<h1 style="text-align: center;">Seattle, <em>Washington</em></h1>
<p>Seattle is a vibrant and multicultural city placed in an atmosphere where the most exquisite of nature&rsquo;s elements are on are display. The city&rsquo;s downtown region rests upon a strip of tapered, mountainous land to the west of Puget Sound and east of Lake Washington. High-rise buildings sit atop tall mounds in the city center, while the lower region along the water and north of downtown are lined with housing units.</p>
<p>If you travel south, you&rsquo;ll find the Pioneer Square Historic District, which dates back to 1852 and has managed to preserve the 19th century urban architecture that gives this area its old-fashioned charm. Refurbished stadiums of the Seattle Mariners baseball team and the Seahawks of the NFL can also be found in the south region of the city. The Seattle Center, located north of downtown, is the site of the 1962 World&rsquo;s fair and presently the hub for the city&rsquo;s arts and entertainment endeavors.</p>
<p>Some of the most beautiful suburban areas in the country can be found east of Lake Washington in Bellevue, Redmond, and Issaquah, and if you want to indulge in the sports and nightlife side of Seattle&mdash;the University of Washington, an expansive campus north of downtown, is definitely worth a visit. South of the city is home to the less attractive suburbs of Renton, Kent, and Auburn and is more of a manufacturing area. Although Seattle has a diverse palette of traditional, recreational, and transportation features&mdash;traffic issues continue to be a challenge.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Seattle has evolved from being the hub of the forest products industry to a prominent regional center for banking, high-tech companies and consumer products. Microsoft, Amazon.com, Starbucks some of are the city&rsquo;s leading employers, and Seattle has managed to maintain its origins as a bustling seaport while also displaying a vast knowledge of the inner workings of the economy. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>A significant increase in the cost of living and a climate that is cloudy and moist more often than not is definitely a downside to living in this city, but the downsides are more than compensated for. Seattle gives its residents a magnificent display of natural beauty, plenty of space to roam and explore, and a cultural and scholastic richness that can&rsquo;t be matched when compared to other big cities. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>