I. Introduction
A.
Seattle has an ethereal touch of nature because of its
spectacular views and mild temperature. It is a
picturesque metropolitan area surrounded by mountains
and water. It is the largest city in Washington State. It
is known as the birthplace for “grunge” music and
numerous coffee shops.
B.
Seattle lies 113 miles (182 km) south of the US-Canadian
border on the western edge of the continent.
II. Historical Origins of the City
A. In 1869 Seattle was incorporated as a city. Seattle is
named after the chief of the Duwamish Indian tribes. It
experienced its first economic boom in the late 1890s, as
the last US departure point for those chasing the Klondike
Gold Rush. The arrival of the Great Northern Railway and
the opening of the Panama Canal gave way to the
economic growth of Seattle.
B. The first settlers were five pioneer families from Illinois
who settled at Alki Point but soon moved to the more
sheltered eastern side Elliot Bay in 1851 where downtown
is today.
C. A subterranean Seattle exists in the Pioneer Square
District due to the devastating Seattle fire in 1889.
III. What the city is like today.
A. Total population as of 2003 is 563,347 resides in the city.
B. Never married- 41%, Married- 39.9%, Separated 1.6%,
Divorced 11.4%, and Widowed 5.4%.
1. White/European- American 74%, Asian 14%,
black/African-American 7% and Latino 5%.
2. Majority Christian of equally Catholic and Protestant
congregations, Buddhist comprises the largest
minority and with smaller Jewish and
Muslim minorities.
3. Male- 49.9%; Female- 50.1%.
4. Unemployed 3.1% (for population 25 years old and
over).
IV. Present day quality of life.
A. Seattle earned a top-ten “great cities” ranking in the Money
magazine because of the combination of it’s big-city
facilities and small-town coziness. It is rather a wonderful
livable city. Only the Health care and transportation
expenses are significantly higher in Seattle than in other
states. However, utilities and housing are much cheaper in
comparison.
B. Seattle is nationally recognize to have an advanced
technology, diverse economic sectors such as agriculture,
services, manufacturing and international trade. Also
Seattle offers superior education and health care.
1. Seattle has 114 public schools, 300 private and
parochial school, 8 private universities and colleges,
8 community colleges and 2 technical colleges.
2. The first hill that is actually nicknamed “Pill Hill” due
to the enormous medical facilities crowded into it’s
slopes is located in East downtown of Seattle.
3. The average commute in and around Seattle is 23
minutes (non-peak drive time) and 45 minutes (peak
drive time).
a. Bus system- comprises of 1.200 that runs
downtown (with a five-station free ride zone)
and around the city suburbs.
b. Vans- consists of more than 700 that extends to
the largest public vanpool fleet in the U.S.
c. Ferry system- connects from Seattle to Puget
Sound, Alaska, and
Canada.
d. The Seattle-Tacoma International Airportserves as many as 28 million people a year.
hes; Annual snowfall
C. S is about seven inches.
Annual rainfall is about 37 inches; Annual snowfall is about
seven inches.
D.
2003 Uniform Crime Statistics for
SEATTLE, Washington
Crime Index
Murders
Rapes
872
34
174
Robberies
1,509
Assaults
2,229
Burglaries
8,536
Thefts
Motor Vehicles Thefts
Arsons
28,718
9,052
205
V. Primary Occupations & Industries
A. International Trade- The port of Seattle is the fifth-largest
container port in the US and one of the top 25 in the world.
It’s estimated that $ 36 billion flow from the port industry
yearly.
B. Aerospace- Over 1000 aerospace-intensive and aerospacerelated manufacturing firms in the state including Boeing,
the largest airplane manufacturer in the world.
C. Biotechnology and R&D- generates $2 billion annually and
have created 15,800 jobs in 170 companies including nonprofit organizations. It contributes revenues of
approximately $5 billion annually.
D. Software- Seattle region is ranked fifth in the nation in
terms of the number of high-tech business residing in
there. Microsoft, the world’s largest software company
including 2,500 software development firms generates
more than $6 billion.
E. Starbucks- strings of café in every second corner of
Seattle.
VI. Landmarks or Places that make the city well known
A. Seattle’s major attractions are the Space Needle, Seattle
Center, Puget Sound Railroad Museum, Pacific Science
Center and Museum of Flight.
VII. Personal reflection of the city
A. I’d love to live in Seattle when I retire. I am a nature lover.
Thus, the combination of Seattle’s surrounding water and
mountains provides panoramic and stunning views from
many vantage point throughout Seattle.