About Seattle
Seattle is the largest and most populated city in Washington state, and the ideal gateway to your Pacific Northwest RV vacation, visiting the stunning national parks of Olympic, Mount Rainier, and North Cascades.
Situated on a narrow strip of land between the salt waters of Puget Sound and the fresh waters of Lake Washington, Seattle is bracketed by the two mountain ranges lying beyond – the Olympics to the west and the Cascades to the east. The area’s mild marine climate encourages prolific vegetation and greenery, which earned the city its nickname of the Emerald City. You may also hear Seattle referred to as Jet City for the prominence of the aerospace industry here, started in 1916 when Bill Boeing founded his namesake aviation company in the city. Seattle is also of course, famously, home to the first location for a very well-known coffee shop…
Seattle offers the best of both worlds: an abundance of indoor options, plus easy access to the region’s outdoor beauty. Before heading out of town to the national parks, you could visit Seattle Center for the Space Needle and the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum; go to Pike Place Market, the nation’s oldest continuous working public market; or see 360 species of marine life at the Seattle Aquarium. Aviation fans will not want to miss a trip to the Museum of Flight, the world’s largest air and space museum, built around Boeing’s original factory, to walk the aisle of JFK’s Air Force One and climb aboard the Concorde.
At the end of a day’s exploring, sit down and relax in one of Seattle’s many restaurants. Enjoy some of the cedar plank salmon that is so popular here, or one of the many other options this vibrant city offers, including an abundance of excellent Asian cuisine. Or, you could enjoy the simple local delicacy of a “Seattle Dog” – a street style hot dog served with cream cheese and onions!
Interesting Facts About Seattle
- The original Starbucks store in Pike Place Market still has its original floors, counters, and fixtures.
- The Seattle area is the cloudiest region of the Continental United States.
- Seattle has a well-earned reputation for frequent rain, but, this city is not as rainy as you think – with an average annual rainfall of 38.15 inches, it receives less precipitation than New York City (45.05 inches), Sydney (51.54 inches) or Tokyo (56.50 inches).