UW Department of Opthalmology: ABOUT SEATTLE

About Seattle

Although one of this nation's major urban areas, Seattle maintains attractive residential areas located within the city as well as in the suburbs. The waters of Puget Sound make Seattle one of the world's great ports and produce a climate that makes snow an uncommon occurrence during much of the winter, and temperatures above 80° unusual in the summer. Cloudy weather prevails during much of the winter, but annual precipitation is less than in major cities in the East and Midwest.

Seattle boasts the highest per capita boat population in the nation, and outdoor recreational opportunities abound, including running, biking, fishing, hiking, and kayaking/canoeing/rafting. Three national parks (Olympic, Mount Rainier (celebrating its Centennial), and North Cascades) are within easy driving distance. Many ski slopes are less than an hour's drive from the city center. Learn how to stay in shape for your favorite outdoor activities by visiting REI's Learn & Share Fitness Page..

Touring the various wineries is very popular in the Pacific Northwest. There is no shortage of wineries to visit. Consider taking the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train -- gliding along the east shore of Lake Washington while you enjoy gourmet cuisine and award-winning wines. Dine in comfort while you experience the novelty, beauty, and history of the railroad!

The Seattle World's Fair of 1962 left a legacy in the form of a center for cultural events, including an Opera House, the Seattle Repertory Theatre, the Pacific Science Center, the Key Arena (home of the Seattle SuperSonics), the Mercer Arena (home of the women's NBA team, the Seattle Storm), and the Space Needle. The Seattle Symphony's state-of-the-art concert hall, Benaroya Hall, opened on September 12, 1998. Opera, Ballet, Theater, and other major-league sports (the Seattle Mariners and the Seattle Seahawks) blend to provide entertainment for all. The new football stadium, tentatively named the Washington State Football/Soccer Stadium and Exhibition Center, began construction in April 2000, and the first Seahawks game will be played in August 2002. Until then, home games will be played at Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus. For a more detailed look at collegiate and professional teams in the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon, please visit Northwest Sports.

The Experience Music Project opened at the Seattle Center in June of 2000. The brainchild of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, it has attracted people from all over the world. EMP is a one-of-a-kind music museum combining interactive and interpretive exhibits to tell the story of the creative, innovative, and rebellious expression that defines American popular music.

With Supreme Happiness, Seattle welcomed a new baby elephant, Hansa, to the Woodland Park Zoo on November 3, 2000. Hansa, who weighed 235 pounds at birth and gains 3 pounds a day, symbolizes hope for the endangered Asian elephant population.

Seattle hosts a number of community events throughout the year. The Northwest Folklife Festival, held each year over the Memorial Day weekend, welcomes thousands of regional and international artists to share their traditions through music and dance performances, exhibits, demonstrations, and workshops. The Bite of Seattle is Seattle's largest food festival and premier restaurant showcase, where you can sample the delicacies of many of Seattle's finest chefs for a nominal fee. Seafair, a 50-year-old Seattle tradition held during July and August, is the largest community festival in the Pacific Northwest and one of the top ten festivals in the country. Activities include (among other things) the Torchlight Fun-Run (immediately) preceding the Torchlight Parade, and the Fleet Arrival and Tour. Families are encouraged to host a sailor and take them to a baseball game, or maybe a day-hike, or just home for dinner. Seafair culminates with the unlimited hydroplane races on Lake Washington and the arrival of the elite U.S. Navy Blue Angels, whose spectacular air show is performed during halftime at the boat races. Bumbershoot, the Seattle Arts Festival, returns to the Seattle Center every Labor Day weekend with a superbly crafted line-up of artists and performers from the Northwest region, across the country, and around the world.

If hordes of people don't appeal to you, Argosy Cruises has been celebrating the Northwest Spirit for the past 50 years. Since 1949, Argosy (previously operating as Seattle Harbor Tours) has provided the best way to see Seattle: from the water! Don't miss their Christmas Cruise Ship each December.

Seattle is a livable city, and we are a proud city. Congestion, traffic, and pollution have not become unmanageable. The economy, once entirely dependent on the aerospace industry, has undergone a healthy diversification. Elementary and secondary schools are among the finest in the nation. Seattle is a Great Place to Live!