The UK: BFFs With The Pacific Northwest

From football to energy, the PNW and the UK are tight! As Ambassador Westmacott visits Seattle this week, we're highlighting UK ties with the PNW.

Football! (aka Soccer)

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The UK’s national sport has found a second home in the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle vs Portland

Both Seattle and Portland are big soccer cities, and the rivalry between the two is intense.

Both teams have, or have had, British players and managers. The Portland Timbers’ former manager, John Spencer, is Scottish. Seattle Sounders midfielder Adam Moffat is from Glasgow, and their new forward, Clint Dempsey, previously played for London clubs Tottenham and Fulham.

Nike and the English Premier League

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Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike has been the official ball supplier for the EPL for over a decade! They have also been primary sponsors for a number of EPL football clubs.

On your radio

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Seattle was the first US city where a Beatles song was heard on the radio. Seattle, we like your style.

Common language

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We both speak rain! The people of the Pacific Northwest and the UK are well versed in rain and soggy weather. Umbrellas, wellies, trench coats - we get it!

Vancouver is so-o-o British

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Vancouver, WA and Mt Vancouver on the US-Canadian border are both named after British Royal Navy officer George Vancouver, who charted North America's northern Pacific Coast, including the coasts of modern-day Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.

Bonus!

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George Vancouver named Mt Rainier, the tallest mountain in Washington State, in honour of his friend and fellow Royal Navy officer Peter Rainier.

Cleaning up our acts

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Both the UK and Washington State are leaders in clean energy and fighting climate change. In September 2013 we signed a joint declaration to deepen our cooperation and share know-how on low carbon policies.

British businesses heart the PNW!

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...and the feeling is mutual.

Jobs, jobs, jobs...

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UK companies employ almost 28,000 Pacific Northwesterners across the region (AK, ID, OR & WA). And there’s potential for way more!

...and did we mention JOBS?!?

An independent study, co-commissioned by UKinUSA, finds that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), currently under negotiation, could create more than 30,000 additional jobs in the PNW.

Getting around

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Cycling is GREAT! We Brits love to cycle, and so do Pacific Northwesterners. In fact, UK company Islabikes has its North American HQ in Portland, OR.

Going mobile

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You may not have heard of Matchbox Mobile, but there's a good chance you’ve used their products. The UK-based software firm develops mobile apps for other companies, including Redmond, WA-based Microsoft, and has an office in Seattle.

Energy in the Last Frontier

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BP has had a presence in Alaska since 1959, the year the territory became a state. Since then, it’s invested more than $20 billion in the North Slope alone.

Come fly with us

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This one’s a three-fer, so pay attention!

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British Airways (which is, y’know, British...) will shortly start running ten flights weekly between London and Seattle.

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Passengers will travel on two 777s, assembled in Everett, WA by Boeing (which also employs 1,300 people in the UK).

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AND (as if those weren't enough UK-PNW connections) one of the planes will have engines by Rolls-Royce, an iconic British company with a manufacturing facility in the Greater Seattle area and a workforce of 8,000 across the US.

Let's stay together

Via @RobinTwyman

Connect with the UK in the Pacific Northwest. Follow @RobinTwyman, British Consul at the UK Government Office in Seattle!