<Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> Seattle.gov </Td> </Tr> <P> Seattle (/ siˈætəl / (listen) see - AT - əl) is a seaport city on the west coast of the United States . It is the seat of King County, Washington . With an estimated 725,000 residents as of 2018, Seattle is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America . According to U.S. Census data released in 2018, the Seattle metropolitan area's population stands at 3.87 million, and ranks as the 15th - largest in the United States . In July 2013, it was the fastest - growing major city in the United States and remained in the Top 5 in May 2015 with an annual growth rate of 2.1% . In July 2016, Seattle was again the fastest - growing major U.S. city, with a 3.1% annual growth rate . Seattle is the northernmost large city in the contiguous United States . </P> <P> The city is situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about 100 miles (160 km) south of the Canada--United States border . A major gateway for trade with Asia, Seattle is the fourth - largest port in North America in terms of container handling as of 2015 . </P> <P> The Seattle area was previously inhabited by Native Americans for at least 4,000 years before the first permanent European settlers . Arthur A. Denny and his group of travelers, subsequently known as the Denny Party, arrived from Illinois via Portland, Oregon, on the schooner Exact at Alki Point on November 13, 1851 . The settlement was moved to the eastern shore of Elliott Bay and named "Seattle" in 1852, after Chief Si'ahl of the local Duwamish and Suquamish tribes . </P>

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