Cover Story
The 30 Women Who Shaped Seattle
From an LGBTQ pioneer whose brothel biz likely saved the city to Kshama Sawant’s minimum wage victory, bold women have fashioned Seattle into someplace bigger, smarter, and more fun since the very beginning.
Trace the map of Seattle and follow history via the names of the men who claimed its acreage: Mercer, Denny, Yesler. The city itself takes its moniker from the native chief who preceded them. But scratch just slightly below the official record and it’s clear—thousands of women shaped the city we know today.
They were teachers who turned a grubby logging port into a community, founders who launched Seattle institutions. They were cops who cared about poor youth and chefs who reimagined what excellence looked like. They were the prostitutes who defined stable industry and the athletes who brought home medals.
Not every achievement comes with a plaque or a thoroughfare named in your honor. Sometimes the only legacy is the city itself, shaped by moves that echo across centuries and generations. What we know about Seattle comes from the work of a thousand hands; the women behind some of those hands are stronger, smarter, and stranger than you may have ever realized.
