Seattle

Seattle epitomizes the feel of Pacific Northwest. One can easily see the roots of America's microbrewing revolution and the espresso generation popping long before Starbucks sold its first cup. Situated in the west of Washington on a skinny slip of land between the Puget Sound and Lake Washington, Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The official nickname of the city is "the Emerald City" but is also sometimes referred to as the "Rainy City," the "Gateway to Alaska," "Queen City" and "Jet City." Lake Union and the Lake Washington Ship Canal separate the city into northern and southern halves. In 1851, a native New Yorker named David Denny accompanied by a group of settlers who were also the area's early white settlers arrived at Alki Point (today’s West Seattle) with the intention of settling along the Puget Sound. Before their arrival, the area was home to the Duwamish tribe. They relocated their settlement to Elliott Bay in April 1852 and renamed the area Seattle for the Duwamish chief Noah Sealth, chief of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes. The Seattle area had only bachelors earlier.

It was only after one of the founding fathers went back east twice to bring young unmarried women to come to Seattle. His missions proved successful when a total of 57 women accompanied him to set a more civilized society in Seattle. After having existed as an incorporated town from 1865 to 1867, Seattle was integrated as a city in 1869. With so many of the fires that destroyed cities during this period, the Great Seattle Fire destroyed the central business district. The mutilation was an opportunity for the Seattlelites to rebuild and correct the drainage and sewage problem and to grade the steep slopes and raise the streets. In 1893, the city was linked with the rest of the country with the introduction of the railroads. The lumber, shipping and general commerce soon enlarged. The city was reborn in brick and iron, centered on today's Pioneer Square. The local business flourished as Seattle became the banking centre for the nouveau riche, and the bars, brothels. The shipbuilding boom, and aircraft and atomic energy industries added to the region's pattern of profit. The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was a world's fair held in Seattle in 1909. It publicized the development of the Pacific Northwest.

The fair was set up on the grounds of the University of Washington and the fair is basically responsible for the current layout of the University of Washington campus. In 1916, William Boeing and Clyde Esterveld, with an intention to do something extraordinary launched their first airplane from Lake Union to promote an airmail service between Seattle and Canada. Boeing Aviation is still world famous, and to this day is the largest company in the area. In 2001, Boeing Aviation moved its corporate headquarters to Chicago, Illinois, but still it has its roots in Seattle. Seattle’s booming economy also relies on international trade and tech firms such as Microsoft and other software, Internet, and telecommunications companies, such as Amazon.com, RealNetworks, and AT&T Wireless. Seattle is a flourishing metropolis with several major cultural institutions in downtown, including the Seattle Art Museum, the Seattle Symphony's Benaroya Hall, and several renovated downtown theaters. Seattle University is the largest autonomous university in the Pacific Northwest and offers extensive range of academic programs and is among the top ten master's-granting universities in the West. The attractions of the city are Capitol Hill, Pike Place Market, Queen Anne, Seattle Center, and The U District. Pike Place is one of Seattle's most popular landmarks. Queen Anne has red-brick houses and apartment buildings. The sunset here is awesome. The events to enjoy in Seattle are Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras, Freedom Day Celebration, Northwest Folklife Festival. The two spectacular summer festivals are Seafair and Bumbershoot. Seattle has about twenty live theater venues in and around the area. The century-old Seattle Symphony Orchestra is among the world's most-recorded orchestras. The climate of Seattle is moderated by the sea and is snuggly protected from winds and storms by the mountains.