# SeattleWiki
**Wikidata**: [Q106165090](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106165090)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/seattlewiki

## Summary
SeattleWiki is a collaborative online resource dedicated to providing information about Seattle, Washington. It has operated under multiple domains since the mid-2000s, including seattlewiki.org and seattle.fandom.com, and served as an interwiki prefix for Wikimedia projects.

## Key Facts
- SeattleWiki is a website (instance_of: website) with Seattle as its main subject.
- It has operated under three domains: http://seattlewiki.org/ (2005-2017), http://seattle.wikia.com/ (2017-2020), and https://seattle.fandom.com/ (2020-present).
- The site served as an interwiki prefix for Wikimedia projects from 2005 to 2024, with links changing across the domain transitions.
- SeattleWiki's interwiki prefix periods: 2005-01-18 to 2017-01-10 (seattlewiki.org), 2017-01-10 to 2020-11-23 (seattle.wikia.com), and 2020-11-23 to 2024-06-30 (seattle.fandom.com).
- The platform historically contained 158 sitelinks, reflecting its scale as a knowledge repository.
- The general website class it belongs to dates to 1990, though SeattleWiki itself launched in the 2000s.

## FAQs
### Q: What is SeattleWiki?
A: SeattleWiki is a collaborative website offering user-generated content about Seattle, WA, including its history, neighborhoods, culture, and local information. It has evolved through multiple platforms since the mid-2000s.

### Q: When did SeattleWiki launch?
A: SeattleWiki began operating on January 18, 2005, under the domain seattlewiki.org. It migrated to seattle.wikia.com in 2017 and finally to seattle.fandom.com in 2020.

### Q: How is SeattleWiki connected to Wikimedia?
A: SeattleWiki functioned as an interwiki prefix for Wikimedia projects (like Wikipedia) from 2005 to 2024, allowing seamless cross-references between Wikimedia content and SeattleWiki articles.

### Q: What topics does SeattleWiki cover?
A: The wiki focuses exclusively on Seattle-related topics, including local history, neighborhoods, events, businesses, cultural references, and practical city information.

### Q: Is SeattleWiki still active?
A: Yes, SeattleWiki continues operating at its preferred domain https://seattle.fandom.com/ since November 23, 2020.

## Why It Matters
SeattleWiki addresses the critical need for accessible, crowd-sourced knowledge about a major US city outside formal encyclopedias. By providing a decentralized platform for local information, it empowers residents and visitors to contribute and access hyper-local insights—from neighborhood histories to current events—that often lack coverage in mainstream sources. Its resilience through platform migrations (independent domain to Wikia to Fandom) demonstrates the enduring value of collaborative city-specific documentation. This model has influenced how cities preserve digital identity and community knowledge in the internet era.

## Notable For
- One of the earliest city-specific wikis, predating many modern municipal knowledge platforms.
- Unique integration with Wikimedia projects, enabling Wikipedia editors to link directly to Seattle-specific resources.
- Platform evolution reflecting the wiki-hosting industry's shift from independent wikis to consolidated platforms (Wikia → Fandom).
- Sustained operation across two decades despite multiple ownership and technical changes.
- Exceptional interwiki prefix longevity, serving Wikimedia projects for 19 years (2005-2024) with three distinct URL mappings.

## Body
### Platform Evolution
SeattleWiki has undergone three distinct phases based on its hosting platform and domain:
1. **Independent Phase** (2005-01-18 to 2017-01-10): Hosted at http://seattlewiki.org/ with the interwiki URL `http://seattlewiki.org/wiki/$1`.  
2. **Wikia Phase** (2017-01-10 to 2020-11-23): Migrated to http://seattle.wikia.com/ with interwiki URL `http://seattle.wikia.com/wiki/$1`.  
3. **Fandom Phase** (2020-11-23 onwards): Operated at https://seattle.fandom.com/ (preferred URL) with interwiki URL `https://seattle.fandom.com/wiki/$1`, scheduled until 2024-06-30.  

### Technical Infrastructure
- Classified as a website with interwiki prefix functionality for Wikimedia projects.
- Uses MediaWiki software (standard for Wikia/Fandom platforms).
- Maintains a persistent identifier system across domain migrations, ensuring content continuity.
- Historical sitelink count: 158 (reflecting internal link structure or article connections).

### Content Scope
- Exclusively dedicated to Seattle, Washington as its main subject.
- Collaborative editing model allowing user contributions and revisions.
- Covers geographically specific topics (neighborhoods, landmarks) and cultural/historical references unique to the city.