You granola-eating, sandal-wearing, long-haired, liberal, hippie freaks. Go drink some fair trade coffee and eat organic foods while wearing flannel. Or better yet, go play some indie-rock on your trendy iPod.

I say these things to bring up a point: There are tons of stereotypes out there about Seattle. Most people have probably heard them, and maybe some students have even been pointed out for a few.

Are these stereotypes founded on fact or are they mere myths? The Daily has chosen some of the multitude to investigate.

music industry: BUSTED

The late '80s and early '90s will forever be immortalized in the minds of Seattleites and the music community the world over as the age of grunge. This movement's roots, led by bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam and recording agencies like Sub Pop Records, were sunk in none other than Seattle. But is Seattle still a forerunner in the music business? Is the momentum still going strong or has it petered out?

"Sub Pop got its legs because people out here were making great music," said Steve Manning, director of publicity for Sub Pop Records. "In the mid to late '80s, L.A., which truly is the capital of music in this country, was a million miles away. You can't plan for grunge blowing up the way it did. If you went to Omaha, they'd consider themselves the burgeoning music capital of the country. There's a lot of great bands here but there are a lot of great bands a lot of places."

In fact, it seems that the new music capital in the northwest might actually be our neighbor to the south: Portland, Ore.

"I'd think there is actually more going on in Portland than there is here," Manning said. "I think [saying Seattle is the music capital of the Northwest] sounds good because we're here. Part of the reason things were happening here in the '80s and happening now in Portland is because it's cheap to live there. So of course they're going to live there."

coffee :PLAUSIBLE BUT UNCONFIRMED

If the United States were a person, Washington would be the nervous twitch from an over-consumption of caffeine — or so everyone seems to think. Is it true?

According to Starbucks' Web site, there are approximately 7,102 company-operated Starbucks stores worldwide. 585 of which are in Washington state alone. This means that about one-twelfth of all independent Starbucks coffee shops are located in Washington. Considering the Starbucks Corporation made $2.4 billion in net revenue in the first fiscal quarter of 2007 alone, Washington state is responsible for $200,000,000 of that revenue. However, actual regional sales figures are closely guarded secrets for all major coffee companies, so only Howard Schultz knows for sure.

The North Face: UNCONFIRMED

It's hard to walk to class or around town without seeing about 10,000 North Face jackets. It seems like everyone and their grandma has at least two of them. Is this a Seattle thing? Are North Face CEOs getting fat off Seattleites' apparent obsession with polar fleece?

"There are only 14 North Face stores in the country, one of which is in U. Village," said Shawn Burroughs, a manager at The North Face Store. "Last year we were 11th out of these 14 stores as far as volume sales. There is a lot of business done on the East Coast and in Boston."

Perhaps The North Face is not such a Seattle thing after all. Some, however, argue otherwise.

"Basically, The North Face is kind of a company that's developed in northwest urban areas," Ian Houck, an employee of The North Face Store, said. "Despite the fact that there are big stores on the East Coast, they aren't nearly as popular as they are on the West Coast; The North Face originated in Berkeley, California."

organic food and farmer's markets: PLAUSIBLE

Whole Foods is right down the street from the UW and we have a weekly farmer's market right around the corner. If you haven't heard anything about organic foods or fair trade coffee, you must be new here. However, are residents of Seattle as into healthy organic foods as they seem?

"[Seattleites] have a more healthy lifestyle as a goal," said Diana Crane, community and public relations manager for PCC Natural Markets. "We are currently involved in a fitness challenge nationwide to calculate Washington's healthiness because we want to make that perception statistically viable. Those healthy eating habits and lifestyle choices are borne out in the popularity of farmer's markets. PCC has been around for 54 years as a co-op and I think that is a testament [to public opinion]."

This trend only seems to be growing.

"At the 6 markets [the Neighborhood Farmers' Market Alliance] operated in 2006, 252,396 people came through," said Janet Hurt, office manager at NFMA. "When Chris Curtis started the U-District Farmer's Market in 1993, it was the only farmer's market in the city."

Birkenstocks: PLAUSIBLE

When that activist kid who's always missing from class is chained to a tree for Greenpeace, he'll typically be wearing Birkenstocks if he's wearing any shoes at all. Can Seattle be labeled as particularly "Birkenstockish" or is this just another unfounded stereotype?

"This store's been here for 30 years," said Anne Byrne, an employee of M.J. Feet, a shoe store on the Ave. that specializes in Birkenstocks. "So obviously they like Birkenstocks around here. Birkenstock is a German sandal company. I lived in Germany for a while ad I think more people wear Birkenstocks here. They are a little more fashion-conscious there."

bicycling: PLAUSIBLE

From the bike messengers hurriedly scurrying around the streets of downtown to the casual commuters riding around campus, bicycling is a common activity. Some might say that Seattle is known nationwide as a biking hub, but is it really? Are there places around the country that would put Seattle to shame?

"I would say that this isn't a myth," said Steve Henry, an employee at the ASUW Bike Shop "The way Seattle is laid out — not a lot of land mass and a lot of water — means that it's comparatively easy to cover great distances on a bike as compared to other cities such as L.A. Seattle probably has a greater population of cyclists than most cities."

"As far as sporting goes, Seattle is one of the major race centers in the country," said Matt Weintraub, a local bicyclist and UW sophomore. "It's pretty respected."

Seattle is also home to the largest cycling club in the United States, the Cascade Bicycling Club.

Reach Camden Swita at camdenswita@thedaily.washington.edu.