In the late 1950s, Seattle's civic and business leaders were worried about the city losing its dominant position as a trading partner with the lucrative Pacific Rim nations. Interested in showing off all that the city and state had to offer in the hope of gaining new business, their unlikely solution was a world's fair, the first to be held in the United States since 1940. Other cities across the nation also competed for the honor, but Seattle surprised them all with a thoughtful and well-financed plan that would forever increase the world's awareness of the "Emerald City." More than nine million visitors came to enjoy the soaring Space Needle, the futuristic monorail, and the dozens of colorful pavilions at the fair.