Olympia, Washington

Olympia is the capital of the state of Washington. Located at the base of Puget Sound and directly to the southeast of the sprawling acreage of Olympic National Park, Olympia is defined by its landscape. The city is surrounded by the natural wonders of the American Northwest and contains many green areas. Olympia is often considered a center for environmental studies.

Landscape

Olympia is located in the northeast corner of the state of Washington, approximately 50 miles south of Seattle and 100 miles north of Portland, Oregon. Views of the Olympic Mountains, to the northwest, and Mount Rainier, to the southeast, can be seen from Olympia. Olympia is 119 miles southeast of the Olympic Peninsula.

Puget Sound begins north of Seattle and ends at Olympia. The city is located at the southernmost point of this body of water, where the Budd Inlet empties into Capitol Lake. The lake divides the city vertically into two sections that lie on each of the banks of the water. Evergreen State College, a liberal arts college considered a leading center for environmental studies, is located on the west bank of Capital Lake, and the twenty square blocks of downtown that form the business district of Olympia are on the east bank.

The Olympia metropolitan area includes two neighboring towns, Lacey and Tumwater, located to the east and south, respectively. Between the land and water area incorporated into Olympia, the city consists of only 18.1 square miles.

The elevation of the city is approximately 100 feet above sea level. Olympia is temperate and rainy; temperatures average in the high 30s and low 40s during the winter season, from November through March, and the high 50s to low 60s in the summer, from June until September. Winter months experience an average of 8 inches of precipitation, whereas the winter sees between 1 and 2 inches of rainfall per month.

People

As of 2022, Olympia has a US Census Bureau estimated population of 55,669 people. The majority of the population (77 percent) is white. Asians represented 7 percent, persons of Hispanic or Latino heritage constituted 11.2 percent, and Black or African Americans were 2.8 percent of the population.

As of 2022, Olympia's median household income was $73,851. The total percentage of citizens living below the poverty line was approximately 13.3 percent. As of 2024, the overall cost of living for the Olympia area was 14 percent above the national average. The greatest influencer of the cost of living was housing, which was 20 percent higher than the national average.

Olympia is home to two institutes of higher learning: Evergreen State College and South Puget Sound Community College. South Puget Sound Community College is a two-year vocational school that graduates students in trade skills. Evergreen is a liberal arts college known for its environmental studies and arts programs. It has a reputation for being an extremely liberal and progressive college. (Saint Martin's University is located in nearby Lacey.)

Olympia has an active fine arts scene. Troupes of actors and the Symphony Orchestra regularly perform at the State Theater and the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. The art gallery at Evergreen also holds shows for local artists, as does the Washington Center. Olympia hosts an annual film festival run by the Olympia Film Society, and the biannual Arts Walk.

The Olympia Farmer's Market, the parade at Lakefair, and the 8-kilometer Marathon and Relay that occurs annually over Memorial Day weekend, are all popular destinations for city dwellers and tourists.

Economy

Olympia's natural resources often act as the city's most effective economic stimulators. Olympia is located between Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains, and the wilderness of Olympic National Park is located 119 miles away. Olympia's location at the crossroads of two major bodies of water, the Budd Inlet and the Deschutes River, make it an important seaport. In addition to lumber and shellfish, early economic development was based on port facilities.

Salmon populate this area, where fresh water mixes with salt, and fishing is a popular sport and livelihood. Olympia's other products include wood products, plastic products, and mobile homes. Though decreasing, agriculture in the region remains another traditional industry. The health care, retail, and hospitality sectors, including gambling, remain important industries.

The city's largest employer is the state government, followed by the city and federal governments. The largest private employer is Providence St. Peter Hospital. Other major employers in Olympia include tribal enterprises and government and the local public school districts. The largest share of the working population is employed in office and administrative support, followed by business and financial operations.

Landmarks

Olympia's Capitol Campus is perhaps the city's most defining landmark. Located on the banks of the Capitol Lake, the campus contains the Washington State Capitol building, built between 1911 and 1928. The building is 287 feet tall with a 47-foot lantern, and is the fourth-tallest dome in the world and tallest masonry dome in the state. It is a model of the US Capitol in Washington DC.

Surrounding the Capitol building are the grounds of the Capitol Campus, on which are found stone sculptures, a model of the Danish Tivoli fountain in Copenhagen, a conservatory filled with Japanese cherry trees, and monuments for the Vietnam War and World War I. The Capitol Campus also contains a library of rare books and art, as well as the Temple of Justice, where the State Supreme Court functions.

The State Capitol Museum, located in the downtown area, is housed within a former mayor's mansion that was built during the 1920s. The museum contains exhibits of Native American art and art and artifacts from pioneer times. The architecture of the mansion itself is often considered the most fascinating aspect of the museum.

Percival Landing Park contains a small half-mile boardwalk through downtown, which leads pedestrians along the bank of the Budd Inlet and past the marina, stores, restaurants, museums, and the rest of the city. The walk includes an observation tower and ends with the statue The Kiss by Auguste Rodin.

Olympia is characterized by the unique parks and green areas that reveal the region's natural beauty and the city's environmentally conscious personality. Such parks include Capitol Lake and Park, which shows views of the Capitol building; it is located where the Deschutes River empties into the Budd Inlet, and salmon can be seen flooding the area. Between Capitol Park and Percival Landing Park is Heritage Park which holds Heritage Fountain, a picturesque fountain with dozens of spouts.

Other popular parks include Millersylvania State Park, which contains 800 acres beside Capitol Lake, and Priest Point Park, a densely wooded area that offers visitors a clear view of the Olympic Mountains. Olympia is also home to a monument marking the end of the famed Oregon Trail. Established in 1913, the monument is located downtown in Sylvester Park.

History

Before the advent of European colonization, the area that was to become Olympia, the land at the southernmost point of Puget Sound, was inhabited by American Indians of the Salish tribe. The area was used for trade and festivals, and was called "Cheetwoot," which means the "Black Bear Place."

The region was first visited by European explorers in 1792, when Peter Puget led a crew from British Vancouver. In 1841, a similar expedition was led by Lieutenant Charles Wilkes. This voyage resulted in the naming of Budd Inlet after one of the shipmen on the expedition.

The first American settlers in the area, Levi Lathrop Smith and Edmund Sylvester, moved to Tumwater in 1846. Sylvester, a native of Maine, plotted out a town in the area beginning in 1850. The town was modeled after the New England towns with which he was familiar. Olympia was named after the nearby Olympic Mountains. By 1853, there were nearly 1,000 settlers populating the area.

The first customs house was built on Puget Sound in 1851. One year later, Thurston County was organized and Olympia became its capital. In 1853, Washington became a territory and Olympia the provisional capital; by 1855, the site of the capital was confirmed. Olympia developed into a major seaport, trading center, and source for oysters during the 1850s. It was incorporated as a town on January 28, 1859.

In 1889, Washington became a state and the first legislature gathered in November. Over the years, Olympia's right to remain the state capital was challenged by nearby, larger cities such as Seattle, but Olympia retained the honor.

During the transition into the twentieth century, Olympia remained a major seaport and trading center. Between 1911 and 1912, harbors lying to the east and south of the city were filled with earth and integrated into the city, adding over twenty blocks to the land area.

During the First and Second World Wars, Olympia became the major lumber producer of the northwest region. Smokestacks were built along the waterfront and new downtown buildings and private residences were built to accommodate the growing economy and population.

In 1949, however, much of the city was destroyed in an earthquake. The damaged areas were quickly restored, and in 1955, Olympia was mandated as the permanent capital and center for government headquarters. A new freeway through Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater was constructed during the 1950s, making Olympia the accessible capital it needed to be.

As the 1950s drew to a close, the mills and smokestacks of the war years became obsolete. Evergreen State College opened, changing the society, attitude, and personality of the city into the artsy, environmentally conscious place that it remains in the twenty-first century.

Trivia

• During the 1840s, droves of Chinese immigrants followed the American settlers to Olympia. Thus, the town became the home of the first Chinatown in the US.
• Although Olympia is a major American city and a state capital, it is not readily accessible by air. The nearest airport is the Seattle-Tacoma airport, more than 30 miles away.
• The first soft-serve ice cream machine in the world was in a Dairy Queen in Olympia.

"City of Olympia." Olympia City Government, 2024, www.olympiawa.gov/#section1-anchor. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.

"Occupational Employment and Wages in Olympia-Tumwater--May 2022." US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22 June 2023, www.bls.gov/regions/west/news-release/occupationalemploymentandwages‗olympia.htm. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.

"Olympia City, Washington." US Census Bureau, 2023, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/olympiacitywashington/PST045223. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.

Williams, David B. Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound. U of Washington P, 2021.