Don't Be So Thematic

Regions and Themes for the Seattle Area
In order to incorporate the region and themes of a city we must begin with its population.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the estimated population for Seattle in 2000 was 563,374 people, that is a 9.2% increase from 1990. This makes the population density 6,717 people per square mile.

Seattle belongs to the North Pacific Coast region. There are two types of regions; formal uniform regions and nodal (functional) regions. Places in a nodal region are associated with each other because they share a common focus.[1] For example, a newspaper circulation and more specifically The Seattle Times. Seattle’s dominant theme is its urban setting, the theme for Pike Place is its maritime surroundings. FUN FACT: The Farmer's Market at Pike Place Market is the longest continuously operating farmer's market in the U.S., it has been running since 1907.[2]

As a city grows, it brings in high mobility into and away from the city. Voluntary migrations include push factors and pull factors. Push factors are a mix of a place’s negative characteristics that help in the decision for someone to move away from that place. A push factor that can be considered for Seattle might be its constant rainy and overcast weather. A pull factor, on the other hand, is the positive characteristics of a place that might attract people to move into the place.[3] A pull factor for Seattle can be its availability of high tech jobs.

What is Seattle main function as a city?

By taking a look at the top five employers in the Seattle area we can see which industries are the largest. The Boeing Company employs over 70,000 employees making the aerospace industry the top one in the Seattle area. Boeing Company is headquartered here in Seattle and it is the largest aerospace firm in the world.[4] The second top employer is the Microsoft Corporation, employing over 40,000 people. This makes the information and technology industry a large component in the Seattle area. The third top employer is the University of Washington employing about 25,000 people.[5] FUN FACT:Central Conn. State Univ. Everybody reads here. The Seattle Public Library system has the highest percentage of library card-holders per capita in the country and the city has the highest percentage of residents with a college degree or higher.[6] The fourth largest employer is Amazon, the online shopping titan that employs about 15,000 people. Lastly, the fifth largest employer in the Seattle area is Weyerhaueser, the manufacturer of wood and paper products employs about 10,000 people. Seattle is ranked the most literate city by

Weather comprises a large part of a city’s desirability. Seattle and the surrounding areas receive about 37 inches of rain per year[7], we will talk about weather and climate more in the next blog!

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[1] Stephen S. Birdsall, Eugene J. Palka, Jon C. Malinowski, and Margo L. Price, Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada 7^th Edition (Wiley, 2008), 4-6.

[2] Whiting, J. (2011). Seattle Trivia & Fun Facts. http://www.jetcityorange.com/

Seattle/Seattle-trivia.html (16 Mar. 2011).

[3] Birdsall, Palka, Malinowski, and Price, Landscapes of the U.S. and Canada, 11-12.

[4] Seattle: Economy – Major Industries and Commercial Activity. 2005. http:// www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/Seattle-Economy.html (16 Mar. 2011).

[5] Top Employers in Seattle Area. http://seattle.about.com/od/largecompanies/a/ topseattleemployers.htm (16 Mar. 2011).

[6] Whiting, J. (2011). Seattle Trivia & Fun Facts. http://www.jetcityorange.com/

Seattle/Seattle-trivia.html (16 Mar. 2011).

[7] See Seattle Northwest Weather. http://www.see-seattle.com/weather.htm (16 Mar. 2011).