The New Student's Reference Work/Seattle, Wash.

Seat′tle, Wash., a port of entry and largest city of the state, is the county-seat of King County. Rising from the shores of Elliott Bay on the west, the city covers numerous hills, embraces Lake Union and Green Lake within its borders, and reaches on the east to Lake Washington, a beautiful body of fresh water 22 miles long and from one to three wide. The business district is substantially built in the manner of a progressive, modern city; the hills are covered with handsome homes and attractive cottages; the parks and boulevards are being made into a system of rare beauty and extent; and the scenery afforded by the combination of lakes, sound and mountains is striking and beautiful. Public buildings, prominent among which are the library and the new Federal building; schools and educational institutions, as the high schools and the University of Washington; houses of worship, with the Roman Catholic cathedral and the new First Presbyterian church as conspicuous edifices; and good hotels, theaters and club-houses are numerous. The school-system is excellent, the buildings fine, and textbooks are furnished free. Higher educational institutions consist of the University of Washington; the College of the Immaculate Conception (R. C.); Holy Name Academy (R. C.); and Seattle Seminary (M. E.). Transportation facilities, position as a distributing point both for domestic and for foreign markets, supply of fuel and cheap power and raw material for various lines of industry are causing Seattle rapidly to become a manufacturing center. Among the chief industries are ship-yards, flour and rolling mills, shingle and lumber mills, foundries, iron-works, fishcanning and woodworking.

Piers for handling ocean and land traffic line the front of Elliott Bay. The commerce of the port has advanced with astonishing rapidity, and it has grown still faster since the connection of Lakes Washington and Union with Puget Sound by means of a canal capable of floating the largest ships was completed. King County raised money for the building of this important aid to its commerce by levying a tax on a specially created assessment district, authorized by the Legislature. The canal, which gives to Seattle a freshwater harbor unexcelled, was built in accordance with plans made by the national government. The bulk of the Alaskan trade passes through Seattle. Several lines of steamships, including the largest freight-carrier in the world, ply regularly between Seattle and the Orient and other parts of the world, particularly to the countries bordering on the Pacific. The Northern Pacific and Great Northern railways have vast terminal facilities, while the Union Pacific and Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound, have acquired holdings almost equally large. The Burlington and the Canadian Pacific reach the city by traffic arrangements with existing transcontinental systems.

The water-plant is owned by the city, and water is supplied by Cedar River and Cedar Lake. From the fall of Cedar River power is obtained to operate the lighting-plant, which is also owned by the municipality. Seattle has a fine street-car system and all modern improvements. Excellent interurban lines radiate into surrounding territory and connect the city with Tacoma and Everett. Seattle was settled in 1852, laid out in 1853, and named in honor of a noted Indian chief. It incorporated in 1865 and re-incorporated in 1869. In 1880 it had a population of 3,533; in 1910 this had become 237,194.