Metro-Natural Seattle, WashingtonBy: Nicole Dempsey, Kyndall DySard, Aris Harding, Morgan Huffman, and Alexandra Weethee

Dr. Jeanne Persuit

A Hipster Community

Seattle is often credited for igniting the start of the hipster craze in the West Coast. The city welcomes music lovers, art-goers and coffee drinkers as a way of identifying Seattle’s brand as being a hipster community. Referred to as the ‘Willy Wonka factory of coffee,’ Seattle is home to the headquarters of coffee powerhouse, Starbucks. The company launched its first store at Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle on March 1971. Following its brand as being a hipster community, the city of Seattle is also the perfect location for music festivals Home to grunge bands, such as Nirvana and Pearl jam, the city hosts a number of music festivals, such as Bumbershoot. Seattle places emphasis on WOMM techniques, such as brand blogging and conversation creation, as a way to both promote and market Seattle’s brand as a hipster community.

A Natural Environment

Seattle brands itself as a natural city with their environmentally friendly sustainability efforts and outdoor enthusiasts. Voted as one of the United States' "Climate Champions" the city prides itself on being green. A Green Seattle Day occurs annually where hundreds of volunteers plant trees all over the city to keep the city natural. The metro-natural city is also complete with rooftop gardens that grow herbs and promote more healthy living. Residents and visitors alike enjoy biking, running, hiking and camping around the beautiful landscape.

Photo Credit: Ari Brownhttp://www.aribrownest.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/seattle-skyline-panorama-kerry-park-large.jpg

Photo Credit: Ian Dagnallhttp://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-10-28/pike-place-market-tsukiji-fish-markets-worth-visiting/2 Photo Credit: Washington State Parks

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Seattle is the largest city in Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The total population is about 668,342 people with the city being one of the fastest growing cities in America. Seattle is a major port city and is the fifth largest port in the United States. The official nickname of Seattle is “Emerald City” due to the lush, green forests of Washington and the 6,000 plus acres of parks. The city’s climate is described as oceanic, with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Seattle is also represented by its advanced technology, diverse economic sectors, and quality of life. Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon are all headquartered in Seattle, which creates a booming economy and wealth in the city. Starbucks was also founded in Seattle, then soon after, because of its spike in consumer market and popularity, more Starbucks were created across the nation for coffee lovers.

A Modern Society

A modern city implies that a city has innovative and trendsetting conveniences to offer their residents and visitors; including transportation, city services, work and lifestyle. Seattle brands itself as modern with their trendsetting technology, booming businesses, innovative transportation systems, futuristic architecture and overall happy community. Seattle is home to companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks and Amazon; which boost the city’s economy and keep their unemployment rate low. In addition, Seattle has a wide array of different transportation systems; including: trains, busses, streetcars, ferries, monorails, taxis, limos, a ridesharing program and numerous bike paths throughout the city. Seattle’s modern architecture gives the city a futuristic look and helps brand the city as modern. Additionally, Seattle’s technology contributes to citizens’ and visitors’ happiness satisfaction level by providing easy access to local conveniences.

Photo Credit: Megan Ching – Seattle Monorail Serviceshttp://www.seattlemonorail.com/about/

Photo Credit: Chihuly Garden and Glasshttp://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/