The unemployment rate is rising. Venture capital investments are sinking. And some of the state's largest tech employers are shedding workers. But don't let that get you down, Seattle. We've now been chosen the 2009 City of the Year by Fast Company. The business publication -- citing everything from Mount Rainier to Sir Mix-a-Lot to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center -- notes that Seattle "is the kind of city that will thrive and lead us into recovery."
Here's a short excerpt from the Fast Company article, written by Seattle native and author Garth Stein.
Since Microsoft put down roots here in 1979 -- Allen and Gates started the firm in New Mexico, but had the good sense to move home -- Seattle has become a nexus of computerized creativity, with myriad startups and VC firms funded by some of the 10,000-plus millionaires minted here over the past three decades.
"The weather lends itself completely to the lifestyle of a programmer," says John Cordell, one of the original architects of Microsoft's Internet Explorer. He compares the intricate craftsmanship of a top programmer with that of a master clocksmith: "You go into a hole and work 80 hours a week for eight months, then come out of the hole and take a break to recharge your batteries. Seattle has eight months of bad weather and four months of absolutely beautiful weather. It's the perfect place for software engineers."
It is dark times in the economy, but sometimes it is good to be reminded that we live in a special place.
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