Seattle is an important coastal city in the US State of Washington. The city takes up just under 370 square kilometres of land, and the population of the city is a little over 652,000. It has one of the fastest rates of growth than any other US city. The city is an important gateway to trade with many Asian countries. The Seattle Tacoma International Airport which is 23 kilometres from the city is the major airport. At present Many Fortune 500 companies are based in the city. Seattle is the home to the prestigious University of Washington. The city has dry summers & humid winters. Like Rome, the city of Seattle is said to be situated on seven hills.
The city has a thriving culture, in which the historical Seattle Symphony Orchestra is one of the few musical groups to be recorded the most. Broadway style musical shows are staged at the 5th Avenue Hall. The city is also said to be the home to grunge music.
The 24 day long Seattle International Film Festival is amongst one of the top American Film Fests. During the months of July and August the Seafair Festival is held, and included in the festivities are the Torchlight Parades and Torchlight Runs. In order to decriminalise the use of marijuana, the Seattle Hempfest is hosted.
For any book worms out there, the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair and Book Arts Show is a must see. The Seattle Great Wheel is amongst one of the largest amusement park rides in the US. An extensive collection of Asian art is conserved at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and the city's maritime history has been brilliant displayed at the Center for Wooden Boats.
The city has a staggering 21 sister cities including Kuching in Malaysia, Kobe in Japan, Bergen in Norway, Tashkent in Uzbekistan, Beersheba in Israel, Mazatlán in Mexico, Nantes in France, Christchurch in New Zealand, Mombasa in Kenya, Chongqing in China, Limbe in Cameroon, Galway in Ireland, Reykjavik in Iceland, Daejeon in South Korea, Cebu City in the Philippines, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, Pecs in Hungary , Perugia in Italy, Surabaya in Indonesia, Gdynia in Poland, Sihanoukville in Cambodia and Haiphong in Vietnam.
Some other attractions you just have to see in Seattle include the Space Needle, of course, the Museum of Flight, Waterfront Park, the Woodland Park Zoo, Kerry Park, the Seattle Aquarium, the Hiram M Chittenden Locks, the Pike Place Market, the Chihuly Garden and Glass, The Seattle Art Museum, Green Lake, Smith Tower, the Columbia Centre, Lake Union, the Washington Park Aboretum, the Paramount Theatre, Seward Park, the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, the Arctic Building, Magnuson Park, the Lake View Cemetery, the Tillicum Village, the Frye Art Museum, Denny Park, the Pioneer Building and Schmitz Park.