SeaTac is a city in southern King County, Washington, United States. The city is an inner-ring suburb of Seattle and part of the Seattle metropolitan area. Take a look below for 20 fascinating and interesting facts about SeaTac, Washington, United States.
1. The name “SeaTac” is derived from the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, itself a portmanteau of Seattle and Tacoma.
2. The city of SeaTac is 10 square miles (26 km2) in area and has a population of 26,909 according to the 2010 census.
3. The city boundaries surround the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (approximately 3 square miles (7.8 km2) in area), which is owned and operated by the Port of Seattle.
4. The city includes the communities of Angle Lake, Bow Lake, McMicken Heights and Riverton Heights, which were established before the city’s incorporation.
5. Residents voted for incorporation on March 14, 1989, and the city incorporated in February 1990.
6. The Highline area, which includes modern-day SeaTac, Burien, most of Des Moines, and unincorporated communities such as White Center and Boulevard Park, was settled by Americans in the mid-1850s.
7. The federal government finished construction of a military road from Fort Steilacoom to Fort Bellingham in 1860, passing through the Highline area to the east of modern-day SeaTac.
8. One of the more prominent roads of travel from Seattle to Tacoma early in the 20th century is Des Moines Memorial Drive (originally called the High Line road), which passes directly through the middle of the region, particularly through SeaTac and Burien especially.
9. Local residents voted for incorporation on March 14, 1989, and the city incorporated on February 28, 1990.
10. The original ballot used the name “Sea-Tac”, but the incorporation petition to the county government omitted the hyphen.
11. In 2014, Gavin Kelly of The Resolution Foundation wrote that “A generation ago SeaTac was what Americans would call a middle-class town. A jet-fueller or baggage handler could earn a decent living.”
12. SeaTac is governed by a city council which consists of seven elected councilpersons. The city “has contracted with the King County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement since incorporation in 1990.”
13. Deputies assigned to SeaTac wear city uniforms and drive patrol cars marked with the city logo. There are currently 51 patrol officers, detectives, and support staff assigned full-time to the city.
14. In January 2014 the SeaTac Fire Department entered a 20-year contract with Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority (RFA) to form the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority.
15. SeaTac’s three fire stations, Station 45, 46, and 47, joined Kent’s Station 73 to make up RFA’s West Battalion.
16. The Seatac Municipal Court, located in the City Hall, is a court of limited jurisdiction. The judge is authorized by the Revised Code of Washington to preside over civil infractions, traffic infractions, criminal misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor violations, and civil orders for protection.
17. SeaTac is served by three major highways: State Route 99 (International Boulevard), State Route 518, and the Airport Expressway. Portions of Interstate 5 and State Route 509 also lie within the city limits.
18. The city is served by the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, located within city limits.
19. The city is also served by several public transportation services: Link Light Rail stops at two stations in the city, at SeaTac/Airport station and Angle Lake station; King County Metro operates several bus routes in the area, including the RapidRide A Line on International Boulevard and RapidRide F Line on Southcenter Boulevard; some Sound Transit Express regional bus routes terminate or serve the SeaTac area, primarily the airport and other transit hubs.
20. The city operates seven city parks and operates two community center facilities.
