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Real Estate & Homes in Olympia - Washington - Olympia, Washington homes and communities
Olympia
The State Capital
Located at the southernmost tip of Puget Sound, Olympia is the capital of Washington state. The city's name represents its view of the majestically rugged Olympic Mountains, which rise above the water and the white dome of the state capitol building.
Olympia has been ranked as one of America's most eye-pleasing cities. The capital city is the workplace of more than 21,000 state government workers and elected legislators. As a port city and an active-hub maritime commerce city, it still has the neighborly attitude of a small town. Sitting along the Interstate 5 corridor, Olympia is 60 miles south of Seattle and 110 miles north of Portland, Ore.
Olympia surrounds a deep-water port, which has more than 60 acres of facilities and three deep-water berths to handle containerized cargo, forest products and other yard shipments. Wood products are the main cargo shipped from Olympia's marine terminal. Stacks of logs sit in the port waiting to be loaded on ocean-going ships. Each year, 18 million board-feet of logs are exported, and another 20 million board-feet of lumber is imported. Most of the outgoing shipments are sent to Japan.
The port sits on a long peninsula that juts into Puget Sound, forming West Bay and East Bay. The port also operates Swantown Marina, which is home to many sailboats that enjoy the pleasure and convenience of South Sound boating. The marina is within five minutes driving time of downtown Olympia. Swantown Boatworks is able to lift and handle boats up to 22 feet wide in its travel lift. The facility also offers haul-out and maintenance services.
The peninsula is also home to the Olympia Farmers Market, where you will find fresh vegetables, flowers and other items. The tree-lined hills on either side of the peninsula climb gracefully up from the water and give residents a view of the port, the capitol building, Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains.
Olympia History
At the southern tip of Puget Sound, a small peninsula juts out into the bay. This area was known as Cheetwoot, which means the "black bear place” to the Salish Indians. The inlet was a shellfish site for many coastal Salish tribes, including the Nisqually, Duwamish and Squaxin. The Nisqually are said to have used the area for gathering shellfish and salmon for more than 500 years before white settlers appeared.
As a sign of their wealth, tribal leaders held “potlatches," where neighboring tribes were invited to feast. Potlatches lasted several days and included singing, dancing, games and eating. The word, which means "to give," is said to have come from the Chinook tribe.
As part of a British Vancouver expedition, Peter Puget visited the area in 1792 and explored the entire waterway. He eventually explored most of what is now called Puget Sound.
In 1841, the U.S. Exploring Expedition visited the area of modern-day Olympia. Lt Charles Wilkes named the waterfront bay the Budd Inlet, after a member of the crew. In 1846, settler Edmund Sylvester claimed the area as a town site. In 1850, the town was officially platted in a New England style with a town square, capitol grounds, tree-lined streets, and land for a school and a Masonic hall. Olympia was selected as the name based on the view of the Olympic Mountains from the area.
As American settlers came on the Cowlitz Trail from the Columbia River, they saw the small peninsula as their first access to Puget Sound. By 1851, Olympia had the first Custom House on the Sound, and in 1852, Olympia became county seat for the newly organized Thurston County.
In 1853, Washington was declared a territory. Isaac Stevens, the first territorial governor, named Olympia as the provisional territorial capital. As Olympia developed, it had the largest population of any town formed around Puget Sound. In January 1859, Olympia was incorporated as a city, with a population of 1,000.
Residents saw their town as the natural location to the terminus of the transcontinental railroad. They thought it would provide the best possible access between the railroad and the waterway for overseas cargo. Boosters formed a company and donated land to encourage the railroad to build in Olympia. But in 1873, the railroad bypassed Olympia and selected Tacoma as its terminus. This also prevented Olympia from any railroad access by stopping at Tenino, 15 miles south of Olympia. Although the people of Olympia built their own line to connect to Northern Pacific at Tenino, Tacoma remained the railroad line's terminus.
Washington became the 42nd state of the Union in 1889. As the capital city, Olympia prospered. It added an opera house, city water system, streetcar line, street lamps and a new hotel to accommodate visiting legislators.
In 1911 and 1912, dredging was done to deepen the port. Dirt from the dredging was used to fill sloughs to the north and east of the city, adding another 22 blocks to the downtown area. Olympians paid for most of the $250,000 project. In 1922, voters formed the Port of Olympia, and the lumber mills that lined Budd Inlet shipped forest products to the world.
During World War I, Olympia was the center of lumber processing. Downtown buildings and residential homes were constructed to the south and west of the city. In 1927, after many years of construction, the domed legislative building was completed.
Olympia was a busy port during World War II. The airport became a satellite operation for McChord Air Base, and the port was a major shipping area for lend-lease materials going to the Soviet Union. In 1940, Capitol Lake was designed to reflect the capitol dome. The lake was formed by damming the Deschutes River where it entered Budd Inlet.
In the 1960s, Interstate 5 was constructed through the southern part of Olympia and its neighboring towns. During this time, three large sawmills closed.
In 1972, Evergreen State College opened on 1,000 acres in the Copper Point area. Development started outside the downtown peninsula area, and the neighborhoods of Olympia, Tumwater and Lacey were soon next door to one another.
In recent years, Olympia and its neighboring cities have continued to have tremendous growth. The downtown historical areas have been revitalized, and the population of Olympia has quadrupled from 2,000 in 1960 to more than 200,000 today.
Neighborhoods and Housing
Old and new homes sit along tree-lined streets, and waterfront property is tucked away on numerous saltwater inlets. Starting at the water's edge, the city surrounds Puget Sound and other bays and inlets.
Bigelow Highlands: Also known as Workingman's Hill, this neighborhood sits along the eastside of Puget Sound close to the downtown area. Older houses in this area may have been built from 1912 to 1935. Three-bedroom homes range in price from $184,500 to $300,000.
Upper Eastside: This area is east of Bigelow Highlands, farther away from the Sound. A three-bedroom home may have a price range of $185,000 to $350,000.
Eastside: This area has dense, older single-family homes in an urban landscape. The residents are working to preserve this old neighborhood. The Olympia Community Gardens maintains a beautiful garden in the area, with wildlife and cooperative fruit and nut trees. Homes with three bedrooms in this area range in price from $182,500 to $425,000. Some of the oldest homes date back to 1893, have five bedrooms, and have been refurbished with four or more bathrooms.
Cooper Point: There are more than 216 homes in this area, which is close to Budd Inlet, Eld Inlet and Capitol Lake. Most houses were built between 1975 and today. Three-bedroom houses range in price from $430,000 to $780,000. Many have private docks onto the waterfront and offer views of Mount Rainier, the Olympic Mountains and islands in the Sound.
Northeast: Located on the east side of the Sound, this is the most northern community around Olympia. The area has approximately 100 residents. A three-bedroom home will vary in price from $190,000 to $300,000.
Northwest: This neighborhood west of the Sound climbs a tree-lined hill. Homes here, whether on the water or on the hill, provide a picturesque view of the capitol, Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains. The price range for a three-bedroom home is $336,000 to $595,000.
Downtown: This district is truly the downtown shopping area of Olympia. Older homes and apartments are in this area, which includes the port. Homes here may date back to 1907 and range in price from $190,000 for a lesser-square-footage house to $355,000 for a larger home.
South Capital: Just south of the downtown area, this is the location of the state capitol and legislative buildings. Three-bedroom homes in this area range from $350,000 to $1 million.
Weather
Olympia has cool summers with breezes coming off the water. The average summer temperature ranges from 45 to 77 degrees. The 50.5 inches of annual rain add to the green lawns and trees on the hills. Winter snowfall occurs over several months with only a few inches each time, totaling 16.5 inches per year. Winter temperatures are warmer than most areas, with an average of 32 to 44 degrees.
Attractions
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, located in the center of Olympia, provides a variety of entertainment and cultural activities. The original theater at this spot was the Liberty Theater, which was built in 1924 as a vaudeville house. After its renovation in 1948, it became the Olympic Theater movie house. All of this old theater, except for the exterior walls, was taken down in the early 1980s to rebuild the Washington Center. The façade still retains the 1924 architecture, but the interior is completely modern. The 983-seat theater reopened in 1985 and has four seating levels.
The Farmers Market is located on the downtown peninsula, close to the Port of Olympia. Tables are stacked with purple beets, red-skinned potatoes, baked goods, fresh flowers and wooden toys and other handcrafts. The market, which is open from April through December, also offers entertainment from local bands. Olympia's Farmers Market is the second-largest outdoor market in the state; only Seattle's Pike Place Market is larger.
Historic Westside Grocery is a 1904-era corner store that offers a great view of Mount Rainier.
The State Capitol Campus welcomes 500,000 people each year to visit the Legislature and tour the state's buildings, grounds, gardens and monumental art. The State Capitol Museum is a few block south of the capitol in the Lord Mansion. Two floors of exhibits offer regional Native American history along with other interesting exhibits.
The Bigelow House Museum was built in the 1850s and is one of the oldest homes still standing in the Pacific Northwest. Attorney Daniel R. Bigelow and his wife, Ann Elizabeth, collected many items, and their house has much of its original furnishings.
The Hands On Children's Museum has more than 10,000 square feet of exhibit space and is one of the largest youth museums in the Northwest. Everything in the museum was meant to bring joy to children and parents. There are more than 50 interactive exhibits, including a young art studio. TotSpot, in the Early Learning Gallery, was designed for ages 4 and under.
Capital Theatre is home to the Olympia Film Society, which offers films throughout the year. In November, it hosts the Olympia Film Festival.
Music in the Park is a summer outdoor concert held on Fridays at noon in Sylvester Park. Twilight concerts, known as Music in the Dark, are held Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.
As you stroll Olympia's street, you will see murals on back walls of stores in the alleys and original painting in the Washington State Library on the Capitol Campus. Olympia has a number of local artists, and merchants make arrangements with them to display their work.
Each April and October, the Arts Walk shows the quality and diversity of local artists. The Olympia Arts Commission, the city of Olympia, individuals and organizations sponsor the exhibit, in which businesses open their doors for artists to display their works.
Opera Pacifica Education and Repertory Association provides professional vocal and instrumental performances. The opera company holds regular recitals, performs at fundraisers, and conducts classes and lecture series on music appreciation.
Outdoor Recreation
Percival Landing Park was named after a commercial wharf that was a well-known landmark in the Pacific Northwest. The first phase of the park opened in 1978. Other phases opened in 1985 and 1988. The park provides a 360-degree panoramic view of the capitol dome, the Olympic Mountains and the tall timbers of sailboat masts. It is one of three waterfront parks in the Olympia area used for family picnics and outdoor gatherings. The park also has a growing collection of outdoor public arts and historic interpretive sites.
Yashiro Japanese Garden honors Olympia's sister city in Japan. The design has an ancient hill and pond with nail-less gates, water features, cut-stone lanterns and a 13-tier pagoda. The park is a walled world with lacy maples and spiky iris blooms, where splashing water muffles the sound of the city.
In the late 1800s, nearly every glass of water in the city came from the wells at Watershed Park. Moxlie Creek Springs Basin, one of the largest spring basins in the region, is located in the park.
The beach at Priest Point Park is a pebbly beach on the north shore of Ellis Cove. It allows an unusual view of the capitol, which rises above the city's skyline.
Sylvester Park has a boulder that marks the end of the Oregon Trail. One leg of the trail led north up the Cowlitz River into Washington and stopped on the shores of Puget Sound.
Each fall, chinook salmon pass through the Capitol Lake Fish Ladder en route from the Pacific Ocean to the Deschutes River. You can watch their uphill battle against the river from the catwalk on the north side of Fifth Avenue.
Economy
State and local government employ 30 percent of all workers in the capital city. Service businesses account for another 26 percent of the workforce, and retail trade is responsible for an additional 17 percent.
Other employers in the Olympia area are:
- Providence St. Peter Hospital: This 395-bed hospital was built on a 173-acre parklike setting. It has 2,300 employees and 450 physicians.
- Evergreen State College: The educational institution employs 219 instructional faculty and 483 staff members. It has a student enrollment of 4,380 students.
- Capital Medical Center: This 119-bed general hospital and cancer treatment center is located on the west side of Olympia. It has 234 physicians and 469 staff members.
- Group Health Cooperative: The insurance health plan company and its medical clinics are headquartered in Seattle, but it employs staff in Olympia.
- Pabst Brewing Company: The former Olympia Brewing Company was bought by Pabst in 1983. The brewery, which is located just south of Olympia in Tumwater, produces 4.5 million barrels of beer each year. Olympia, Hamm’s and Rainier beers are three popular brews.
- South Puget Sound Community College: The two-year public college has more than 6,000 students. It was originally founded in 1962 as Olympia Vocational Technical Institute. Today, the school has 349 faculty members and 417 staff positions.
Transportation
Most Olympians travel via automobile along the city's streets, which run one way downtown. Interstate 5 connects Olympia to Seattle and Tacoma to the north, and to Portland to the south.
Five Intercity Transit routes operate between the west side and downtown Olympia. Local college students can ride free by using their student ID cards. Pierce Transit also operates express bus service for many government employees from the Lacey and Tacoma areas.
Olympia Regional Airport provides two runways for corporate jets, commuter-size planes and light freight aircraft. Blue Sky Airlines maintains regular flights to Spokane. Other air travel is provided from Sea-Tac Airport, which is 60 miles north of Olympia.
Amtrak rail service is provided in Lacey, six miles north along Interstate 5.
Health Care
Providence St. Peter Hospital was established in 1887. It is the largest hospital in the region, with 395 beds, 2,300 staff members and 450 physicians.
Capital Medical Center is a 119-bed hospital and cancer treatment center that was established in 1985. It has 469 staff members and 234 physicians.
Education
Olympia has 29 public schools: 19 elementary schools, five middle schools and five high schools
There are several colleges and universities, including:
- Evergreen State College
- South Puget Sound Community College
- St. Martin’s College
Where is Olympia?
Written by Linda Chambers exclusively for HomesParadise.com.
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