The Seattle Metropolitan area is a blend of old and new. Members of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes first inhabited the site of modern-day Seattle. They visited the area seasonally to harvest and dry salmon. The city itself was founded by The Denny Party, made up of about two dozen American Settlers. They landed on the rainy beach at Alki Point in West Seattle in 1851. Within a year, the community moved east to a more sheltered site on Elliott Bay and began to clear the dense forest back from the shore. Seattle was named in honor of Chief Sealth, the leader of the Native American tribes who befriended the American settlers.
In 1853, the Washington Territory was created by splitting the Oregon Territory. Seattle incorporated in 1865 when the town numbered 350 men, women, and children. At incorporation the city covered only 10 square miles, spanning the hilly strip of land between Elliott Bay and Lake Washington that today includes downtown, the Central District and much of Capitol Hill.
In the 1880s, as Washington Territory moved toward statehood, the local economy boomed and the population soared. As logging grew more mechanized, Washington's timber industry prospered. In 1884, Washington loggers cut more than one million board feet for the first time, and their yield increased tenfold between 1880 and 1890. During that decade, Seattle's population skyrocketed from 3,553 to 42,837 as newcomers and immigrants hoped to take part in the city's prosperity. In 1883, Beacon Hill, Queen Anne Hill, and Madison Park were annexed to the city, followed in 1891 by Green Lake, the University District, Magnolia, and Fremont, bringing Seattle's area to 30 square miles.
In the 1950s residential suburbs spread north of the city and throughout Lake Washington's Eastside, as the G.I. Bill made it possible for World War II veterans to buy new homes inexpensively. Seattle's northern boundary moved from NE 85th Street to NE 145th Street, incorporating a district then exploding with suburban growth.
In 1962, Seattle hosted a world's fair, the Century 21 Exposition. The fair was originally intended to be a 50th-anniversary celebration of the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, but promoters of the city dramatically reshaped it. The fair became a celebration of Seattle's coming of age as an international city, presenting confident visions of a high-tech 21st century. Nearly 10 million visitors passed through the fair's turnstiles. Century 21 gave the world a view of the great urban center that Seattle had become.
Today, Seattle is classic American success story. It is home to some 550,000 residents as well as some of the country’s top high-tech firms. It has become a leader in trade, aerospace, and biotechnology. But more importantly, it has become a city that balances the needs of its citizens with the needs of the environment, guaranteeing an excellent quality of life for decades to come.
In 1853, the Washington Territory was created by splitting the Oregon Territory. Seattle incorporated in 1865 when the town numbered 350 men, women, and children. At incorporation the city covered only 10 square miles, spanning the hilly strip of land between Elliott Bay and Lake Washington that today includes downtown, the Central District and much of Capitol Hill.
In the 1880s, as Washington Territory moved toward statehood, the local economy boomed and the population soared. As logging grew more mechanized, Washington's timber industry prospered. In 1884, Washington loggers cut more than one million board feet for the first time, and their yield increased tenfold between 1880 and 1890. During that decade, Seattle's population skyrocketed from 3,553 to 42,837 as newcomers and immigrants hoped to take part in the city's prosperity. In 1883, Beacon Hill, Queen Anne Hill, and Madison Park were annexed to the city, followed in 1891 by Green Lake, the University District, Magnolia, and Fremont, bringing Seattle's area to 30 square miles.
In the 1950s residential suburbs spread north of the city and throughout Lake Washington's Eastside, as the G.I. Bill made it possible for World War II veterans to buy new homes inexpensively. Seattle's northern boundary moved from NE 85th Street to NE 145th Street, incorporating a district then exploding with suburban growth.
In 1962, Seattle hosted a world's fair, the Century 21 Exposition. The fair was originally intended to be a 50th-anniversary celebration of the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, but promoters of the city dramatically reshaped it. The fair became a celebration of Seattle's coming of age as an international city, presenting confident visions of a high-tech 21st century. Nearly 10 million visitors passed through the fair's turnstiles. Century 21 gave the world a view of the great urban center that Seattle had become.
Today, Seattle is classic American success story. It is home to some 550,000 residents as well as some of the country’s top high-tech firms. It has become a leader in trade, aerospace, and biotechnology. But more importantly, it has become a city that balances the needs of its citizens with the needs of the environment, guaranteeing an excellent quality of life for decades to come.