Seattle is the northernmost major city on the West Coast of the United
States, and the largest city in the state of Washington. A seaport situated
on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake
Washington, about 100 miles (160 km) south of the Canada – United States
border, it is named after Chief Seattle, of the Duwamish and Suquamish
tribes. Seattle is the center of the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan
statistical area, the 15th largest in the United States, and the largest in
the northwestern United States. The major economic, cultural and educational
center in the region, Seattle is the county seat of King County. As of 1
April 2009, the city had an estimated municipal population of 602,000.
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 European
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. From 1869 until 1982, Seattle was known as the "Queen City
.[10] 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
forests of the area. Seattle is also referred to informally as the "Gateway
to Alaska", "Rain City", and "Jet City", the last from the local influence
of Boeing. Seattle residents are known as Seattleites.
History
Archaeological excavations confirm that the Seattle area has been inhabited
by humans for at least 4,000 years. By the time the first European settlers
arrived in the area, the people (now called the Duwamish Tribe) occupied at
least seventeen villages in the areas around Elliott Bay.
David Swinson ("Doc") Maynard, one of Duwamps's founders, was the primary
advocate to rename the village "Seattle" after Chief Sealth of the Duwamish
and Suquamish tribes. The term, "Seattle", appears on official Washington
Territory papers dated May 23, 1853, when the first plats for the village
were filed. In 1855, nominal land settlements were established. On January
14, 1865, the Legislature of Territorial Washington incorporated the Town of
Seattle with a board of trustees managing the city. Two years later, after a
petition was filed by most of the leading citizens, the Legislature
disincorporated the town. The town remained a precinct of King County until
late 1869 when a new petition was filed and the city was re-incorporated
with a Mayor-council government.
Topography
Seattle is located between the Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean)
to the west, and Lake Washington to the east. The city's chief harbor,
Elliott Bay, is an inlet of the Puget Sound. To the west, beyond the Puget
Sound, are the Kitsap Peninsula and Olympic Mountains on the Olympic
Peninsula; to the east, beyond Lake Washington and the eastside suburbs, are
Lake Sammamish and the Cascade Range. Lake Washington's waters flow to the
Puget Sound through the Lake Washington Ship canal (a series of two man-made
canals), Lake Union, and the Hiram C. Chittenden Locks at Salmon Bay, ending
in Shilshole Bay.
Landmarks
The Space Needle, dating from the Century 21 Exposition (1962), is Seattle's most recognizable landmark, having been featured in the logo of the television show Frasier and the backgrounds of the television series Dark Angel, Grey's Anatomy and iCarly, and films such as It Happened at the World's Fair and Sleepless in Seattle. The fairgrounds surrounding the Needle have been converted into Seattle Center, which remains the site of many local civic and cultural events, Other notable Seattle landmarks include Pike Place Market.
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