Welcome To Seattle SAFeDATA

Seattle (pronounced /si`ætl ?/) is a coastal port city and the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the US. It is located in the state of Washington between an arm of the Pacific Ocean called Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about 96 miles (155 km) south of the Canada–US border in King County, of which it is the county seat.The Seattle area has been inhabited for at least 4,000 years, but European settlement began only in the mid-19th century. The first lasting white settlers—Arthur A. Denny and those afterward known as the Denny party—arrived Nov 13, 1851. Early settlements in the area were called "New York-Alki" and "Duwamps". In 1853, Doc Maynard suggested that the main settlement be renamed "Seattle," an anglicized rendition of the name of Noah Sealth, the collective chief of the two indigenous tribes. As of 2006, the city had an estimated populus of 582,174 and an estimated metropolitan area populus of approximately 3.2 1,000,000. Seattle is the hub and largest city of the Seattle metropolitan area, often called Puget Sound, which also includes Tacoma, Bellevue, and Everett. From 1869 until 1982, Seattle was known as the "Queen City". Seattle`s current official nickname is the "Emerald City," the result of a contest held in the early 1980s to designate a new nickname;[5] the reference is to the lush evergreen trees in the surrounding area. Seattle is also referred to informally as the "Rainy City" (though, in fact, it is more cloudy than rainy), "Gateway to Alaska," and "Jet City," the last from the local influence of Boeing. Seattle residents are known as Seattleites.Seattle is often regarded as the birthplace of grunge music,[6] and has a reputation for heavy coffee consumption;[7] coffee companies founded or based in Seattle include Starbucks,[8] Seattle`s Best Coffee,[9] and Tully`s.[10] There are also many successful independent artisanal espresso roasters and cafes.[7] Seattle was the site of the 1999 meeting of the World Trade Organization, and the attendant demonstrations by anti-globalization activists. Researchers at Central Connecticut State University ranked Seattle the most literate city of USA`s sixty-nine largest cities in 2005 and 2006 and second most literate in 2007.[11] Moreover, analysis conducted in 2004 by the US Census Bureau of 2002 survey data indicated that Seattle was the most educated large city in the U.S. with 48.8 percent of residents 25 and older having at least bachelor degrees.[12] Based on per capita income, in 2006 the Seattle metropolitan area ranked 17th out of 363 metropolitan areas in a study by the Census Bureau.[13]

Seattle is located between an inlet of the Pacific Ocean to the west called Puget Sound and Lake Washington to the east at the mouth of the Duwamish River, which empties into the city`s chief harbour, Elliott Bay, an inlet of the Sound. West beyond the Sound are the Kitsap Peninsula and Olympic Mountains, on the Olympic Peninsula; east beyond Lake Washington and the eastside suburbs are Lake Sammamish and the Cascade Range. The sea, rivers, forests, lakes, and fields were once rich enough to support one of the world`s few sedentary hunter-gatherer societies. Opportunities for sailing, skiing, bicycling, camping, and hiking are nearby and accessible almost year-round.

The man-made Lake Washington Ship Canal incorporates four natural bodies of water: Lake Union, Salmon Bay, Portage Bay, and Union Bay, connecting Puget Sound to Lake Washington.

Seattle is in an earthquake zone and has experienced a number of significant quakes, most recently (as of 2007) the magnitude 6.8 Nisqually Earthquake, February 28, 2001, which did significant architectural damage, especially in the Pioneer Square area (built on reclaimed land, as are the Industrial District and part of Downtown), but caused no fatalities. Other strong quakes occurred on December 14, 1872 (estimated at 7.3 or 7.4 magnitude), April 13, 1949 (7.1), and April 29, 1965 (6.5). The 1949 quake caused eight known deaths, all in Seattle; the 1965 quake caused three deaths in Seattle directly, and one more by heart failure. Although the Seattle Fault passes just south of Downtown, neither it nor the Cascadia subduction zone has caused an earthquake since the city`s founding. The Cascadia subduction zone poses the threat of an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 or greater, adept of seriously damaging the city and collapsing many buildings, especially in zones built on fill.

Eighty miles (130 km) to the west, the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park on the western flank of the Olympic Mountains receives an annual avg rainfall of 142 inches (361 cm), and the state capital, Olympia—south of the rain shadow—receives an annual avg rainfall of 52 inches (132 cm). Snowfall is very infrequent, especially at lower altitudes and near the coast, and is usually light and fleeting, lasting only a few days. Average annual snowfall, as measured at Sea–Tac Airport, is 13 inches (33 cm). Seattle`s record snowfall was 20 inches (51 cm) on January 13, 1950. Sunnier and drier "California weather" typically dominates from mid-July to mid-September. An avg of 0.8 inches (2.0 cm) of rain falls in July and 1.0 inch (2.5 cm) in August. Although the summer weather is considerably drier and less humid than in areas with humid continental weathers, a slight dampness can be occasionally felt, usually when temperatures reach above 80 °F (26.7 °C). This dampness is typically more noticeable during the evening when the temperatures have dropped. Because of this, Seattle experiences occasional summer thunderstorms.

The Puget Sound Convergence Zone is an important feature of Seattle`s weather. In the convergence zone, air arriving from the N meets air flowing in from the south. Both streams of air originate over the Pacific Ocean; airflow is split by the Olympic Mountains to Seattle`s west, then reunited by the Cascade Mountains to the east. When the air currents meet, they are forced upward, resulting in convection.