Although seawater desalination continues to be widely discussed within the U.S. water treatment community, especially in policy, water resources, and membrane treatment circles, to date a comprehensive review of the state of seawater desalination in America as an educational and informational resource, particularly for a general audience, has not been compiled. Thus, the intent of this paper is to provide such an overview, examining the factors that have diminished the historic obstacles to seawater desalination and enabled the concept to become so broadly embraced in America so quickly, including technology advancements, improved economics, creative engineering solutions, and the continually increasing demand for new water resources. The trends associated with seawater desalination are also examined with respect to their implications for the future of the concept. Includes 4 references, tables.