The Jewel of the Pacific Northwest, Seattle, "The Emerald City".
Seattle is located in one of the most beautiful and scenic area’s in the Pacific Northwest. As one stands on the observatory deck of the Space Needle and looks out into the distance, they can understand the inspiration behind the nickname, "The Emerald City". Puget Sound forms the western boundary of Seattle, while Lake Washington is the eastern edge. Off in the distance to the East is the Cascade Range, and its string of volcano’s, which is stunning in the early morning, as the sun slowly rises behind them, bringing light to the new day. One of the most beautiful sights in Seattle, as well as most of the Pacific Northwest, is the lush green foliage and trees of the countryside. A line of lyrics from a popular television series, “Here comes the brides”, in the late 60’s early 70’s sums it up all too well, “The greenest green you even seen, in Seattle.”
Lake Union is closer to city, and is home to the largest houseboat population east of the Orient. The lake is residential as well as an economical area. Seaplanes can be seen landing and taking off, sea going ships and sail boats are scattered about, as well as recreational motor boats, windsurfers, and kayaks. One in 6 Seattle residents owns a boat, to thoroughly enjoy and take advantage of the water activities that abound in the area.
Seattle’s climate is mild, wet in the winter, and somewhat dry in the summer. The city also has another nickname, “The Rainy City”, which is descriptive, yet somewhat over reactive to the precipitation of the area. Although it seems to rain frequently in Seattle, the average yearly accumulation of rainfall is less than most of the cities on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. The frequency of precipitation and the fact that the city averages 226 days a year of cloudy skies, is what gives the false illusion of an over abundance of rainfall.
Seattle is a highly educated city, 47.2% of the population over the age of 25 have a bachelor's degree or higher, and 93% have a high school diploma or equivalency. Seattle's schools are supplemented by the private sector. Five of the high schools in Seattle are Catholic, one is Lutheran and six high schools that are not religiously based.
The population growth in Seattle has increased over the past year, moving the city up in the ranks of the largest cities of the United States to the 23rd spot, passing Milwaukee and Washington D.C. While the greater metropolitan area of Seattle is still 1 million lower in population then Boston and 2 million lower then Washington, D.C. area. The city is a very attractive city with many opportunities and jobs available that attract new people into the area.
The City Of Seattle or The Emerald City is scattered with landmarks of great historical and cultural importance. With a blend of old ancient monuments and a modern infrastructure, Seattle makes a very interesting place for most visitors and tourists. One can travel around the city of Seattle by using all kinds of public transports like bus, boat, rail or even foot. Using public transport is the best way to get the feel of the city. There is no need to even rent a private car and drive around and get hassled for parking space and go through the traffic snarls. One can visit most of the well-known Seattle attractions with complete ease, as the facility of the public transport is very competent in the city. Among the well known Seattle attractions one can see are, The Seattle Public Library, Museum Of Flight: it is the biggest air and space museum in the whole world and one of its kind, The Seattle Art and Culture Center, Woodland Park Zoo, Pike Place Market, where one can shop for traditional products of Seattle, The Seattle aquarium for the underwater lovers and much more.
Being part of Washington, Seattle boasts of the best hotels and restaurants for its visitors and the downtown area is always the place most frequented by people. Tourists and visitors like to be among the hustle and bustle of a big city and enjoy the activities around it. There are many kinds of Seattle restaurants and one can settle for Mexican food or for an Italian pizza or if you are the sandwich type a Deli would be perfect, the traditional American food is always there, and one can enjoy some Asian food like Chinese, Korean, Indian, Thai and Japanese, then there is the good old hamburgers and there are lots of eateries for deserts to satisfy many people with sweet tooth. Some Seattle restaurants are very famous for their brunches and if you are a brunch fan, then you can try some brunch spots like, Crave, Dish, Cafe Moose, Coastal Kitchen, and Portage Bay Cafe etc. Getting accommodation in Seattle is not difficult at all and one can even book prior through the Internet to avoid any disappointments.
Many people prefer living near the downtown area, as most of the activities and nightlife is concentrated there. In downtown you can settle in Seattle hotels like The Boutique Seattle, Washington Hotel or even Hotel Monaca. Though these are luxury Seattle hotels, but if you are looking for something economical then there are many ordinary Seattle hotels in downtown, which offer great services and even offer free breakfast included in the accommodation charges. Lodges, guesthouses and motels are also a great option for people on a budget trip.
Apart from being a great destination and a modern city the Seattle real estate is flourishing and attracting many potential investors to settle in this beautiful city. Seattle is also has a great technology infrastructure and the technology industry is growing at a great pace. Companies like the Microsoft and Nintendo are located at the outskirts of Seattle. Therefore people from this field are trickling into the city and its neighboring areas thus increasing the demand for Seattle real estate. In the United States, Seattle is considered one of the top 7 high tech cities in the country. To sum it up Seattle is a great destination offering the best Seattle hotels, best Seattle restaurants, best Seattle attractions and it boasts of a growing Seattle real estate, no wonder more and more people are looking to settle in “The Emerald City.”
There are a lot many caffeinated cosmopolites in and around the city and this could be a reason for Seattle’s popularity. The growing up of Starbucks, Best and Tully’s have become the country’s coffee capital. Seattle has also given birth to this popular Grunge Movement. That gave rise to the Nirvana and the bands of similar style. The Seattle air is still filled with Indie beats and funky lyrics. Today’s Seattle is a mix of commercial consumerism and high tech industry.
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