Olympia is the Capitol City of Washington State and the seat of the Thurston County government. Located on the southern end of Puget Sound, Olympia sports beautiful water views and views of the Olympic mountains, the Black Hills and Mount Rainier.
The city was incorporated in 1859, but its history dates much earlier. You can learn about the history of the local area here.
The current population size of Olympia is around 45,000 inhabitants, but together with Lacey and Tumwater, the two cities that are geographically intertwined with Olympia, the combined metropolitan population is close to 100,000 inhabitants.
From a personal perspective: When my family decided to plant roots after many years of relocating with the military, we were looking for a mid-sized city with a small town feel, within an easy commute to a big city. We wanted a European climate (well, I did) with 4 seasons, but no extremes either in winter or in the summer. We wanted good schools for our children, a nice variety of cultural and community events and a casual life style. As military retirees it was also important for us to be near a military installation to take advantage of our benefits. Olympia fit the bill in all aspects and even offered the added benefit of being able to go skiing in the mountains in the morning and go sailing on Puget Sound in the afternoon (not that we actually ever did that). Recreational opportunities range from golfing the many local courses, hiking in the nearby Capitol Forest State Park, skiing in the Mt. Rainier National Park, sailing or kayaking on Puget Sound, or enjoying the ocean beaches. But enough of my own ravings, here is how Olympia was rated by different rating agencies in the past few years:
- The most secure mid-sized U.S. city as ranked by Best Places on behalf of Farmers’ Insurance two years in a row.
- In the top ten on Forbes Magazine list of Best Places for Business and Careers two years in a row.
- #16 on Sperling’s 2007 ranking of Best United States Cities.
- #36 on the 2007 Country Home Magazine list of Best Green Cities in America.
Featured in the 2006 edition of 50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family. - Best public transit system for a mid size town nation wide.
To learn more about Olympia, visit these sites:
