Seattle is a major city on the Pacific coast within the state of Washington. This city is situated in the northern part of Washington State, 183 km from the Canadian Border. It is the biggest city within the Pacific Northwest, a major seaport and the primary economic, cultural and educational center within the region.
The city is located on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington. Bounded by freshwater and salt water, Seattle is certainly a maritime city. Its name came from Chief Sealth, a leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish native tribes. The city of Seattle serves as the county seat of King County. The city of Seattle is the principal city of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan statistical area, which is the biggest within the northwest.
The city of Seattle is influenced by various cultures and by the Pacific Rim. The cuisine is world class. Acclaimed chefs staff the city's best restaurants. A lot of people are drawn to the city's relaxed west-coast vibe, whereas others appreciate its vibrant entrepreneurial side. Many popular companies have had successful start ups within the city, like for instance Amazon.com, Microsoft, Starbucks, Eddie Bauer and Nintendo. Seattle also has the reputation as the espresso cart capital of the world.
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing is still one of the biggest companies in the Seattle area, despite the fact that its company head office moved to Chicago. With a large division still located within nearby Bellevue, and aircraft manufacturing plants in Everett and Renton, Boeing's importance in the area economy is indisputable.
The economy of the city has traditionally been shipping, aerospace, forest products and the military. Lots of people are employed with the US Military, working out the regions various facilities: an air force base, army base, two navy bases, and a Naval shipyard. Emerging businesses are Internet services, biotechnology, telecommunications and software. The Seattle area ranks fifth in the country for the per capita number of software jobs. Approximately 6,000 software related businesses hire over 65,000 individuals. Tourism is likewise a major economic generator.
Seattle's port is set in a deep-water harbor right in the middle of the Puget Sound basin. As the fifth biggest container port in the the nation (37th biggest within the globe), shipping-related activities are of huge economic importance in the region, providing around 200,000 jobs for the area's inhabitants. This involves not just the Port of Seattle itself, but likewise the Seattle Tacoma International Airport and companies supporting those facilities.