Seattle, Seaport metropolis in Washington, United States
Seattle sits between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, with tall towers rising from downtown and views extending toward the Cascade Range to the east. The city center occupies a narrow strip of land shaped by bays, hills, and waterways that cut through neighborhoods from north to south.
The Denny Party founded a settlement at Alki Point in 1851 and named it after Chief Seattle of the Duwamish people. Timber trade and later the Alaska Gold Rush fueled growth, while fire and reconstruction reshaped downtown in the late 1800s.
Coffee shops around Pike Place Market and in Capitol Hill fill with locals working on laptops, reading, or chatting over espresso drinks throughout the day. Live music venues host performances in small clubs and bars where local bands play and audiences mingle freely between sets.
Light rail, buses, and water taxis connect downtown with neighborhoods and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport throughout the day. Hilly streets require comfortable walking shoes, and weather shifts frequently between drizzle and brief clear spells.
Below street level in Pioneer Square, old sidewalks and storefronts from the 1890s remain preserved beneath the rebuilt city surface. These underground passages reveal former shop entrances and doorways that once opened onto the original ground level.
Location: King County
Inception: November 13, 1851
Elevation above the sea: 40 m
Shares border with: Shoreline, SeaTac, Bellevue, Lake Forest Park, Renton
Address: Seattle, WA, USA
Website: https://seattle.gov
GPS coordinates: 47.60500,-122.33000
Latest update: December 2, 2025 20:34
Photo license: CC BY-SA 3.0
This list presents the 50 most populous cities in the United States according to the official estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau as of July 2024. These metropolitan areas showcase the country's diversity in economic, cultural, and geographic aspects. From New York with 8.48 million residents, a global hub of finance and media, to Los Angeles, the center of cinema, through Chicago with its notable architecture, Houston with its space industry, and Philadelphia, the city that founded American independence, each destination has its own identity. San Antonio preserves traces of the colonial era around the Alamo, while Phoenix is experiencing rapid growth in the Arizona desert. These large American cities, spread from Texas to California and from Florida to Illinois, offer a comprehensive view of the country's urban realities. Together, they host several tens of millions of inhabitants and are the main drivers of the national economy, each developing specialties from the energy sector to new technologies, maritime trade, and medical research.
Seattle stretches between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, offering a mix of urban architecture, public spaces and natural areas. This route connects more than thirty stops, from the Space Needle and Pike Place Market to less visited sites like the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks or the Wing Luke Museum. The selection includes museums of contemporary and classical art, historic neighborhoods and waterfront parks. Pike Place Market sits downtown and has operated as a public market since 1907. Chihuly Garden and Glass displays the glasswork of local artist Dale Chihuly. The Museum of Pop Culture, designed by Frank Gehry, covers music, film and video games. Olympic Sculpture Park spans nine acres along the waterfront, combining outdoor sculpture with views across the bay. The Seattle Art Museum holds collections from different continents and periods. The Ballard Locks connect salt water to fresh water and include a fish ladder for migrating salmon. Discovery Park covers 534 acres with trails through forest and meadow, plus beach access. Gas Works Park preserves parts of a former coal gasification plant on Lake Union. The Museum of Flight documents aviation history with more than 175 aircraft and spacecraft. Mount Rainier National Park lies about two hours southeast and features the 14,411-foot (4,392-meter) glaciated volcano.
Space Needle
2.2 km
Climate Pledge Arena
2.6 km
Lumen Field
1.1 km
Bill Gates's house
7.1 km
Seattle Underground
449 m
Pike Place Market
1 km
Amazon Spheres
1.4 km
Gum Wall
826 m
Museum of Pop Culture
2.3 km
Original Starbucks
1.1 km
Fremont Troll
5.3 km
Husky Stadium
5.5 km
Columbia Center
67 m
Gas Works Park
4.6 km
The Museum of Flight
9.8 km
Evergreen Point Floating Bridge
6.6 km
Alaskan Way Viaduct
629 m
Day 1
1.4 km
Seattle Central Library
256 m
Amazon Tower I
1.3 km
Smith Tower
366 m
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
8.4 km
Woodland Park Zoo
7.3 km
Seattle Center
2.6 km
Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge
4.8 km
Seattle Great Wheel
949 m
Rainier Tower
537 m
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