Seattle lies on a narrow strip of land between the salt waters of Puget Sound and the fresh waters of Lake Washington. Beyond the waters lie two rugged mountain ranges, the Olympics to the west and the Cascades to the east. 

In the early 1870s the Northern Pacific Railway Company announced that its transcontinental railroad western terminus would be at Tacoma, some forty miles south of Seattle. Despite local leaders' disappointment, Seattle managed to force a connection with Northern Pacific shortly after its completion in 1883, and the town's population soared in the late 1880s. Lumber and coal were the primary industries, but the growth of fishing, wholesale trade, shipbuilding, and shipping also contributed to the town's economic expansion and population growth. One estimate is that in the first half of 1889, Seattle was gaining 1,000 new residents per month

Seattle's explosive growth of the 1880's was slowed but not stopped by a devastating fire on June 6, 1889, which leveled the buildings on 116 acres in the heart of the city's business district. No one died in the fire, but the property damage ran into millions of dollars.

In November, 1913, the city officially established the dahlia as Seattle's official flower.  

The Seattle-King County area attracts more than 9.4 million overnight visitors annually who spend $4.75 billion and contribute more than $419 million in state and local tax revenues.

Strange Mayoral Event
Frank D. Black was elected mayor in 1896. He had not actively sought office, did not actively campaign, and did not want the position; but he was nominated and elected nonetheless. He resigned after serving just three weeks.

Median Family Income:
Metropolitan Seattle (Seattle, Bellevue, Everett)

2000 $65,800
2002 $77,900
2004 $72,600
2008 $81,403

Kim Basinger, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Julia Roberts all turned down the role of Annie in Sleepless in Seattle. Meg Ryan got the part instead.

The Seattle Public Library system has the highest percentage of library card-holders per capita in the country.

Ballard:  Affectionately known for slow drivers and the lilting accents of its many residents of Scandinavian descent, this area was first settled by immigrant Nordic fishermen and mill workers

At 76 stories and 937 feet Columbia Center is Seattle's tallest building and is 12th tallest building in the country. Smith Tower, built in 1914, was once the tallest building west of the Mississippi at 42 stories. Floors are now being sold as condos.

Seattleites buy more sunglasses per capita than any other city in the nation.

Pike Place Market: The heart of Seattle and the number one tourist site in the area, attracting frenzied crowds of visitors and locals. The oldest continually operating farmer's market in the country, Pike Place features fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, and arts and crafts as far as the eye can see.

Seattle's Harbor Island is the largest man made island in the nation.

By the numbers:
Rainfall - 34 inches
Average Annual Snowfall - 7.1 inches
Average January Temperature - 41 degrees F
Average July Temperature - 65 degrees F

The volcano of Mount St. Helens actually erupted in 1980 because there was a 5.1 earthquake underneath it that triggered it.