Seattle

Introduction

Located on the eastern shore of Puget Sound, Seattle is the largest city in the state of Washington. Formerly a staid, conservative town built on the lumber, shipping, and aircraft industries and little known outside its immediate region, today Seattle has become one of the hottest locations in the country, a mecca for the computer software industry and a cultural trendsetter that originated the grunge rock of the early 1990s and the coffee craze that has swept across the United States. Its newfound business and cultural attractions, combined with a picturesque setting and mild climate, have created a population boom and made Seattle the commercial and cultural hub of the Pacific Northwest, as well as one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States.