Map of Seattle city

Seattle (/siˈætəl/ (listen) see-AT-əl) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The Seattle metropolitan area’s population is 4.02 million, making it the 15th-largest in the United States. Its growth rate of 21.1% between 2010 and 2020 made it one of country’s fastest-growing large cities.

Seattle is situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington. It is the northernmost major city in the United States, located about 100 miles (160 km) south of the Canadian border. A major gateway for trade with East Asia, Seattle is the fourth-largest port in North America in terms of container handling as of 2021.

The Seattle area was inhabited by Native Americans for at least 4,000 years before the first permanent European settlers. Arthur A. Denny and his group of travelers, subsequently known as the Denny Party, arrived from Illinois via Portland, Oregon, on the schooner Exact at Alki Point on November 13, 1851. The settlement was moved to the eastern shore of Elliott Bay in 1852 and named “Seattle” in honor of Native American Chief Si’ahl of the local Duwamish and Suquamish tribes. Seattle currently has high populations of Native Americans alongside Americans with strong Asian, African, European, and Scandinavian ancestry, and hosts the sixth-largest LGBT community in the U.S.

Logging was Seattle’s first major industry, but by the late 19th century, the city had become a commercial and shipbuilding center as a gateway to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. Growth after World War II was partially due to the local Boeing company, which established Seattle as a center for aircraft manufacturing. The Seattle area developed into a technology center from the 1980s onwards with companies like Microsoft becoming established in the region; Microsoft founder Bill Gates is a Seattleite by birth. Internet retailer Amazon was founded in Seattle in 1994, and major airline Alaska Airlines is based in SeaTac, Washington, serving Seattle’s international airport, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. The stream of new software, biotechnology, and Internet companies led to an economic revival, which increased the city’s population by almost 50,000 between 1990 and 2000.

The culture of Seattle is heavily defined by its significant musical history. Between 1918 and 1951, nearly 24 jazz nightclubs existed along Jackson Street, from the current Chinatown/International District to the Central District. The jazz scene nurtured the early careers of Ernestine Anderson, Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and others. The city is also the origin of rock acts such as Foo Fighters, Heart, and Jimi Hendrix, as well as the grunge subgenre of rock and its pioneering bands Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden.

Planning a trip to Seattle? Our Seattle map collection can help you explore the city and its surrounding areas. Our map collection includes highways, roads, and attractions like parks, museums, and other places of interest. We also provide an interactive map with the latest information to help you navigate around the city.

Located along the Puget Sound, Seattle is home to major landmarks like Mount Rainier, the highest volcanic peak in the contiguous United States. It is also one of the largest cargo seaports in the nation. With 725,000 residents, Seattle is the largest city in Washington, and offers something for everyone – from tech giants to scenic views.

Ready to explore Seattle? Download our Seattle map collection. It’s the perfect tool to help you discover the city and its surrounding areas. Our collection includes highways, roads, and attractions like parks, museums, and other places of interest. Plus, it comes with an interactive map with the latest information to help you navigate around the city.

Online Interactive Map

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If you’re looking for a trip that will take you by surprise, start your journey in Seattle and explore the many attractions that make it such an interesting place to live. Get a crash course in the city with this interactive map. Find out where all the best restaurants, shopping, and nightlife are in Seattle. Whether you’re looking to staycation or explore the city on your own, we’ve got just what you need here. With so many things to see and do, there’s never a dull moment in Seattle.

Seattle location map. Where is Seattle city?

Seattle Road Map

With this Seattle road map, you’ll be able to find your way around the city quickly and easily. You’ll be able to see the interstates, highways, and major roads that are important to you. Whether you’re looking to plan your next trip or just learn more about Seattle, our map will help you plan your route and find the best places to stay. But for any travel outside the city, take a look at our Washington road map for more highway information in the state.

Interstate Highways: I-5, I-90

US Highways: 99, 167, 509, 513, 519, 520, 522, 523, 900

Freeways/Parkways: Seattle Fwy,

Major Roads: 1st Ave, 2nd Ave, 4th Ave, 5th Ave, 6th Ave, 15th Ave, 23rd Ave, 24th Ave, 45th St, 125th St, 145th St, Alaskan Way, Aurora Ave, Barton St, Boren Ave, Columbian Way, Fauntleroy Way, Ferry Rd, Highland Park Way, Lake City Way, Madison St, Marginal Way, Marion St, Martin Luther King Jr Way, Montlake Blvd, Rainier Ave, Royal Brougham Way, Sand Point Way, Turner Way, Union St, University St

Seattle is a vast city with a population of over 750,000. It’s renowned for its breathtaking scenery and diverse cultural offerings, making it an ideal destination for vacations or holidays. By using this map, you can get a comprehensive view of the lakes, bays, state parks, airports, and populated areas that make up the city. Not only will it help you plan your visit more efficiently, but it will also allow you to navigate the city with ease.

Airports: Boeing Field/King County International Airport (BFI)

Cities: Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Bothell, Burien, Clyde Hill, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Medina, Mercer Island, Newcastle, Redmond, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Tukwila, Woodinville

Census-designated place (CDP): Boulevard Park, Bryn Mawr-Skyway, Cottage Lake, East Renton Highlands, Indianola, Manchester, Southworth, Vashon, White Center

Towns: Beaux Arts Village, Hunts Point, Yarrow Point

10 things to do in Seattle city

If you’re looking for a trip that will take you by surprise, start your journey in Seattle and explore the many attractions that make it such an interesting place to live. Get a crash course in the city with this interactive map. Find out where all the best restaurants, shopping, and nightlife are in Seattle. Whether you’re looking to staycation or explore the city on your own, we’ve got just what you need here. With so many things to see and do, there’s never a dull moment in Seattle.

Seattle city Satellite Map

Geography

Topography

Seattle is located between the saltwater Puget Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) to the west and Lake Washington to the east. The city’s chief harbor, Elliott Bay, is part of Puget Sound, which makes the city an oceanic port. To the west, beyond Puget Sound, are the Kitsap Peninsula and Olympic Mountains on the Olympic Peninsula; to the east, beyond Lake Washington and the Eastside suburbs, are Lake Sammamish and the Cascade Range. Lake Washington’s waters flow to Puget Sound through the Lake Washington Ship Canal (consisting of two man-made canals, Lake Union, and the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks at Salmon Bay, ending in Shilshole Bay on Puget Sound).

The sea, rivers, forests, lakes, and fields surrounding Seattle were once rich enough to support one of the world’s few sedentary hunter-gatherer societies. The surrounding area lends itself well to sailing, skiing, bicycling, camping, and hiking year-round.

The city itself is hilly, though not uniformly so. Like Rome, the city is said to lie on seven hills; the lists vary but typically include Capitol Hill, First Hill, West Seattle, Beacon Hill, Queen Anne, Magnolia, and the former Denny Hill. The Wallingford, Delridge, Mount Baker, Seward Park, Washington Park, Broadmoor, Madrona, Phinney Ridge, Sunset Hill, Blue Ridge, Broadview, Laurelhurst, Hawthorne Hills, Maple Leaf, and Crown Hill neighborhoods are all located on hills as well. Many of the hilliest areas are near the city center, with Capitol Hill, First Hill, and Beacon Hill collectively constituting something of a ridge along an isthmus between Elliott Bay and Lake Washington. The break in the ridge between First Hill and Beacon Hill is man-made, the result of two of the many regrading projects that reshaped the topography of the city center. The topography of the city center was also changed by the construction of a seawall and the artificial Harbor Island (completed 1909) at the mouth of the city’s industrial Duwamish Waterway, the terminus of the Green River. The highest point within city limits is at High Point in West Seattle, which is roughly located near 35th Ave SW and SW Myrtle St. Other notable hills include Crown Hill, View Ridge/Wedgwood/Bryant, Maple Leaf, Phinney Ridge, Mt. Baker Ridge, and Highlands/Carkeek/Bitterlake.

North of the city center, Lake Washington Ship Canal connects Puget Sound to Lake Washington. It incorporates four natural bodies of water: Lake Union, Salmon Bay, Portage Bay, and Union Bay.

Due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Seattle is in a major earthquake zone. On February 28, 2001, the magnitude 6.8 Nisqually earthquake did significant architectural damage, especially in the Pioneer Square area (built on reclaimed land, as are the Industrial District and part of the city center), and caused one fatality. Other strong quakes occurred on January 26, 1700 (estimated at 9 magnitude), December 14, 1872 (7.3 or 7.4), April 13, 1949 (7.1), and April 29, 1965 (6.5). The 1965 quake caused three deaths in Seattle directly and one more by heart failure. Although the Seattle Fault passes just south of the city center, neither it nor the Cascadia subduction zone has caused an earthquake since the city’s founding. The Cascadia subduction zone poses the threat of an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 or greater, capable of seriously damaging the city and collapsing many buildings, especially in zones built on fill.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 142.5 square miles (369 km), 83.9 square miles (217 km) of which is land and 58.7 square miles (152 km), water (41.16% of the total area).

Cityscape

Climate

Seattle has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb), but under the Trewartha system, it is labeled as an oceanic climate (Do). It has cool, wet winters and mild, relatively dry summers, covering characteristics of both. The climate is sometimes characterized as a “modified Mediterranean” climate because it is cooler and wetter than a “true” Mediterranean climate, but shares the characteristic dry summer (which has a strong influence on the region’s vegetation).

Temperature extremes are moderated by the adjacent Puget Sound, greater Pacific Ocean, and Lake Washington. Thus extreme heat waves are rare in the Seattle area, as are very cold temperatures (below about 15 °F (−9 °C)). The Seattle area is the cloudiest region of the United States, due in part to frequent storms and lows moving in from the adjacent Pacific Ocean. With many more “rain days” than other major American cities, Seattle has a well-earned reputation for frequent rain. In an average year, at least 0.01 inches (0.25 mm) of precipitation falls on 150 days, more than nearly all U.S. cities east of the Rocky Mountains. However, because it often has merely a light drizzle falling from the sky for many days, Seattle actually receives significantly less rainfall (or other precipitation) overall than many other U.S. cities like New York City, Miami, or Houston. Seattle is cloudy 201 days out of the year and partly cloudy 93 days.

See also