Seattle can be a strange place, and the residents know it. That's what makes the city fun, some say.
Some of the quirky charms and landmarks of the city have some unusual origins. There are some odd trends happening today in the metro area. From onions and trolls to pets outnumbering children, here are some weird facts you didn't know about the Emerald City.
Pike Place Market
The oldest farmer's market in America exists thanks in part to onions. No, seriously. In the early 1900s, the price of produce surged, especially onions, for Seattle residents. Farmers were getting rich, citizens were getting angry. So, residents and city officials put their heads together and came up with a public market where food could be bought directly from farmers. As a result, Pike Place Market was born!
There's a troll under a bridge
If you go under the Aurora Bridge on North 36th Street and Troll Avenue North, you can find a friendly face waiting for you. The Fremont troll is 18 feet tall, made of concrete and keeps his shiny metal eye on you. According to Red Tricycle, the troll came from a 1990 art competition intended to revamp the area under the bridge.
Ice worms!
Mt. Rainier is the tallest mountain in the Cascade Mountains and is also home to some chilly critters. Ice worms are inch-long creatures that thrive in frigid temperatures -- and we're talking near the freezing point of water. According to the Seattle Times, these worms inhabit glaciers and snowfields in the coastal ranges of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.
Not only can through move easily through solid ice, but they dissolve if they're warmed so slightly.
Seattle's first name
Some iconic cities in America didn't always have their current name, and the Emerald City was no different. In fact, the townsite established in the Seattle area back in 1851 initially went by "New York-Alki." Why? Well, historians and sources say aren't sure why the settlers of the Denny Party decided on New York besides the fact that they were from New York State.
Eventually the settlers moved to where the historic Pioneer Square district is, and the village was soon named Seattle. Fun fact: "Seattle" is honors the Duwamish Native American leader named Sealth.
There may be more cats and dogs than children
They say dog is man's best friend, and that's definitely the case in Seattle. U.S. Census data from 2010 shows that there was 110,000 children in Seattle and 180,000 domestic canines. It seems residents prefer cats more than dogs, because there were 190,000 felines living in Seattle homes. Since the 2020 Census recently wrapped up, we'll have to wait and see if the trends have changed!
Photos: Getty Images