Emerald City
Seattle was named the "Emerald City" as the result of a contest held in the 1980s. The reference is to the lush evergreen forests of the area. Seattle is also known as the Gateway to Alaska, Rain City and Jet City (a reference to Boeing, a longtime Seattle manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft). The Emerald City is home to Microsoft's Bill Gates and Paul Allen. It is Jimi Hendrix's birthplace, and the Experience Music Project--the museum founded by Paul Allen--is a tribute to Hendrix and to rock music in general. Seattle is located between Lake Washington and Puget Sound. To the east are the Cascade Mountains and to the west, the Olympics. Mount Rainier, which is 85 miles away, looms large on the city's horizon, and it often peaks above the clouds to welcome flights into Seattle's Sea-Tac airport.
![Curling bark of a Pacific Madrone tree (Arbutus menziesii) [aka Mandroña, Arbutus, Madroño, Madrona, and Strawberry Tree], growing along the seaside-facing slopes of Deception Pass State Park, Whidbey Island, Puget Sound, Washington, USA, June, 2009_WA_2370](http://www.agpix.com/catalog/AGPix_Rentz/AGPix_Rentz_2294.jpg)
