0_Wizard
Even though I;ve never been, Seattle is my favorite city in the United States! It is the fastest growing city!
In July 2016, Seattle was again the fastest-growing major U.S. city, with a 3.1% annual growth rate.
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Seattle
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Patna
Patna , is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. It had an estimated population of 1.68 million in 2011, making it the 19th largest city in India. With over 2 million people, its urban agglomeration is the 18th largest in India. Patna also serves as the seat of Patna High Court. One of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. Patna was founded in 490 BCE by the king of Magadha. Ancient Patna, known as Pataliputra, was the capital of the Magadha Empire under the Haryanka, Nanda, Mauryan, Shunga, Gupta and Pala empires. Pataliputra was a seat of learning and fine arts.
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix () is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With 1,615,017 people (), Phoenix is the fifth most populous city nationwide, the most populous state capital in the United States, and the only state capital with a population of more than one million residents. Phoenix is the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, which in turn is a part of the Salt River Valley. The metropolitan area is the 12th largest by population in the United States, with approximately 4.3 million people . In addition, Phoenix is the seat of Maricopa County and, at 517.9 square miles (1,341 km), it is the largest city in the state, more than twice the size of Tucson and one of the largest cities in the United States.
Pearland, Texas
Pearland ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. Most of the city is in Brazoria County, with portions extending into Fort Bend and Harris counties. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 91,252, up from a population of 37,640 at the 2000 census. Pearland's population growth rate from 2000 to 2010 was 142 percent, which ranked Pearland as the 15th fastest growing city in the U.S. during that time period, compared to other cities with a population of 10,000 or greater in 2000. Pearland is the third largest city in the Houston MSA, and from 2000 to 2010, ranked as the fastest growing city in the Houston MSA and the second fastest growing city in Texas.
Seattle
Seattle () is a seaport city on the west coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With an estimated 713,700 residents , Seattle is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. In July 2013, it was the fastest-growing major city in the United States and remained in the Top 5 in May 2015 with an annual growth rate of 2.1%. In July 2016, Seattle was again the fastest-growing major U.S. city, with a 3.1% annual growth rate. The city is situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about south of the Canada–United States border.
Growth of religion
Growth of religion is the spread of religions and the increase of religious adherents around the world. The statistics are commonly measured by the absolute number of adherents, the percentage of the absolute growth per year, and the growth of the number of converts in the world. Projections of future religious adherence are based on assumptions that trends, total fertility rates, life expectancy, political climate, conversion rates, secularization, etc will continue. Such forecasts cannot be validated empirically and are contentious, but are useful for comparison. Studies in the 21st century show that, in terms of percentage and worldwide spread, Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world.
Tri-Cities, Washington
The Tri-Cities are a group of three closely tied cities: Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco located at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia rivers in the desert region of Southeastern Washington. Each city borders at least one other city or one of the area's rivers, making the Tri-Cities seem like one uninterrupted mid-sized city. The three cities function as the center of the Tri-Cities metropolitan area, which also includes the city of West Richland. The official 2016 estimate of MSA population of Tri-Cities is 283,846. This is over a 12% increase from 2010. (2016 US MSA estimates) 2017 estimates now show Tri-Cities as over 300,000.
Soccer in the United States
Soccer in the United States is governed by the United States Soccer Federation. The organization governs most levels of soccer in the country, including the national teams, professional leagues, and the amateur game with the exception of colleges and high schools. , over 24.4 million people play soccer in the United States. In 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that soccer was the third-most played team sport in the U.S., behind only basketball and baseball. The popularity of the sport in the U.S. has been growing since the 1960s and 1970s, and received a significant boost when the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
1_Apprentice
I would love to visit there. I have never been either. It looks neat.
0_Wizard
I really love that it is surrounded by water. It is located between the Puget Sound and Lake Washington.
The city is situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about south of the Canada–United States border.
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Seattle
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Seattle
Seattle () is a seaport city on the west coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With an estimated 713,700 residents , Seattle is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. In July 2013, it was the fastest-growing major city in the United States and remained in the Top 5 in May 2015 with an annual growth rate of 2.1%. In July 2016, Seattle was again the fastest-growing major U.S. city, with a 3.1% annual growth rate. The city is situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about south of the Canada–United States border.
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and two minor connections to the open Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca—Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and Deception Pass and Swinomish Channel being the minor. Water flow through Deception Pass is approximately equal to 2% of the total tidal exchange between Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Puget Sound extends approximately from Deception Pass in the north to Olympia, Washington in the south.
Puget Sound faults
The Puget Sound faults under the heavily populated Puget Sound region (Puget Lowland) of Washington state form a regional complex of interrelated seismogenic (earthquake-causing) geologic faults. These include (from north to south, see map) the:   The Puget Sound region (Puget Lowland) of western Washington contains the bulk of the population and economic assets of the state, and carries seven percent of the international trade of the United States. All this is at risk of earthquakes from three sources:  While the great subduction events release much energy (around magnitude 9), that energy is spread over a large area, and largely centered near the coast.
Lake Washington Ship Canal
The Lake Washington Ship Canal, which runs through the city of Seattle, connects the fresh water body of Lake Washington with the salt water inland sea of Puget Sound. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks accommodate the approximately difference in water level between Lake Washington and the sound. The canal runs east–west and connects Union Bay, the Montlake Cut, Portage Bay, Lake Union, the Fremont Cut, Salmon Bay, and Shilshole Bay, which is part of the sound. The ship canal project began in 1911 and was officially completed in 1934. Prior to construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, otherwise known as the Salmon Bay Waterway, water used to exit Lake Washington via the Black River which flowed from the south end of Lake Washington into the Duwamish River.
Environmental issues in Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a deep inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Washington, extending south from the Strait of Juan de Fuca through Admiralty Inlet. It was explored and named by Captain George Vancouver for his aide, Peter Puget, in 1792. The ninth Puget Sound Update, from the Puget Sound Action Team reports that:  The abundance of creatures and foliage allowed for the native peoples of the area to thrive and prosper by harvesting it. Many of the problems of the Puget Sound originated from explorers and trappers hunting and killing the indigenous species off of which the natives thrived and prospered. However, in the past 30 years there has been a large recession in the populations of the species which inhabit the Puget Sound.
Puget Sound salmon recovery
Puget Sound salmon recovery is a collective effort of federal, state and local authorities and non-profit coalitions of universities, scientists, business and industry aimed at restoring Pacific salmon and anadromous forms of Pacific trout ("Oncorhynchus") within the Puget Sound region. The Puget Sound lies within the native range of the Pacific Salmon ("Oncorhynchus") and two sea-run forms of Pacific trout, the coastal rainbow trout ("O. mykiss irideus") or steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout ("O. clarki clarki"). Populations of "Oncorhynchus" have seen significant declines since the middle of the 19th century due to over fishing, habitat loss, pollution and disease.
Lake Washington steamboats and ferries
Lake Washington steamboats and ferries operated from about 1875 to 1951, transporting passengers, vehicles and freight across Lake Washington, a large lake to the east of Seattle, Washington. Before modern highways and bridges were built, the only means of crossing the lake, other than the traditional canoe, was by steamboat, and, later, by ferry. While there was no easily navigable connection to Puget Sound, the Lake Washington Ship Canal now connects Lake Washington to Lake Union, and from there Puget Sound is reached by way of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. In the 1870s the sternwheeler "Lena C. Gray" was built in Seattle, and operated on Lake Washington most of the time, towing barges.
1_Apprentice
I bet it makes for some beautiful scenery.
0_Wizard
You bet! Before highways and bridges, the only way to get around was by canoe, steamboat and ferries!
Before modern highways and bridges were built, the only means of crossing the lake, other than the traditional canoe, was by steamboat, and, later, by ferry.
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Lake Washington steamboats and ferries
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California Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail followed the same corridor of networked river valley trails as the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail, namely the valleys of the Platte, North Platte and Sweetwater rivers to Wyoming. In the present states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah, the California and Oregon trails split into several different trails or cutoffs. By 1847, two former fur trading frontier forts marked trailheads for major alternative routes through Utah and Wyoming to Northern California.
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of the future state of Kansas, and nearly all of what are now the states of Nebraska and Wyoming. The western half of the trail spanned most of the future states of Idaho and Oregon. The Oregon Trail was laid by fur traders and traders from about 1811 to 1840, and was only passable on foot or by horseback. By 1836, when the first migrant wagon train was organized in Independence, Missouri, a wagon trail had been cleared to Fort Hall, Idaho.
Maritime history of California
In the California coast, the use of ships and the Pacific Ocean has historically included water craft (such as dugouts, canoes, sailing ships, and steamships), fisheries, shipbuilding, Gold Rush shipping, ports, shipwrecks, naval ships and installations, and lighthouses. The maritime history of California can be divided into several periods: the Native American period; European exploration period from 1542 to 1769; the Spanish colonial period, 1769 to 1821; the Mexican period, 1821 to 1847; and United States statehood period, which continues to the present day. In the northwest coast of California near the redwood forests several Indian tribes developed large dugout canoes they used for fishing, trade and warfare.
Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry route operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. It runs in New York Harbor between the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island. The ferry operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, running every 15 to 20 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes at other times. Since 1997, the Staten Island Ferry has been fare-free, though historically, it has charged a relatively low fare compared to other modes of transit in the area. The Staten Island Ferry is one of several ferry systems in the New York City area, besides NYC Ferry, SeaStreak, New York Water Taxi, and NY Waterway.
Steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is propelled primarily by steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S (for 'Screw Steamer') or PS (for 'Paddle Steamer'), however these designations are most often used for steamships. The term "steamboat" is used to refer to smaller, insular, steam-powered boats working on lakes and rivers, particularly riverboats. As using steam became more reliable, steam power became applied to larger, ocean-going vessels. Early steamboat designs used Newcomen steam engines. These engines were very large and heavy and produced little power (unfavorable power to weight ratio).
Craps
Craps is a dice game in which the players make wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other (playing "street craps", also known as "shooting dice," "rolling bones," or any combination thereof) or a bank (playing "casino craps", also known as "table craps", or often just "craps"). Because it requires little equipment, "street craps" can be played in informal settings. Craps developed from a simplification of the early English game of "hazard". Its origins are complex and may date to the Crusades, later being influenced by French gamblers.
Lake Washington steamboats and ferries
Lake Washington steamboats and ferries operated from about 1875 to 1951, transporting passengers, vehicles and freight across Lake Washington, a large lake to the east of Seattle, Washington. Before modern highways and bridges were built, the only means of crossing the lake, other than the traditional canoe, was by steamboat, and, later, by ferry. While there was no easily navigable connection to Puget Sound, the Lake Washington Ship Canal now connects Lake Washington to Lake Union, and from there Puget Sound is reached by way of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. In the 1870s the sternwheeler "Lena C. Gray" was built in Seattle, and operated on Lake Washington most of the time, towing barges.
1_Apprentice
That would be kind of fun. I would rather travel that way anyway.
0_Wizard
Same here. It seems so romantic. The sternwheeler built in the 1870's was named Lena C. Gray and was seen on Lake Washington for the most part.
In the 1870s the sternwheeler "Lena C. Gray" was built in Seattle, and operated on Lake Washington most of the time, towing barges.
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Lake Washington steamboats and ferries
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Lake Washington steamboats and ferries
Lake Washington steamboats and ferries operated from about 1875 to 1951, transporting passengers, vehicles and freight across Lake Washington, a large lake to the east of Seattle, Washington. Before modern highways and bridges were built, the only means of crossing the lake, other than the traditional canoe, was by steamboat, and, later, by ferry. While there was no easily navigable connection to Puget Sound, the Lake Washington Ship Canal now connects Lake Washington to Lake Union, and from there Puget Sound is reached by way of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. In the 1870s the sternwheeler "Lena C. Gray" was built in Seattle, and operated on Lake Washington most of the time, towing barges.
Steamboats of the Skeena River
The Skeena River is British Columbia’s fastest flowing waterway, often rising as much as in a day and can fluctuate as much as sixty feet between high and low water. For the steamboat captains, that made it one of the toughest navigable rivers in British Columbia. Nevertheless, at least sixteen paddlewheel steamboats plied the Skeena River from the coast to Hazelton from 1864 to 1912. The first sternwheeler to arrive on the Skeena River was the "Union", which was owned and operated by Captain Tom Coffin. On her first trip up from Victoria in 1864 she carried four passengers and 20 tons of freight.
Tourist sternwheelers of Oregon
Since the early 1980s, several non-steam-powered sternwheel riverboats have been built and operated on major waterways in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, as river cruise ships used for tourism. Although configured as sternwheelers, they are not paddle steamers, but rather are motor vessels that are only replicas of paddle steamers. They are powered instead by diesel engines. The "Lurdine" (now "Rose") was, when launched in 1983, "the first passenger-carrying sternwheeler in decades to [operate] on the Columbia River". In the case of the 1983-built M.V. "Columbia Gorge", the construction and operation of a tourist sternwheeler was led by local government officials who viewed the idea as potentially being a major tourist attraction, giving an economic boost to their area, Cascade Locks, Oregon.
Steamboats of the upper Columbia and Kootenay Rivers
From 1886 to 1920, steamboats ran on the upper reaches of the Columbia and Kootenay in the Rocky Mountain Trench, in western North America. The circumstances of the rivers in the area, and the construction of transcontinental railways across the trench from east to west made steamboat navigation possible. The Columbia River begins at Columbia Lake, flows north in the trench through the Columbia Valley to Windermere Lake to Golden, British Columbia. The Kootenay River flows south from the Rocky Mountains, then west into the Rocky Mountain Trench, coming within just over a mile (1.6 km) from Columbia Lake, at a point called Canal Flats, where a shipping canal was built in 1889.
John Irving (steamship captain)
John Irving (November 24, 1854 – August or October 10, 1936) was a steamship captain in British Columbia, Canada. He began on the Fraser River at the age of 18 and would become one of the most famous and prosperous riverboat captains of the era. His father, William Irving was known as the "King of the River" and the neighborhood of Irvington in Portland, Oregon is named in honor of their family. John was born in 1854 in the suburb of Irvington in Portland, Oregon, the second child and only son of William and Elizabeth Irving. The family moved to New Westminster, British Columbia in 1859 and John's father began work on the Fraser River.
Lake Washington Ship Canal
The Lake Washington Ship Canal, which runs through the city of Seattle, connects the fresh water body of Lake Washington with the salt water inland sea of Puget Sound. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks accommodate the approximately difference in water level between Lake Washington and the sound. The canal runs east–west and connects Union Bay, the Montlake Cut, Portage Bay, Lake Union, the Fremont Cut, Salmon Bay, and Shilshole Bay, which is part of the sound. The ship canal project began in 1911 and was officially completed in 1934. Prior to construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, otherwise known as the Salmon Bay Waterway, water used to exit Lake Washington via the Black River which flowed from the south end of Lake Washington into the Duwamish River.
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It borders the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and Kenmore on the north, and encloses Mercer Island. The lake is fed by the Sammamish River at its north end and the Cedar River at its south. Lake Washington received its present name in 1854 after Thomas Mercer suggested it be named after George Washington, as the new Washington Territory had been named the year before.
1_Apprentice
Do they still have a lot of options for travel by water there?