SEATTLE _ Three decades ago, Seattle was known for its rain and the little airplane plant called Boeing. The city had an inferiority complex of sorts _ never a major city, always an also-ran.
But the city has improved its image.
Seattle's march into the spotlight began in 1962 with the World's Fair, which included construction of the Space Needle and a visit by Elvis Presley, where he filmed one of his lamest movies, 'It Happened At the World's Fair.' Nevertheless, it was Seattle's announcement to the world, 'Hey, we're over here.'
The soggy, moss-filled corner of the country began to be recognized. Sporting events helped. College basketball playoffs began regular trips to the county-owned concrete stadium called the Kingdome. The Seattle Mariners baseball team drafted burgeoning superstars Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez, and the Seattle-based University of Washington football team won the national championship.
Then, the city and the Northwest became the backdrop for such films as 'Sleepless in Seattle' and 'Singles' and television shows 'Northern Exposure' and 'Twin Peaks.'
Microsoft's campus was in a Seattle suburb. Seattle-based Starbucks entered the American lexicon for good coffee and market expansion. And Kurt Cobain and friends made muddy music that prompted the country to wear ragged flannel shirts _ a longtime staple of Northwest fashion. National magazines proclaimed Seattle the coolest in the land. In 1996, Newsweek's cover blared, 'Seattle Reigns' and said 'sooner or later everyone moves to Seattle.'
The 1990s may have been the city's coming-out party, but also marked the end of its innocence. Seattle now had big city problems: a wild protest over international economics, traffic jams and a much higher cost of living.
In recent months, Seattle has had its share of bad luck. Griffey and Rodriguez have left. Microsoft has been ordered to split up. Software companies are closing. And just a few weeks ago, Boeing announced it was moving its world headquarters.
In February, a 6.8 earthquake rocked the region. It caused millions of dollars in damage, but for the most part the city survived intact, according to the mayor's publicist, Dick Lilly.
'There is no significant impact to life in the city or tourism in particular,' Lilly said.
Seattle remains a great place to visit. Clear days in Seattle, which regularly occur June to September, bring out its beauty. The Cascade Mountains to the east and the Olympic Mountains to the west provide a perfect backdrop for a downtown that appears to be floating in the middle of an inland sea.
Ferries toot their horns as they cruise commuters to island homes. House boats bob on Lake Union. Seaplanes fly executives to their hideaways. And evergreen trees keep the landscape lush year-round.
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(c) 2001, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
Visit GT Online, the World Wide Web site of The Gazette, at http://www.gazette.com
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
