Elliott Bay is the body of water on which Seattle, Washington, is located. A line drawn from Alki Point in the south to West Point in the north serves to mark the generally accepted division between the bay and the open sound. Part of Washington's inland sea Puget Sound, it is home to the Port of Seattle, which, in 2002, was the 9th busiest port in the United States by TEUs of container traffic and the 46th busiest in the world.
It is unclear for whom the bay is named: candidates include Jared Elliott, ship's chaplain; George Elliott, ship's boy; and Midshipman Samuel Elliott; all of the Wilkes expedition. The last has been deemed the most likely namesake.
Elliott Bay is also home to Colman Dock, the main Seattle terminal of the state's ferry system, the largest in the country. Sailings regularly depart from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and Bremerton.
May through September, a small passenger ferry known as the King County Water Taxi runs across the bay, connecting Downtown Seattle with West Seattle (Seacrest Dock).