Seattle, WA

Overview |  Business |  Networking |  Pleasure

Emerald Style

EVEN IN A DOWN ECONOMY, it's tough to find a more startup-friendly city than Seattle, which over the last few decades has built an entrepreneurial culture that few other places can equal. It's best known as a caffeinated high-tech haven, of course, but Seattle's appetite for risk combined with Washington state's business-friendly attitude make the Emerald City a promising place to set up shop.

The locals make great recruits; a higher percentage of Seattle residents have a college degree than in any other major U.S. city. If you can tolerate the rain, the place is famously livable — an active city in a gorgeous natural setting, with an international outlook that casts one eye north to Canada and one west to Asia.

PEOPLE

ASIAN POPULATION
13.5%
BLACK POPULATION
7.8%
LATINO POPULATION (OF ANY RACE)
6.2%
WHITE POPULATION
70.5%
POPULATION GROWTH
3.0% since 2000 (U.S. average: +8%)
POPULATION EDUCATION: HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE (U.S. AVERAGE: 84%)
91.2%
POPULATION EDUCATION: UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE (U.S.AVERAGE: 27%)
52.5%
 
 
Seattle WA Click to view larger image
Population:
City 566,000
Metro: 3,000,000
Neighboring Cities:
Vancouver, British Columbia - 140 miles
Portland - 175 miles
PROS

Natural beauty; a very educated populace; considerable entrepreneurial support from the local business community.

CONS

Tucked away in the far northwestern U.S.; frequent rain and damp chill can be a difficult adjustment.

 

in Business

The Tacoma Angel Network

is headquartered 40 miles south of Seattle; it offers assistance to a range of entrepreneurial companies throughout the region.

in Pleasure

No more pro basketball! The SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008, leaving baseball's Mariners and football's Seahawks as the only major professional sports teams in town. This being the Pacific Northwest, though, waterfront and mountain recreation abound, both in the city and just a short distance away. The Canadian border is about 110 miles north.

in Networking

Young Professionals of Seattle

was founded in 2008. It's a social group that seeks to connect young businesspeople in Seattle via monthly get-togethers and other networking events.