19 impressive facts about Seattle

Did you know Seattle is the birthplace of the popular coffee chain Starbucks?

Nah, just kidding. If you know us, you know we’re here for the deep cuts — and there are plenty of interesting factoids to go around.

As connoisseurs of the quirky + unconventional, we put together this list of fifteen interesting facts about Seattle. Maybe you’ve lived here your whole life and know some of these — or maybe you’ll learn something new.

Either way, these 19 interesting facts will have you winning “Jeopardy!” in no time.

Nature

• We may be called Rain City, but Seattle actually gets less annual rainfall than many metro areas. We see an average total of 37 inches of rain per year — whereas New York City gets 47, Houston averages 52, and even Orlando gets roughly 51 a year.

Statistics

• According to the most recent census data, Seattle has more dogs (153,000) than children (107,178).

History

• Pike Place Market started as a protest of the high cost of onions.
• The Harvard Exit Theatre (built in 1925 + closed in 2015) was well-loved for its romantic, vintage vibe — but was also reportedly home to the ghost of Seattle’s first female mayor, Bertha Landes.
• There’s substantial archaeological evidence to show that current Native American tribes have lived here for ~12,000 years.
• Settlers first named Seattle “New York” (super original, guys), before adding Alki, a Chinook word that means “in the future” to end of the name.

Architecture

• The University Bridge gets regular baths in the summer to protect it from the heat.
• Talk about riding in style. The University of Washington’s Husky Stadium is one of three in the US where you can arrive in a boat.
• At the time it was created, Harbor Island was the largest man-made island in the world.

Transportation

• The Washington State Ferry system is the largest in the US.

Oddities

• The first modern day UFO sighting happened over Mt. Rainier. In fact, Seattle coined the term “flying saucer.”
• The Gum Wall has only been cleaned once. In 2015, the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority removed all the gunk because the weight was beginning to destroy the wall’s structural integrity.

Sports

• Seahawks fans once got so loud after a Marshawn Lynch touchdown, that they registered as a small earthquake on a nearby seismograph. It’s now referred to as the Beast Quake. Taylor Swift now holds the record for strongest earthquake caused by fans at Lumen Field, however.
• Seattle football fans may have the first crowd ever to have made the famed “wave”. Claims suggest that this fateful moment happened at a UW football game against Stanford on October 31, 1981. However, there are several other cities that assert they were the first to start the worldwide tradition.

Food

• Monorail Espresso started as the world’s first espresso cart in 1980.
• This saucy delicacy is often thought to originate across the Pacific Ocean, but it all started right here in 1976. Toshi Kasahara immigrated to Seattle and opened his first shop, Toshi’s Teriyaki, that year on March 2. The recipe he used in his chicken is the base for what has been largely replicated across the US.
• While cinnamon rolls have been around for a while, Cinnabon is certainly its own creation. The sweet treat bakery is currently headquartered in Atlanta, but got its start in 1985 in Sea-Tac Mall using a recipe from Jerilyn Brusseau and the financial backing of Rich Komen.
• Despite what its name suggests, the Dutch Baby was created by Manca’s Cafe in 1905. Inspired by the German pancake, they were typically served with lemon wedges and some powdered sugar (yum).

Arts

• Our city is home to more than 700 glass artists, making us the second-largest hub for the form in the world behind Murano, Italy.

Your turn. Think you can get one over on us? Let us know your favorite local trivia tidbit and you just might make it into the newsletter.