What, Where, and Who – All About Seattle
Are you relocating to Seattle? Looking for information about your future home in the Emerald City? Let’s take a deep dive into the what (not just stereotypes!), where (geography), and who (demographics) of Seattle.
What is Seattle?
Seattle is a city of approximately 750, 000 residents occupying 83 square miles. The city is a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the salt waters of Puget Sound to the west and the fresh waters of Lake Washington to the east.
The Emerald City is the 18th largest city in the United States, known to the outside world for coffee, technology companies, the Space Needle Pike Place Market, and rain.
Let’s get this out of the way at the top. It does rain here, and frequently, 152 days per year on average. But Seattle ranks number 32 among the nation’s 50 largest cities for annual precipitation by volume. Additionally, the temperate climate means that Seattle summers are spectacular with little humidity, and the winters are generally mild with very little snow.
Seattle is much more than its stereotypes. Frasier, Starbucks, Grey’s Anatomy, grunge music, Amazon, flannel shirts, and Microsoft. Sure, the Seattle region has been a hub of innovation for a long time, and it is the home or birthplace of many companies. you’ve likely heard of: Boeing, Costco, REI, Nordstrom, Zulily, Alaska Airlines, Expedia, Nintendo of America, and T-Mobile US. But that’s not all. Seattle has a large tourism industry serving as a hub for cruises to Alaska, bringing 1.2 million cruise passengers to Seattle in 2019.
Seattle has a phenomenal food scene, taking advantage of great seafood like the plentiful oysters, crab, and salmon, as well as fantastic Washington State produce. And while Seattle does many cuisines well, it is probably best known for its plethora of incredible Asian restaurants with several standout Vietnamese and Japanese establishments. Pho and teriyaki are ubiquitous.
Seattleites love their sports! Home of the 2026 Super Bowl Champion Seahawks in the NFL, the Mariners in the MLB, the Sounders in the MLS, the Storm in the WNBA, and the Kraken in the NHL.
Seattle has a little something for just about everyone.
Seattle also has a long history of producing great music and great musicians. Ray Charles recorded his first single in Seattle. Quincy Jones went to high school in Seattle. Jimi Hendrix grew up in Seattle. The Wilson sisters started Heart in the 1970s. Grunge music of the 1980s and 1990s made bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and more household names. More recently, Seattle has a thriving Indie music scene with bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Band of Horses, and Fleet Foxes, to name a few. Seattle also has a few famous hip-hop performers, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Macklemore, and Shabazz Palaces.
Seattle is home to the University of Washington with nearly 50,000 students. It is known for its medical and scientific research.
Seattle features an impressive array of performing arts, including the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Opera, the Pacific Northwest Ballet, and many more.
Seattle has a growing public transportation system, including Light Rail, buses, street cars, and water taxis. According to WalkScore, Seattle ranks number eight in the United States for walkability, number seven for bikeability, and number seven for public transit.
Where is Seattle?
Seattle is centrally located in the Pacific Northwest, situated an approximate three hour drive from Vancouver, British Columbia, and a three hour drive from Portland, Oregon.
The Seattle area is framed by two mountain ranges. The Olympic Mountains to the west, and the Cascades to the east, which includes the sometimes-visible Mount Rainier. (Is the mountain out?)
There are essentially three geographic areas that surround the city of Seattle in King County. First, the Eastside, secondly, the South End, and finally, northern King County.
The Eastside, a group of cities and towns on the Eastern side of Lake Washington, is comprised of Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and others. The South End, a group of cities and towns that are south of Seattle and Lake Washington, including Renton and Burien. All of these areas are growing, and with the exception of Bellevue and a few parts of the Eastside, are generally bedroom communities, with many residents commuting to Seattle and Bellevue for work.
Seattle neighborhoods:
Speaking in extremely general terms, Seattle can be divided into four areas identified by geography:
- North Seattle, the area north of the Lake Washington Ship Canal
- Central Seattle, the area south of the Lake Washington Ship Canal and north of I-90
- West Seattle, the land west of the Duwamish Waterway
- South Seattle, the land south of I-90, and east of the Duwamish Waterway
Why live in Seattle?
Seattle and the surrounding areas are a fantastic place to call home. There are so many opportunities for entertainment, recreation, and general enjoyment in the Emerald City. Would you like to go kayaking or boating? Choose between a lake or the Puget sound. Do you want to go hiking, camping or mountain biking? They’ve got tons of that on the Eastside and in the greater Puget Sound area.
What about Parks? 14% of Seattle’s land is parks and open spaces. This includes public beaches, trails for cycling and running, as well as paths for walking and rollerblading. Everyone has a favorite park, and they are all terrific. If you want to go skiing, snowboarding, or snowshoeing, head East to the mountains, you can be on the slopes within two hours.
Want to take a boat ride and explore Puget Sound? Washington State Ferries operates the largest ferry system in the United States, with 21 ferries crisscrossing Puget Sound, carrying 24 million passengers annually.
Want to explore a national park? We’ve got three to choose from within a three-hour drive: Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, and North Cascades National Park.
And then, of course, there are loads of indoor activities, great coffee shops. So many to choose from, not just Starbucks. Movie theaters, independent book shops, fantastic museums, and live theater.
Who are Seattleites?
Seattle is a growing city of 750, 000 residents, up 23% since 2010. These residents are:
- 65% white
- 16% Asian
- 7% black or African-American
- 6% Hispanic
- 6% two or more races
Origins of Seattleites:
- 30% of Seattleites were born in Washington state
- 50% were born in another U.S state
- 20% were born in another country.
The median household income was $93,481 in 2018.
50% of Seattleites are homeowners, and the other half are renters.
66,000 Seattleites are software developers, the Seattle metro area’s number one job.
How do Seattleites commute?
- 44% drive to work alone
- 23% take public transit
- 12% walk
- 8% work from home
- 7% carpool
- 4% bicycle to work
- 2% use other means of transportation
About: In this video, Aaron Janus and the JanusGroup at RE/MAX Integrity share their research and insights into relocating to Seattle. If you’re wondering, “how many people live in Seattle?” or “what is the number one job title in the Seattle area?” or “what are some of the common stereotypes about Seattle?” – check out this video.