USA
Seattle, Washington

Seattle, population 536,000 (2000), built on seven hills, between Elliot Bay of Puget Sound and Lake Washington.

Seattle, the largest city in the Pacific Northwest, is the region's commercial, financial, transportation, and industrial hub and a major port of entry, important in both East Asian and Alaskan trade.

A center of aircraft manufacturing and shipbuilding since World War Ⅱ, the city is headquarters for the Boeing Company, which employs a significant number of residents, as does the Microsoft Corporation.

Seattle now has numerous major terminals, a 600-boat commercial fishing terminal, and a huge marina for private boats.

In 2001 an earthquake did major damage to the city, mainly in the historic Pioneer Square area.

The city is a cultural center with numerous museums and art galleries, including a Gehry-designed rock museum, a variety of theater and musical organizations, an arboretum, a zoo, and a modern public library.

Seattle's reputation for rain is somewhat undeserved - catching just 38in (97cm) per year. When it comes to damp and chilly, though, not many places in the US can touch Seattle.

Averaging only 55 days of sunshine a year, you can pretty well expect to see some form of fog, mist or cloud while you're there.

This pervasive grayness tends to make the city's otherwise moderate temperatures - winter highs top out around 50°F (10°C), summer highs float between 75 and 85°F (25 to 30°C) - seem downright frosty.

The majority of rain falls between November and April. Snow is unusual, though when it comes, it comes down heavy. Summer is the choicest time for a visit, when marine clouds in the morning tend to burn off completely by afternoon. Spring and fall attempt to confuse residents with alternating rain and sun throughout the day.

<Sources>
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001
Lonely Planet World Guide / Destination Seattle

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http://www.gonorthwest.com/Washington/seattle/Seattle.htm