fbpx

KidsKonnect

Seattle Facts & Worksheets

Seattle is a seaport city on the United States West Coast. It is the seat of King County, Washington, the biggest metropolis in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest and wealthiest metropolitan centers in the U.S.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Social Studies /Geography /Seattle Facts & Worksheets

Premium
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Seattle is a seaport city on the United States West Coast. It is the seat of King County, Washington, the biggest metropolis in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest and wealthiest metropolitan centers in the U.S.

See the fact file below for more information on Seattle, or you can download our 27-page Seattle worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

GEOGRAPHY

  • Seattle is between Lake Washington to the east and the saltwater Puget Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) to the west. Elliott Bay, the city’s main harbor, is a component of Puget Sound, making Seattle an oceanic port. 
  • The Lake Washington Ship Canal transports water from Lake Washington to Puget Sound.
  • Seattle is hilly, although not consistently. Many of Seattle’s hilliest areas are in the city center, with Capitol Hill, First Hill, and Beacon Hill creating a ridge between Elliott Bay and Lake Washington. 
  • Seattle is in a significant earthquake zone due to its placement in the Pacific Ring of Fire. The magnitude 6.8 Nisqually earthquake on February 28, 2001, caused significant architectural damage, particularly in Pioneer Square.
  • According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Seattle has a total area of 142.5 square miles, of which 83.9 square miles is land and 58.7 square miles is water. 

CLIMATE

  • Seattle has an oceanic or temperate marine climate, with chilly, rainy winters and moderate, comparatively dry summers. 
  • The adjacent Puget Sound, the Pacific Ocean, and Lake Washington minimize temperature extremes. As a result, significant heat waves are uncommon in the Seattle region, as are freezing temperatures.
  • The Seattle area has the most cloud cover in the country, owing to regular storms and lows rolling in from the neighboring Pacific Ocean.
  • Seattle receives less precipitation than many other American cities. However, unlike many other cities in the U.S., Seattle experiences more rainy days with mild drizzle for many days. There are less than 60 sunny days each year.
  • Seattle usually has some snowfall each year, although significant amounts are uncommon.

CITY LAYOUT

  • Pioneer Square is Seattle’s oldest neighborhood and has been a nationally recognized historic district since its foundation. The area’s red brick townhouses were previously residential, now a variety of small enterprises. 
  • Pioneer Square also has the 42-story Smith Tower, the tallest skyscraper in the American West when completed in 1914. Rail yards, as well as Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, two sports stadiums built that house the Mariners (baseball) and Seahawks (gridiron football), are located south of the square.
  • The downtown area is the commercial core of Seattle. The Pike Place Market, a protected area of fresh seafood and vegetable shops, various retail establishments, and restaurants, particularly appeals to visitors. 
  • The Space Needle, Seattle’s most famous landmark, is located in the Seattle Center, as are McCaw Hall (home of the Seattle Opera), Key Arena, the Children’s Museum, the Museum of Pop Culture, and other public buildings. 
  • The University of Washington campus is located on Lake Washington at the eastern end of the canal. It is bordered by the University (or “U”) District, a thriving town full of shops, pubs, and restaurants.

ADMINISTRATION

Government

  • Seattle has been governed under a series of charters since its establishment in 1869. 
  • The city is governed by a mayor, who is elected to a 4-year term, and a 9-member city council through citywide elections. 
  • The council is led by a president, elected from among its members and supervises the city’s legislative department, organizes the council’s work and acts as a temporary mayor in the absence of the elected mayor. 
  • The council’s jurisdiction includes commissioning and approving public works and expenditures, providing for public safety and health, levying local taxes, and supervising city finances and properties. 
  • The mayor has the authority to veto council ordinances, which can be overruled by a two-thirds majority vote. 
  • Seattle features municipal courts for misdemeanor offenses, as well as district and superior courts that are part of the state of Washington’s legal system.

Municipal Services

  • Seattle City Light is an electricity provider that maintains a network of hydroelectric dams on local rivers. It is one of the country’s first municipally-owned utilities and has long served as a model for other comparable services. 
  • Water, police and fire protection, garbage collection, and recycling are provided by the city. It also provides low-income housing and a range of public-welfare services.

ECONOMY

  • Seattle’s economy is driven by a mix of classic industrial enterprises and “new economy” internet and technology firms, as well as service, design, and clean technology firms. 
  • The Port of Seattle is a key trading and cruise port for Asia.
  • In 2015, its marine cargo activities amalgamated with the Port of Tacoma to establish the Northwest Seaport Alliance. 
  • Seattle’s municipal administration pledged in February 2010 to become North America’s first “climate neutral” city with a target of achieving zero net per capita greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
  • Amazon, Starbucks, Expeditors International of Washington, Nordstrom, Weyerhaeuser, Expedia Group, and Zillow are some companies with corporate headquarters in Seattle, with the largest companies in the U.S. based on total revenue.
  • Seattle is a global health hub with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Infectious Disease Research Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. 
  • The Washington Global Health Alliance identified 168 global health organizations in the state of Washington in 2015. Many of them have their headquarters in Seattle.

CULTURE

  • Seattle has a thriving cultural scene that draws on the city’s ethnic variety and a long history of governmental support for the arts, and it is standing as a regional and national educational and economic hub. 
  • Seattle was known as the “Queen City” from 1869 until 1982. 
  • The “Emerald City” is Seattle’s official nickname, the result of a 1981 contest; the reference is to the area’s lush evergreen trees. Seattle people are called Seattleites.

Performing Arts

  • For many years, Seattle has been a regional hub for the performing arts. 
  • The Seattle Symphony Orchestra has been around for a century and has received several prizes. 
  • The Seattle Opera is well-known for its renditions of Richard Wagner’s works.
  • The Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra is the country’s largest symphonic youth organization.
  • The Seattle Chamber Music Society organizes acclaimed summer and winter chamber music events.
  • The 5th Avenue Theatre stages Broadway-style musical shows starring local and international stars. 
  • Seattle is regarded as the home of grunge music, having produced artists who gained international acclaim in the early 1990s. 
  • The Seattle-based Sub Pop record label is one of the world’s most well-known independent/alternative music labels. Many songs have been written about Seattle throughout the years.
  • The Pacific Northwest Ballet School is one of the leading ballet training schools in the U.S.
  • Seattle features movie theaters that play both Hollywood movies and works by independent filmmakers. The Seattle Cinerama is a movie theater capable of screening three-panel Cinerama films when it closed in 2020.

Events and Festivals

  • Seattle has annual fairs and festivals, such as The 24-day Seattle International Film Festival, Northwest Folklife over Memorial Day weekend, numerous Seafair events in July and August, the Bite of Seattle (food festival), the Seattle Pride ( honors LGBT Pride), the art and music festival Bumbershoot, and two different Independence Day celebrations.

Museums

  • Seattle has over a dozen museums. Among them are the Seattle Art Museum; the Seattle Asian Art Museum; the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington; the Museum of History and Industry; and the Pacific Science Center.
  • The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, located in the International District, honors the contributions of Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian peoples to the region’s history, politics, and culture. 
  • The Henry Art Gallery is Washington’s first public art museum, which opened in 1927. It is a contemporary art museum on the Seattle campus of the University of Washington.

TOURISM

  • Throughout the year, tourism is abundant in Seattle. In addition to its attractions, Seattle is a gateway to the San Juan Islands, Mount Rainier National Park, the North Cascades National Park, and Olympic National Park. 
  • Seattle’s city council manages a network of more than 70 public parks through its culture, arts, and parks committee. 
  • Discovery Park is the largest park in Seattle, which offers vistas of surrounding beaches and distant mountains, wildlife preserves, natural meadows, forest groves, dunes, and tidal pools.
  • Green Lake Park, in north Seattle, is one of the most renowned parks; public activities include a beach, boating facilities, walking and jogging routes, and a community center. 
  • Other prominent parks in the area include Gas Works Park, built on the site of a former coal-gas conversion facility, Woodland Park, which has a zoo, sports fields, picnic areas, a large rose garden, and Alki Beach Park.
  • A popular tourist activity is whale viewing; a park with whale watching facilities is located in the San Juan Islands and is accessible by ferry boat. 
  • Hiking, rock climbing, skiing, and snowboarding are other outdoor activities available in and around Seattle.
  • The Seattle Great Wheel, a 53-meter-tall Ferris wheel, is the tallest on the West Coast of the U.S.
  • Seattle also has many community centers for recreation, including Rainier Beach, Van Asselt, Rainier, and Jefferson south of the Ship Canal, Laurelhurst, Loyal Heights, and Meadowbrook north of the Canal.

SPORTS

  • Seattle is home to several professional sports clubs. 
  • The Seattle Seahawks, a National Football League club and the Seattle Mariners, an American League baseball team, together with the Seattle Storm, the city’s professional women’s basketball team, have a large fan base.
  • In 2021, Seattle received a professional hockey franchise, the Seattle Kraken, named after the fabled sea monster and the giant Pacific octopus found in Puget Sound waters.
  • Since the 1970s, Seattle has frequently been home to men’s professional football (soccer) teams; the most recent incarnation of professional football in the city, the Sounders, is a Major League Soccer team.
  • Before professional sports were a part of Seattle’s cultural fabric, the University of Washington was the city’s primary source of sports spectatorship.

Seattle Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Seattle across 27 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Seattle, the biggest metropolis in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest and wealthiest metropolitan centers in the U.S.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Seattle Facts 
  2. The City of Seattle
  3. Sightseeing
  4. Do You Know?
  5. Economy Look Out!
  6. Safe Seattle
  7. Culture Notes
  8. We’re Going on a Trip
  9. Let’s Talk About Sports
  10. Seattle
  11. Exit Tickets

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Seattle known for?

Seattle is known for several things. It is often referred to as the “Emerald City” due to its lush green surroundings. Seattle is famous for its coffee culture and is the birthplace of the global coffeehouse chain Starbucks. The city is also known for its vibrant music scene, having produced influential musicians and bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Jimi Hendrix. Seattle is home to several major technology companies, including Microsoft and Amazon. The iconic Space Needle and Pike Place Market are popular landmarks in the city.

What is the weather like in Seattle?

Seattle has a temperate oceanic climate characterized by cool, wet winters and mild, relatively dry summers. It experiences a fair amount of rainfall throughout the year, with drizzle being common. The average high temperatures range from the mid-40s to mid-50s Fahrenheit (7-13 degrees Celsius) in winter and the mid-60s to mid-70s Fahrenheit (18-24 degrees Celsius) in summer.

What are some popular tourist attractions in Seattle?

Seattle offers several popular tourist attractions. The Space Needle is an iconic observation tower that provides panoramic views of the city. Pike Place Market is a bustling public market known for its fresh produce, crafts, and seafood, and it is also where the original Starbucks store is located. The Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit showcases beautiful glass art by artist Dale Chihuly. The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) and the Seattle Art Museum are popular cultural attractions. Additionally, visitors often enjoy exploring the waterfront, taking a ferry ride, or visiting the Olympic Sculpture Park.

Are there any famous sports teams in Seattle?

Yes, Seattle is home to several well-known sports teams. The Seattle Seahawks are a professional football team playing in the National Football League (NFL). The Seattle Mariners are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. In addition, Seattle has a professional women’s basketball team called the Seattle Storm, which plays in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Seattle also has a Major League Soccer (MLS) team, the Seattle Sounders FC.

What is the famous landmark in Seattle?

One of the most famous landmarks in Seattle is the Space Needle. The Space Needle is an iconic observation tower that was built for the 1962 World’s Fair. It stands at a height of 605 feet (184 meters) and offers stunning panoramic views of the city and its surroundings. The Space Needle is not only an architectural marvel but also a symbol of Seattle and its futuristic vision. It attracts millions of visitors each year who come to enjoy the observation deck, revolving restaurant, and the breathtaking vistas of Seattle’s skyline, mountains, and Puget Sound.

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Seattle Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 16, 2023

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources