven schools of theatre.
The Seattle Symphony Orchestra,
The Seattle Opera and the
Pacific Northwest Ballet are among the
distinguished performing arts options.
Major bodies of water such as Lake Washington
and
Lake Union make up over forty percent of
Seattle's area. With one hundred fifty bridges
in operation,
Seattle provides support for a significant
marine industry and has easily accessible
connections to the rest of the continental
United States. The
Lake Washington Ship Canal geologically
divides Seattle into north and south, while
Interstate 5 divides it into east and west.
The Interstate is the primary north-south
highway on the West Coast, and it links the
major cities in
California,
Oregon and
Washington. Its strategic location,
equidistant to
Asia or
Europe, and its situation just over one
hundred miles south of the
Canadian border, make this port city of
Seattle an ideal site for a successful business.
As the seat of
King County, Seattle serves as the regional
hub of commerce. The 2004
Fortune 500 list included five local
businesses. Those companies currently
headquartered in Seattle include
Amazon.com,
Washington Mutual,
Safeco,
Nordstrom and
Starbucks. Seattleites, known for consuming
mass quantities of coffee, also have
Tully's Coffee and
Seattle's Best Coffee in addition to
Starbucks. Boeing’s headquarters was originally
located in Seattle. Today, Boeing's commercial
airplanes division and several Boeing plants are
still in Seattle. The world-renowned
Eddie Bauer Company, founded in Seattle,
currently operates its headquarters in nearby
Redmond, WA. Other thriving companies
include
Speakeasy Inc.,
Cranium Inc.,
Getty Images and
Sub Pop, the record label that was first to
sign Nirvana. Companies looking to expand or
relocate to Seattle are encouraged to utilize
the resources provided by
Enterprise Seattle, the Economic Development
Council of Seattle and King County.
Seattle provides residents with quality
educational options. An array of
public schools, private and parochial
schools pave the way to a number of excellent
higher education institutes in the area. These
include
Seattle University,
University of Washington,
Seattle Pacific University and
Washington State University. The
Falcons,
Redhawks,
Huskies and
Cougars are sports teams affiliated with the
local colleges. Sports enthusiasts also have
several professional teams to choose from,
including the
Seattle Mariners,
Seattle Storm Basketball, the
Supersonics, the
Thunderbirds and the
Seattle Seahawks NFL team.
Seattle,
Washington offers diverse cultural
opportunities and a prosperous economy ideal for
raising a family or starting a business.
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