Seattle, Washington - For the Love of Coffee and Music

Though famous for its love of coffee, Seattle does not end on it alone. Seattle was named Emerald City with a rich culture which perfectly defines what it has become today. With an estimated population of 602,000 as of 2009, it had been ranked as one of the most literate cities with the highest percentage of college graduates in the State.

Seattle was settled by the Indian tribes: Duwamps and New York Alki. The city's present name was taken from the name of a chief of one of the two tribes, Sealth. Moving on to the timeline, Seattle has experienced sudden development and downfall a number of times. Their development was caused by the demand of their lumber industry and Klondike Gold Rush. These developments however preceded their downfall which included the Panic of 1893, a period of Depression and the World War.

With their rich culture and heritage, Seattle impressed the world with their performing arts. Among the famous ones include the Seattle Symphony Orchestra which existed for about a century. Other well acclaimed performing arts were the Seattle Opera, Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra and Pacific Northwest Ballet. The city also holds several festivals of chamber music arranged by the Seattle Chamber Music Society. Seattle's music society gave birth gave birth to what is known as the Seattle sound or popularly known as grunge which is a new genre classified under alternative rock. Seattle had been the home of outstanding artists around the world including Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana.

In accordance to their excellence in music, Seattle holds a series of festivals that showcase their talents. They have the Bumbershoot which exhibits their excellence in music and arts, Seattle Hemp fest which is attended annually by about a 100,000 people, and the must-see Bite of Seattle - a gay festival which is also one of the largest in the State. Seattle has a number of Museums and Galleries including Longhouse Museum, Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle Art Museum and Frye Art Museum which is for free. From these places, one will see bits and pieces of Seattle's history, and their excellence in the field of Arts.

You may also want to visit a list of famous landmarks found in Seattle. Some places on the list are the Space Needle, Columbia Center, Smith Tower, the first Starbucks and Seattle Central Library.

Seattle has well developed health and transportation systems consisting of a network of buses for the convenience of the people. They are now, however, trying to break away from automobiles and plan a shift to mass transit.

These facts prove that despite Seattle's downfalls, there are still evident periods of development that is clearly seen nowadays.