Seattle

United States of America COUNTRY

744,955 CITY POPULATION

Mayor–Council GOVERNMENT TYPE

Introduction

Seattle is situated on the Western Coast of the United States and serves as the seat for King County in Washington. The city is the fourth largest seaport in North America and it acts as a gateway to Asia. Seattle is a fast-growing metro and is the largest in the state of Washington and on the Northwestern Pacific Coast. Seattle is also given several nicknames like Queen City, Emerald City, Rain City, The City of Flowers and ‘The Gateway to Alaska’.

Data and Facts

As of 2018, the population of the city was 744,955.
The 2010 census concluded a 50-50% of males and females.
Seattle’s community is composed of 65.7% White Non-Hispanic, 14.1% Asian, 7.0% of African origin, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Native American, 0.9% Pacific Islander, 0.2% other races, and 5.6% two or more races according to the American Community Survey.
Christians, 52% are the largest religious groups followed by those who don’t belong to any religion 37%, Hindus and Buddhists 2% each, Muslims and Jews 1% each and the rest belong to other religions.
Seattle is one of the most socially liberal cities and has an open LGBTQ population of around 13%(2006).
Roughly 80% of the residents come from English speaking homes.

Administration

Seattle was established in 1869 and its governing body has undergone several changes to date. According to the current charter, a mayor governs the city and is followed by a city council of nine members. The judicial system of the state of Washington is followed in Seattle. The city has municipal and district courts.

Economy

Until the 20th century, Seattle’s economy was based on lumbering and the extraction and transport of other locally abundant natural resources. Its economy diversified with the development of manufacturing, food processing, banking, insurance, and transportation industries in the early 20th century, all of which expanded during and after World War II.

Today Seattle's economy is driven by a mix of older industrial companies, and new Internet and technology companies, service, design, and clean technology companies.

The Gross Metropolitan Product (GMP) of Seattle was $231 billion and was the 11th biggest metro economy as of 2010.

Biomedical manufactures are growing in importance, while agricultural products grown in the so-called Inland Empire of the interior Northwest remain an economic mainstay.

The largest manufacturer in the Seattle area is the Microsoft Corporation, the world’s largest maker of computer operating systems and applications. Although it has offices throughout the world, Microsoft does most of its research and product development at its corporate headquarters in suburban Redmond. Its presence has attracted many software firms to the Seattle area and spurred much infrastructure development, including the construction of reliable broadband fibre-optic networks.

Other important industries in the Seattle area include biotechnology, bioinformatics, genomics, environmental engineering, lumber and wood-product processing, food processing, and the manufacture of industrial machinery and equipment, medical equipment, and textiles

The Port of Seattle is a major gateway for trade with Asia and cruises to Alaska. It also is the 8th largest port in the United States.

Business Environment

The business environment of Seattle is largely dominated by technology, the internet, and service-oriented companies. There are several companies that are devoted to the development of clean technologies and this has ranked Seattle as America’s smartest city

Five companies on Fortune 500's 2017 list of the United States' largest companies are headquartered in Seattle: Internet retailer Amazon.com, coffee chain Starbucks, department store Nordstrom, freight forwarder Expeditors International of Washington and forest products company Weyerhaeuser.

Other Fortune 500 companies commonly associated with Seattle are based in nearby Puget Sound cities. Warehouse club chain Costco, Microsoft, Paccar, Nintendo of America, T-Mobile US, Expedia Inc and Providence Health & Services.

Seattle is also a hub for global health with the headquarters of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH, Infectious Disease Research Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. In 2015, the Washington Global Health Alliance counted 168 global health organizations in Washington state. Many are headquartered in Seattle.

Infrastructure

The Columbia Center is the tallest building in Seattle and measures up to 933 ft. The Space Needle is a popular building in the city which acts as an observation center from where panoramic views of the city can be seen. Seattle lies on several hills including Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, First Hill, West Seattle, Beacon Hill, and Magnolia. Seattle also lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire and is an earthquake-prone zone.

Seattle - Tacoma airport connects the city by air to the rest of the world. King County Metro and Central Link are the widest Metrorail networks. King County Water Taxi is the popular passenger ferry network that connects Downtown Seattle and West Seattle.

Technology

While the nation’s attention has largely focused on the big five tech giants, locally based tech startups remain remarkably strong. Microsoft, Amazon and Seattle’s other major players continue to draw the world’s best tech talent to Puget Sound, while the University of Washington’s world-class computer science program supplements that supply with yearly crops of highly sought-after graduates. A wide network of startup incubators and accelerators support fledgeling companies, and the region’s venture capitalists remain active and committed to the local industry.

The fastest-growing Seattle-based companies from the Inc. 5000 operate in a broad range of industries, from food to real estate to bicycle manufacturing. Some of the most rated local startups are Streamline Marketing, Volt Athletics, Bean Box, Snap! Raise, Every Door Real Estate, Seeq, TomboyX, Discuss.io, Rad Power Bikes and Skinny Dipped.

Social Wellness and Human Resources

Education

Seattle is one of the most literate cities in the US with around 91% of the population completing high school. There are public schools and private secondary schools. The University of Washington located here is an internationally reputed institution and ranks among the top universities of the world. Adding to this, there are smaller colleges, mostly related to arts.

Health

Seattle has a well-developed healthcare system and also leads in medical research. Harborview Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center and Virginia Mason Medical Center are the three largest health institutions in Seattle. Seattle also has a local paramedic service called Medic One who responds to 911 emergencies.

Media

The Seattle Times is the major daily newspaper and The Stranger and Seattle Weekly are popular weeklies. There are several magazines and online papers as well. Seattle cable has all the major US channels and certain foreign ones as well. There are multiple radio stations, both commercial and non-commercial; some are operated by students of the local schools and universities.

Music

Seattle has several venues for music like The Paramount and The Moore Theater including multiple music clubs and associations. The popular genre of music found here is alternative rock and underground hip hop. Bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam were founded in the city.

Museum

Seattle is home to several museums and hundreds of galleries. The Seattle Art Museum, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and Frye Art Museum are among the most popular and established ones.

Sports

Seattle has a strong sporting world with major teams like Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Storm, and Seattle Seawolves. Baseball, hockey, rugby and American football are the most popular professional games that are followed.