Seattle

Seattle (pop. 519,600), largest city in Washington, situated on hills between Elliott Bay (Puget Sound) and Lake Washington; seat of King County. Seattle is the financial, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation center of the Pacific Northwest. Its chief industries are aerospace production, steel, shipbuilding, food processing, and chemicals. Settled in 1852, Seattle rapidly expanded with the coming of the railroad, the 1897 Alaska gold rush, and following the boom created by World War II. Its port is important in trade with Asia and serves as the main connection with Alaskan oil. This scenic city has a thriving recreational industry and is a cultural hub for theater, music and art. Seattle, host of the 1962 World's Fair, still boasts the landmark Space Needle, a 600-ft (183-m) structure built for the fair.