Metronatural: Inventing and Taming Nature in Seattle - Politics of Urban Runoff: Nature, Technology, and the Sustainable City - page 92

Seattle: Metropolis in the Promised Land

Seattle is a large metropolis of 560,000 residents located in the north-
west corner of the continental United States (see fi gure 5.1). Despite
the northerly latitude of 47 degrees, Seattleites enjoy a temperate cli-
mate due to the city's proximity to the Pacifi c Ocean. 5 Situated on a
narrow isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, Seattle's
rolling hills, abundance of water, and distant mountain peaks provide a
stunningly picturesque locale for residents and visitors alike. Local his-
torian Roger Sale writes, “Seattle is a soft city, made up of soft light

Washington

PUGET
SOUND

Oregon

SEATTLE

Lake
Washington

Elliott
Bay

Lake
Sammamish

Miles

0 5 10

Figure 5.1
Location map of Seattle.