Seattle Washington Real Estate Directory

Everywhere, the backdrop is water.  Fisherman's Terminal is a successful commercial fishing port, the Port of Seattle is fundamental to marine trade, and the urban waterfront is bustling with commercial, retail and tourist ventures. Ferries crossing Puget Sound and seaplanes lifting off from Lake Union support an thriving island culture in the San Juans, on Vashon and Bainbridge, and two floating bridges spanning Lake Washington carry travelers east to west. Always listed in "Most Romantic Things to Do in Seattle" is taking a ferry ride ... anywhere.

With a population of 563,374 residents, Seattle WA is a leading center for advanced technology in aerospace, computer software, bioinformatics, genomics, telemedicine, electronics, medical equipment, and environmental engineering. The region's single most important employer is Boeing, which is the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world and consistently one of the top three exporters in the United States. Seattle is also home to REI, Eddie Bauer, Nintendo, Starbucks, Amazon.com, RealNetworks and Microsoft. Some of the world's most dynamic new companies are spinning out of the Puget Sound area, which is naturally the nation's leader in internet business start-ups, but also a leader in business start-ups in general. There is a palatable sense of entrepreneurship here. The median household income is $72,200

The local cultural scene continues to blossom with nationally respected opera, ballet, art galleries, museums, festivals, and theater. In fact, Seattle boasts more theaters than any comparably sized US city, and the number of total performances ranks second only to New York City. Seattle is one of only six American cities with resident major symphony, opera and ballet companies. Music ranges from a dynamic club scene to a vibrant jazz community to the internationally acclaimed Seattle Symphony. Experience Music Project showcases popular music with a one-of-a-kind mix of interactive exhibits, unique artifacts, and live performance, all in an amazing building designed by Frank Gehry. Whether your interests run to contemporary or traditional art, aviation, Asian art, Nordic cultures, native cultures or history, Seattle's many museums offer something for everyone. Seattle's International Film Festival, held annually mid-May to mid-June, is the largest film festival in the entire country. In Seattle, art is the lifestyle.

The housing market in Seattle is diverse and exciting. Choices include single-family homes in a wide variety of styles, luxury gated communities, investment properties, waterfront lots, town homes and condominiums. In Seattle the average sales price for a single-family detached home is $439,000. The average sales price for condominiums is $235,000.

Since the premier unveiling of Safeco Field in 1999, Seattle has transformed into a baseball town. The game's sole single-name superstar - Ichiro - has had a major role in this, as well as Seattle hosting the 2001 All-Star Game. But baseball is by no means the only game in town. Seahawks Stadium, just north of Safeco - with the same great skyline and water views - hosted its inaugural game in August 2002 and is already established as a prime venue with state-of-the-art facilities for both football and soccer. KeyArena, anchored at Seattle Center, is home to the Seattle SuperSonics; the WNBA professional women's basketball team, the Seattle Storm; and hockey's Seattle Thunderbirds. Horse racing at Emerald Downs, minor league baseball with the Everett Aquasox and Tacoma Rainiers, PRCA Rodeo, and a host of other spectator and participatory sports are some other reasons Seattle's environment is irresistible.

Seattle's mild winters and cool summers enable year-round outdoor activities. High temperatures in July average about 750 F (240 C), while low temperatures in winter drop below freezing an average of only 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, D.C. and 40.3 inches (102 cm) in New York City.

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. In addition to being situated on the shores of two large lakes and Puget Sound, with remote wilderness less than an hour away, Seattle is flanked by two major mountain ranges (Olympics and Cascades), with Mount Rainier in full view.

Many acclaimed local chefs have placed Seattle squarely on the international cuisine map, and the list of names is growing all the time including Tom Douglas, Kaspar Donier, Thierry Rautureau, Kathy Casey, Jim Drohman, Scott Staples, Christine Keff, and Tamara Murphy. Their new style of cooking is eclectic, exciting, and world-class. Their use of the freshest seasonal ingredients, harvested locally or grown especially for a restaurant, is stimulating and daring cuisine that is distinctly Seattle. The local bounty is splendid: salmon, shellfish, sweet onions, mushrooms, stone fruits, berries and asparagus. Given its close proximity to the Pacific Rim, Seattle's collaborative cuisine also takes full advantage of Asian ingredients and embraces the city's many cultural influences to craft cutting-edge fusions and colorful works of art.

Seattle Economic history
Seattle has a history of boom and bust cycles historically common in cities of its size. Seattle has been sent into precipitous decline by the aftermaths of its worst periods as a company town, but has typically used those periods to successfully rebuild infrastructure.

The Seattle Central Library, designed by Rem Koolhaas, is the result of a public vote on the "Libraries for All" bond measure approved by Seattle voters on November 3, 1998.The first such boom, covering the early years of the city, was fueled by the lumber industry. (It was during this period that the road now known as Yesler Way was nicknamed "Skid Road"after the timber skidding down the street to Henry Yesler's sawmill. The term later entered the wider American vocabulary as Skid Row.) This boom was followed by the construction of an Olmsted-designed park system.

The second and largest boom was the direct result of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896, which ended the national depression that had begun with the Panic of 1893. On July 14, 1897, the S.S. Portland docked with its famed "ton of gold", and Seattle became the main transport and supply point for those heading north. The boom lasted well into the early part of the 20th century and funded the start-up of many new companies and products. In 1907, 19-year-old James E. Casey founded the American Messenger Company (which later became UPS) in Seattle with $100 borrowed from a friend. Other Seattle companies founded during this time period include Nordstrom and Eddie Bauer.

Downtown Seattle facing the Monorail station.Next came the shipbuilding boom in the early part of the 20th century, followed by the unused city development plan of Virgil Bogue. Seattle was the major point of departure during World War II for troops heading to the North Pacific, and Boeing manufactured many of the war's bombers.

After the war, the local economy dipped but rose again with the expansion of Boeing, fueled by the growth of the commercial aviation industry.When this particular cycle went into a major downturn in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many left the area to look for work elsewhere, and two local real estate agents put up a billboard reading "Will the last person leaving Seattle — Turn out the lights."

Seattle remained the corporate headquarters of Boeing until 2001, when the company announced a desire to separate its headquarters from its major production facilities. Following a bidding war among a number of major cities, Boeing moved its corporate headquarters to Chicago. The Seattle area is still home to Boeing's Renton narrow-body plant (where the 707, 720, 727, and 757 were assembled, and the 737 is assembled today), and Everett wide-body plant (assembly plant for the 747, 767, 777 and the upcoming 787 Dreamliner); and BECU, formerly the Boeing Employees Credit Union.

Technology companies, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon.com, RealNetworks, McCaw Cellular (now AT&T Wireless), VoiceStream (now T-Mobile USA), and biomedical corporations such as Philips, Boston Scientific, ZymoGenetics and Amgen, found homes in Seattle and its suburbs. Even locally-headquartered coffee company Starbucks held investments in numerous Internet and software interests. This success brought an influx of new citizens[verification needed] and saw Seattle's real estate become some of the most expensive in the country,[verification needed] along with that of San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles& Boston. Many of these companies remain relatively strong, but the frenzied dot-com boom years ended in early 2001.

Seattle Cityscape

The Columbia Center is the tallest building in Seattle, and with 76 stories, has a greater number of floors than any other building west of the Mississippi River.

The Space Needle is a defining symbol of the Seattle skyline.

The Smith Tower was the tallest building on the West Coast from its completion in 1914 until the Space Needle overtook it in 1962.

The Washington Mutual Tower is the second tallest building in the Seattle skyline and is the former headquarters of Washington Mutual.

The Chapel of St. Ignatius at Seattle University was designed by Steven Holl.

The Seattle Central Library was designed by Office for Metropolitan Architecture

The Starbucks Center in Seattle's SODO neighborhood just south of downtown is the largest building in Seattle, at just over 2,000,000 square feet (186,000 m²). The building, once the Sears northwest catalog distribution center, now serves as the Corporate Support Center for Starbucks as well as containing Sears and OfficeMax stores.

Source: Seattle WA