If you are considering making Olympia, WA your home, here is a walking tour to get you acquainted with the area. I’m a Realtor and a Seattle native who moved to Olympia in 2005. There is a lot of things I love about Olympia and here are just a few of my favorites.
Olympia Quick Stats
- Population: 55,000
- 24th Largest City in Washington (726th larges in the US)
- Median Home Price: $407,500 (June 2020)
- Average Household Income: $75,355
- Largest Employers: State and Federal government and healthcare
The Capitol
Olympia is the capital city for Washington State. Washington State Capitol Building (or the Legislative Building) is where you can take tours of the building with its grand rotunda. The tour is definitely worth taking at least once as there is a lot of interesting history for such a relatively young town. (Olympia was incorporated in 1859.) This is fun to visit any time of the year but during the holidays, you can check out the huge tree. Here’s a link to past year’s trees.
The Campus
The grounds have many memorials and artwork. There are paved paths throughout the campus and you can check out the gardens and the massive trees.
Skybridge
Be sure to check out the east part of the campus and take the skybridge over Capitol Way. This is where I filmed the Korean War Memorial.
After touring the campus, head north of the dome to the Washington Law Enforcement Memorial and you’ll find a path down to Capitol Lake and to Marathon Park and Heritage Park. The lake has both gravel and paved paths, and this easily connects to downtown Olympia and to the waterfront.
The Waterfront
Percival Landing is the hub of the boardwalk. You can stroll along the waterfront, take a seat at one of the new pavilions, relax at the park with a playground, and view the art installation of sculptures along the boardwalk that is routinely changed with new pieces.
Farmer’s Market
The Olympia Farmer’s Market is always a fun place to stop by. With our weather, most of the market is indoors! There you’ll find many local vendors, farmers, artisans, butchers, bakers, seafood mongers and more. They have a stage where you can hear live music and grab lunch at one of the food stands.
South Capital Neighborhood
The South Capital neighborhood is a neighborhood my clients crave. They love the tree-lined streets, the sidewalks, the proximity to the campus and downtown Olympia and the vintage homes. Some of these homes are on the historic registry, and many were built by the early political leaders.
What it’s really like to live in Olympia
As a Seattle native moving from a larger city to the smaller city of Olympia, I was pleasantly surprised by many things. Here is what stood out to me then when we first moved here and what is still true today.
First, I love the low housing prices (as compared to Seattle). Your dollar really can really go far here as Thurston County is one of the most affordable counties along the I-5 corridor. The one downside is the property taxes are just as high as Seattle, so no break there.
Second, when we first moved here, I loved the less congested roads! Another happy surprise. (But now I sound like a local when I complain that my commute, which once was 10 minutes is now 15 minutes *gasp!*.)
Third, Olympia’s location to the mountains and ocean is fantastic! If you love the outdoors, you’ll love how close you are to Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, the Pacific Ocean beaches, the Olympics and the Hoh Rainforest, and the Capitol Forest. You can spend your time hiking, biking and exploring instead of sitting in the car driving.
Fourth, I’ll admit when I first moved here, I didn’t feel the need to lock my car or my house. I don’t recommend that – please lock your car and house – but I felt more secure and safe here.
Fifth, people are nicer here. That is a nice change!
Sixth, JBLM. This is a whole new experience for me. I haven’t lived in a military community before and certainly not anywhere near a military base. JBLM stands for Joint-Base Lewis McChord. It is the Army and Air Force base northeast of Olympia in Pierce County. JBLM is about 30-45 minutes away but very surprising (and startling) to me was the first time I heard JBLM do their mortar and artillery training. The big booms in the distance were something I hadn’t heard before but it was later explained to me that those were the sounds of freedom! So if you move here, know that there are areas (mainly east Thurston County) where you will hear those sounds of freedom.
Overall, I am so happy I escaped Seattle and moved here. My quality of life is much better and I’m always finding something new that surprises me about living in Olympia.
If you are looking to do the same and make Olympia your home, I’d love to have a conversation with you. In the meantime, be sure to check out my ultimate Buyer’s Guide to give you an overview of the home-buying process.