<P> Seattle is a hub for global health with the headquarters of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH, Infectious Disease Research Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation . In 2015, the Washington Global Health Alliance counted 168 global health organizations in Washington state . Many are headquartered in Seattle . </P> <P> Twenty of Seattle's neighborhoods host one or more street fairs or parades . </P> <P> From 1869 until 1982, Seattle was known as the "Queen City". Seattle's official nickname is the "Emerald City", the result of a contest held in 1981; the reference is to the lush evergreen forests of the area . Seattle is also referred to informally as the "Gateway to Alaska" for being the nearest major city in the contiguous U.S. to Alaska, "Rain City" for its frequent cloudy and rainy weather, and "Jet City" from the local influence of Boeing . The city has two official slogans or mottos: "The City of Flowers", meant to encourage the planting of flowers to beautify the city, and "The City of Goodwill", adopted prior to the 1990 Goodwill Games . Seattle residents are known as Seattleites . </P> <P> Seattle has been a regional center for the performing arts for many years . The century - old Seattle Symphony Orchestra is among the world's most recorded and performs primarily at Benaroya Hall . The Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet, which perform at McCaw Hall (opened 2003 on the site of the former Seattle Opera House at Seattle Center), are comparably distinguished, with the Opera being particularly known for its performances of the works of Richard Wagner and the PNB School (founded in 1974) ranking as one of the top three ballet training institutions in the United States . The Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras (SYSO) is the largest symphonic youth organization in the United States . The city also boasts lauded summer and winter chamber music festivals organized by the Seattle Chamber Music Society . </P>

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