Timeline of Seattle

Before the 19th century

Native Americans explore and settle throughout the Puget Sound region which includes the Seattle area.

19th century

1851 –

September 14: The Collins Party led by Luther Collins finds a settlement in present-day Georgetown.

November 13: Two months after the founding of present-day Georgetown, the Denny Party settles at Alki Point to spend a rainy winter.

1852 – The Denny Party finds it difficult to settle at Alki Point then moves to present day downtown Seattle in April.

1853 – Seattle becomes seat of King County, Washington Territory.

1854 – School opens.

1855 – Population: 300.

1861 – Washington Territorial University established.

1863 – Washington Gazette newspaper begins publication.

1864 – May 16: Mercer Girls arrive.

1867 – Weekly Intelligencer newspaper begins publication.

1868 – Seattle Library Assoc. founded.

1869 – Henry A. Atkins becomes mayor.

1870

Central School opens.

Church of Our Lady of Good Help founded.

Population: 1,107.

1873 – Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad organized.

1874 – Gas street lamps installed.

1875

San Francisco–Seattle steamship service begins.

Ms. Maynard's Reading Room opens.

1878 – Seattle Daily Post begins publication.

1879 – Squire opera house built.

1880

City chartered.

Frye opera house built.

Population: 3,533.

1883 – Telephone and Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad begin operating.

1885 – Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway organized.

1886 – February: Anti-Chinese unrest.

1888 – Rainier Club established.

1889

Seattle Federation of Women's Clubs organized.

June 6: Great Seattle Fire.

Seattle Fire Department established.

Electric streetcar begins operating.

City becomes part of the new U.S. State of Washington.

1890

Telegraph newspaper begins publication.

Country Club established.

Population: 42,837.

1891 – Seattle Public Library opens.

1892 – Pioneer Building constructed.

1893

Great Northern Railway begins operating.

Seattle Athletic Club organized.

Seattle Theatre opens.

Curtis & Guptil photographers in business.

1894 – The Argus newspaper begins publication.

The Seattle Republican daily newspaper beings publication

1898 – U.S. assay office opens.

1899

The Seattle Star newspaper begins publication.

Tlingit totem pole installed in Pioneer Place.

1900s–1940s

1900 – Population: 80,671.

1901 – Renton Hill Community Improvement Club organized.

1903

July 30: Semi-centennial of founding of Seattle.

City hires Olmsted Brothers to design public parks.

1905

South Seattle becomes part of city.

Seattle Fine Arts Society established.

1906

The Mountaineers (club) formed.

Public Library building opens.

1907

City expands, annexing Atlantic City, Ballard, Columbia, Dunlap, Rainier Beach, Ravenna, South-East Seattle, South Park, and West Seattle.

Pike Place Market opens.

St. James Cathedral built.

1908

The Great White Fleet visits Seattle and Puget Sound area.

1909

June 1: Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition opens.

Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad begins operating.

1910

Georgetown becomes part of city.

Municipal League of Seattle founded.

Population: 237,194.

1911 – Port of Seattle established.

1913

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People branch established.

20th Avenue NE Bridge opens.

1914 – Smith Tower built.

1916

Seattle Audubon Society established.

Coliseum Theater opens.

1918 – Bessaroth Synagogue dedicated.

1919 – February: Seattle General Strike.

1920 – Seattle Northwest Enterprise newspaper begins publication.

1923

Seattle Goodwill Industries established.

Mountaineers Players (theatre troupe) active.

1924

September 28: First aerial circumnavigation of the world lands at Sand Point.

Seattle Camera Club founded.

1925

Sears, Roebuck store in business.

Eagles Auditorium Building constructed.

Seattle Planning Commission established.

1926 – U.S. Naval Air Station established at Sand Point.

1928 – Civic Auditorium and Paramount Theatre open.

1929 – Seattle Urban League founded.

1930

Pike Place Fish Market and Japanese American Citizen's League established.

Exchange Building constructed.

1932 – Grace Hospital established.

1933 – Seattle Art Museum opens.

1938 – Vedanta Society of Western Washington founded.

1940 – Population: 368,302.

April 28: Seattle trolleybus system opens.

1941

April 12: Last streetcar line closed.

1946 – Seattle Foundation established.

1947

Airport begins operating.

Memorial Stadium opens.

1949 – Free port opens.

1950s–1990s

1950

Seattle Chinese Golf Club formed.

Population: 467,591.

1957 – Sister city relationship established with Kobe, Japan.

1959 – City joins Puget Sound Governmental Conference.

1960 – Population: 557,087.

1961

Space Needle erected.

American Institute of Architects Seattle chapter active.

1962

Alweg Monorail begins operating.

April 21 – Seattle World's Fair opens.

Congress of Racial Equality chapter established.

Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church built.

1963

Seattle Opera and Seattle Repertory Theatre founded.

Martin Cinerama opens.

1964

August 21: The Beatles perform at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

1965

April 29: 1965 Puget Sound earthquake.

ACT Theatre founded.

1966

August 25: More than two years later, The Beatles perform for the last time at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

1967

Allied Arts of Seattle founded.

Sister city relationship established with Bergen, Norway.

1969

Little Bread Co. and Brasserie Pittsbourg in business.

Seafirst Building constructed.

1970 – Seattle Marathon, and negative income tax program begin.

1971

Mayor's Arts Festival begins (later known as Bumbershoot).

Starbucks in business.

1972

Pacific Northwest Dance Association established.

Intiman Theatre Festival begins.

1973 – Sister city relationship established with Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

1975 – World's first "commercial software for personal computers" invented in Seattle.

1976 – Daybreak Star Cultural Center opens.

1977

Seattle Mariners baseball team formed.

Sister city relationship established with Beersheba, Israel.

1978 – Central Co-op established.

1979

P-Patch Advisory Council established.

Music Magazine The Rocket begins publishing.

June 1: Seattle SuperSonics basketball team wins NBA Finals.

Sister city relationship established with Mazatlán, Mexico.

1980

Subterranean Pop fanzine begins publication.

Sister city relationship established with Nantes, France.

1981 – Sister city relationships established with Christchurch, New Zealand; and Mombasa, Kenya.

1982 – Market Park landscaped.

1983 – Sister city relationship established with Chongqing, China.

1984

911 Media Arts Center and Weird Science Salon founded.

Sister city relationship established with Limbe, Cameroon.

1985

Seattle Municipal Archives established.

Following a 3-year construction period, the newly constructed 76 storey Columbia Center in downtown is complete. Therefore, becoming the tallest building in the city which forces CAP (Citizen Alternative Plan) to call in height limits.

1986 – Sister city relationships established with Galway, Ireland; and Reykjavík, Iceland.

1988 – Washington State Convention Center and Telephone Museum open.

1989

Jim McDermott becomes U.S. representative for Washington's 7th congressional district.

Sister city relationship established with Daejeon, South Korea.

1990

September 15: Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel opens.

Norm Rice becomes mayor.

Population: 516,259.

1991

Sustainable Seattle nonprofit established.

Washington Hemp Expo begins.

Seattle Art Museum rebuilt.

Sister city relationships established with Cebu, Philippines; and Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

1992 – Sister city relationship established with Pécs, Hungary; and Surabaya, Indonesia.

1993

Seattle Knights jousting acting troupe founded.

Fictional movie Sleepless in Seattle released.

Sister city relationships established with Gdynia, Poland; and Perugia, Italy.

1994

Amazon.com in business.

Seattle Asian Art Museum opens.

City Public Access Network online.

1996 – Sister city relationship established with Haiphong, Vietnam.

1997

Seattle Internet Exchange and Seattle Channel established.

Jet City Maven newspaper begins publication.

1998 – Paul Schell becomes mayor.

1999

November 30: Anti-globalization protest during World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference.

Town Hall Seattle opens.

Sister city relationship established with Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

21st century

2000

Experience Music Project opens.

Music Magazine The Rocket ends publishing.

2001

February 27: Seattle Mardi Gras Riots

February 28: Nisqually earthquake.

2002

July 28: The first sporting event at Seahawks Stadium, a Seattle Sounders soccer match, is held.

2004

Seattle Central Library building opens.

Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project founded.

Rat City Rollergirls (rollerderby league) founded.

2006

Seattle Metropolitan begins publication.

Kavana Cooperative founded.

2007

Socrata Inc. in business.

People's Harm Reduction Alliance founded.

December 12: South Lake Union Streetcar line opened.

2008 – Tilted Thunder Rail Birds (rollerderby league) formed.

2009

July 18: Central Link light rail begins service between Westlake and Tukwila.

December 19: Central Link is extended to SeaTac Airport.

InvestigateWest news headquartered in Seattle.

Upping Technology for Underserved Neighbors and Jigsaw Renaissance founded.

CondoInternet in business.

2010

Northwest Chocolate Festival begins.

Michael McGinn becomes mayor.

Population: 608,660; metro 3,439,809.

2011

Seattle Shorts Film Fest begins.

Citizen University headquartered in city.

2012

Ban against plastic shopping bags in effect.

Chihuly Garden and Glass and Living Computer Museum open.

2013

Construction of the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel by the tunnel-boring machine Bertha begins.

Population: 652,405.

2014

January: Ed Murray becomes mayor.

February: Seattle Seahawks win Super Bowl football contest.

May: City minimum wage hike announced.

2015

May: A large kayak protest against Arctic oil drilling is held on Elliott Bay in response to a Shell oil platform arriving at the Port of Seattle.

September: School teacher labor strike.

2016

January 23: First Hill Streetcar line opens.

March 19: University Link Tunnel extends light rail to Capitol Hill and Husky Stadium.