In 1952, as part of Seattle's year-long Centennial celebration, experts from the Washington Public Opinion Laboratory at the University of Washington prepare a report which compiles predictions of what Seattle might become in one hundred years hence. The report, which is placed in a time capsule at the Alki Monument, looks forward with pie-eyed optimism to the days of rocket planes, moving sidewalks, and the important part the city would play in world affairs.
The project was requested by Greater Seattle, Inc., a local booster group. Business executives, housewives, educators, civic officials, and people from all walks of life were polled, although many who were asked preferred to remain anonymous, feeling that their prognostications were too fantastic to be considered "official."
The laboratory staff, which consisted of Dr. Stuart C. Dodd, Edith Dyer Rainboth, Theodore Q. Opdenwyer, Arch Cooper, Lida C. Swan, and Geraldine A. Cox, based their conclusions on the "informed guessing" of survey takers who may have been in a position to prophesize what the future may bring.
What Lies Ahead?
Unsurprisingly, transportation was first in the minds of many respondents. To them, the Seattle of 2052 would be a city free of congestion. Underground tunnels and parking garages would permit fast and easy travel throughout the region. On the surface, moving sidewalks would glide pedestrians hither and yon. The skies would be filled with zizzing gyrocopters, whisking commuters back and forth between the tops of office buildings and private helipads at home.
Those wishing to travel beyond the city could take advantage of atomic powered rocket planes, which might zip to New York in an amazing 90 minutes. Airports themselves would be fully automated, from ticketing and check-in all the way down to cargo-handling. The rocket planes would be guided electronically, eliminating the need for pilots and crew.
Maritime traffic would still be an important part of Seattle commerce, but with the old wooden piers along the Seattle waterfront now replaced by one long park, gigantic jet-powered ships would load and unload on a collection of steel piers at Harbor Island.
A Global Village?
And what would be one of Seattle's chief products? Why aluminum, of course! A much-needed product to create rocket cars and so forth. Farming and fishing would continue to be another moneymaker, owing to the region's ever-abundant, and apparently never-ending resources.
By 2052, Seattle's city limits would extend from Everett all the way to Auburn. Downtown Seattle would be a center for commerce and government, with most of the retail stores spread out at smaller residential shopping centers across the county. Many people would live in the suburbs, and with most industries decentralized, places of work would only be scant minutes away.
Exports from Seattle would continue to make the city an important port to the world, although in 2052, global cultures may be blurred a bit. A world government, as well as a new international language, were predicted and were hoped to eliminate the need for economic and cultural frontiers.
Mom, Dad, and the Kids
Housewives in Seattle's future may depend on the "television-telephone" for all their shopping needs. Groceries, including "capsule" meals, could be bought over this device, and delivered to the door by helicopter. Wrinkle-free dresses, so inexpensive that they could be thrown out after each use, could also be bought this way.
For gadget-loving husbands, "talk-writers" would be available. Talk-writers would translate speech into written text. Other labor-saving household devices, many of which would be atomic-powered, would free up the family for lots of leisure time, especially since the work week would only be 20 to 30 hours long. These families would include grandparents and great-grandparents. With nearly everyone in perfect health, lifetimes could easily span as long as 150 years.
The Down Side
The prognosticators of 1952 painted a rosy picture of the future, but what problems lay ahead? According to the report, no solution was given on how to keep taxes down, or to keep the monthly bills from rolling in. And no one came up with a good way to keep the neighbor's dog from digging up the tulip bulbs.
Oh, the humanity.
