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Seattle is situated on the Western Coast of the United States and serves as the seat for King County in Washington. The city is the fourth largest seaport in North America and it acts as a gateway to Asia. Seattle is a fast-growing metro and is the largest in the state of Washington and on the Northwestern Pacific Coast. Seattle is also given several nicknames like Queen City, Emerald City, Rain City, The City of Flowers and ‘The Gateway to Alaska’.
Administration eattle was established in 1869 and its governing body has undergone several changes to date. According to the current charter, a mayor governs the city and is followed by a city council of nine members. The judicial system of the state of Washington is followed in Seattle. The city has municipal and district courts.
Until the 20th century, Seattle’s economy was based on lumbering and the extraction and transport of other locally abundant natural resources. Its economy diversified with the development of manufacturing, food processing, banking, insurance, and transportation industries in the early 20th century, all of which expanded during and after World War II.
Today Seattle's economy is driven by a mix of older industrial companies, and new Internet and technology companies, service, design, and clean technology companies.
The Gross Metropolitan Product (GMP) of Seattle was $231 billion and was the 11th biggest metro economy as of 2010.
Biomedical manufactures are growing in importance, while agricultural products grown in the so-called Inland Empire of the interior Northwest remain an economic mainstay.
The largest manufacturer in the Seattle area is the Microsoft Corporation, the world’s largest maker of computer operating systems and applications. Although it has offices throughout the world, Microsoft does most of its research and product development at its corporate headquarters in suburban Redmond. Its presence has attracted many software firms to the Seattle area and spurred much infrastructure development, including the construction of reliable broadband fibre-optic networks.
Other important industries in the Seattle area include biotechnology, bioinformatics, genomics, environmental engineering, lumber and wood-product processing, food processing, and the manufacture of industrial machinery and equipment, medical equipment, and textiles
The Port of Seattle is a major gateway for trade with Asia and cruises to Alaska. It also is the 8th largest port in the United States.
The Columbia Center is the tallest building in Seattle and measures up to 933 ft. The Space Needle is a popular building in the city which acts as an observation center from where panoramic views of the city can be seen. Seattle lies on several hills including Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, First Hill, West Seattle, Beacon Hill, and Magnolia. Seattle also lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire and is an earthquake-prone zone.
Seattle - Tacoma airport connects the city by air to the rest of the world. King County Metro and Central Link are the widest Metrorail networks. King County Water Taxi is the popular passenger ferry network that connects Downtown Seattle and West Seattle.