Seattle is located in Washington State, on the Pacific North West Coast of the United States of America. The city is surrounded by water with Lake Washington on one side and Puget Sound, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean on the other.
Seattle was founded in 1869 around Puget Sound's deep natural harbour. As America's closest major port to Russia, Asia and the Canadian West Coast, it soon became a crossroads of international transport and trade.
Seattle prospered from Washington State's traditional industries, like agriculture, forestry, fisheries and mining. By the mid-20th century though, aircraft, aerospace and defence-related industries became dominant.
In the last few decades the Seattle area has become one of the world's most important centres for technology.
It's the home to 1500 computer development firms, including Microsoft, the world's largest personal computer software maker. It's a measure of the huge scale of Seattle's economy that Microsoft is only the fourth largest revenue earner in the area. Pulp/paper company Weyerhaeuser and discount warehouse company Price Costco are both larger than Microsoft and the largest of all is Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer.
Seattle's beautiful surroundings and mild climate mean that its residents and visitors can enjoy a huge range of outdoor activities from sailing and salmon fishing to skiing and hiking. Seattleites are famous for their love of good coffee so it's not surprising that the international chain of Starbucks cafes was founded in the city.
Seattle is one of America's most culturally dynamic cities with a symphony orchestra, ballet company, opera troupe and 80 theatre groups. It is also the birthplace of 'grunge' rock music and bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden began their careers there.
Christchurch and Seattle share many similarities. Both are national leaders in the fields of computer technology and electronics. Their residents enjoy the benefits of living between mountains and the sea and they enjoy good cafes and the arts.
The Sister City link was formally ratified by the two cities in 1981, thanks to people like Dr. John Bollard, later to become the Honorary NZ Consular agent in Seattle, and Malcolm Ott, the US Consular agent in Christchurch for many years.
Christchurch's Recycled Materials Foundation was modelled on the Clean Washington Centre organisation, which is based in Seattle. The HITLab NZ, based at the University of Canterbury, is a sister lab to the original HIT Lab at the University of Washington, Seattle, which has become one of the leading human-computer interface research labs in the world.
Activities:
Many new VR images have been posted covering the following areas:
You can find all these on the "Newest Additions" page
Chief Seattle Arts is an online source “for the best in Pacific Northwest Coast Native limited-edition serigraphs, books, and historical and cultural information!”
The Seattle Library
With its innovative glass and steel construction and bold, easy-to-use interiors, the Seattle Central Library is inspiring local governments world-wide. See further information
Note: Observance dates for some holidays change each year
| January 1 | New Year's Day |
| January 20 | Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday |
| February 17 | President's Day |
| May 26 | Memorial Day |
| July 4 | Independence Day |
| September 1 | Labor Day |
| October 13 | Columbus Day |
| November 11 | Veterans' Day |
| November 27 | Thanksgiving Day |
| December 25 | Christmas Day |