| A historic market in Seattle, Pike Place Market opened on August 17, 1907 due to citizen outrage over produce prices. By allowing farmers to sell their goods straight to the public, shoppers and farmers could avoid cheating middlemen and get their food at reasonable prices. Eight farmers participated in the market's first day, selling out everything by eleven in the morning. Over 10,000 people showed up.
The market hit upon hard times in the wake of World War II, as most of the farmers were incarcerated due to Executive Order 9066, and the City Council proposed its destruction, but grassroots campaigns kept the market alive. It has since been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Pike Place Market now takes up nine acres of space in the heart of downtown Seattle, centered at the corner of First and Pine Streets (where the famous Public Market sign is). There are 46,000 named and numbered tiles on the floor of the market, inscribed at $35 a piece during a mid-80's campaign to raise money for the market.
Notable tourist attractions in the market are the fish-throwing seafood markets (as seen in The Real World, Levi's commercials, etc.), and Rachel, the 600 pound bronze pig that is the unofficial mascot of the market. | 
