Known as the “Emerald City,” Seattle is a vibrant community that offers one of the greatest lifestyles in the nation. Home to the nation’s 7th largest population of artists, supported in part by an innovative public arts funding program, Seattle has a thriving arts scene. The Seattle Symphony – now housed in the world class Benaroya Hall – Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet, numerous art galleries, the Seattle Art Museum and the Seattle Asian Art Museum are just a few of the city’s artistic attractions.
The Experience Music Project, which opened in 2000, is an interactive rock and roll museum with an innovative design by Frank Gehry. Seattle is rich in theater arts with 80 companies, 13 of which are professional. The city annually hosts the Seattle International Film Festival and is often displayed prominently in major Hollywood productions and TV shows. Seattle has also gained international attention as the origin of many trend-setting rock and pop groups, and though the so-called grunge movement is no longer active, the local music scene certainly continues to thrive.
Seattle is home a number of sports teams: Seahawks football at beautiful Seattle Seahawks Stadium, Mariners baseball at Safeco Field, SuperSonics basketball at Key Arena, Seattle Sounders soccer and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. Seahawks Stadium and Safeco Field are side-by-side state-of-the-art sports facilities, which offer great views and some of the best sports in the country. The University of Washington (known to locals as “U-Dub”) is a member of the Pac-10 conference, traditionally one of the best collegiate conferences in the country.
Opportunities to participate in recreational sports are also abundant in Seattle. The nearby lakes offer water sports, boating and fishing, and in the winter skiing and snowboarding are only 45 minutes away. Nature lovers are sure to be pleased if they take the short drive to any one of the numerous area parks that offer hiking, river rafting and much more. Some of the most popular scenic spots are Mt. Rainier National Park, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park and Rainforest and Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
The
Seattle Public School System is considered one of the best in the country for cities of its size. There are numerous colleges and universities in the area as well, helping to produce an educated and dynamic workforce. Companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks, Amazon.com, Nordstrom’s, Eddie Bauer and others have grown to national and international prominence by taking advantage of the creativity and vision of the residents of Seattle and the surrounding area.
Among the most well known Seattle attractions is Pike Place Market, the oldest continually operating farmers market in the country. The market is famous for vendors who throw fish to the delight of locals and tourist alike. The Space Needle is the most easily recognizable building in Seattle’s beautiful skyline and the anchor of the Seattle Center. The Hiram Chittenden Locks, Woodland Park Zoo, Tillicum Indian Village, Seattle Aquarium, Pioneer Square, the International District, and of course the city’s many waterfront, lakeside and sound beaches are other popular spots.
Seattle is considered the Mecca for high tech community mainly because of it’s main East side headquarters of Microsoft corporation. While many other high tech companies are housed in the Seattle Area the largest employer is still Microsoft. In the late 90’s the city was also the center for Ecommerce with Amazon.com and a slew of other Startup’s. Many of the high tech companies continue to call Seattle home and house their development centers such as Adobe, even if their HQ’s are not here in
Seattle .
The migration of people from all over North America continues as Seattle area’s attractions offer a the balance of work and life. Pacific Northwest’s outdoor activities culture keeps hikers, and skiers busy all year around. While Seattle and Northwest may have the lowest churches per capita the Seattle area has a lot of people who consider themselves spiritually in tune at the least, especially with nature. While the Pacific Northwest can be classified as an outdoor heaven, the Seattle Metro area is truly a cosmopolitan nirvana. The homes in Seattle range from it’s signature craftsman, often with lots of windows for views, to classical bungalows to modern eccentric condominiums. The mansions in North Capitol hill, Queen Anne hill, Madison Park, Madrona, and along with waterfront estates all along lake Washington blvd are truly encapsulating. The house boats boast a unique lifestyle and of course became famous from the blockbuster movie Sleepless in Seattle.
While home prices in Seattle can be outrageous for relocations, the area has plenty of affordable housing in the North, South, and West of the Lake Washington. The three bedroom family homes in the outer circles of the Seattle Metro can be attained for Low $200’s to $300K. The most difficult thing for outsiders moving to Seattle is the confusing plethora of neighborhoods to choose from, each with it’s unique culture and attractions. We have accumulated a long list of neighborhoods for the history buff, and for a resource. The descriptions are provided mainly with the content from www.Historylink.org. Please do visit their website for further knowledge and support.
