A Brief History of Seattle. In search of new experiences: a trip to Seattle

Every person has their own associations with Seattle. For some, this is a city of grunge or the largest industrial center on a global scale, others remember this amazing metropolis solely thanks to footage from Sleepless in Seattle, the idols of Nirvana know for sure that this musical group originated from this city. Seattle is diverse and unique, with something new for everyone.

Five reasons to visit Seattle:

The capital of rock music. Seattle is the birthplace of this musical movement, which originated here in the second half of the 80s of the last century. We can safely assume that the musical mood here is clearly in the air, otherwise how else can one explain the appearance of such popular music stars as Mudhoney, Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters and others in one city. To fully embrace the spirit of grunge, wear jeans with holes, a plaid shirt, sneakers and go to the local clubs. There is a high probability of attending a concert of a young group that will soon explode the world charts.

Landscape art. Seattle is definitely not conservative England or prim France, everything is different here. No symmetrical alleys or even flower beds. Only green lawns mixed with factory landscapes, giant objects contemporary art throughout the park or a whole garden with glass plants. You will not see such miracles in any other city in the world.

The legacy of the film industry. Seattle is so vibrant that it was simply impossible not to immortalize it in the world film industry. The first thing that comes to mind, of course, is the sensational film “Sleepless in Seattle.” But it should be noted that this is far from the only film for which the Seattle landscapes became the setting. This city can be seen in the third part of the Twilight saga, in the Oscar-winning comedy Harry and the Hendersons, and even in the horror film The Ring.

Seattle for foodies. A self-respecting coffee lover should definitely visit Seattle and Pike Place Market to drink a cup of latte or Frappuccino in the first coffee shop from the Starbucks brand chain. Wine connoisseurs should definitely visit the Chateau Saint-Michel. There is an ancient distillery here, where tastings are regularly held and everyone can feel like a real sommelier. A pleasant bonus is a walk through the cozy courtyard of the castle, completely surrounded by vineyards. No less famous in the world is the Redhook Ale brewery, as well as the chocolate factory, where you can try Theo kosher hot chocolate with signature sweets.

Convenient travel to Canada. Seattle's geographic advantage is its proximity to the Canadian border. You can go to Vancouver for a couple of days for only fifty dollars, and even on a comfortable bus. The only condition is that you have a Canadian visa, and you can spend time in one of the most livable cities in the world.

Seattle is the largest city in the state of Washington and the entire Northwestern United States, one of the most progressive cities in the States, which gave the world Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon and Nirvana.

I came to Seattle "Cascades" from Portland - the train arrives at the local train station, King Street Station, right in the center of the city.

The first thing you see when leaving the station is the structure of Century Link Field, the stadium of one of the leading NFL teams, the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks are the most popular team in the city; the number “12” is constantly seen in the windows of various establishments - the symbol of Seahawks fans (12th player). It is not surprising that the second place in popularity in the city with the baseball Seattle Mariners is shared by the football (which is soccer) Seattle Sounders - this is noticeable in the T-shirts and caps, and on Sunday evening at the ferry terminal a crowd of Sounders fans heading to match of her team, was quite comparable to the crowd of Mariners fans returning from the match.

Seattle stretches from north to south, between the Pacific Ocean's Puget Sound and Lake Washington. The terrain is hilly - as befits any self-respecting city, Seattle stands on seven hills. The climbs and descents are not as steep as in San Francisco (with the exception of Queen Anne Hill).

It’s easy to navigate, as in most other American cities with a grid of avenues and streets intersecting at right angles. Avenues are numbered, and streets have their own names.
The climate is quite maritime and very changeable, in the morning the sun was shining, and in the evening everything was covered with clouds and a light drizzle. Or vice versa.
Seagulls also fly over the city in abundance and shit on the heads of passers-by :)

Lived at Green Tortes - the best hostel on the Pacific Coast of the United States, in an old building directly opposite the main building of Pike Place Market. A place in a cozy dorma costs $32, breakfast is included, although you have to bake your own pancakes or scrambled eggs. It's a short walk to the waterfront or Westlake Center, 10 minutes to the ferry terminal, and a City supermarket and Pike pub/brewery ($6 per gallon).
Washington state sales tax is quite high at 9.6%.

Local public transportation is concentrated around the Westlake Center, a three-story department store on Pine Street. A monorail runs from the 3rd floor of Westlake itself. Nearby, on 2nd and 3rd Avenues, there are stops for King County Transit buses and trolleybuses going to all parts of the city.
A couple of escalators down is the Downtown Transit Tunnel, built in 1990, through which both buses and light rail run. Behind the department store is the end of the tram.

The main types of urban transport are buses and trolleybuses; there are several hundred routes. There are regular basses - yellow bottom, blue or green top, with two- or three-digit numbers. And there are rapid express trains - with a red top, with lettering for routes.

The only light rail line (a subway tram consisting of a pair of long, wide cars) leads to the airport, and the only streetcar line (a pair of narrow cars) leads to Lake South Union. But new lines are being built, the second tram line is almost ready and will open later this year. Sounder trains run in the area.

Local Transport Card It's called ORCA, it costs 10 dollars (5 on the account), it can be bought from vending machines at light rail stations, and the sequence of steps in the machine is the most sophisticated ever encountered in the USA. The machine gives change in one-dollar coins - only in ticket machines and I have seen them in the States.
Travel on the tram costs $2.25, on the light rail - from 2.25 to 3 dollars (depending on the distance), buses cost 2.25 or 2.5 dollars, depending on the route. ORCA gives 2-hour free transit when moving between buses/trams.

On regular buses, everything is simple - entry through the front door, with a card attached to the reader or by throwing coins without change.
On rapids, trams and light rail, the system “conscience is the best controller” operates. This is when there are no turnstiles, just before boarding the transport you need to attach a one-time ticket or card purchased from a machine to the validator standing at the bus stop. I met the controllers only once in three days.

It’s better to start your walk around the city from Pioneer Square – small area with a park within walking distance from the station. There is also a bust of the leader of the local Indians, Siatl, in whose honor the city received its name.

The skyscrapers of the modern downtown are already towering above them.
Although the pretty white Smith Tower is clearly visible first. Built in 1914 by the famous industrialist L.S. Smith (known as Smith & Wesson), the 38-story skyscraper, 149 meters high, was the first on the Pacific Coast of the United States.

Above and to the right of the Smith Tower, on 4th Avenue there will be the current No. 2 of the Pacific Coast - the 76-story Columbia Center (1985) with a height of 287 meters. There will be an observation deck on the 73rd floor, it costs $12.50, you can pay by card.

Downtown skyscrapers are thinned out by buildings of various museums and other cultural sites, often of a very avant-garde type. Like this main building of the Seattle Public Library, built in 2004.

One of the main attractions of Seattle is Pike Place Market - a market along the waterfront. The most common market.

Behind it there is a descent to the Elliott Bay waterfront. The Alaska Highway Viaduct runs along the bay and is currently being replaced. underground tunnel.
So the entire embankment is a construction site, through which paths are laid to numerous piers.

On piers 59 and 60 there is a local aquarium, and on pier 57 there is a Ferris wheel and various restaurants.

From Pier 58, cruise ships sail between them on the bay.

The symbol of Seattle is the Space Needle ("Space Needle") - a futuristic tower 184 meters high, built for the 1962 World's Fair.

The best way to go to it is on the monorail, which was built at the same time. Nowadays it leaves from the top floor of Westlike Center - you take the escalator to the 3rd floor and go left.

Fare payment on this futuristic transport is extremely archaic - ORCA does not work on it, bank cards They do not accept any ticket machines.
Only cash for the guy sitting at the ticket office - $2.25 one way. A train consisting of a couple of trailers runs every 10 minutes; it takes 3-4 minutes to travel one way along an overpass above the city streets.
The Space Needle is the center of the "21st century city" built for the 1962 World's Fair - Seattle Center.

There are various (now retro)futuristic buildings around, in which museums are located, more aimed at children.

There are also interesting places- like the peace park that was opened at the height of perestroika, there was a steam room in the sister city of Tashkent.

The tram from Westlake Center takes you to Lake South Union.

on his south coast There is a vast clearing (park) where the Museum of Industrial History stands.

And several old ships are moored to the wooden embankment.

Even further north there will be Queen Anne Hill with steep ascents and descents - it takes about a quarter of an hour to drive from 3rd Avenue with basses 2,13 and 29. At the top of the hill there are various ancient buildings.
And most importantly, the observation deck above Kerry Park offers a beautiful panorama of the city center and Elliott Bay, and in clear weather Mount Rainier is visible.

To the south of downtown there is a local Chinatown, more tolerantly called ID, that is, the International District.

The quarters, in principle, are not particularly different from the neighboring ones, except that the street names on the signs are duplicated in hieroglyphs, and there are a couple of churches and notice boards in the national style.

There is not a particular abundance of Asian people on the streets of ID - the same percentage as the city average. And an East Asian face is the most common thing in a crowd of Seattleites.
Above are the poorer areas, nicknamed Little Saigon. There are several cheap markets where local housewives shop. The area is also distinguished by an abundance of massage parlors.

For a new one tram line ID goes to First Hill - the hill from which the city began. Green, quiet streets of ordinary houses and other low-rise buildings.

At the top rises an impressive bulk Catholic Cathedral St. James (1907), occupies an entire block, with the residence of the archbishop and a Catholic school.

There are a lot of interesting places in the Seattle area. In Everett, 25 miles north of Seattle, there is a Boeing plant where you can take a tour (without a camera or anything else you can use to take photographs).

On the other side of the bay from Seattle is the Kitsap Peninsula.
From Pier 52 in Seattle, large ferries from Washington State Ferry, the largest ferry operator in the entire United States, sail to Kitsap all day. They sail to Bambridge Island (half an hour on the way) and to main city Kitsap County, Bremerton (an hour's drive), both round-trip costs $7.85 (free return).

The ferry has a spacious cabin, which has a cafe, vending machines, and tourist information desks. Wi-Fi is paid only. Well, it doesn’t matter - you still hang out on the bow all the time, admiring the gorgeous views of the surroundings. If, of course, you are lucky with the weather.
On the left hand in good weather you can also see the white cone of Mount Rainier (4392 meters) – highest peak Northwestern USA.

The Kitsap Peninsula will be ahead of you.

Finally, after 3/4 hour of travel, after a turn, Bremerton appears directly ahead with the Olympic Mountains in the background.

The ferry terminal is located in the city center, on the left hand the buildings of the city-forming enterprises are clearly visible - the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and naval base Kitsap. True, there were no aircraft carriers there when I was there.

The town itself is small and pure white; people in uniform and camouflage are common on the streets.
From the ferry terminal they run to different places Peninsula Kitsap Transit buses and water taxis operate on them.
To the left from the terminal the street leads to the main entrance of the shipyard.

In front of the shipyard entrance there is a local naval museum in the old shipyard administration building.

Entrance to the museum itself is free, they give you a booklet, and at the entrance there are a couple of old men who, having learned that they are from Russia, uttered the cherished phrase: “KJB.”

The first floor is dedicated to the history of the Puget Sound Shipyard, established in 1891 and still remaining one of the main shipyards of the US Navy.
On the second floor there is a rather interesting exhibition about life and service on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John C. Stennis, commissioned in 1995. A colorful exhibition, a lot of wax figures in different shapes, screens showing documentaries and interviews with Stennis crew members.

To the right of the terminal there is a local embankment, with trees and lampposts.

At the end of the embankment there will be a museum ship - the destroyer Turner Joy.

The entrance to board is through the souvenir shop, the girl who sells it sells tickets. 12 dollars, they give you a small booklet. Open from 10 am to 5 pm.
There is no influx of visitors - in the first half of the day on Monday it was the first and only one. While signing the guest book, I noticed that even on Sunday only 4 entries were left in it.
An hour of leisurely walking around the premises of the ship from the Vietnam and Cold War eras will be enough for the inspection.

In the town of Takwila, 8 kilometers south of downtown Seattle, there is one of the richest aviation museums in the United States, with a collection of more than 150 aircraft.
Take the 124th bus from 3rd Avenue, they run every 15-20 minutes, travel for about half an hour, get off at the 94th Street South stop.

The stop is located right next to the overpass connecting the different museum buildings. I go up the stairs or in the elevator, cross the road and go out into main building museum.
The museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm. At the entrance you need to go to the right and go to the ticket office, where you can buy a ticket for $20, which comes with a booklet with a map of the museum. By the way, there is no control in the museum.

There are a number of aircraft installed in an open area near the main building of the museum.
From TransCanada Airlines Super Constellation -

before the first copy of "Dreamliner".

Some planes are allowed inside. The most interesting, of course, is the last Boeing 707, the first jet Air Force One, which served Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon.

There are also numerous simulators in the hall for those who want to try themselves as a pilot.
One of the side galleries leads to the space part of the exhibition, the stands cover in detail the history of space exploration -

To the left of the entrance, the path leads to a separate building where aircraft from two world wars are housed.
The Second World War is presented on the 1st floor, the cars are mainly American and British. But there is also the Soviet Yak-9 -

The cars of the First World War on the 2nd floor are represented mainly by replicas -

Adjacent to the main building of the museum is the 2-story wooden Red Barn, where William Boeing began making airplanes in 1917.

I left Seattle by plane. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac) is located 19 kilometers south of downtown, 40 minutes light rail, $3. I remember the airport itself for its fast, free and unlimited Wi-Fi, which is something you rarely see at US airports.

The city of Seattle, Washington, located in the northwestern United States of America, has a population of approximately 582,4554 people, and when including residents of the city of Tacoma and its suburbs, this figure is 3.6 million people. The city, with an area of 369.2 km², is one of the country's largest ports (berths are about 80 km long). It is located between Puget Sound and Lake Washington.

Founded in 1852, Seattle was originally named Elkey Point. In 1853 it was renamed in honor of the leader of the local Indian tribes named Seattle and has retained this name to this day. The population began to grow rapidly in 1897, when the “gold rush” began in the Klondike. Another impetus for industrial development and population growth came from large military government contracts during the Second World War.

Seattle is the largest industrial, commercial, financial and transport hub Pacific Northwest of the country. The main industries are radio electronics, shipbuilding, automotive, and the food industry. The city's aerospace industry is represented by a research center and a number of Boeing enterprises. There are two bases in the city naval forces States: Sand Point and Fort Lawton.

Seattle is often called the "rainy city" due to big amount cloudy days of the year. By comparison, the average number of cloudy days in Seattle per year is 266, while in New York City there are only 132 days. From October to May the weather is cloudy every day. According to Seattle psychiatrists, it is this depressive weather that is “responsible” for the increased suicide rate in the city.

Among the city's higher education institutions, the University of Washington, Seattle University, and Seattle Pacific University are famous. The main attractions of the city that attract tourists are a historical reserve called the Klondike Gold Rush, an art museum, many parks and an aquarium. The Cascade Mountains and Olympic Mountains are located ski resorts. For lovers of seafood and fresh fish delicacies, there is the Pike Place Market.

The symbol of the city is the “Space Needle” - a 184-meter tower. The Space Needle looks like a tower with a flying saucer on top. Observation deck the towers offer views of the Seattle area: the Cascade Mountains on the east side of the city, mountain range Olympic, Pacific Ocean. There is a revolving restaurant on the site " Heavenly City", making exactly one revolution in 47 minutes.

The most important historical stages of the city’s economic development

During its economic development, the city experienced a number of ups and downs. In the early 1880s, the Goths experienced a logging boom. It lasted until almost the beginning of the twentieth century and served as the impetus for the beginning of economic development in Seattle.

Seattle's second population boom was associated with the Gold Rush, which began in 1896. The city served as the most important transport route. This period lasted about fifteen years. Shortly before this, in 1889, the Great Fire occurred in the city. The entire downtown Seattle burned to the ground. To restore the city and stabilize the economic situation, Washington Mutual Bank was created. In 1907, UPS was founded, which today is one of the world's largest logistics and transportation companies.

During World War II, the city of Seattle received many government orders for military equipment, and therefore the growth of enterprises began. The Boeing Company became a major manufacturer of bombers for the US military. After the war there was a decline in economic development, but soon a new rise began thanks to Boeing. This rise lasted until the end of the 60s, after which a general crisis began in the aircraft industry. Boeing's headquarters remained in Seattle until 2001. Soon largest company aviation and military equipment announced the division of headquarters and production, and in the same year it moved to Chicago.

The mid-90s saw a technology boom. This was the last upsurge in development economic life cities. A number of high-tech companies were founded in Seattle and its suburbs during this period, including Microsoft, RealNetworks, Amazon.com, McCaw Cellular, and VoiceStream. Centers whose activities are related to medical research began to grow (Heart Technologies, ICOS, HeartStream, etc.). Over the last decade of the 20th century, due to the development of techno-corporations alone, the population of Seattle increased by 50 thousand (not taking into account natural growth). Today, real estate prices here are considered to be among the highest in the entire country.

Seattle is a large city in the northwestern United States in the state of Washington. According to 2013 data, 652 thousand people live in Seattle itself. The population, including the suburbs, exceeds 3.4 million people ("Greater Seattle"). Thus, Seattle forms the 15th largest urban agglomeration in the United States and the largest in the northeast of the country.

Straight line distances from Seattle to:

Portland - 230 km
San Francisco - 1080 km
Los Angeles - 1540 km
Chicago - 2780 km
New York - 3850 km

Seattle is located 182 km south of the Canadian border on the isthmus between the Puget Sound system in the west and Lake Washington in the east. The Puget Sound stretches from north to south for more than 150 km. This is a huge natural harbor with a huge number of picturesque islands. A wide 120-kilometer strait connects Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean. West of Puget Sound is the Olympic Peninsula, whose mountains protect Seattle from winds and storms. Pacific Ocean. East of Seattle are the Cascade Range.

Surrounded by mountains, forests and water, Seattle boasts not only stunning nature and a mild climate, but also developed infrastructure, general amenities and good opportunities for entertainment and recreation. The city is home to the headquarters of such well-known companies as Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, and Boeing is actively operating. According to numerous ratings, Seattle is among best cities USA.

Founded in 1869, the city is commercial, cultural, scientific center and has a developed economy. The Port of Seattle is one of the ten largest ports North America and is the main gateway for trade with Asia. The port also includes international Airport Seattle/Tacoma. The port is believed to directly or indirectly create about 190 thousand jobs in the Northwest United States.

Thanks to Boeing, the Aerospace industry is one of the key industries in the Seattle region. As of March 2008, Boeing employs 82 thousand people in Seattle and Washington state, including 7 thousand engineers. In the northern suburb of Seattle, the city of Everett, there is a plant where Boeing 787 airliners are assembled. It is also worth noting that there are more than 3,000 supplier companies for Boeing in the region.

Microsoft Corporation, based in Seattle, is a world-famous software giant. More than 35,000 people work for Microsoft in Washington state. The total workforce of information technology companies in the greater Seattle area exceeds 186,000.

Other important sectors include healthcare, which employs 96,000 people, and world-famous Seattle-based companies Starbucks and Amazon.

Gross regional product in 2010 exceeded $231 billion. This is 12th in the United States. By comparison, San Francisco's gross regional product is valued at $326 billion and neighboring Portland's at $124 billion.

Statistical data

Racial composition of Seattle population as of 2013:

white - 67.0%
Asians - 13.3%
African Americans - 6.9%
Hispanics of any race - 6.7%
mixed races - 5.4%
Indians - 0.2%

Seattle is historically a white city, but the number of white residents has been steadily declining.

Seattle socio-economic indicators for 2013:

average home price - $436,600
The average cost of renting a home is $1,172
average income per person - $45,029
population living below the poverty line - 14.2%
unemployment in the region (as of June 2014) - 4.4%
cost of living index - 116.8 (16% higher than the US average).

It is worth noting the high average income level, which is not least due to the high level of education of the population and a developed economic base.

59.8% of residents over 25 years of age have a bachelor's level of education or higher. For comparison, the US average is 2 times less - 27.4%. The region's largest university is the University of Washington, with approximately 46,000 students, spread across three large campuses and a total of more than 500 buildings. It is also one of the largest employers in the city.

Seattle Sights and Places of Interest

Pike Place Market - Popular tourist area downtown. Here is the famous fish market and other markets. Many of Seattle's attractions are located in walking distance from Pike Place Market, so this is perfect place to start exploring the city.

Space Needle - symbol of Seattle the Space Needle tower ("Space Needle")

Columbia Center (formerly known as Bank of America Tower)- most tall skyscraper in Seattle with observation deck on the 73rd floor.

Seattle Public Library is an amazing Seattle public library building.

Woodland Park Zoo - Woodland Park Zoo.

Seattle Aquarium is a city aquarium.

Seattle Art Museum - Seattle art museum.

Museum of Flight - aviation museum.

Seattle Waterfront is the Seattle waterfront, a very atmospheric and pleasant place.

Olympic Sculpture Park - public park, located near the waters of the bay, with numerous sculptures and installations in the Art Nouveau style.

Washington State Ferries is the ferry service with the largest number of ships in the United States. Ferry crossing connects local communities and numerous islands. Walking on water allows you to enjoy local beauties, relax, breathe fresh air.

The climate in Seattle is mild and maritime. The region's surrounding mountains protect Seattle from Pacific storms and limit the effects of cold Arctic winds. Summers are warm but not hot with little rainfall. The average daily temperature in July is 24 C. As surprising as it may seem, grapes ripen in Seattle; there are approximately 35 wineries in the area.

In winter, the thermometer drops below zero on average only 15 days a year. Negative temperatures below -5 as well as heavy snowfalls are rare. The average annual precipitation in Seattle is 944 mm, which is slightly more than in Moscow (600-900 mm) and comparable or even less than in others major cities USA (Chicago, New York, Washington, Boston). Therefore, Seattle's reputation as a rainy city is somewhat exaggerated. First of all, this is due to the really rainy winter season and a large number of cloudy days a year.