Seattle is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Situated in the western part of Washington State on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about 96 miles (154 km) south of the Canada – United States border. It is named after Chief Sealth, of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes. The encompassing Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan statistical area is the 15th largest in the United States, and the largest in the Pacific Northwest. The major economic, cultural and educational center in the region, Seattle is the county seat of King County. As of April 1, 2009, the city had a municipal population of 602,000, making it the twenty-fifth most populous city in the U.S. and a metropolitan area population of 3,344,813.
The Seattle area has been inhabited for at least 4,000 years, but European settlement began only in the mid-19th century. The first permanent white settlers—Arthur A. Denny and those subsequently known as the Denny Party—arrived November 13, 1851. Early settlements in the area were called "New York-Alki" ("Alki" meaning "by and by" in the local Chinook Jargon) and "Duwamps". In 1853, Doc Maynard suggested that the main settlement be renamed "Seattle", an anglicized rendition of the name of Sealth, the chief of the two local tribes. From 1869 until 1982, Seattle was known as the "Queen City". ...
view wiki
