Living in Washington’s state capital city of Olympia isn’t just all about government and lawmaking. There is a lot more this capital city has to offer. Wallethub.com lists Olympia as the #7 best state capital, taking into consideration affordability, economic well-being, quality of education and health, and quality of life.
Here is why Olympia is attractive.
Affordability
Although home prices continue to steeply increase, Thurston County remains affordable. The Washington Center For Real Estate Research at the University of Washington just published its latest quarterly report on Washington housing affordability.
Affordability dropped everywhere but Thurston County dropped the least amount. This chart measures the ability of a middle-income household to carry the mortgage payment of a median-priced home.
For Q2 2021, the median income buyer for King County (where Seattle is located) would need to buy a home priced 26% BELOW the median sales price in order for the home to be affordable. Finding a home 26% below the median in King County will be tough, to put it mildly.
On the flip side, Thurston County median-income buyers can purchase 14% ABOVE the median-priced home. Seattle and Tacoma are the principal cities in Western Washington and because Olympia is not, the city offers a relatively low cost to living here.
Economic Well-Being: Jobs, Employment and Household Income
Living in Olympia means over a quarter of all jobs are with the federal, state, and local government. The State of Washington is the largest employer in Thurston County. Following this are jobs in health care, retail, accommodation and food services, and professional services.*
Thurston County’s unemployment rate tends to stay a little lower than Washington State’s numbers primarily because of the high number of state employment. In 2020, the unemployment rate for Thurston County was 8.3% and the State was 8.4 percent.*
Thurston County’s median household income for 2020 was $80,738. This is the 4th highest income of all counties in Washington – behind King, Snohomish, and Clark counties.*
*Data from the Thurston County Regional Planning Council.
Education and Health
Sixty-five percent of the public schools K-12 in the Olympia area are rated above average on GreatSchools.org.
Washington state recognizes home-schooling. For the 2020-2021 school year, 2,223 students in Thurston County were home-schooled, which is up 50% more than the previous school year.
Olympia also is home to the nationally awarded Saint Martin’s University, The Evergreen State College, and South Puget Sound Community College.
With the mountains, the water, the desert, the rainforests, the prairies – Olympians have lots of outdoor activities to enjoy and get some fitness in, too. Obesity rates are lower than the national average and there is access to quality healthcare including Providence St. Peter Hospital and Capital Medical Center.
Quality of Life – Capital Cities and Historic Districts
Many state capital cities were the first cities to be developed and many have historic districts. I have frequently talked about Olympia’s South Capitol District with its sidewalks and tree-lined streets, and of course, the character and charm of the historic homes that buyers drool over! New neighborhoods are not built this way and don’t have the same interest or curb appeal as the historic district.
For more on the South Capitol District, click here for a walking tour.
Live Music and Entertainment
This isn’t just a feature of capital cities but Olympia and the surrounding cities have lots of free, live music and entertainment options. In the summer, the City of Lacey has their In Tune entertainment series and a couple of weeks ago, I caught their last concert of the summer. Be sure to check out my video with Dmitri Matheny and his jazz band.
Capital cities like Olympia have a lively arts scene in all genres and you’ll love finding and exploring these gems.
Politics
By living here, you can have a direct line to lawmakers; you can attend public hearings and really have a front-row view of policymaking.
We do have demonstrations at the capital campus. For the most part, the demonstrations are peaceful and they stay on campus but sometimes they do get out of hand and can spill on the street and downtown Olympia.
Weather
Many buyers looking to move to Olympia will ask about the weather, specifically how much does it rain here? Olympia gets 53 inches of rain on average per year (the US average is 38 inches of rain per year). And Olympia gets some kind of precipitation on average 167 days per year. This also leads to the discussion about sunny days. Olympia is well under the US average of 205 sunny days with Olympia averaging only 136 sunny days per year.
Depending upon how you like your winters, Olympia averages 6 inches of snow per year. Temperatures range from an average winter low of 34 degrees to a summer high of 77 degrees.
Olympians can and do get out every day. They are not stuck inside the house because it is too hot or too cold. And rain does not stop us!
Why I Like Living in Olympia, WA
I was born and raised in Seattle and lived and worked there up until 2005. Seattle became and has become a city that became too expensive and too congested. I moved to Olympia to enjoy a little bit slower pace without sacrificing the events, entertainment, and recreation available. Although Olympia is only about sixty miles south of Seattle, it is a world of difference living here. If you are interested in making Olympia your home, call or email me today!