Seattle, the biggest city in Washington State, is best known to the public for its grunge music and as the birthplace of the guitarist Jimi Hendrix.

Seattle, the biggest city in Washington State, is best known to the public for its grunge music and as the birthplace of the guitarist Jimi Hendrix.

Seattle, situated on Lake Washington, is the commercial centre of the north-western United States. This city lives mainly from overseas trade and is famous for aircraft construction (Boeing) and computer software (Microsoft). The cultural life of Seattle has also grown rapidly in the past few years. In the early nineties, for example, the city was the birthplace for grunge music, an important type of popular music.

The Seattle Art Museum, with collections of local, African and Eastern art is a tourist attraction. The Henry Art Gallery, specialising in 19th and 20th century paintings, is also worth a visit. Just outside the city centre, there is the Seattle Center, a major tourist attraction. It includes a number of theatres, a covered amphitheatre and an opera house. Other sights include Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square and the Museum of Flight.