The city of Seattle is known for a lot of things: high tech, rain, coffee, and the Space Needle being just a few. It’s also home to nearly half a million people who call it home. And with so many people choosing to call Seattle home, it stands to reason that this city has some pretty interesting facts about it. This may be your go-to rainy city during the colder months (AKA most of them), but there are lots of interesting things you might not know about Seattle that keep its residents coming back year after year. Here are 7 fun facts about Seattle you might not know!

There’s a really good chance you’ll see a seal on the way to work!

You may have heard the story about how fish are always falling from the sky in Seattle. While that’s not literally true, you will see a lot of marine wildlife in and around the city, especially during the fall and winter months. Seals tend to migrate to Seattle’s Elliott Bay, where they can be seen lounging on docks and pilings, playing in and out of the water, and even be seen sunbathing on rooftops. Whales, especially the grays that migrate along the coast, can be seen in the Puget Sound. People are advised to use caution when seeing whales, however, as the sound is a marine sanctuary, and it’s against the law to disrupt or harm the animals in any way!

The Space Needle was built with Teflon.

The Space Needle is one of the most iconic structures in the city, and it’s also one of the most interesting. When it was being built in 1962, engineers discovered that the materials they had in use at the time would not be strong enough to keep the tower from wobbling. The solution? They decided to use Teflon, which had been invented just a few years before, as the material to keep it stable. The design worked perfectly, and the Teflon-coated feet allowed for a stable base for the Space Needle. Teflon has been an important part of the city since 1972, when the first cookware coated with the non-stick substance was manufactured in the area. While Teflon is now manufactured all over the world, it’s still special to Seattle residents, who know that every time they stir a pot, they are stirring with a little piece of their city.

There are actually 6 Mexican restaurants in one building.

When we say there are “six Mexican restaurants in one building,” we really mean it. La Casa De Carlos, a restaurant in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, is actually six restaurants in one, with each Mexican eatery having its own entrance and menu. The building, which also houses apartments on the upper floors, was built in the 1930s and has been home to La Casa since 1975. The building was originally an auto parts store and a halfway house for men trying to get back on their feet. La Casa de Carlos has been serving classic Mexican dishes for nearly 40 years and has built a reputation for having some of the best food in the city. They also have some of the best hours in the city, being open from 8 AM to 2 AM every day of the week.

It rains 151 days out of the year.

Like we said, this is a rainy city. But how much is too much? In Seattle, it rains 151 days out of the year, with an average rainfall of 37 inches. That might seem like a lot, but Seattle actually has the second-lowest average rainfall out of all major US cities. However, Seattle also has an incredibly short dry season, which usually only lasts from June to mid-September. This can make the city difficult and dangerous to live in, but there are ways to mitigate the rainfall, such as purchasing a good rain jacket or more advanced umbrella!

The Great Seattle Fire happened officially on June 6, 1889.

One of the most famous (and most tragic) events to happen in the city happened on June 6, 1889. The Great Seattle Fire was one of the worst and most devastating fires in the city’s history and saw the destruction of 25 square blocks of the city, including 12,000 buildings, 28 wharves, and 10 shipyards. The fire also killed 30 people and saw the injury of another 150. The fire was said to have started at King Street and Commercial Street, when a steam sawmill worker accidentally knocked over some coal dust, causing an explosion and fire. The fire spread quickly and was difficult to contain due to a lack of proper water pressure in the city, high winds, and extremely dry conditions. The fire was finally put out after burning for about five hours.

Image Source: History Link Online

Amazon employs over 40,000 people in the city.

While the internet giant has offices all over the world, the bulk of its employees are in Seattle. The company’s presence in the city has grown dramatically since it was founded in 1994, and people have encouraged this growth by voting to increase taxes on their own incomes to fund the construction of new office space and infrastructure in the area. Seattle has almost become synonymous with Amazon, whose name is used in everyday conversation as a generic example of online shopping. No matter the hour, you can see cars in Amazon livery driving around the city, picking up packages. This has unfortunately created a dangerous situation that has seen pedestrians killed by overworked delivery drivers.

Women were not allowed to go swimming in public until 1951!

Before the 1950s, women were not allowed to go swimming in public. While many people genuinely believed that women did not know how to swim and would drown, others used it as a way to control women and make them subservient to men. In fact, the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department hosted a swim meet in 1901, only to have it shut down by the female vice president of the city’s Saturday Swimming Club, who explained: “The idea of women being allowed to swim in the same water as men is repugnant to me.” Thankfully, things have changed quite a bit since then, and now women and men can swim together, or separately, in any of the city’s pools or beaches, of course!

Despite some of these numbers, Seattle is actually a very friendly city with a lot to offer tourists and locals alike! If you’re thinking of visiting or moving to the city, be sure to check out these fun facts and discover even more about this amazing city! Now that you’ve discovered some fun facts about Seattle, you can’t help but want to visit. This city is full of adventure, beauty, and fun, so you can’t go wrong if you decide to head here on vacation. As someone who has lived here in the Pacific Northwest all of my life,, I can tell you that moving to Seattle is definitely worth it!

7 Fun Facts About Seattle You Might Not Know!