Planning a visit to Seattle? Good for you! There are plenty of reasons to visit Emerald City: the coffee culture, the music scene, the museums, the atmosphere. But, before you embark on your journey to one of the most interesting US cities, here are some fun facts you should know about Seattle:

1. The name of the city comes from “Sealth” – the ruler of the Suquamish tribe inhabiting the area at the time the first white settlers arrived at Alki Point on November 13, 1851.
2. The land where Emerald City stands now has been inhabited continuously for over 4 millennia.
3. Does it always rain in Seattle? Not really! Actually, the annual rainfall is lower than New York’s, Huston’s, Chicago’s or the sunny Miami’s.
4. Now that the rain myth was debunked, here is another interesting bit: Seattleites buy the most sunglasses per capital among all American cities.
5. Seattle is the most literate city in the US. Or, so it seems since Seattle has the most bookstores per capita!
6. But Seattleites are not only reading champs. They love ballet too. Pacific Northwest Ballet stands on top when it comes to shows’ attendance.
7. Seattle Space Needle is not the most photographed landmarked in Seattle. Who would have thought!
8. So, which Seattle attraction comes first as a snapshots focus? Have you noticed a giant Pink Elephant car wash sign at the corner of Battery Street and Denny Way? This is the one!
9. A music fan? You should know that Seattle ranks second, surpassed only by New York City when it comes to the number of live performances.

10. Seattle was the first US to have a woman mayor: her name was Bertha Landes, and she was elected back in 1926. The even more interesting fact is that she was the one and only woman to have been elected as mayor in Seattle.

Looking for more fun facts about Seattle? Check out this infographic by Seattle4Fun: