Why Seattle Makes No Sense as a U.S. City

Seattle looks like a typical West Coast city on the map — but in reality, it functions very differently from most urban places in the United States. Shaped by a narrow strip of land squeezed between a saltwater sound and a massive lake, its position on a series of steep hills that the city literally tried to wash away, a layout wrapped around water on nearly every side, and an identity built on timber, ships, and later aircraft long before it became a tech capital, Seattle is built around patterns that make it feel unlike almost any other city in the country.