On the banks of Puget Sound, the core of the information age shines with increasing power. In the formerly nondescript city of Redmond, Microsoft exerts its influence.
Many workers live in the more socially conservative King County.
The 1st was Republican until redistricting after the 1990 census. Now the district could go either way, as demonstrated by the flip-flops in party control during the 1990s. But the strong union presence weighs heavily in the races, too, as does the more liberal northern Seattle section.