Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington invokes images of towering trees, looming volcanoes, and spouting orca whales. Grunge music, Starbucks Coffee and the Space Needle are just a few of the eclectic trademarks of this vibrant, one of a kind city.

Seattle, WA spreads out among seven hillsides looking down on the waters of Puget Sound to the west and up to the craggy peaks of Mount Rainier and the volcanic glaciers of the Cascade Mountains to the east.  Located 96 miles south of the Canadian Border, Seattle serves as Washington State’s premier city and the seat of King County.

The 2000 Census reports placed Seattle’s population at 563,374. The Census Bureau ranked Seattle number 17 out of 363 metro areas, for highest per capita income, and named Seattle the most educated large city in the United States, with 48.8% of its residents obtaining a bachelor's degree or higher, (our national average is 24%). Ninety-three percent of Seattle residents earn a high school degree, as opposed to 80% nationally. Research done by the Central Connecticut State University proves Seattle, WA to be the most literate city in the nation.  Twenty colleges and universities are within a twenty mile radius, while a number of excellent institutes such as the University of Washington, Antioch University, and Seattle Pacific University lie in Seattle proper.

Seattle, WA maintains a long tradition of sponsoring the arts.  The Intiman Theatre is recognized as one of six Leading National Theaters.  The Tony Award winning Seattle Repertory Theatre offers classic and contemporary plays at the Seattle Center Campus. The 5th Ave Theatre opened in 1926 as a vaudeville house, and has gone on to produce many classic Broadway musicals hits such as Hairspray.

Music remains a vital component in Seattle culture. Home to the Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Seattle Opera, and  the Seattle Symphony, this  is the birthplace of legendary rockers Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and the groups Pearl Jam and Nirvana. Every type of music fills the nightlife air of Seattle streets. For the under-age sector, Seattle provides fine musical entertainment in a safe environment through its outstanding Vera Project music and art center.

Seattle’s moderate Pacific Marine climate lends itself to outdoor recreation, and the surrounding area offers some of the most stunning natural beauty in the region. Seattle’s Lake Washington Ship Canal connects to Puget Sound via Lake Union, Salmon Bay, Portage Bay, and Union Bay. The thriving Downtown District boasts its own Harbor Island, home to the bustling Port of Seattle.  A water wonderland, Seattle also claims access to the exotic Olympic Peninsula, a world of mountains and rainforests, and the mighty Cascade Mountain Range looming to the east.  Seattle is home to the Seattle Thunderbirds, Western Hockey League (ice hockey).

Seattle, Washington is a vibrant, progressive, modern port city.  Almost every ethnic culture baskis in the surrounding beauty of its waterways and mountain scenes.