What makes a city?

What makes a city?. . , New transportation and infrastructure helped Seattle boom. , A growing, vibrant city requires a combination of independence and interconnectedness. Initially distant from the rest of the nation, Seattle developed a reasonably self-sufficient local economy. When railroads finally reached Seattle in 1893, they provided the spark of connection, bringing more people and access to markets., By 1878 , Seattle developed as a diversified community with logging as its engine. All comings and goings were by expensive boat or arduous wagon., 1893 , Seattle’s first train stations were simple structures, such as this Northern Pacific depot (at today’s Alaskan Way and Columbia)., 1893 , The Great Northern Railway reached Seattle. The first lines ran alongside the waterfront., 1897 , Tens of thousands of fortune-seekers arrived in Seattle, many by rail. They stocked up on goods, which often also arrived by rail, on their way to the Klondike., 1906 and 1911 , Competing railroads resulted in two grand stations for Seattle: King Street Station (1906) and Union Station (1911). , [Photo caption] , King Street Station, about 1907. The building’s 242-foot clock tower made it the tallest building in Seattle at the time of construction. Its grand style was modeled after the Piazza San Marco in Venice.