Seattle

Seattle, the metropolis of Washington and the county seat of King County, is the largest city north of San Francisco and west of Minneapolis. It is the nearest American port to Alaska, Japan, China, Philippines, Siberia and Asiatic countries and is situated on Puget Sound, an arm of the Pacific Ocean, 125 miles south of the international boundary and 864 miles north of San Francisco. Seattle lies between the Olympic and Cascade ranges and these, together with the influence of the Japanese trade winds give the city a mild year around climate. The maximum temperature in 1922 was 88 degrees and the minimum 21 above. Snow is uncommon. The average rainfall is 33 inches, the same as for Chicago. The death rate for the last 15 years has averaged 8.6 per 1,000 population, the lowest in the nation.

DESCRIPTION

Though Seattle is, by comparison with most large American cities, hilly, some places having an altitude of 500 feet, the streets are generally broad and well paved and cross each other at right angles. As in many other city-ports, the manufactories line the water, the commercial section lies farther back, and on the hills overlooking the ocean and the lakes, are the best residential districts.

Seattle has more than 1,800 acres of parks, and within the city limits are Lake Union, Washington and Green lakes. The principal parks are Woodlawn, Ravenna, Kinnear, Madrona, Washington, Jefferson and Volunteer. At Alki Point is a beautiful beach; the municipal conservatory is in Volunteer Park; Ravenna Park has mineral springs and small cascades; and in Woodland Park is an athletic field and a zoological garden. Besides the numerous public parks the city maintains upward of 20 supervised playgrounds.

The most conspicuous building is the 40 story L. C. Smith building, which is out-ranked in height only by the Woolworth building, New York City. Other attractive structures are the Hoge, Dexter-Horton, Metropolitan and Cobb buildings, Olympia Hotel, a community enterprise, King Street passenger station, St. James Cathedral, Telephone building, Federal building, public library, city and county buildings, Metropolitan, Moore, Wilkes and Orpheum theaters, Washington Hotel and the buildings of the University of Washington. The First Presbyterian, First Baptist and Christian Science churches are also noteworthy.

INSTITUTIONS

The public school system comprises graded and high schools that are modern in every detail, and the city is the seat of the University of Washington, already mentioned, which is described in the article on the state of Washington under the subtitle Education. Other educational institutions of note are the College of Our Lady of Lourdes, Seattle College, Washington Preparatory School for Girls, Adelphia College and Academy of the Holy Name. There are also a number of commercial and special schools, including the nationally recognized Cornish School of Music, dancing and fine arts. The library system comprises the main library and ten branches. The municipal and county hospitals are the largest in the city; others are Providence, Swedish and Miner. There are charitable institutions, including asylums for orphans and for the aged.

INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE

Seattle is at once the most important industrial, shipping and commercial center and seaport in the Pacific Northwest. The manufacture of flour and grist-mill products, and lumber and timber products and metal products are the most important industries, and during the World War the steel ship industry was particularly important. The city has hundreds of manufactories, large and small, some products of which are finished lumber, doors, sash, fish products (especially canned salmon), dressed meats, flour, machine shop and foundry products, leather goods, machinery and printed matter.

The country tributary to Seattle is rich in timber and minerals; the agricultural land is highly productive; and there are valuable deep sea and river fisheries.

Seattle is a western terminus of the Union Pacific, Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Milwaukee and Burlington railroads and also has direct through service with the Southern Pacific, the Canadian Pacific and the Grand Trunk lines. Puget Sound is where the Japanese, British and American shipping lines contest most sharply for trans-Pacific business and Seattle is the operating base for the American Merchant marine trans-Pacific passenger and freight lines and one British line, all operating to China, Japan and the Philippines. Seattle is the only American port having regular year around passenger and freight service to Alaska. The harbor is landlocked and commodious, and a deep water canal connects Lake Washington, by way of Lake Union, with Puget Sound. Public docks, warehouses, cargo derricks, cold storage plants and other harbor equipment have been installed and are continually undergoing improvement, and the importance of the port constantly increases. The Washington customs district, of which Seattle is the chief port, ranked fifth in the United States in 1922. Raw silk, gold, tea, hemp, oriental vegetable oil and general merchandise are the principal imports.

HISTORY

In 1852 the first settlement was made here, and the town was planned in 1853. In 1865 it was incorporated as a town, and as a city in 1869. The first Alaskan gold was received here in 1897, and thereafter the city's growth was rapid. One of the prime factors conducing to its growth in the twentieth century was the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, held June 1 - October 16, 1909. In 1910 the population was 237,194; in 1920 it was 315,312.

Rev 2000-11-05