UW AND SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Between the foothills of Mount Rainier and the shores of Puget Sound lies the University of Washington, renowned for excellence in teaching and research. The University of Washington is one of the leading universities in the nation, recognized for the high quality of its research and graduate programs. Since 1975 it has ranked among the first of U.S. public universities in the amount of competitive grant and contract support received from federal sources. The University annually enrolls more than 36,000 students and employs 4,000 faculty members in 16 schools and colleges.
The campus has extensive teaching and research facilities, a library system with more than four million volumes, a museum, an art gallery, two major teaching and research hospitals, theaters, and a well-equipped intramural sports facility. The University fields outstanding sport teams as a member of the Pacific-10 Conference.
Seattle
The University of Washington's attractive campus borders on Lake Washington and Lake Union in Seattle, one of the country's most livable cities.
More than half a million people call the city of Seattle home. Built on seven hills overlooking Puget Sound, with the rugged Olympic Mountains to the west, and the Cascade Range to the east, Seattle is a city of unparalleled mountain and water views. The surrounding waters temper the climate; extremes of heat or cold are infrequent and of short duration. Winter temperatures seldom measure below freezing and summers are a comfortable 75-80 degrees F. Annual rainfall averages 36 inches, concentrated in the winter and early spring. Snowfall is rare in the urban areas, though common in the nearby mountains. The mild climate and predominance of evergreen trees keep Seattle green all year.
The City of Seattle maintains 5,000 acres of rich and diverse beaches and parklands for leisure and recreational pursuits. Ball fields and tennis courts are plentiful. Paths abound for jogging, strolling, rollerblading, and biking including a three-mile path around Green Lake. The 14-mile-long Burke-Gilman Trail runs through campus. The moderate climate permits a wide range of year-round water and land recreational activities.
Naturalists enjoy the Woodland Park Zoo with its award-winning natural environments, the newly-renovated Seattle Aquarium, the 200-acre Olmsted-designed Washington Park Arboretum, and the Hiram Chittenden ship canal locks and salmon ladders. Trips on the Washington State Ferries to nearby Puget Sound islands are among the "best shows in town."
Seattle's culture has earned it an international reputation. Weekends are filled with music festivals, street fairs, rock concerts, arts and crafts shows, ethnic celebrations, exhibits, parades, regattas, runs, and food fairs. Seattle's music scene includes an active community of jazz and folk devotees, and it is notable as the birthplace of several popular rock bands and musicians such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Jimi Hendrix. Seattle Art Museum recently reopened with a 300,000-square-foot expansion.
The city's other attractions include Pike Place Market - one of the nation's last remaining Farmers' Markets and a bargain-hunter's paradise - and the 20-block Pioneer Square historical district replete with galleries, shops, and restaurants. The 74-acre Seattle Center offers science and cultural exhibits, performing and fine arts, and popular entertainment. The Center's 607-foot Space Needle dominates Seattle's northern skyline and provides commanding views of the surrounding lakes and mountains. At its base now sits the newest addition to the Seattle Center, the Experience Music Project, a museum of music history funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The region supports major league football, soccer, baseball, and basketball at Qwest Field, Safeco Field, and Key Arena.
Seattle has a rich and culturally diverse history that has produced a ruggedly individualistic, open, and friendly populace and a casual lifestyle. It is not surprising that national surveys consistently list Seattle as one of the most livable cities in the country.
