Seattle City Guide

The largest city in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle is located in Washington, just south of the Canadian border. The seat of King County, Seattle sits on the shore of Elliot Bay, situated between Puget Sound and Lake Washington. The Olympic Mountains rise majestically to the west, while the Cascade Range runs along the eastern horizon. Seattle is well known for the natural beauty that surrounds it; the abundance of lush evergreen trees have given rise to the nickname "Emerald City." Seattle's reputation for being rainy has also garnered it the nickname "Rain City," but the city is situated in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains which protects it from the bulk of the Pacific coast weather. The fact is Seattle stays cloudy most of the time, but actually gets less rain than Houston, Atlanta, or New York City. People in Seattle like to joke that they came up with the "Rain City" moniker to scare the Californians away.

The founding of Seattle was a complicated affair and, to this day, there is still some controversy surrounding the key figure in its establishment. The Denny Party, led by Arthur A. Denny, arrived in the area in 1851 and settled at Alki Point (where West Seattle would later be located). In 1852, they decided to move their settlement to the more easily defended shores of Elliot Bay. Meanwhile, David Swinson "Doc" Maynard had arrived at Elliot Bay at roughly the same time and established his own settlement just south of Denny's. Where the Denny Party had a tumultuous relationship with the Duwamish and Snohomish tribes in the region, Maynard had early on established a diplomatic relationship with the natives. It was his suggestion to name the settlement Seattle, in honor of the Duwamish's chief, Noah Sealth.