Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located in the U.S. state of Washington between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, nearly 108 miles (174 km) south of the United States–Canadian border in King County, of which it is the county seat.

Seattle was founded in the 1850s and named after Chief Seattle, also known as Noah Sealth. As of 2005, the city had an estimated population of 573,000 and a metropolitan population of around 3.8 million. Seattle is the hub for the Greater Puget Sound region. Its official nickname is the Emerald City because of the lush evergreen trees in the surrounding area; it is also referred to as the Rainy City, the Gateway to Alaska, Queen City, and Jet City, due to the local influence of Boeing. Seattle residents are known as Seattleites.

Seattle is known as the birthplace of grunge music, and it has a reputation for heavy coffee consumption: locally founded coffee companies include Starbucks and Tully's Coffee. Seattle was also the site of the 1999 meeting of the World Trade Organization, and the attendant demonstrations by anti-globalization activists, which were in keeping with Seattle's Democratic history and reputation for liberal politics. Researchers at Central Connecticut State University ranked Seattle the most literate city in America in 2005.

1 The local economy
2 Recent Seattle business news
3 See also
4 External links

[edit]

The local economy

Five companies on the 2004 Fortune 500 list of the United States' largest companies, based on total revenue, are currently headquartered in Seattle: financial services company Washington Mutual (#103), insurance company Safeco Corporation (#267), department store Nordstrom (#286), World Wide Web retailer Amazon.com, (#342) and coffee chain Starbucks (#425).

Prior to moving its headquarters to Chicago, aerospace manufacturer Boeing (#21) was the largest company based in Seattle. However, due to its largest division still being headquartered in Bellevue and large aircraft manufacturing plants in Everett and Renton, Boeing remains one of the largest private employers in the Seattle Metropolitan area.

Other Fortune 500 companies popularly associated with Seattle are based in nearby Puget Sound cities. Warehouse club chain Costco Wholesale Corp. (#29), the largest company in Washington, is based in Issaquah. Microsoft (#46), the American Division of Nintendo, Nintendo of America, and cellular telephone pioneer McCaw Cellular, prior to being bought out by AT&T Wireless (#120) in 1994 and then merging with Cingular in 2004, are all located in Redmond. Weyerhaeuser, the forest products company (#95), is based in Federal Way. Finally, Bellevue is home to truck manufacturer PACCAR (#250) and international mobile telephony giant T-Mobile's U.S. subsidiary T-Mobile USA.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has announced a desire to spark a new economic boom driven by the biotechnology industry. Major redevelopment of the South Lake Union neighborhood is underway in an effort to attract new and established biotech companies to the region, joining current biotech companies such as Corixa, Immunex (now part of Amgen), and ZymoGenetics.

Source - Wikipedia: Seattle, Washington

[edit]

Recent Seattle business news

Links to recent headlines via Topix.net

Nightlife Crackdown Continues: City Forces Neumos to Reduce Capacity: In recent weeks, the city has been cracking down on Capitol Hill's nightlife. Club owners and bartenders say they've repeatedly been harassed by Seattle Police, the Fire Marshall's office and other city ...
Customized personal "Coffee Table Books" by famous Eastside &...: Have you ever thought about having your own customized and personalized "Coffee Table Book"of you and/or your family? What a fantastic idea for Birthday's, Christmas and special occassions! Your own ...
Starbucks' Pike Place Roast is just okay, says Consumer Reports: Jim Romenesko's Starbucks Gossip blog today linked to a Consumer Reports story about the new Pike Place Roast blend, which tasters say is "a smooth cup of coffee with some bitterness, but not particularly ...
No Parking Anytime: 'Thorny' helps community show off its human side: Along Thorndyke Avenue West, a formerly forgettable stretch between the Burlington Northern railroad tracks and the upscale homes and shops in Magnolia, there's a sign of change .
Cakespy Seattle: Cakewalk in Wallingford, Seattle: Never have we come across a neighborhood more in love with its name than Wallingford, a neighborhood with a low-key hippie persona in Seattle.
Mayor Greg Nickels Wants "Green" Taxis: Seattle's mayor wants "greener" taxi cabs in the city. Mayor Greg Nickels is asking City Council to require new taxis to get at least 30 miles per gallon.
Wireless Lifestyle debuts first Sprint store in downtown St. Louis: St. Louis Business Journal - by Matt Allen Wireless Lifestyle Inc. has opened the city of St.
Do You Provide World'Class Service?: Today's business environment is becoming increasingly complex and competitive due to globalization, new technology, increasing product proliferation, brand erosion, market segmentation, consumer skepticism and ...