Seattle is largest Ville of the State of Washington and the North-West of the the United States of America. It is located between the Puget Sound and the Lac Washington, to approximately 155 km in the south of the Canadian Frontière américano- . It is the Chef-lieu county of King.

Seattle is one of the most important cities of the peaceful coast of the United States. It is important a port specialized in the transpacific Commerce. It also constitutes a large industrial pole in North America.

Of a surface of 369,2 km ², Seattle counts: 582454 inhabitants (2006) who are called in English the Seattleites . The agglomeration adds up: 3263497 inhabitants what makes the 15th agglomeration of the United States of it. She founded in the middle of the 19th century and was baptized in homage to the Amerindian chief Seattle. Its nickname, the city emerald comes from the green color of the forests which surround it. It is called also the city of the rain ( Rainy City ), “the door of the Alaska”, Queen City , or Jet City , in reference to the economic weight of Boeing in the area. Seattle is also known to be the cradle of the music Grunge. Its inhabitants have the reputation to drink much coffee, because of many companies like Starbucks and Tully' S Coffee were founded there. Seattle accommodated the third ministerial conference of the OMC into 1999 which had been accompanied by the first demonstrations important and mediatized altermondialists.

Geography

Seattle is localized between the Puget Sound in the west (a kind of advanced in the grounds of the Pacific Ocean) and the Lac Washington in the east. At the west of Puget Sound is located the mountainous chain of the Olympic Mountains, at the east of the Lac Washington are located the Lac Sammamish and the Chaîne of the Cascades. The rivers, the forests, the lakes and the fields a long time fed the former populations living of the gathering and hunting. The geography of the area is also adapted to the entertaining activities like the Ski, the Navigation, the Vélo, the Camping, the Randonnée and the Escalade. The volcano Mont Rainier located at 50 km culminates to 4392 m and is visible of Seattle.

The urban area is strewn with hills. Just like the town of Rome, one says that Seattle is built on seven hills (of which Capitol Hill, First Hill, West Seattle, Beacon Hill, and Queen Anne) although there is actually much more. The zone comprising the most hills occupies the center of the city not far from the Elliott Bay. The Topographie of the suburbs was arranged to accommodate infrastructures. Thus a dam was built and that an artificial island, named Harbor Island, was completed in 1909 with the mouth of the driving channel during water Duwamish in the industrial sector of the city.

A channel (Lake Washington Ship Channel) connecting the Puget Sound to the Lac Washington also was dug at the beginning of the 20th century by using four stretch of water natural (Lake Union, Salmon Bay, Portage Bay, and Bay Union). According to the American statistical office, the territory of the city has an total surface area of 369.2 km ² including 152 km ² of water.

Seattle is regarded as a zone at the risks because of the earthquakes. The city knew for example a seism of magnitude 6,9 on the scale of Richter, the February 28th 2001, which involved major damage in several districts but did not cause death. Other more or less powerful and destroying seisms occurred in the past: the December 14th 1872 (7,3 on the scale of Richter), the April 13rd 1949 (7,1) and the April 29th 1965 (6,5). The earthquake of 1949 caused the death of eight people in Seattle, nor that of the Cascades were not at the origin of more important earthquakes since the foundation of the city whereas this last fault could cause a seism a magnitude higher than 9, which would have dramatic effects on the city.

Climate

Seattle lays out of a moderate Climat. However, in position of shelter (as it is the case for the site of Seattle), the summers can lead to the semi-aridity of the Mediterranean type (Standard Csb). The maximum temperatures are attenuated by the proximity of the Pacific Ocean, the Puget Sound and the Lac Washington. The area is protected from the oceanic storms thanks to the chain of the Olympic Mountains and the polar currents by the Chaîne of the Cascades. Although the city is located at the east of Olympic Mountains, that does not completely protect it from oceanic precipitations. Seattle has of this fact a reputation of rainy city. Actually, the sometimes named city “rainy city” receives less precipitation (942,3 mm/an).

The forest Hoh Rain, located at 130 km in the west and not protected by the mountainous chain, receives approximately: 3610 mm of precipitations per annum and the capital of the State of Washington Olympia receive some: 1310 Misters the snowfalls are rather rare especially close to the coasts at low altitude. The annual average of snowfalls is thus of 33 cm to the International airport of Seattle-Tacoma. January 13rd, 1950, the record of snowfalls was established with 50.8 cm. The drier climate of type California N arises mid-July mid-September. In July and August, precipitations lie between 20 and 25 Misters.

In summer, the city can know storms. The Zone of Convergence of Puget Sound has a big role in the climate of the city. In this zone, the oceanic drafts coming from north meet the oceanic drafts newcomer of the south. The meeting of these currents involves an effect of Convection. This convection causes the formation of storms in north and in the south of the city but Seattle remains protected in general. Nevertheless, the storm Hanukkah Eve Wind of December 2006 caused the abundant precipitations accompanied by winds of more than 110 km/h. She damaged dwellings and the electrical communications remained sometimes broken down during 11 days.

Seattle is less wet the years when the phenomenon of El Niño appears. In summer, that causes difficulties in the production of Hydroélectricité because of the restrictions out of water and in winter that is at the origin of problems of weak snowing up of the ski stations. The soft climate of Seattle supports the practice of sports in outside like walk, the bicycle, the Escalade and swimming. Many people practice activities around the lake Green, in the surrounding forests, on the beaches of the largest park of the city ( Discovery Park ), along the sea front of the city, and on the beach of Alki. The excursions in the mountainous chain of the Cascades or Olympics Mountains, the Kayak and navigation on the Puget Sound and the Détroit of Georgia also are very practiced. The Îles San Juan, which are on the sea route towards Vancouver, are well-known navigators.

History

Beginnings

The area of Seattle is inhabited since the end of the last glacial period of Wisconsin (Approximately: 8000 years before J. - C.). Made archaeological excavations with West Point in the park Discovery and with Magnolia confirm that the site even city has been inhabited for at least 2.000 years before J. - C. and perhaps even more.

Tohl-AHL-too (“house of the Herring S”) and later hah-AH-poos (“place with Clam S”) with the mouth of the river Duwamish was inhabited 600 years before JC.

The tribe Duwamish occupied at least 17 villages in the middle of the Années 1850. One found there 93 longères Amerindian ( khwaac' ál' Al ) along the bays Elliott Bay, Salmon Bay, Portage Bay, of the Lac Washington, the Lac Sammamish, and the short inferior of the river Duwamish. The name “Duwamish” is a anglicisation of the Indian word Dkhw' Duw' Absh , “the people of the interior”, which is always employed to name the river of the same name. Before, the site was known under the name of Duwamps (or Duwumps) which was the name given to the river by the colonists.

The Groupe Denny, which was the greatest group of Colon S Européen S in the area, arrived at Alki Point the November 13rd 1851. They initially named the place “New York” to reflect their aspiration to make a commercial port of it. Then, they re-elected the place Alki , (a name Chinook meaning ironically certain days). The colonists then moved until Elliott Bay in April 1852.

The town of Seattle was named according to the chief Sealth, ( si' áb Si' ahl , Sealth), “an important man” (placed as chief by the territorial governor) of the Duwamish tribes and Suquamish. David Swinson (“Doc.”) Maynard , one of the founders of the locality, strongly wished that the place be famous in Seattle in homage to the Indian chief. The obstinacy of Maynard bore its fruits because the first mention of Seattle appeared the May 23rd 1853 on plans of the Cadastre.

The colony was legally established in 1855. The locality obtained the statute of city in 1865, lost this title in 1867 before taking it again in 1869.

Recent history

One of the significant events of the city is the large fire of 1889 which destroyed the district of the businesses without making deaths.

Skirmishes between the white colonists and the Chinese colonists took place between 1885 and 1886. The Gold rush transformed the city into an important center of transport for the goods and the passengers. The World Fair of 1909 concerning the zone Alaska - Yukon - Pacifique partly constitutes the campus of the Université of Washington. Important a general Grève started in the city in 1919. A World Fair was held in 1962 in the city and in 1990 were held the Goodwill Ranges. The city accommodated a meeting of APEC in 1993 and one conference of the World Trade organization in 1999 which saw the appearance of sometimes violent demonstrations.

Economic history

Seattle knew business cycles influenced by several economic booms. Seattle was a long time a “company city” what means that its economy depended only on only one activity or only one company. The decline of the various activities or the firms always has had important negative consequences on the city. Nevertheless, these periods made it possible the town of build new infrastructures.

The first economic boom was based on the industry of wood. This period of growth was accompanied by a rise by construction by infrastructures by the company Olmsted. This important economic advancement finished at the beginning of the 20th century. This stop revealed a great number of new companies. In 1907, James E. Casey founded the American Messenger Company (which became later UPS). One also saw appearing the companies Nordstrom and Eddie Bauer.

A new cycle based on the Naval construction arrived quickly at the beginning of the 20th century. The wearing of Seattle became also a point of important loading for the American troops sent in the northern Pacifique at the time of the Second world war. The company Boeing located in the vicinity manufactured already bomber S at the time of this war.

After the war, the economy continued to develop thanks to the Boeing company which benefitted from the success of the commercial aviation. When the economic situation was degraded at the end of the Années 1960 and at the beginning of the Années 1970, much of workers left the city to find an employment elsewhere. Testimony of the demographic crisis, a billboard in the city even stated that “the last inhabitant leaving the city wants to extinguish the light well”.

Seattle remained the general headquarter of the Boeing company until 2001 when the company wished to separate its head office from its manufacturing planies. The head office thus moved close to Chicago. Seattle always has in its suburbs of the Boeing factory Renton where are always manufactured the 737 and of the factory of Everett where are assembled the 747, 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner.

Other companies of High technology settled in the suburbs of Seattle such as for example Microsoft, Google, Amazon.com, RealNetworks, McCaw Cellular (now AT&T Wireless), VoiceStream (now T-Mobile the USA), Philips, Boston Scientific, ZymoGenetics and Amgen. These firms enormously attracted workers and the population increased: 50000 people between 1990 and 2000 according to the American census of 2000 whole while developing the construction of offices in the city as in the other large city American which are San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Boston. These companies remain powerful but the boom stopped with the beginning of the year 2001 after a peak of the Nasdaq in March 2000.

Demography

According to the Census of the United States of 2000, on: 563374 inhabitants living in the city, one counted: 258499 households and: 113400 families. The ethnic distribution of the city was to 73.4% white, Asian 15.0%, 9.9% Afro-American, 2.1% Amerindian, 0.9% of natives of the Pacific Islands. The origin of the inhabitants was to Germanic 11.3%, 9.1% Irish, 8.1% English and 5% Norwegian. The population born abroad increased by 40% between 1990 and 2000, which shows strong a Immigration towards the city.

The annual average revenue for a household is of: 45736 dollars and annual average revenue for a family of: 62195 dollars. The men have an average revenue of: 40929 dollars whereas this last rises only with: 35134 dollars for the women. The income per capita is of: 30306 dollars. 11,8% of the population and 6,9% of the families live under the Poverty line. By category of age, 13,8% of the people under the Poverty line are old of less than 18 years and 10.2% have more than 65 years. In September 2005, the county implemented a decennial plan to help the homeless people by building residences for those.

In 2006, after an average growth of: 4000 citizens per annum since 1990, the analysts estimate that the population still will increase: 200000 people from here 2040. However, the Mayeur of the city would wish to carry this increase to: 350000 people by facilitating the installation of the families.

In 2006, a study of the the University of California to Los Angeles showed that Seattle had one of the highest rates of gay population and lesbian per capita. 12.9% of the population are gay, lesbian, or bisexual, which places Seattle at the second rank of the American big cities in gay term of population and lesbian right behind San Francisco.

In 2005, the magazine Men' S Fitness gave the title to Seattle of city having most important practical sporting with the the United States.

Culture

Seattle is often regarded as the cradle of the music Grunge thanks to artists and famous groups originating in the city like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Green River and Mudhoney. These groups touched a broad audience in the years 1990. The city also has a scene avant-gardist like the Jazz men Bill Frisell and Wayne Horvitz, the rappor Sir Mix-have-Batch, the saxophonist Kenny G, the group of heavy metal Nevermore, the industrial rock group KMFDM, and pop the groups and rock'n'roll Aiden, Goodness and Presidents off the United States off America.

Jimi Hendrix and Duff McKagan (Pink Guns) is originating in the city and just like Nikki Sixx and Quincy Jones, they passed part of their period of formation in the city. Ann and Nancy Wilson of the group Heart is also classified as musicians of the city, even if they are originating in the locality close to Bellevue just like the group to progressive Metal Queensrÿche. The Opera of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest Ballet which play in general in the room McCaw Hall are famous in particular for their performances in the resumption of works of Richard Wagner. School GNP School founded in 1974 is in signal 3 of the schools teaching the Ballet with the the United States.

The Poésie also forms part of the artistic scene of Seattle. This one developed in parallel with the independent Rock during the years 1980 and 1990. The scene of the poetry of Seattle is mainly originating in the town of Chicago with for example the arrival of Paul Granert. Weekly readings and the development of specific clubs like Weathered Wall, the OK Hotel, and Ditto Tavern (all disappeared since) made it possible poetry to develop. Seattle sends a team each year to take part in the national competition of poetry. Talented poets like Buddy Wakefield (twice champion of the world contest of poetry), like Anise Mojgani (twice national champion of poetry) and like Danny Sherrardune (once national champion of poetry). Seattle accommodated the national competition of poetry in 2001 and one biannual festival of poetry finds its place in the city since 1997.

Museums

Among the important cultural events of the city, let us quote the international annual festival of film of Seattle which lasts 24 days. Festivals and concerts take place the week of the Memorial Day, during the weekend of the Labor Day and during August and July. All these events attract more: 100000 visitors each year. The city also has many cultural events Amerindian S powwow S and a Greek festival .

As in much of big cities, Seattle enormously proposes other activities of smaller widths like fairs with the books and the mangas, an exposure of video games with competitions between gamers, a gay cinema festival and lesbian, a cycle race connecting the city to Portland and a parade of the Gay Pride with its own festival. This gay pride who was confined in Capitol Hill until 2006 is extended to all the city.

The museum of art Henry Art Gallery is open since 1927 what does of them one of the first museums of arts of the State of Washington. The principal museum of art of the city named Seattle Art Museum opened its doors in 1933 and was completely renovated in 2007. The Seattle Art Museum exposes works of art of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The firm of Scott architecture, Venturi & Brown recently drew the plans of an extension of: 10000 m ², whose entry will be inaugurated on May 5th, 2007. Other collections are also exposed to the museums Frye Art Museum and Seattle Asian Art Museum .

Collections recalling the history of the area are present at Loghouse Museum of Alki, in the national historical park the Klondike Gold Rush, in the Burke Museum off Natural History and Culture and in the museum of history and of industry. Also let us quote industrial collections in the Center for Wooden Boats , in the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum and in the museum of aviation ( Museum off Flight ). Local ethnic collections are present at the Nordic Heritage Museum and the Wing Luke Asian Museum .

The zoological garden (Woodland Park Zoo) is open since 1889 and was repurchased by the city in 1899. The aquarium of Seattle open since 1977 and is renovated since 2006. The circuit named Seattle Underground Turn watch with the visitors of the places having resisted the large fire of the city. The city also has several entertaining centers and several beaches.

Structure

With its 185 meters in height. It is also is the larger fourth Gratte-ciel in the west of the Mississippi and the seventh of all the country. The June 16th 2004, the National Commission on the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 explained why the original plan of the terrorists aimed at the Columbia Center. The building Washington Mutual Tower (General headquarter of the banking company Washington Mutual ) is the second building in height of Seattle.

The tower Smith Tower was the highest construction of the west coast of the the United States to its opening in 1914 before being détrônée by the Space Needle in 1962. The company Starbucks Coffee is located at Pike Place Market since its creation in 1971. The first store is always in activity a little more in the south of its first site. The Starbucks Center in the southern suburbs is the widest building of the city.

The other buildings representative of the city are the Pike Place Market , the Fremont Troll , the Experience Music Project , the central library and the vault of Saint Ignatius . The vault located on the site of the university of Seattle was drawn by Steven Holl and the central library of Seattle was drawn by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture .

The streets of Seattle are directed according to the four cardinal points in the form of a safe squaring in the district of the businesses. In the past, Mayeur S had insisted that the streets of this district are directed according to banks of bay rather than compared to the true north. The consequence is that the junctions of the streets between this district and the remainder of the city are done with rather unusual angles. That also causes many confusions at the visitors and the new arrivals which try to find again their ways in extreme cases of the district of the businesses. Because of the Topography of the site, there is only one road and a highway which cross the city of north to the south without interruption.

Teaching

47,2% (for an national average of 24%) of the population of more than 25 years have a diploma at least of level Bachelor or superior. 93% of the population have a diploma of the Secondary education or equivalent. In addition to the usual institutions of formation, the city proposes programs of elimination of illiteracy for adults and the practice of the Instruction at the house is widespread.

The city must face many challenges in its education within sight of the big number of immigrants attracted in the city and often gathered in districts generally divided ethniquement especially in the south of the city. Supplementary programmes to desegregation were thus carried out by the city. In 2006, the Supreme court of the United States decided that the race of the pupils was not the only legal criterion of desegregation and that it was necessary to take account of other factors of which socio-economic factors.

Seattle accommodates one of the most recognized public universities country. The University of Washington which counts approximately: 40000 students is tallest of the North-West of the the United States. It appears in top of the classification of the American Universités for the number of research. The university is thus classified in first position in the fields of the research of the productivity in the administration, in Génétique and ecology. A study classified the university in 22e position on a world level. The other important universities are the university of Seattle (approximately: 6300 students) and the Peaceful University of Seattle (: 3700 students). Others smaller institutions are also present like the City University off Seattle , the Antioch University Seattle and the artistic school Cornish College off the Arts .

Libraries

Seattle has a broad network of public libraries, serving its various districts. The central library, work of Rem Koolhaas, opened its doors in 2004.

Celebrities of Seattle

With the cinema

The city is especially known with the cinema thanks to the film Sleepless nights in Seattle . It is indeed in this city that was held the history of love between Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. The film Wargames (1983) which made known the actor Matthew Broderick, was also held in this city. Several televised series like Dark Angel with Jessica Alba or Grey' S Anatomy are at Seattle.

Economy

In 2006, five of the 500 most important companies in the United States had their general headquarters installed in the center of Seattle. It is about Washington Mutual (n°99), Amazon.com (n°272), Nordstrom (n°293), Starbucks coffee (n°338), and Safeco Corporation (n°339). Near the center, one finds Costco Wholesale Corp. (n°28), Microsoft (n°48), Nintendo off America, McCaw Cellular linen (AT&T Wireless), the forest company Weyerhaeuser (n°90), and the manufacturer of trucks PACCAR (n°157).

In 2006, the mayor of Seattle Greg Nickels wished to develop the industry of the Biotechnologie S. Of the initiatives aim at attracting such companies in the area and to thus join the companies already present like Corixa (GlaxoSmithKline), Immunex (Amgen), and ZymoGenetics. Certain people criticize these investments which would be according to them especially advantageous with the billionaire Paul Allen. In 2006, the newspaper Expansion Magazine classified the city in signal 10 of the cities where the climate is favorable to the businesses.

In 2005, Forbes classified the town of Seattle like the most expensive city to buy a dwelling according to the level of the local incomes.

Other companies

The other companies having their seat in Seattle are:

Written press

The two principal newspapers of the city are the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Transport

Although the town of Seattle lays out of means of Public transport like the rail and the buses, displacements are largely dominated by the cars.

The first Tramway in the city appeared in 1889 to meet the needs for the population living in periphery of the city. The arrival of the car involved the loss of several tram lines. The Tacoma-Seattle line closed in 1929 and that towards Everett in 1939. A system of Autoroute S developed at the same time as the number of vehicles increased. The rails were thus removed or covered with tarmac. The arrival of the Trolleybus brought the final blow to the tram in 1941. A developed network of bus made it possible to manage the displacement of the navetteurs in the city but also in all the area.

Seattle is equipped with three services of transport. The first is the King County Metro which offers frequent stops on its lines Trolleybus downtown and towards the close counties. Just like Vancouver and Edmonton with the Canada, Seattle is one of the rare towns of North America to use electric trolley buses.

The second service is the Sound Transit which offers express services of bus and trains between the center town and the suburbs of Seattle. September 18th, 2000, this service inaugurated a new line of railroad connecting the city to the locality of Tacoma in the south as well as a line going until the locality of Everett in north. From one duration estimated at six years, work began in 2003 to connect the International airport of Seattle-Tacoma (SeaTac Airport) to the existing railway network. A line connecting the Université of Washington to Capitol Hill was also approved. Other expansions of the network are also being studied in particular to connect to the network existing the localities of Northgate, Bellevue, Redmont, Federal Way and even to Tacoma.

The third service is the Washington State Ferries, which manages the greatest maritime grid system by ferry with the the United States. This one connects the city to the islands Bainbridge Island and Vashon Island in the Puget Sound and the localities of Bremerton and Southworth on the Kitsap peninsula. The network consists of ten roads (4 serve Seattle), twenty terminals (2 in Seattle), and twenty-eight ships (8 for Seattle).

A Monorail low length builds for the exposure of 1962 connects the downtown area to all the outskirts of the city. The line is used by the tourists and some navetteurs of the northern suburbs attracted by the speed and the low prices compared to the prices of the parkings downtown. November 26th, 2005, two monorails entered in collision a curve. The service was removed for nine months during repair. A project aiming at lengthening the line of monorail was launched in the years 1990 but the project was not born.

The city also has the International airport of Seattle-Tacoma also called airport Sea-TAC . Located in the locality close to Sea-TAC and managed by the company Port off Seattle, he proposes destinations like Paris, London, Amsterdam and Tokyo. The company Alaska Airlines has its hub in the airport. In 2006, the airport accommodated approximately 30 million passengers. Another airport of the name of Boeing Field (also named international airport of the county of King) is located at Seattle. It is especially used for cargo liner and the tests and the deliveries of the planes Boeing built in the vicinity. Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines asked for the permission recently of leave airport Sea-TAC but that their was refused.

The viaduct Alaskan Way

The Viaduc finished the April 4th 1953 is an elevated section of the road of State 99 of Washington. This road which skirts the sea front of the city is elevated on the level of the industrial park and in the suburbs. It is smallest of the two corridors which cross the city in the North-South direction. Approximately 110  000 vehicles forward on average each day there.

The Earthquake of 2001 partly damaged the viaduct and the dam supporting it. 3,5 million dollars was spent to repair the damage. However, of the experts give five pourcents chance to see the viaduct destroyed by an earthquake in the decades to come.

Infrastructures

Group Health Cooperative is the leading vendor of Health care in the North-West of the the United States. Having its own medical center, the Université of Washington is one of principal the research center in the medical field in the United States. Seattle also lays out of ancillary medical services since the creation of Medic One in 1970.

The majority of the hospital of the city are located in the district named First Hill . The medical center Harborview Medical Center pertaining to the public hospital of the county is the only hospital looking after Level 1|Traumatisms of Level 1 for the states of Alaska, the Montana, the Idaho and Washington. The medical centres Virginia Mason Medical Center and Swedish Medical Center are also located in the same district. That is worth with the district to bear the name of Pill Hill (hill of the pill).

Water and electricity are provided by public companies like the Seattle Public Utilities and the Seattle City Light . There exist also some private companies. The Puget Sound Energy thus provides the natural gas, the Seattle Steam Company of the vapor, Qwest of fixed telephony and Comcast cable television.

Professional sport

The history of the professional sports in Seattle started at the beginning of the 20th century with the team of hockey of the metropolitan of Seattle which became the first American team to gain the Coupe Stanley in 1917. Seattle currently has teams recognized in the majority of the professional sports. The Supersonics of Seattle for example gained the cut NBA of 1979. In American football, the city shelters the Seahawks of Seattle, in Baseball the team of the Mariners of Seattle and in Basket-ball the female team of the Storm of Seattle which gained the national championship of 2004.

Policy and criminality

See also: List of Mayeurs of Seattle

The democratic Mayeur current Greg Nickels launched the idea to apply the Protocole of Kyoto for its municipality on February 16th, 2005. It is the principal organizer of the Conference of the mayors of the United States which adopted in September 2006 the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (the agreement of the mayors of the United States on the protection of the climate). Seattle annually reduces its gas emissions to greenhouse effect by 683.000 tons. The municipality rejects from now on carbon 60% of less than in 1990, thanks to the use of hybrid vehicles.

The government of the city of Seattle consists of a council elected by the vote made up of a Mayeur and nine advisers.

For a few decades, the parties in power in the city have had a policy on the left compared to the average of the country. Nevertheless, there exists a small movement of right-hand side. The results of the elections on the level of the State of Washington and the national level were also gained by the democrats and in less measurement by the green party who gain nevertheless more ways in Seattle than in the majority of the other American cities.

Among the former mayeurs of the city, one will quote Bertha Knight Landes (with the capacity of 1926 to 1928) which was the first woman mayor in the United States. Arthur B. Langlie (1938-1941) was the only mayor of the city to becoming governor of the state of Washington.

Robert Moran (mayor of 1888 to 1909) took part in the rebuilding of the city after the fire of 1889. Also manufacturer of ships, his company manufactured in Seattle of 1902 to 1907 the warship WORN Nebraska (BB-14) . Moran bequeathed approximately 20 km ² ground to the State. This ground forms the park of State Moran State Park. It is located on the principal island of the islands San Juan.

Justice and criminality

After having reached a rate of 69 homicides in 1994, the rate passed to 24 homicides in 2004. 40 years had to be turned over earlier to find this level. In 2006, the rate passed by again with 30 homicides.

The flight of cars is another important problem in the city. The city thus belonged to signal 10 of the localities where the flights of cars were most widespread. In answer, the police force of the city increased the use of specialized detectives and also carried out the launching of the system of " cars appâts" in 2004.

The mayor of the city Greg Nickels is member of a coalition of mayeurs militant against the wearing of illegal weapons in the streets.

The city does not have its own prison. The prisons employed are the prison of the county of King, the prison of the county of Yakima and the prison of the county of Renton.

Others

Nicknames and emblems

In 1981, Seattle organized a contest to be a new nickname. Called a long time Queen City (quoted of the queen), this one wished to find another nickname because this one was already used per many of other cities such as for example Cincinnati, Denver and Buffalo. The finally selected name was Emerald City (quoted emerald). This name would come from the colors of the landscapes around the city. Seattle also carried the nonofficial nickname of Jet City following the presence of the airframe manufacturer Boeing. The official flower of the city is the Dahlia since 1913 while the official bird of the city since 2003 is the Grand héron.

Twinnings

The twin towns with the town of Seattle are:

External bonds

  • Information sheet on the urban area of Seattle
  • Forum of the French or French-speaking people in Seattle
  • Visit in photograph and tourism in Seattle
  • Official site of the town of Seattle
  • tourist Official site of Seattle
  • Seattle Wiki
  • virtual Turn of Seattle

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