The emerald city, Seattle, radiates in its numerous contributions to evolution of technology along its apparent promising future in the digital world. Businesses ranging from premier, well-established ones which gracefully matured through time to those tossed by, and dependent to, the contemporary market waves all paved the way for Seattle to remain on top of the country’s renowned economic hubs.
Seattle, dubbed as the top smartest city and twelfth largest metropolitan economy in America, houses three among the Fortune 500 companies of 2008. One of them is the world-celebrated coffee chain, Starbucks, of which success is greatly attributed to Seattle citizens’ dedication to work. Pegging away at new brilliant creations, they needed something that keeps them awake day and night.
But apparently, the city is never predictable. Successes leap from lumber to miner gears and transportation to software programs. Although there are large-scale, well-established businesses in Seattle, majority of the industries now are caught in the bust and boom cycle. The trend was present among its earliest industries, initiated by the lumber industry which is also the first one in the city, and adapted by the succeeding miner gear manufacturing and shipbuilding. But the package delivery business American Messenger Company, known today as UPS, remained intact overcoming a number of economic depression eras.
The Second World War left painful marks but Boeing is one of its wonderful mementos. The first class maker of commercial airplanes is originally manufacturing war aircrafts. It was a blossoming business especially in the outset of war. Boeing’s success lasted though for a short period and was regained a couple of times. Despite the inconsistency, it remained as the world’s leading producer of finest airplanes. Likewise, it was regarded as the city’s best employer until Chicago was chosen to be the new Boeing headquarters.
During the mid 20th century when the emerald city suddenly lost its luster, the move of Microsoft into Seattle’s suburbs perked up the entire community once again. The emergence of the infamous software and hardware provider not only opened more job opportunities to Seattle citizens, but gave way to the growth of technology businesses complementing the products and services of Microsoft. In like manner, the upsurge in number of technologically-inclined citizens boosted Seattle community’s proficiency in handling and innovating technology, which also invited large numbers of settlers in the city.
Some more names propping up Seattle’s thriving technology industry are T-Mobile, RealNetworks, HeartStream, HeartTechnologies, ZymoGenetics, and the top 100th of the 2008 Fortune 500, the Amazon.com. Nordstrom, also enlisted in the Fortune 500 and based at Downtown Seattle, is one premier department store serving the upmarket all over the country. More coffee shops sprouted like Seattle’s Best and Tully’s, and now have branches beyond the borders of United States.
Albeit the certainty that information and communication technology is here to stay, as the industry movers keep discovering new paths, still Seattle remain thrillingly unpredictable. The next realm the city’s yet to enter will definitely stun us once again. But as of now, Seattle is keeping everybody on the edge of the seats.


