Photo: David Newman

Seattle Accolades Archive

This is our Seattle accolades archive. Please click here to see a current list of Seattle accolades.

 

2013

  • November 2013 – Seattle named “Smartest City in North America” – Fast Company magazine
  • November 2013 – Seattle ranks #8, “Most Walkable Cities & Neighborhoods” (among largest U.S. cities) –Walk Score
  • September 2013– The Four Seasons Hotel Seattle was given a five-star designation – Forbes Travel Guide, USA Today
  • September 2013– Seattle’s CenturyLink Field named #1,”Best NFL Stadium for Craft Beers” – Yahoo! 
  • August 2013 – The Whale Wins and Joule recognized among “Best Restaurants in America 2013” – Bon Appetit
  • August 2013 – Seattle named “America’s Best Coffee City” – Travel + Leisure 
  • August 2013 –Washington’s Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Mount Rainier National Park recognized in “Top 20 of America’s 59 National Parks” – The Seattle Times, The Active Times
  • July 2013 – Seattle’s Burke-Gilman Trail ranks #3, “Best Urban Bike Paths across the U.S.” – USA Today
  • July 2013 – Seattle named #1,”Top 10 Chill Cities” – Los Angeles Times, Sperling’s Best Places
  • July 2013 – Seattle ranks #13 of “World’s Most Inventive Cities”, by Organization for Economic Co-Operation and DevelopmentForbes
  • June 2013 – Washington ranks #6, Seattle ranks #9 on latest ‘green’ rankings – Puget Sound Business Journal
  • May 2013 – The Seattle metro area ranks #1 among “Best Cities for Tech Jobs” – Forbes
  • May 2013 – Seattle ranks #8 for places with the best exercise – Men’s Health magazine
  • April 2013 – Seattle-Tac Airport ranks among the list of “Top 10 U.S. Airports for Kids” –The FlipKey blog
  • April 2013 – Seattle ranks #5, “Top 10 United States Cities to Travel Car-free” – Walk Score Blog
  • April 2013 – Seattle ranks #4 of cities that take the environment seriously – SheKnows Travel
  • April 2013 – Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood ranks among “10 Best Neighborhoods that Tourists haven’t found yet” – USA Today
  • April 2013 – Seattle ranks among the “10 Best Cities for New Grads” – Kiplinger’s
  • March 2013 – Seattle ranks among the “Best Cities for New College Grad in 2013” – Forbes magazine
  • February 2013 – Seattle ranks #2, “Most Literate City in the United States” – USA Today
  • January 2013 – Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau is named “Tourism Champion of the Year” by the Washington State Wine Commission
  • January 2013 – Seattle’s San Juan Islands ranked #1 of the Top 10 Islands in the U.S.” – Trip Advisor
  • January 2013 – Seattle ranked among the “10 Best Cities for Starting a Business” – Kiplinger’s

2012

  • December 2012 – Four Seattle area hotels are named on Travel + Leisure’s “500 Best Hotels list for 2013” – Travel + Leisure
  • December 2012 – Seattle ranks #3 smartest city in North America for “pushing the envelope of technology, sustainability and better living conditions” – Fast Company magazine
  • September 2012 – Seattle ranks #2, “Top 50 Best Cities” – Bloomberg Business
  • August 2012 – Seattle awarded “Gold Service Award”  – Meetings & Conventions
  • May 2012 – Seattle ranks #7, “Most Bikeable City in America” – MSNBC
  • April 2012- Seattle ranks #7 in Walk Score, ranking residents’ access to public transportation – Geekwire magazine
  • April 2012 – Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area named third most peaceful metropolitan area in America – MSNBC
  • April 2012 – Seattle named “America’s Most Popular City” – Public Policy Polling
  • February 2012 – Seattle was named one of the “Top 5 Bargain Destinations” for spring 2012 – USA Today
  • February 2012- Seattle named one of the “Best Cities for Dating in U.S.” – Yahoo Travel
  • January 2012- Seattle voted “Best Settle Down City of 2011” for LGBT community – GayCities
  • January 2012 – Seattle is the second most literate city in America – Central Connecticut State University study

2011

  • November 2011- Seattle named #1 U.S. city for high-tech growth and tech jobs – Forbes
  • November 2011 – Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park ranks in “Top 10 for Greatest Parks and Gardens in U.S.” – USA Today
  • Novemer 2011 – Seattle ranks #8, “Healthiest City for Women” – Self magazine
  • Octotber 2011 –  Seattle’s SkyCity Restaurant atop the Space Needle is one of the “World’s Top Revolving Restaurants” – travelandLeisure.com
  • Ocotber 2011 – Seattle ranks # 1 in cities for coffee, tech-savvy, intelligent and wireless coverage — Travel & Leisure 
  • October 2011 –Seattle ranks # 9, “Top U.S. City”  – Condé Nast, Reader’s Choice
  • October 2011- Seattle’s Sea-Tac Airport named the world’s # 2 airport for departure performance – FlightStats
  • October 2011 – Seattle ranks # 4, “Most Innovative City in America” – Research firm 2ThinkNow
  • Summer 2011 – The Washington State Convention Center named “Best Green Event Venue” – Northwest Meetings & Events Readers’ Choice
  • July 2011 – Seattle ranks # 6, “Most Walkable Cities” (of the 50 largest cities in the U.S.) – WalkScore.com
  • July 2011 – “The Ivars Dog” at Seattle’s Safeco Field is listed among the “Top 10 Great Places for Stadium Food” – USA Today
  • July 2011 – Seattle ranks # 9, “Best American Cities for Families” – Parenting magazine
  • June  2011 – Seattle ranked #4, “Greenest City in North America” – Siemens Corp. &  Economist Intelligence Unit
  • June 2011 – Seattle ranked among the “Top Four Places to Retire” – Fortune magazine
  • June 2011 – Seattle ranked #8, “Most Photographed City in the World” – Cornell University
  • May 2011 – Seattle ranks # 2,”Best Convention & Visitors Bureaus and Destination Marketing Organizations in North America” – Watkins Research Group
  • May 2011 – Seattle ranks # 6, “Cities on the Edge,” for best American cities poised for greatness in Sports, Arts, Music and Culture – Edge Shave Gel and Sperlings’s Best Places
  • May 2011 – Seattle ranks # 9, “Best Cities for Public Transportation in the U.S.” – U.S. News and World Report
  • 2011 –Seattle ranks # 10, “Geekiest Cities in America” – U.S. National Science Foundation Annual Science and Engineering Indicators Report
  • March 2011 – Seattle ranks #10, “Top Summer Destinations” – American Society of Travel Agents
  • 2011 – Seattle ranks # 4 based on the percent of residents who volunteer –NationalService.gov
  • 2011 – Seattle named # 1 “Tech City in the U.S.” – Scientific American
  • 2011 – Seattle was named “America’s Most Active City” – Men’s Health magazine and Mediamark Research
  • 2011 – Seattle ranks # 5, “Most Edgy City” – Sperling’s Best Places
  • 2011 – The Port of Seattle offers the lowest carbon footprint for containers moving from Asia to the Midwest – Herbert Engineering Corp.
  • 2011 – Seattle ranks # 5 among U.S. cities for its percentage of “super green” consumers who engage in the highest amount of environmentally friendly activities – Scarborough Research
  • 2011 – Seattle ranks # 10, “Top 25 Favorite Destinations” –TripAdvisor, Traveler’s Choice
  • 2011 –Seattle’s Cedarbrook Lodge ranked #1 in Expedia’s Insider’s Select of “Top Hotels for 2011” – Expedia.com
  • 2011 –Seattle ranks # 7, “Top 10 U.S. Cities for Jobs Now” – Monster.com
  • 2011 – Seattle ranks # 4, “Top 10 Destinations for Singles this Summer” – Travelocity.com

2010

  • 2010 – Seattle named the second most literary city in the country – Central Connecticut State University, 2010
  • December 2010 – Seattle named the “Most Charitable City” – Daily Beast
  • November 2010 – Seattle awarded “Gold Service Award,” recognizing Seattle as one of the top convention and visitor Bureaus in the world – Meetings & Conventions
  • October 2010 – Seattle ranks #1 for “Top 10 Locations for Winter Weather” – The Weather Channel
  • October 2010 – Seattle ranked mmong large metro areas, 9th highest percentage of residents with college degrees (37.4%) – CNN Money
  • September 2010 – Seattle ranks in the “Top 10 Coolest Cities in America” –Forbes
  • August 2010 – Seattle ranks # 1 “Best City for Men” – Men’s Health magazine
  • July 2010 – Seattle ranks # 2 for the “Best City for the Next Decade” – Kiplinger’s 
  • July 2010 – Seattle ranks # 9 “Best City for Working Moms in America” – Forbes Woman Magazine
  • July 2010 – Seattle ranks # 2 for “Best Cities for the Next Decade” – Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine
  • May 2010 – Seattle ranks # 4 in “Bike Friendly Cities: America’s Best Bike Cities” – Bicycling magazine
  • May 2010 – Washington state ranked the “Most Bicycle-friendly State” – League of American Bicyclists
  • May 2010 – Seattle ranks # 1 economy in the United States – Policom, Corp.
  • March 2010 – Seattle ranks # 9 “Best Summertime Tourist Destinations” – American Society of Travel Agents
  • January 2010 – Seattle ranks # 1 among the “Top U.S. Cities for Men” – Men’s Health magazine

2009

  • November 2009 – Seattle awarded “Gold Service Award,” recognizing Seattle as one of the top convention and visitor Bureaus in the world – Meetings & Conventions
  • October 2009 – Seattle is the fourth safest major city in America – Forbes.com
  • September 2009 – Washington state ranks second best state for business – Forbes.com
  • August 2009 – Seattle ranked second healthiest U.S. city – Outside magazine
  • August 2009 – Seattle ranks # 10 among favorite cities in the Continental U.S. and Canada, World’s Best Cities annual readers’ poll – Travel + Leisure
  • July 2009 –Seattle among “America’s Top 10 Pet-Friendly Cities” – MSNBC.com
  • July 2009 – Seattle ranks # 4 among U.S. cities with the highest volunteering rate – Corporation for National and Community Service
  • July 2009 – Seattle named “America’s Greenest and Most Sustainable Major (population over 250,000) City” – Natural Resources Defense Council
  • May 2009 – Seattle named “Most Secure Place to Live” – Farmers Insurance Group of Companies 2008 study
  • May 2009 – Seattle named “City of the Year” – Fast Company magazine
  • April 2009 – Seattle ranks # 7 among the nation’s “Top 25 Art Destinations” – AmericanStyle magazine
  • March 2009 – Seattle ranks among the “World’s 13 Most Stunning City Skylines” – ForbesTraveler.com
  • February 2009 – Seattle ranks # 3 among the “Top 10 cities for Small Businesses” – BizJournals
  • January 2009 – Seattle ranks # 3 among the “Top U.S. Cities for Women” – Women’s Health magazine
  • January 2009 –Seattle ranks # 4 among the “Top U.S. Cities for Men” – Men’s Health magazine
  • January 2009 – Seattle among the “Top-10 U.S. Travel Destinations for the African American Traveler” – Travel Professionals of Color
  • January 2009 – Seattle ranked second- most caffeinated city in the U.S. (ranked highest for coffee consumption) – Prince Market Research
  • January 2009 – Seattle named “Food City of the Year” – GQ magazine
  • January 2009 – Washington state named “Best State to Start a Business” – U.S. News & World Report
  • January 2009 – Seattle ranked # 6 “Best City to Work and Live” – Yahoo.com

2008

  • December 2008 – Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ranked one of “America’s Best Airports” – TravelandLeisure.com
  • November 2008 – Seattle awared “Gold Service Award,” recognizing Seattle as one of the top convention and visitor bureaus in the world – Meetings & Conventions
  • September 2008 – Seattle is the third most sustainable city in the country – SustainLane.com
  • September 2008 – Voted one of “America’s Favorite Cities” by travelers and scored highest for cafes and coffee bars, farmers’ markets, intelligence, environmental awareness, public parks and access to the outdoors in a poll conducted by travelandleisure.com and CNN Headline News
  • July 2008 – Seattle among the “Top 20 U.S. Tourist Destinations in the U.S.” – Global Insight, Inc
  • July 2008 – Washington ranked 3rd best state for business – Forbes magazine
  • July 2008 – Seattle ranked 6th most walkable city in the U.S. – Walk Score
  • June 2008 – Seattle among top-10 for best U.S. Cities for design – Architectural firm, RMJM Hillier
  • June 2008 – Seattle named second-fittest U.S. city – American College of Sports Medicine
  • May 2008 – Seattle ranked 6th-best in the U.S. for the size of its carbon footprint – Brookings Institution
  • May 2008 – Seattle named a city to watch – Fast Company magazine
  • April 2008 – Seattle ranks #6 among the “Top 25 U.S. Art Destinations” – AmericanStyle magazine
  • March 2008 – Seattle named the second cleanest U.S. City – Forbes magazine

2007

  • December 2007 – Seattle named the second most literary city in the country – Central Connecticut State University
  • December 2007 – Seattle ranked #6 “Most Walkable U.S. City” – Brookings Institution
  • December 2007 – Seattle ranks #4 “Fittest City in America” – Self magazine
  • December 2007 – #14 “Healthiest Overall City” – Self magazine
  • December 2007 – Seattle has the most in-city parks in America – Self magazine
  • December 2007 – Seattle is “America’s Best City for Healthy Living” – Cooking Light magazine
  • October 2007 – Seattle ranks #3 among “Americas Greenest States” – Forbes Travel Guide 
  • October 2007 – Seattle voted one of “America’s Favorite Cities” by travelers and scored highest for intelligence, coffee and farmers markets in a poll conducted by travelandleisure.com and CNN Headline News
  • October 2007 – Seattle ranks among the “Top Ten Pet-Friendly Cities in the United States” – MSNBC.com
  • October 2007 – Seattle’s Belltown voted one of the “Best Neighborhoods to Retire” – CNNMoney.com
  • September 2007 – Seattle is fifth-best U.S. city for walking – Prevention magazine
  • August 2007 – Seattle ranks #10 among favorite cities in the Continental U.S. and Canada, World’s Best Cities annual readers’ poll – Travel + Leisure
  • June 2007 – Seattle ranks #7 “Best City for Young Professionals” – Forbes magazine
  • April 2007 – Seattle ranks #3 “Hot Spot for summer 2007” – AAA survey of travel agency managers
  • April 2007 – Seattle ranks #3 “Most Livable City” – Rand McNally Places Rated Almanac
  • April 2007 – Seattle ranks #2 “Most Humane City in the United States” – Humane Society of the United States
  • March 2007 – Seattle ranks #2 “Fittest City in America” – Men’s Fitness Magazine
  • January 2007 – Seattle named “Best City for Healthy Living” – Cooking Light 20 Best Cities – Cooking Light magazine

2006

  • 2006 – Seattle ranks #9 among “Top Ten Cities in the United States,” Readers Choice Awards – Condé Nast Traveler
  • November 2006 – Seattle awarded “Gold Service Award,” recognizing Seattle as one of the top convention & visitor bureaus in the world – Meetings & Conventions
  • October 2006 – Seattle named “Top Video Game City in the United States” – Sperling’s Best Places
  • August 2006 – Seattle named “Most Educated City” – U.S. Census Bureau data
  • August 2006 – Seattle ranks #10 among favorite cities in the Continental U.S. and Canada, World’s Best Cities annual readers’ poll – Travel + Leisure
  • June 2006 – Seattle ranks #6 among the “Top 10 Art Destinations in the U.S.” – American Style magazine

2005

  • November 2005 – Seattle named “America’s Most Literate City” – Central Connecticut State University study
  • June 2005 – Seattle named “Most Livable City in America” – U.S. Conference of Mayors
  • June 2005 – Seattle named “Most Unwired City in the United States” (city with the best wireless internet access) – Sperling’s BestPlaces
  • February 2005 – Seattle named “America’s Fittest City “– Men’s Fitness magazine
  • 2005 – Seattle ranks #3 “Best Walking City” – American Podiatric Medical Association

2004

  • November 2004 – Seattle named “America’s Fittest City” – Self magazine
  • November 2004 – Seattle awarded “Gold Service Award,” recognizing Seattle as one of the top convention & visitor bureaus in the world – Meetings & Conventions
  • August 2004 – Seattle ranks #2 “America’s Most Literate Cities” – University of Wisconsin-Whitewater study
  • August 2004 – Seattle ranks #8 among the “Top 10 Art Destinations in the U.S.” – American Style magazine
  • May 2004 – Seattle ranks #1 “Child-Friendly City in America” – Population Connection
  • May 2004 – Seattle ranks #4 “Most Dog-Friendly City to Visit in North America” – DogFriendly.com
  • May 2004 – Seattle ranks #1 “Most College-Educated City in the Nation” – U.S. Census Bureau report

2003

  • November 2003 – Seattle awarded “Gold Service Award,” recognizing Seattle as one of the top convention & visitor bureaus in the world – Meetings & Conventions
  • July 2003 –Seattle ranks #2 on “America’s Most Literate Cities” – University of Wisconsin-Whitewater study
  • February 2003 – Seattle ranks #2 “Fittest City in the U.S.” – Men’s Fitness magazine

2002

  • December 2002 – Seattle ranked among the “Best Places to Live” in the U.S. –Money magazine
  • November 2002 – Seattle awarded “Gold Service Award.” recognizing Seattle as one of the top convention & visitor bureaus in the world – Meetings & Conventions
  • August 2002 – Seattle awarded the “Inner Circle Award”, annual readers survey of best convention & visitor bureaus and convention centers – Association Meetings
  • Summer 2002 – Seattle ranks among the “Top 10 Art Destinations in the U.S.” – American Style magazine
  • January 2002 – Seattle ranks first atop list of “America’s Sweet Spots” in a survey of cities and towns across the U.S. which exemplify acts of volunteerism, heroism and sweetness – Hershey Foods Corporation

2001

  • December 2001 – Seattle ranks #1 “Wine Region of the Year” – Wine Enthusiast magazine
  • November 2001 –  Seattle ranks #1 for bicycling in North America among cities with a population greater than 500,000 – Bicycling magazine
  • Summer 2001 – Seattle ranks among the “Top Five American Art Destinations” – American Style magazine
  • January 2001 – Seattle ranks among the “Five Best Ski Cities in the Continental U.S. and Canada” – Ski magazine

2000

  • October 2000 – Seattle ranks #8 among the top cities in the Continental U.S. in the 2000 Readers’ Choice Awards – Condé Nast Traveler
  • September 2000 – Seattle ranks #8 among favorite cities in the Continental U.S. and Canada, World’s Best Cities annual readers’ poll – Travel + Leisure
  • Summer 2000 – Seattle ranks #10 among “America’s Top Art Destinations” – American Style magazine
  • April 2000 – Seattle ranks #1 for “Family-Friendly City in the Northwest” – Family Fun magazine

 


Media Contacts:

David Blandford – (206) 461-5806, [email protected]

Kauilani Robinson – (206) 461-5839, [email protected]

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