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Living in Seattle

Enjoy a Great Quality of Life
Imagine a city where the weather is mild year round, and you are surrounded everywhere you turn by breathtaking natural scenery. A city that has a sense of place and uniqueness, with long-standing institutions like the Pike Place Market, and eccentric local traditions. Imagine taking in a baseball game at outdoor Safeco Field on a warm summer night and seeing the sun set over the Olympics and Seattle skyline. Imagine watching local fishermen and gigantic cargo ships share Elliott Bay as you take a ferry out to one of the islands for a quick day trip. Imagine a relaxing morning sitting on a park bench, enjoying an excellent cup of coffee, while watching the rowers slip by silently on Lake Washington.

Now imagine that you actually call this place "home".

Support Your Education and Fitness Goals
In Seattle, you are surrounded by a culture that is good for both your mind and your body. It's no surprise Seattle started America's "cafe culture", as it has one of the highest concentrations of book readers and college educated residents in the country. The city itself is home to the top ranked University of Washington, and nine other colleges and universities.

Fitness is also a integral part of the culture in Seattle. The city neighborhoods and urban core are both extremely walkable. Biking-both for recreation and for commuting-is popular in the city. A new urban trails project will further support this and make bike trails in the city even more interconnected. With over 400 parks, 6,200 acres of park land and 59 square miles of water within the city - people can be seen hiking, biking, jogging, kayaking, in-line skating pretty much everywhere. Because of the mild marine climate, people are outdoors all year round, and both water and mountains are so close that you can downhill ski in the winter and water ski in the summer.

The culture of health and fitness even extends into medical care. As a major area for biomedical science and research, and the central Northwest location for Level I trauma care.

A City at the Top
Seattle consistently winds up on top on a number of national rankings.
Here are just some of the most recent rankings for Seattle's quality of life:

• Safest Major City in America (2006) - Gallup Poll
• Smartest City (2006) - BizJournals
• Most Livable City (2005) - U.S. Conference of Mayors
• America's Fittest City (2005,2003) - Men's Fitness
• Most Literate City(2005) - Central Conn. State University
• Most Unwired City (2005) - Sperling's BestPlaces
• Most Child Friendly (2004) - Population Connection

Policing Seattle

One of the Safest Cities in the Nation
Seattle is one of America's safest big cities. In fact in a Gallup Poll released in 2006, people across America view Seattle as the country’s safest major city. The crime rate for all crime in 2006 was 75.5 per 1,000 persons, which is the lowest it has been since 1972. In 2005 only 0.153% of all police contacts resulted in any use of force.

An Involved Community
Seattle residents and business owners are generally an active, engaged community who are willing to get involved and have a low tolerance for crime. This often makes it easier to work on crime issues by problem solving with the community you serve.

Direct Support for Policing Needs
In 2002, civic and business leaders created The Seattle Police Foundation to directly support the mission of the Seattle Police. The Foundation provides grants to fund equipment, community events, and training that falls outside the responsibility of the City funding for law enforcement. Grants are usually brought to the Foundation directly by police employees who see an unmet need or way their job can be performed better.