The vibrant City of Seattle is situated on beautiful Puget Sound, about 100 miles from the border between the United States and Canada. In recent years, the city has become associated with some of its pace-setting companies and businesses, from Starbucks coffee to Boeing jets to Microsoft Windows. The city’s geographic location at the very apex of international trade has played a key role in its success.

The housing possibilities are only limited by lifestyles and imaginations in Seattle, King County. With an abundance of intimate and distinctive neighborhoods, Seattle offers an array of attractive housing options from bungalows to mansions in the hills with breathtaking views. Houseboats, condominiums, suburban homes, and lakefront cottages are plentiful.

Surrounded by majestic mountains (including Mt. Rainier at 14, 411 feet) and pristine waters, Seattle features picture-perfect views and abundant recreational opportunities. Biking, skiing, mountain climbing, hiking, swimming, and boating are just a few of the activities that are supported by Seattle’s mild Pacific-coast climate and health-conscious attitude.

Education is a life-long pursuit in metropolitan Seattle offering four-year institutions like the University of Washington and Seattle University, as well as specialty institutions like the Cornish College of the Arts and the Art Institute of Seattle. Numerous community and technical colleges ensure a wealth of educational resources for students in the area.

Highly regarded for its cutting-edge healthcare resources, Seattle enjoys a wide variety of acclaimed hospitals, clinics, and medical centers, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to nationally famous biotechnology companies working on genetic engineering techniques in the discovery, development, production, and marketing of human therapeutics.

Seattle is internationally famous for its symphony, theater, visual and performing arts; along with the city’s trademark affection for coffee, books, and movies is a passion for opera. In fact, Seattle boasts one of the highest per capita opera-attendance levels in the nation.

With lakes, rivers, bays, and harbors all around, water is an essential part of every resident’s life, whether ferrying from one of the islands via the nation’s largest ferry service or relaxing at water’s edge on the weekend. From the vast beauty of the region’s forest and mountains to the quality of life in its bustling urban areas, Seattle’s robust economy and the diversity of its people offer residents and newcomers a quality of life that grows richer with each passing year.