- Russia (Russian: Россия, Rossiya, [rɐˈsʲijə]), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, covering over 17,098,246 square kilometres (6,601,670 sq mi), and encompassing one-eighth of Earth’s inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones and shares land boundaries with fourteen countries, more than any other country but China. It is the world’s ninth-most populous country and Europe’s most populous country, with a population of 146 million people. The country’s capital and largest city is Moscow, the largest city entirely within Europe. Saint Petersburg is Russia’s cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan.
- Seattle Neighborhoods: Fremont — Thumbnail History (historylink.org)
Fremont, one of Seattle’s liveliest neighborhoods, modestly calls itself “the Center of the Universe.” Located north of the Ship Canal that connects Lake Union with Puget Sound, it is home to sculptural curiosities and a lively mix of bistros, artist studios, boutiques, and coffee shops. Starting out as cluster of small industries on the north Lake Union shore, it prospered from railroads and trolleys and went into decline when passenger transit faded out in the 1930s and 1940s. It became an artsy Mecca in the 1960s. Today, with the arrival of high tech companies, it is undergoing another transition.