The Space Needle is Seattle's space needle.

Seattle (eng. Seattle, also found in Seattle, Seattle) - The largest city in the northwestern United States and in the state of Washington in particular, a major sea ​​port. It is located near the Puget Sound bay system, Lake Washington and the Pacific Ocean.

The first European settlement on the site of Seattle was founded on November 13, 1851 by a group of Arthur Denny (eng. Arthur Denny) and was called New York Alki (eng. New-York Alki), which roughly translated from the Chinook dialect as "Future New York". In 1853, David "Doc" Maynard proposed that the main settlement be renamed Seattle, after the leader of the local Sukwamish and Duwamish tribes.
As of April 1, 2008, the Washington State Department of Finance reported that there were 592,800 people in the city and 3,424,441 in the entire metropolitan area.

Since 1869, the unofficial nickname of the city has been the "Royal City" (eng. Queen City), which comes from the "Pacific queen of cities", which is what Seattle was called in one Portland real estate agency, however, in 1982, officials from King County (to which Seattle also belongs ) held an official contest for an unofficial nickname, resulting in the title "Emerald City" being chosen. Other nicknames for Seattle are "Gateway to Alaska", "Rainy City" and "Jet City" (thanks to Boeing). From English, the correct name of the inhabitants of Seattle can be translated as "Seattleites".

Seattle is known for many achievements, among which are the following: the birthplace of the grunge style, the culture of coffee consumption (many American coffee chains were founded in Seattle), a high level of education among residents (more than 51% of the population of Seattle have higher education). Celebrities such as Jimi Hendrix, Bill Gates, Kurt Cobain, Bruce Lee, Lane Staley, Christopher Knab, Chris Cornell are also associated with the name of Seattle.

The history of confirmed human settlements on the site of Seattle dates back to the second century BC. On the site of the current industrial area of ​​\u200b\u200bSeattle in the VI century BC. e. there were settlements of the Duwamish tribe, known as the "home of the sterlet" (Lushucid: "tohl-AHL-tu") and "where horse clams live" (Lushucid: "hah-AH-pus"). At the time of the arrival of Denny's group, there were seventeen Duwamish Indian villages in the Elliot Bay area.

The first white settlers were a group of Collins who attempted to stake a claim at the mouth of the Duwamish River on September 14, 1851. However, despite the fact that they were the first on the site, the scouts of the Denny group were able to claim the land, which happened on September 28, 1851. In connection with this circumstance, the head of the scouts, David Denny, sent a message to Portland, where the rest of the group was, where he called to come to the place of settlement as soon as possible and all together. This happened on November 15, a group led by Arthur Denny came across the ocean and found the sick David and the unfinished winter quarters. The settlement was named Alki Point.

After the first winter, marked by frequent showers and strong winds, almost the entire group of Denny moved to a new place, which was called Duwamps (eng. Duwamps) or Dewamps (eng. Dewamps). The settlers who remained in the old place renamed their village New York Alki. Over the next few years, the two villages vied for the site of the main settlement, but in the end Duvamps won. Starting in 1853, one of the founders of Duwamps, David Maynard, campaigned to rename Duwamps to Seattle, in gratitude to Chief Shial, the main proponent of the cooperation of the Indian population of the northwestern United States with white colonists. This campaign paid off pretty soon, in 1855 the settlement was given the status of a city with the name Seattle.

Like most cities located near vast reserves natural resources, in history economic development Seattle is clearly marked by periods of ups and downs. The first of these booms, which essentially began the development of Seattle, was the logging boom in the 1880s, which continued until the beginning of the 20th century.

The second boom Seattle experienced during the Gold Rush, which began in 1896 and lasted for about a decade and a half. Shortly before this, the Great Fire of 1889 occurred, when the entire business center of the city burned out, as a result of which the Washington Mutual bank was formed, the main goal of which was the economic stabilization of the situation in the region. In 1907, the company now known as UPS was founded, one of the world's largest transportation and logistics companies. At the beginning of the last century, other large American chains were founded, such as Nordstrom and Eddie Bauer.

The headquarters of Amazon Global Resources (Amazon.com) in the building of the Pacific Medical Center (PacMed).

The basis for the next rise was the boom in the shipbuilding and real estate industry. During World War II, Seattle served as a staging area for troops, and Boeing was the largest manufacturer of bombers for the US Air Force. Soon after the end of the war, a decline in development began, which, however, was marked by a new upsurge, thanks to the same Boeing company. This rise continued until the end of the 60s, when the aircraft industry experienced general crisis. It was in the 60s that the city was given the unofficial nickname "Jet City" (Eng. Jet City). Boeing's headquarters were located in Seattle until 2001, in which year the company announced its intention to separate production and the headquarters itself. Chicago became the new headquarters.

The last boom that can be called a technology boom began in the mid-90s, while many high-tech companies were founded or experienced the rise in Seattle itself and its environs, such as: Microsoft, Amazon.com, RealNetworks, McCaw Cellular ( now part of AT&T Mobility), VoiceStream; also concentrated in the metropolis a large number of medical research companies, for example, HeartStream, Heart Technologies, Physio-Control, ZymoGenetics, ICOS, etc. During the last decade of the 20th century, the population of the city increased by 50 thousand only due to techno-corporations (not counting natural growth), and real estate prices have reached one of the highest high levels for the USA.

The Space Needle space needle- space needle) - the most recognizable landmark in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and the symbol of the city of Seattle, Washington. The tower is located on the grounds of the Seattle Center, which was built for the 1962 World's Fair, during which approximately 20,000 people a day climbed the tower; 2.3 million visitors - in total during the World Expo. The tower is now privately owned.

The Space Needle is 184 meters high and 42 meters wide at its widest point and weighs 9,550 tons. It is built so that it can withstand hurricanes with wind speeds up to 320 km/h and earthquakes up to 9.1 points; the tower was struck by lightning 25 times during thunderstorms.

A feature of the tower is an observation deck at a height of 159 meters, a SkyCity restaurant (Sky City) and a gift shop. From the top of the tower, you can see not only downtown Seattle, but also the Cascade Mountains and Mount Rainier volcano, Eliot Bay and the surrounding islands.

Photographs of Seattle often show the Space Needle in the foreground, sometimes making it seem like the tower towers over all the other skyscrapers in the city. Many, having entered the city for the first time, are surprised to see the real size of the Space Needle.

Pike Place Market is a public market located on the Pacific coast of Elliot Bay in Seattle, Washington, USA. Opened on August 17th, 1907, it is one of the oldest continental US markets. Pike Market is a market for seafood, agricultural products of small farmers and artisans. It also acts as a kind of stage for street actors, clowns and singers, which, apparently, is the reason for its great popularity among tourists from all over the world. The Pike Market is located in the lower Seattle area and covers an area of ​​9 acres. The market got its name thanks to the street of the same name, at the beginning of which is located - Pike Place.

The Space Needle is a famous observation tower in Seattle, Washington, USA. The tower is located on the territory of the "Seattle Center" and is business card city ​​and one of its main attractions.

By 1962, the Seattle Center and its main gem, the Space Needle Tower, were built specifically for the World's Fair 62 in Seattle. inspired by his recent visit to Germany and the Stuttgart TV tower. The well-known architectural firm John Graham and Partners undertook to bring this idea to life. Despite the complexity of the design and very tight deadlines, the construction was nevertheless completed just on the eve of the opening of the exhibition, and on April 21, 1962, the Space Needle received its first visitors.

The Spey Needle is a huge, impressive building in a futuristic style. The height of the tower is 184 m, and the width is 42 m (at its widest point), while the weight of the structure is 9550 tons. The structure is able to withstand winds up to 200 miles per hour (89 m / s) and earthquakes up to 9.1 points. Equipped with a tower and 25 lightning rods.

The famous observation deck of the Space Needle is located at an altitude of 160 m and offers its guests magnificent panoramic views of Seattle, the Olympic and Cascade mountains (including the stratovolcanoes Rainier and Baker), Elliott Bay and nearby islands. The Space Needle is also famous for its luxurious revolving restaurant "SkyCity" (at an altitude of 150 m), where you can also enjoy breathtaking panoramic views and, of course, excellent cuisine. At a height of 30 m there is the so-called "SkyLine" level - a banquet complex with the possibility of accommodating groups from 20 to 360 people. This level was provided in the original project, but was built only in 1982.

It is rightfully considered one of the most famous attractions of the region in particular and the country as a whole; soon after the erection became a symbol of Seattle. The height of the tower is 184 meters, the width (at the widest point) is 42 meters; the structure weighs 9550 tons. For a long time, the tower was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi. It is known that the construction of the tower must withstand wind speeds up to 89 m/s and earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 9.1. On the roof of the tower, 25 lightning rods are installed, designed to protect the structure from possible lightning strikes.

Article: Space Needle (The Space Needle)

The Space Needle is best known for its observation deck located at a height of 160 meters and a revolving restaurant at a height of 150 meters. The view from the observation deck is truly incredible; tourists see not only the surroundings of Seattle, but also distant islands and mountains - the Olympic Mountains, the Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier and Mount Baker. You can get to the observation deck on high-speed elevators that take off up in 41 seconds; alas, in order to get on these elevators, you often have to stand in line for an hour.
The chairman of the 1962 World's Fair, Edward E. Carlson, decided to build a restaurant on the tower after a visit to Germany (Germany) - where he was greatly impressed by the Stuttgart TV tower (Fernsehturm Stuttgart). The project was entrusted to develop John Graham, who by that time had already become famous for his successful work on the project shopping center Northgate Mall.
The first problem arose when finding a suitable construction site. The city did not pay for the construction of the tower, so it was necessary to look for a place at the site of the future Exhibition. For a long time, investors thought that nothing suitable could be found; in the end, a site 37 by 37 meters was nevertheless found. This land cost investors $75,000; immediately after the purchase, I had to rush to work - there was only a year left before the exhibition.
To begin with, the builders guaranteed that the tower could withstand an earthquake; about 467 trucks of concrete were poured into a specially dug pit - a total weight of 5850 tons. The weight of this foundation is almost equal to weight above-ground part of the tower; The center of gravity of the Space Needle is thus only 1.5 meters above the ground. The tower is bolted to the base with 72 huge (9.1 meters long) bolts.
There was absolutely no time, so I had to work intensively. This, however, did not affect the quality; so, the top of the tower was balanced "" so well that a small - only 0.8 kilowatt - electric motor was enough to rotate it. Ultimately, the tower was completed even faster than expected; by April 1962, the main work was completed. The last elevator was installed exactly one day before the opening of the Exhibition.
Even then, the miracle of design thought enjoyed incredible success - for the entire duration of the Exhibition, an average of a little less than 20,000 people a day climbed to the top of the tower. The limit of 20,000 was not overcome, by the way; however, in one of the days it was possible to serve a little more than 19950 people.
In 2000, another renovation was completed in the Tower; it cost 21 million dollars - 5 times more than the tower itself once cost.
On May 19, 2007, the 45 millionth guest climbed the tower; as a prize, the lucky winner Greg Novoa from San Francisco received a free trip for two to Paris and the right to an elite meal at the top eiffel tower(Eiffel Tower).

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