Seattle's Underground City
April 2nd 2008 06:02
Seattle is best known for the Space Needle, which offers breath-taking views of the city. However, beneath the sidewalks and city of Seattle, another world exists - a city which was burnt down, then rebuilt on top of itself.
It is the world of the pioneers, the original settlers of Seattle. The subterranean passageways under the city show the unknown history of Seattle. Above ground, Seattle is a thriving metropolis, a modern city, the gateway to Alaska. But it hasn’t always been this way.
Seattle was first settled in 1851, and incorporated in 1865, which makes it relatively modern in America’s history. The streets were at sea level, which meant that the city often flooded, and this caused damage to the main streets. Potholes in the roads were huge, and citizens sometimes drowned in them.
In 1889, most of Seattle’s central business district burnt to the ground, 64 city blocks in all. Following the fire, the city’s management resolved to rebuild. They decided to elevate the streets to above the flood plain, to stop the flooding of the streets.
It is the world of the pioneers, the original settlers of Seattle. The subterranean passageways under the city show the unknown history of Seattle. Above ground, Seattle is a thriving metropolis, a modern city, the gateway to Alaska. But it hasn’t always been this way.
Seattle was first settled in 1851, and incorporated in 1865, which makes it relatively modern in America’s history. The streets were at sea level, which meant that the city often flooded, and this caused damage to the main streets. Potholes in the roads were huge, and citizens sometimes drowned in them.
In 1889, most of Seattle’s central business district burnt to the ground, 64 city blocks in all. Following the fire, the city’s management resolved to rebuild. They decided to elevate the streets to above the flood plain, to stop the flooding of the streets.
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Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
as a result of growing up on 90s grunge music i always wanted to visit seattle if only to see the sculpure "the sound garden" which the band soundgarden took their name from . . . i had no idea there was a whole underground city, thats really intriguing from an engineering point of view . . . i will have to have a holiday there one day
thanks for an interesting post, those pics were great!
Comment by Bonnie