|
LOCATION
Founded in 1869, the City of Seattle is located in the State of Washington
on Puget Sound, 113 miles (182 km) from the U.S.- Canadian
border. Seattle is a commercial, cultural and advanced technology
hub of the U.S. Pacific Northwest and a major port city for trans-Pacific
and European travel and trade. Surrounded by mountains and water,
the greater Seattle area features picture-perfect views and abundant
recreational opportunities year-round.
Latitude: 47º 39’ North Longitude: 122º 17’ West
City Profile
Land Area: 84 sq mi (217 sq km)
Population, 2006: 578,700
Population Density: 6,907 people per sq mi (2,667 per sq km)
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DEMOGRAPHICS
Population
1970
1980
1990
2000
2006 |
Seattle
530,831
493,846
516,259
563,374
578,700 |
Greater
Seattle Area
1,939,000
2,240,000
2,748,867
3,275,847
3,524,000 |
Cascadia
7,738,635
9,508,809
11,000,384
13,379,320
14,407,008 |
(Sources: US Census Bureau (See www.historylink.org); BC Stats (BC Ministry of
Management Services); and Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.
Seattle estimate for 2006 from Washington State’s Office of Financial Management.)
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Population by Race in 2005
Race/Ethnic Group
White
Black or African American
Native American and Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
Other race
Population of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity (any race)
TOTAL population |
Seattle
369,689
(68.9%)
43,914
(8.2%)
6,336
(1.2%)
77,363
(14.4%)
1,666
(0.3%)
16,940
(3.2%)
33,707
(6.3%)
536,946 |
King County
1,284,024
(73.1%)
99,819
(5.7%)
14,739
(0.8%)
233,028
(13.3%)
10,208
(0.6%)
55,244
(3.1%)
118,558
(6.8%)
1,755,818 |
Washington State
4,988,017
(81.2%)
202,286
(3.3%)
88,363
(1.4%)
405,030
(6.6%)
28,400
(0.5%)
229,830
(3.7%)
541,722
(8.8%)
6,146,338 |
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey)
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QUALITY OF LIFE
Seattle combines a stunning natural setting and vibrant metropolitan
center with world-class arts, entertainment and cuisine. Seattle
excels in livability with a mild climate, a wide range of housing options,
arts and culture, sports, entertainment, an abundance of shops and
restaurants and easy access to outdoor recreational activities in any
season. Seattle was named the ‘Most Educated City’ in 2006; it ranked
#6 among the 2006 top-ten arts destinations in the U.S; was labeled
the ‘Most Unwired City’ for access to wireless Internet connections
in 2005, and named the #3 ‘Best Walking City’ for its walker-friendly
environment.
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Climate
Seattle’s mild winters and temperate summers enable year-round
outdoor activities. High temperatures in July average 75º F (24º C),
while low temperatures in winter drop below freezing an average of
15 days per year. Average yearly rainfall in Seattle is 36.2 inches (92
cm), compared to 19.5 inches (50 cm) in San Francisco, 34.5 (88 cm)
in Chicago, 39 inches (99 cm) in Washington, DC and 40.3 inches (102
cm) in New York City.
(Source: NOAA Climatological Data, Seattle)
Housing
Median sales prices of existing single-family homes, 3rd quarter 2006
(U.S. dollars)
| Dallas | $151,300 | Washington, D.C. | $431,900 |
| St. Louis | $154,400 | Boston | $412,300 |
| Denver | $253,200 | San Diego | $601,900 |
| Chicago | $279,400 | San Francisco | $749,400 |
| Seattle | $372,400 | | |
(Source: National Association of Realtors www.realtor.org)
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Rentals
Average monthly apartment rental costs in King County, March 2006
| Studio $682 | One-bedroom $776 | Two-bedroom/Two-bath $1,040 |
(Source: Central Puget Sound Real Estate Report, Spring 2006)
Median Family Income
Metropolitan Seattle (Includes Seattle, Bellevue and Everett)
| 2000 | $65,800 | 2004 | $72,600 |
| 2002 | $77,900 | 2006 | $74,300 |
(Source: Housing and Urban Development Regional Office (http://www.huduser.org/))
(Sources: 2006 cost of living figures from www. finfacts.ie. November 2006 office rent data
from CB Richard Ellis.)
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EDUCATION
|
Public and Private Schools
Total enrollment in Seattle Public Schools as of October 1, 2006, is
45,933. There are more than 300 private and parochial schools in
Seattle.
Persons over 25, a comparison of major U.S. cities; percentage completing:
| | High
School | BA or
Higher |
| Seattle | 91.9 | 52.7 |
| San Francisco | 84.5 | 50.1 |
| Washington, D.C. | 83.6 | 45.3 |
| Atlanta | 83.0 | 42.4 |
| New York | 79.0 | 32.2 |
| Chicago | 77.5 | 29.9 |
| Miami | 63.3 | 20.3 |
| Detroit | 76.1 | 12.1 |
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Survey)
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Major Universities and Colleges
| | Number of Students | Internet Home Page |
| University of Washington (public) | 44,221
| www.washington.edu
|
| Seattle University (private) | 6,177 | www.seattleu.edu |
| Seattle Pacific University (private) | 3,830
| www.spu.edu
|
| Seattle Community Colleges, four campuses (public) | 27,760
| www.sccd.ctc.edu
|
| Art Institute of Seattle | 2,425 | www.ais.edu |
| Cornish College of the Arts | 800
| www.cornish.edu
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COMMUNITY FACILLITIES
|
Health Care
The Seattle area is the health care center of the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
Leading institutions include Swedish Medical Center, University
of Washington Hospital and School of Medicine, Harborview Medical
Center, Group Health Cooperative Hospital, Virginia Mason Medical
Center, Northwest Hospital, Valley General Hospital, Children’s Hospital
and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (with the world’s
largest research program for cancer control and prevention).
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Cultural and Recreational Facilities
| Museums | 17 | Parks | 61 local parks |
| Historical Sites | 37 | Beaches | 9 |
| Community Centers | 28 | Golf Courses | 5 |
| Public Libraries | 30 | Tennis Courts | 156 |
| Performing Arts Centers | 37 | Swimming Pools | 10 |
| | | Playing Fields | 33 |
| | | Athletic Clubs | 42 |
| | | Maintained Trails | 72 miles |
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ECONOMY
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Seattle is the urban center of a four-county metropolitan region with 3.5
million people and 1.7 million jobs. The city’s largest employer is the
University of Washington, with 28,000 faculty and staff, an operating
budget of $3.4 billion and an annual research budget of $990 million
(see 2006 Annual Report at http://www.washington.edu/admin/finacct/
annual.report.archive.html). The University plays a key role in many
economic sectors such as healthcare, biotechnology, information technology,
science and research.
Seattle’s healthcare cluster (hospitals, healthcare products and services,
training and research) accounts for 96,000 jobs and contributes $10
billion annually to the local economy (see Key Industries at http://www.
seattle.gov/economicdevelopment). The biotechnology and medical
device sector, ranked 5th in the US by industry concentration, consists
of 250 firms and non-profit research organizations throughout the Seattle/
Washington State region (see http://www.wabio.com). Seattle’s
strong position in healthcare, biotechnology and information technology
has led to new collaborative developments in bioinformatics (using
databases and algorithms to enhance biological research) and health
informatics (using computer technologies for the collection, storage,
communication and optimal use of health related data).
Seattle’s healthcare and biotechnology sectors have benefited from
grants from the Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,
which has $29.1 billion in net assets (not including additional assets
promised recently by Warren Buffet). Foundation funding helped the
University of Washington co-locate the Departments of Genome Sciences
and Bioengineering in a new facility and create a new Department
of Global Health (jointly run by the Schools of Public Health and
Medicine). The South Lake Union neighborhood near the University
has become a biotech hub thanks to private investment by Vulcan, the
creation of a $15 million biotech incubator and proximity to the Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Institute for Systems Biology,
the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Seattle office), Amgen’s
Helix Campus on Elliot Bay, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the
Pacific Northwest Research Institute, the Infectious Disease Research
Institute, PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), the
Seattle Biomedical Research Institute and Benaroya Research Institute
at Virginia Mason.
Aerospace has long been a key industry in the Seattle region, thanks
to the Boeing Company. Boeing employs 68,993 people in the Seattle/
Washington State area, including 46,374 employees in Boeing Commercial Airplanes, 8,382 in Integrated Defense Systems, 7,527
in Engineering, Operations & Technology (including Phantom Works),
5,652 in Shared Services Group and 927 in Corporate (figures for
March 1, 2007). In addition, Boeing works with 2,957 suppliers/venders
in Seattle/Washington State and makes charitable contributions of
approximately $15 million (figures for June, 2006). Boeing’s new 787
airplanes will be assembled in Everett, a city north of Seattle.
The information technology sector in the Seattle/Washington State
region includes about 6,000 companies, employs 68,000 people,
accounts for $10 billion in annual wages and generates $25 billion in
annual revenues (see industry overview at http://www.wsa.org). As of
July, 2006, Microsoft employed 33,223 people in the greater Seattle
area and 71,172 people worldwide. Microsoft has an annual research/
development budget of $7 billion with research labs in Redmond (a city
east of Seattle), Silicon Valley, Cambridge, Bangalore and Beijing.
The Seattle area is home to leading-edge companies in a number of
additional sectors. The environmental industry consists of about
400 companies employing 16,000 people in fields such as alternative
energy and environmental engineering. The arts as an economic
sector ranks 5th among American cities and includes 3,578 arts-related
businesses employing 18,493 people (according to a 2007 Creative
Industries Report by Americans for the Arts). The arts sector includes
a growing film and video industry as well as a music industry that in
2004 generated labor income of $266 million, total sales of $1.3 billion
and employment of 10,700 jobs in 3,000 music-related businesses.
Seattle is the center of a thriving gourmet coffee industry (Seattlebased
Starbucks has more than 13,000 retail locations worldwide); a
dynamic recreation equipment sector (thanks to organizations such
as the Mountaineers and companies such as K2 Sports, REI, Filson
and MSR); and the nation’s largest marine and fisheries sector (fisheries
exports from Washington State exceed the total of all other U.S.
states combined based on both value and weight). Other important
sectors are wood products, transportation equipment, food products
and apparel design.
(For further information see http://www.seattle.gov/economicdevelopment and http://www.
seattle.gov/tda.)
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Total Employment
Number of full and part-time positions (not including resource or construction)
| Year | Seattle | King County | Greater Seattle Area* |
| 1980 | 386,684 | 697,401 | 1,033,407 |
| 1990 | 469,802 | 972,567 | 1,445,243 |
| 2000 | 536,471 | 1,188,577 | 1,748,793 |
| 2005 | 490,695 | 1,133,311 | 1,727,080 |
*King, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap Counties.
(Source: Puget Sound Regional Council)
U.S. Military
The Defense Department is one of the largest employers in the Puget
Sound region. Major facilities include Fort Lewis Army Base, the Puget
Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Bangor Naval Submarine Base,
McChord Air Force Base and Naval Station Everett.
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Employment by Economic Sector, 2006
Greater Seattle Area: King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish Counties.
Sector | No. Employed | % of Total Employment |
| Goods Producing Sectors | 303,600 | 17 % |
Construction/Natural
Resources | 120,900 | (7 %) |
| Manufacturing | 182,600 | (10 %) |
| Aerospace | (71,400) | |
| Other Durable Goods | (73,400) | |
| Non Durable Goods | (37,900) | |
| Service Producing Sectors | 1,477,200 | 83 % |
| Wholesale/retail trade | 274,200 | (15.4%) |
| Transportation, Public Utilities | 62,100 | (3.5 %) |
| Information | 83,900 | (4.7 %) |
| Financial Activities | 108,500 | (6.1 %) |
Professional & Business
Services | 236,200 | (13.3 %) |
| Other Services | 431,200 | (24.2 %) |
| Government | 281,000 | (15.8 %) |
| State and Local | (231,700) | |
| Federal | (49,300) | |
| Total Employment | 1,780,800 | |
(Source: December 2006 Puget Sound Economic Forecaster)
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INDUSTRY AND BUSINESS
Top 10 Public Companies (Headquartered in Seattle/Washington
State).
(Ranked by 2005 revenues, figures in millions)
Company | 2005
Revenues |
Type of Business |
| Costco | 52935 | Membership warehouses - www.pricecostco.com |
| Microsoft | 39788 | Software developer - www.microsoft.com |
| Weyerhaeuser | 22629 | Pulp/paper products - www.weyerhaeuser.com |
| Washington Mutual | 21667 | Bank - www.wamu.com |
| Paccar | 14057 | Heavy-duty truck manufacturer - www.paccar.com |
| Amazon.com | 8490 | Online Retailer - www.amazon.com |
| Nordstrom | 7723 | Apparel retailer - www.nordstrom.com |
| Starbucks | 6369 | Coffee company - www.starbucks.com |
| Safeco | 6351 | Insurance/financial services - www.safeco.com |
| Expeditors Int’l | 3902 | International Logistics Company - www.expd.com |
(Source: Puget Sound Business Journal, 2007 Book of Lists)
Downtown Seattle Office Space: 4th Qtr 2006
| Total Inventory (sq ft) | Vacancy Rate | Asking Rate (per sq ft) |
| General Occupancy | 38,033,308 | 10.51% | N/A |
| Newest Class A | 28,497,070 | 9.49% | $21 - $36 |
| Major Older Class B | 7,402,651 | 13.65% | $18 - $26 |
| Older Class C | 2,133,587 | 13.28% | $18 - $22 |
(Source: CB Richard Ellis)
Electricity Rates Comparison (2005)
Average residential, commercial and industrial electrical rates among
major U.S. cities
(Source: Seattle City Light, Finance Division *publicly owned utility
(Contact: Robert Bartley, Seattle City Light, robert.bartley@seattle.gov, 206-684-3877))
Water
Service is provided by the City of Seattle. Pressure range minimum is
30 psi and maximum is 100 psi. Commercial/industrial monthly rate for
3/4” - 4” meter is $8.05-$79.00. Charge for water usage is as follows:
Off-peak season (September-May) $ 2.29/100 cu ft
Peak season (May-September) $ 3.35/100 cu ft
Sanitary Sewer
Service is provided by King County’s treatment plant and billed through
the individual cities. The commercial/industrial rate in Seattle is
$7.45/100 cu. ft.
Natural Gas
Puget Sound Energy supplies Seattle and King County with natural
gas. The basic monthly commercial/industrial rate for general service is
$17.50 plus $0.933830 per therm.
(Utility Sources: http://www.seattle.gov/util/services/)
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City of Seattle Tax Rates, 2006
Property Tax (rates per 1,000 Assessed Valuation)
| State | $2.50 |
| City | $3.16 |
| County (includes Medic 1/EMS) | $1.55 |
| Schools | $2.19 |
| Port | $0.23 |
Total: $9.63 per $1,000 assessed value, collected by King County
| General Business Occupation Tax (%) | City | State |
| Retailing (Including Services) | .215% | .471% |
| Extracting | .215% | .484% |
| Manufacturing - Flour or Wholesaling Grain | .215% | .138% |
| Manufacturing and Processing for Hire | .215% | .484% |
| Wholesaling | .215% | .484% |
| Service and Other Business Activities | .415% | 1.5% |
| Printing and Publishing | .215% | .484% |
| Tour Operators | .215% | .275% |
ource: City of Seattle, Revenue & Consumer Affairs rca.bizlictx@seattle.gov (206) 684-8484
Retail Sales Tax of 8.8% apportioned as follows:*
| State of Washington | 6.50% |
| City of Seattle | 0.85% |
| Metro** | 0.80% |
| Sound Transit | 0.40% |
| King County | 0.15% |
| King County Criminal Justice Levy | 0.10% |
*An additional 0.5% sales tax is applied to food and beverages sold by restaurants, taverns, and
bars in King County. (Established in 1996 to help pay for a new baseball stadium in Seattle).
**Metro will increase to 0.90% April 1st, 2007
(Source: Department of Finance, City of Seattle)
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TOURISM and CONFERENCE CENTERS
The Seattle-King County area attracts more than 9 million overnight
visitors annually who spend $4.33 billion and contribute more than
$376 million in state and local tax revenues. Direct visitor spending
supports 60,000 jobs in the Seattle region. The Port of Seattle has
seen record cruise ship growth in recent years, with five major cruise
lines and an estimated 735,000 passengers in 2006. The Washington
State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle Center (site of the 1962
World’s Fair) and local hotels have gained a reputation as exciting
venues for conferences, conventions and special events. Other major
facilities include the Bell Harbor International Conference Center,
Qwest Field Events Center and Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue. For
visitor information contact: Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau
at (206) 461-5800 or www.visitseattle.org or the Citywide Concierge
Center, at the Convention Center, offering Seattle information, attraction
tickets and tour bookings at (206) 461-5888.
Hotels
There are 6,500 hotel rooms in downtown Seattle’s central business
district and over 31,000 hotel rooms in the Seattle/King County area.
In 2008 and 2009, 756 and 908 rooms will be added, respectively.
See www.seattlesupersaver.com or call (800) 535-7071 for information
or reservations at more than 80 Seattle area hotels (the Seattle Super
Saver program is a free hotel reservation service operated by Seattle’s
Convention and Visitors Bureau).
(Source: Puget Sound Business Journal, Week of January 26, 2007)
Restaurants
Cuisine in the Seattle area is famous for fresh seafood, local farm
produce and other Northwest specialties. A wide variety of ethnic restaurants
are among the more than 9,000 restaurants in Greater Seattle.
(See www.seattle.citysearch.com)
Major Attractions
Among the most popular urban attractions are the Seattle Center
and the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the Hiram Chittenden
Locks, Woodland Park Zoo, Tillicum Indian Village, Seattle Aquarium,
waterfront, lakeside and sound beaches, Pioneer Square, International
District, and local wineries and breweries. Outdoor activities include
boating, fishing, golf, water sports, hiking, biking, mountain climbing
and skiing. Seattle is situated on the shores of Lake Washington,
Lake Union and Puget Sound, flanked by two major mountain ranges
(Olympics and Cascades), with Mount Rainier in full view and remote
wilderness less than an hour away. Nearby are the San Juan Islands,
Pacific Ocean beaches and major rivers.
(See www.visitseattle.org for
more information.)
Arts, Culture and Festivals
According to a 2007 study by Washington D.C.-based Americans for
the Arts, the City of Seattle ranks within the top 5 American cities for
arts and arts-related businesses. The arts scene includes the Seattle
Symphony (performing in Benaroya Hall), Seattle Opera and the
Pacific Northwest Ballet (performing in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall),
numerous art galleries, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, the Experience
Music Project rock and roll museum, the Seattle Art Museum and the
Olympic Sculpture Park (opened on the Seattle waterfront in January
of 2007). Seattle is rich in theater arts with 80 companies, 25 of
which are professional. Other festival celebrations include SEAFAIR,
Northwest Folklife, Seattle International Film Festival, Bumbershoot
Arts Festival, International Children’s Festival, the Bite of Seattle food
festival and Northwest Bookfest. Seattle hosts large-scale musical
concerts and has gained international attention as the place of origin of
trend-setting rock, pop and jazz groups. Seattle’s Convention & Visitors
Bureau offers a comprehensive, searchable calendar of events on
its web site for convenient trip planning at www.visitseattle.org.
Professional Sports
Seattle is home to Mariners baseball, Seahawks football, SuperSonics
basketball, Seattle Sounders soccer and the WNBA 2004 World Champion’s
the Seattle Storm (professional women’s basketball).
Economic Impact of Travel
Seattle-King County and Washington State 2005
| Seattle-King County | Washington State* |
| Travel-Generated Employment | 51,100 thousand jobs | 143,700 thousand jobs |
| Travel Expenditures | $ 6.21 billion | $ 12.70 billion |
| Travel-Generated Payroll | $ 2.07 billion | $ 3.83 billion |
| State Tax Receipts | $ 224.2 million | $ 591 million |
| Local Tax Receipts | $ 146.6 million | $ 254 million |
*Includes Seattle-King County statistics
(Source: Report prepared by Dean Runyan Assn. for Washington State CTED)
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INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE
The Greater Seattle region frequently receives recognition for its quality
of life and global competitiveness. The region’s advantages include
its strategic geographic location (equidistant from London and Tokyo),
advanced manufacturing capability and infrastructure, a critical mass
of advanced technology, collaboration among technology sectors,
diverse economic base (from agriculture to services to international
trade), quality educational and health care institutions, well-educated
work force, cultural and recreational opportunities and the international
experience and outlook of its people.
The value of exports originating in Washington State in 2006 was
$53.1 billion, not including exports of computer software (estimated
at $5 to $10 billion annually), architectural and engineering design or
other professional services. Washington State ranks first in the U.S.
for exports per capita, valued at $8,429 in 2006. International trade
accounts for one out of every three jobs in the local economy. Commercial
ties abroad are complemented by strong civic, cultural and
personal relationships that include sister city, sister county, sister port
and sister state ties throughout the world.
Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle
The Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle is a partnership
of the City of Seattle, the City of Everett, the Ports of Seattle, Tacoma
and Everett, the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, King County,
Snohomish County, Pierce County and union leadership created to
promote the Greater Seattle area as one of North America’s premier
international trade gateways and commercial centers. The Trade
Alliance organizes business missions, hosts trade delegations, and
provides trade related information about the region. (For further information,
call (206) 389-7301, e-mail: tdags@seattlechamber.com or see
the Trade Alliance web site at www.seattletradealliance.com) |
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Seattle's 21 Sister Cities
Listed with date of establishment
| Kobe, Japan (1957) |
| Bergen, Norway (1967) |
| Tashkent, Uzbekistan (1973) |
| Beer Sheva, Israel (1977) |
| Mazatlan, Mexico (1979) |
| Nantes, France (1980) |
| Christchurch, New Zealand (1981) |
| Mombasa, Kenya (1981) |
| Chongqing, China (1983) |
| Limbe, Cameroon (1984) |
| Galway, Ireland (1986) |
| Reykjavik, Iceland (1986) |
| Daejon (Taejon), Korea (1989) |
| Kaohsiung, Taiwan (1991) |
| Pècs, Hungary (1991) |
|
|
| Cebu, Philippines (1991) | Surabaya, Indonesia (1992) | Haiphong, Vietnam (1996) |
| Perugia, Italy (1991) | Gdynia, Poland (1993) | Sihanoukville, Cambodia (1999) |
|
|
Top 10 Exports by Industry Sector
Based on 2006 exports originated in Washington State, in billions of U.S. dollars*
| 1. Aircraft, Spacecraft and Parts | $32.90 |
| 2. Industrial Machinery, Including Computers | 2.39 |
| 3. Cereals | 2.30 |
| 4. Electric Machinery, Sound Equip., TV Equip., Parts | 1.71 |
| 5. Oil Seeds, etc., Misc. Grain, Seed Fruit | 1.70 |
| 6. Optic, Photo etc., Medical or Surgical | 1.43 |
| 7. Mineral Fuel and Oil | 1.26 |
| 8. Wood and Articles of Wood | 0.80 |
| 9. Vehicles, except Railway or Tramway, and Parts, etc | 0.76 |
| 10.Paper and Paperboard | 0.74 |
| TOTAL ALL INDUSTRIES | 53.075 |
*Does not include the
value of service exports such as software, education, architectural services
and other industries well represented in the Seattle area. See: http://www.cted.wa.gov/
(Source: Washington State Department of Community, Trade & Economic Development, MISER data)
|
Top 10 Trading Partners
Based on 2006 exports originated in Washington State, in billions of U.S. dollars
| 1. China | $6.83 |
| 2. Japan | 6.71 |
| 3. Canada | 6.21 |
| 4. United Arab Emirated | 3.99 |
| 5. Korea, Republic of | 2.49 |
| 6. China (Taiwan) | 2.43 |
| 7. Singapore | 2.36 |
| 8. France | 1.80 |
| 9. Ireland | 1.74 |
| 10. Mexico | 1.30 |
| TOTAL ALL COUNTRIES | 53.075 |
(Source: Washington State Department of Community, Trade & Economic Development)
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TRANSPORTATION
|
Railroads and Bus Service
Burlington Northern and Union Pacific provide transcontinental rail
service and operate three intermodal yards in Seattle. Passenger service
to major U.S. cities is provided by Amtrak. Various bus lines connect
Seattle with major cities in the U.S., Canada and as far south as
Tijuana, Mexico. Seattle is served by a county-wide bus system with
a ride-free zone in Seattle’s downtown district. The voter approved
Sound Transit plan is in the process of integrating transportation in the
greater Seattle area using light rail, commuter rail (currently running
from Tacoma and Everett to Seattle), and over 100 miles of HOV lanes
and regional express bus routes.
Harbor Facilities
The Port of Seattle is among the top ten container ports in the U.S.,
with products valued at $36.7 billion crossing its docks each year. It
is served by 29 ocean carriers and three Alaska barge
operators, two major transcontinental railroads, and
numerous trucking companies that link Seattle
to market hubs throughout North America.
The Port encompasses nearly 500 acres of
container handling space, with 26 container
cranes and facilities to handle chilled or
frozen meat and fish, fruit, vegetables,
forest products, steel and grain. Maritime
business activities at the Port are
responsible for pumping $430 million
in local purchases and $2.5 billion
in business revenue into the local
economy each year. The Port also
owns and operates Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport, Fishermen’s Terminal
and Maritime Industrial Center,
Harbor Island Marina, Shilshole Bay
Marina, and Bell Street Pier, an 11- acre
complex with an international conference
center, marina, shops and restaurants.
Cruise terminals at Bell Street Pier and
Terminal 30 serve the Alaska cruise industry
with more than 200 ship calls each year. The
World Trade Center complex, adjacent to the
Bell Street Pier, strengthens Seattle’s role as a
center for international trade.
Fisherman’s Terminal
Fishermen’s Terminal serves as the homeport for the U.S. North
Pacific fishing fleet and is a growing center for other commercial
workboats as well. Recent improvements provide 2,500 feet of linear
moorage and more than 340 slips on concrete floating docks. Fishermen’s
Terminal also provides the most comprehensive support services
available on the West Coast, with loading docks supporting vessels up to
300 feet and 2,800 linear feet of loading dock, secure outdoor storage,
indoor lockers, forklifts, cranes and other equipment on site. The facility
includes a wide array of on-site businesses catering specifically to the
needs of the commercial fishing and workboat industries. Companies in
the nearby Ballard, Magnolia and Queen Anne neighborhoods also offer
marine supplies, vessel repairs and other specialty services. Nearby,
the Maritime Industrial Center offers additional vessel moorage, storage,
re-supply, maintenance and repair facilities.
Seattle-Tacoma Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is a major gateway joining Asia and
Europe with the U.S. In 2004, 28.8 million passengers passed through
Sea-Tac, as did 346,966 metric tons of air freight. Passenger traffic
climbed 7.5% over 2003, and for the first time exceeded pre-9/11 levels.
Twenty-eight airlines serve Sea-Tac: 9 of those are foreign flagged and
5 are all-cargo airlines. The airport is 13 miles (21 km) from Seattle’s
central business district and 14 miles from the Port’s marine terminals. In
the continental U.S., Sea-Tac is the closest airport to Asia and is approximately
9 hours by air from either Tokyo or London. There are more than
45 scheduled flights to international destinations each week.
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|
Carriers with Direct International Flight
| Aeroflot Russian Airlines | American Airlines | Northwest Airlines |
| Air Canada | Asiana Airlines | SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
| Air BC | British Airways | United Airlines |
| Air France | EVA Airlines | United Express / Skywest |
| Alaska Airlines | Horizon | |
Distances to Major Cities (air miles)
| Tokyo | Hong Kong | Chicago | New York | London |
| Seattle | 4,785 | 6,639 | 1,726 | 2,406 | 4,792 |
| San Francisco | 5,135 | 6,957 | 1,851 | 2,571 | 5,350 |
| Los Angeles | 5,570 | 7,343 | 1,743 | 2,456 | 5,443 |
(Source: Port of Seattle, Aviation Divisi)
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Cities Served by Direct Flights from Seattle
|
| Amsterdam | Mazatlan |
| Calgary | Moscow |
| Cancun | Paris (as of June 11, 2007) |
| Caracas | Puerto Vallarta |
| Copenhagen | Seoul |
| Edmonton | Taipei |
| Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo | Tokyo |
| Kelowna | Toronto |
| London | Vancouver |
Los Cabos | Victoria |
Manzanillo | |
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COMMUNICATIONS
Seattle Area Newspapers (Approximate circulation)
| |
| Weekday | Sunday |
| Seattle Times | 234,274 | 469,853 |
| International Examiner* | 10,000 | |
| Seattle Post-Intelligencer | 150,876 | 469,853 |
| Korea Central Daily † | 10,000 | |
| The News Tribune (Tacoma) | 116,150 | 123,213 |
| Korea Times | 10,000 | |
| Seattle Weekly* | 113,000 | |
| La Voz* † | 10,000 | |
| The Stranger* | 95,000 | |
| Northwest Asian Weekly* | 10,000 | |
| Everett Herald | 51,000 | 56,000 |
| NW Vietnamese Weekly* † | 10,000 | |
| The Sun (Bremerton) | 31,589 | 37,517 |
| North American Post † | 8,000 | 15,000 |
| King County Journal | 49,000 | 49,000 |
| Daily Journal of Commerce | 5,500 | |
| Puget Sound Business Journal | 17,000 | |
| Seattle Chinese Post* † | 5,000 | |
| Seattle Medium | 37,500 | |
| El Mundo* † | 30,000 | |
*weekly, biweekly or monthly † Non-English edition
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GOVERNMENT
|
Foreign Consulate Offices in Seattle
| Australia | (206) 575-7446 | Lithuania | (206) 725-4576 |
| Austria | (360) 466-1100 | Luxembourg | (425) 822-4607 |
| Belgium | (206) 728-5145 | Malta | (425) 788-3120 |
| Bolivia | (206) 244-6696 | Mexico | (206) 448-3526 |
| Cambodia | (206) 217-0830 | The Netherlands | (425) 637-3050 |
| Canada | (206) 770-4060 | New Zealand | (360) 766-6791 |
| Chile | (360) 754-8747 | Norway | (206) 623-3957 |
| Croatia | (206) 772-2968 | Peru | (206) 714-9037 |
| Cyprus | (425) 827-1700 | Russian Federation | (206) 728-1910 |
| Ethiopia | (206) 364-6401 | Seychelles | (253) 874-4579 |
| Finland | (425) 885-7320 | Slovak Republic | (206) 842-4862 |
| France | (206) 443-4703 | Spain | (425) 237-9373 |
| Germany | (509) 624-5242 | Sweden (206) | 467-8200 x330 |
| Hungary | (425) 739-0631 | Switzerland | (206) 228-8110 |
| Iceland | (206) 783-4100 | Taipei Economic and | |
| Italy | (206) 349-4411 | Cultural Office | (206) 441-4586 |
| Jamaica | (253) 872-8950 | Turkey | (425) 739-6722 |
| Japan | (206) 682-9107 | United Kingdom | (425) 453-9400 |
| Korea, Republic of | (206) 441-1014 | Uzbekistan | (206) 625-1199 |
Consular Association of Washington: (206) 728-5145 (Belgium Consul)
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Selected U.S. Federal Government
Departments and Agencies with
Offices in Seattle
Department of Commerce (Census
Bureau, Economic Development
Administration, International
Trade Administration, National
Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration)
Department of Homeland Security
(U.S. Customs & Border Protection,
Coast Guard, U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services,
Secret Service)
Federal Reserve Bank of San
Francisco
Department of Health and Human
Services
Department of the Treasury
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Transportation
Department of the Army
Department of State (Passport
Agency)
Department of Housing and Urban
Development
Department of Labor
Veterans Affairs
Department of Agriculture
Department of Justice |
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King County
King County is the 13th most populous county in the nation and is the
second largest government in Washington State, with 1.8 million people
living within 2,200 square miles. The County Executive is elected
at large, unlike the County Council, which is elected by districts. There
are nine County Council members who along with the Executive serve
four year terms. King County government provides regional management
and oversight of criminal justice services, Metro transit bus
services, wastewater and solid waste management, public health and
human services and elections.
Port of Seattle
The Port has five commissioners elected at large in King County for
four-year overlapping terms. The Port manages the Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport, Seattle marine facilities and Fishermen’s Terminal.
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|
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City Budget Summary (2007, Adopted Budget)
| Appropriations | |
| Administration | 420,132,000 |
| Arts, Culture & Recreation | 222,882,000 |
| Funds, Subfunds & Other | 143,905,000 |
| Health & Human Services | 129,911,000 |
| Neighborhoods & Development | 118,484,000 |
| Public Safety | 486,019,000 |
| Utilities & Transportation | 1,768,397,000 |
| TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS: | $3,289,730,000 |
| Revenue | |
| Taxes | 855,915,880 |
| License Fees | 76,082,658 |
| Service & Use Charges | 68,059,463 |
| Fines & Forfeitures | 20,624,706 |
| Grants | 101,749,569 |
| Rent/Sales of Assets | 89,699,305 |
| Debt Proceeds | 109,048,325 |
| Utility Fees | 1,206,104,029 |
| Other Miscellaneous | 29,655,558 |
| Interjurisdictional Transfers | 13,250,450 |
| TOTAL REVENUE: | $2,570,189,941 |
* Note that appropriations include payments between departments; this accounts for the
discrepancy between appropriations and revenues.
(Source: City of Seattle, Department of Finance)
|
City of Seattle
The Mayor and a nine-member City Council are elected at large for
four-year terms. Offices are non-partisan. City Council terms are overlapping
with elections held every odd-numbered year.
Mayor: Greg Nickels
Next Election 2009
City Council:
| Sally Clark | 2007 | Jan Drago | |
| Richard Conlin | 2009 | Jean Godden | |
| David Della | 2007 | Nick Licata | |
| Richard McIver | 2009 | Tom Rasmussen | 2007 |
| Peter Steinbrueck | 2007 | |
City Bond Rating
Standard & Poor’s rates the City’s unlimited and limited tax general
obligation bonds AAA. Moody’s rates the City’s unlimited and limited
tax general obligation bonds Aaa and Aa1 respectively. Fitch Ratings
rates the City’s unlimited and limited tax general obligation bonds AAA
and AA+ respectively.
|
Further Information
|
(All telephone numbers are area code 206 unless otherwise noted)
| Office/Agency | Phone | Website |
| City of Seattle: | | |
| City Directory Assistance | 684-2489 | www.seattle.gov |
| Mayor’s Office | 684-4000 | ww.seattle.gov/mayor |
| Office of Economic Development | 684-8090 | www.seattle.gov/economicdevelopment |
| Office of Arts & Culture | 684-7171 | www.seattle.gov/arts |
| Public Library | 386-4636 | www.spl.org |
| City Light | 684-3000 | www.seattle.gov/light |
| Office of Film and Music | 684-8504 | www.seattle.gov/filmandmusic |
| Enterprise Seattle | 389-8650 | www.enterpriseseattle.org |
| Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce | 389-7200 | www.seattlechamber.com |
| King County: Business Relations and Economic Development | 205-0700
| www.metrokc.gov/exec/bred
|
| Port of Seattle | 728-3000 | www.portseattle.org |
| Prosperity Partnership | 587-5663 | www.prosperitypartnership.org |
| Puget Sound Regional Council | 464-7090 | www.psrc.org |
| Seattle-King County Association of Realtors | (425) 974-1011 | www.nwrealtor.com |
| Seattle-King County Convention and Visitors Bureau | 461-5840
| www.visitseattle.org
|
| Small Business Administration Information Center | 553-7310 | www.sba.gov/wa/seattle |
| Washington: Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development | (360) 725-4000
| www.cted.wa.gov
|
| Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle | 389-7301 | www.seattle.gov/tda |
| U.S. Census Bureau, Seattle Regional Office | 381-6200 | www.census.gov/rosea/www |
| U.S. Economic Development Administration, Seattle Regional Office |
220-7660 |
www.eda.gov/AboutEDA/Regions.xml |
| U.S. Export Assistance Center | 553-5615 | www.buyusa.gov/seattle |
The Greater Seattle Datasheet is prepared by
the City of Seattle’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations.
Your comments are welcome.
Telephone: (206) 684-0213
Fax: (206) 684-8267
TDD: (206) 684-8118
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