Overview

Introduction to Olympia, Washington

Olympia is the capital of the state of Washington and is situated at the southern portion of Puget Sound on Budd Inlet. The city is recognized as the center for fine arts for the region and is well known for its music scene. The downtown area has been designated as a National Historic District. The city is situated in a beautiful setting with the Olympic Mountains positioned to the northwest, the enormous MT. Rainier located to the southeast and Capitol Lake in the vicinity. Olympia is located in Thurston County and was incorporated in 1859.

History

The area was home to the Squaxin, Chelhalis, Duwamish, Nisqually, Suquamish and the Puyallup tribes. In 1792 Peter Puget charted the region. During the 1840's Edmund Sylvester and Levi Smith claimed the area that is now the downtown. Soon, the city which was known as Smithfield was the location of thriving lumber and mill industries.

In 1853 the citizens of the town decided to rename it Olympia after the nearby Olympic Mountains. The city is well known as the home of the Olympic Brewing Company which made Olympia beer from 1896 until 2003. An earthquake which occurred in 1949 severely damaged a large number of historic structures which unfortunately had to be demolished.

Transportation

Amtrak provides the area with rail transportation. Intercity Transit offers bus services. Air transportation is provided at the Olympia Airport.

Attractions

Olympia is home to numerous theater companies and is the location of the Olympia Film Society's annual film festival. The "Procession of the Species" parade consists of community members wearing costumes which portray a wide variety of species. The parade is popular with residents and tourists. The Capital Building is recognized as one of the biggest free standing masonry domes in the entire world. There are numerous noteworthy attractions in the city including:

  • Olympia Marina
  • Capital Playhouse
  • Washington Center for the Performing Arts
  • Hands On Children's Museum
  • Reinhart Young House
  • Weyerhaeuser South Bay Log Dump Rural Historic Landscape
  • Nisqually School
  • Women's Club

Activities

Puget Sound provides residents and tourists with recreational opportunities such as hiking, boating, kayaking and superb sightseeing. The Black River is utilized for canoeing by residents and visitors.

Higher Education

Olympia is home to Evergreen State College and South Puget Sound Community College. St. Martin's University is located in nearby Lacey.

Demographics

People

Total Population50,836
Male Share of the Population48.1%
Female Share of the Population51.9%
Senior Citizens17.1%
Employed Population 16+24,910
Age of the Population38

Families

% of people married41.4%
Average household size2

Education and Earnings

Population % with Bachelor Degree or Higher37.9%
Median Earnings25+$41,914
Median Earnings Without High School Qualification$30,303
Median Earnings With High School Degree$24,651

Wealth

Median Family Income$78,242
% Above Poverty Level83.3%
% Below Poverty Level16.7%

Commute & Sprawl

Average Commute Time21 minutes
% Working from Home4.8%
% Walking and Biking to Work7%
% Using Public Transportation3.8%

Housing

People Living Alone36%
Median Gross Rent$1,089
Median House Value$276,300

Ancestry

Other(often includes Hispanic and African American)26.5%
Irish13.1%
English11.2%
Norwegian5.4%
Italian5.1%
Scottish3.8%
French Except Basque3.8%
Swedish3.1%
Polish2.7%
Dutch1.9%
Russian1.2%
Canadian1.2%
Danishn1.1%
Welsh1.1%
Swiss0.7%
African0.7%
Portuguese0.5%
Austrian0.4%
Ukrainian0.4%
Greek0.4%
Finnish0.4%
Czech0.3%
Hungarian0.3%
Ethiopian0.2%
Turkish0.2%
West Indian0.2%
Croatian0.2%
Romanian0.2%
Arab0.2%
Lithuanian0.2%
Latvian0.2%
Trinidad Tobago0.1%
Haitian0.1%
US/American0.1%
German0.1%
Belgian0.1%
Icelander0.1%
Moroccan0.1%
Slovak0.1%
Somali0.1%
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Olympia Almanac

CategoryValue
CountyThurston County
Standard Zip Codes98502, 98513, 98501, 98506, 98512, 98516, 98503
P.O. Box Zip Codes98508, 98507, 98511, 98509
Company Zip Codes98599, 98505, 98504
Phone Area Codes360
Time ZoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Approximate Latitude46.99
Approximate Longitude-122.87

Olympia Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

Notes:

  • Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
  • Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

StationOLYMPIA AP
Distance4.9 miles
Jan Temp32 to 44 F
Apr Temp37 to 58 F
Jul Temp50 to 76 F
Oct Temp39 to 60 F
Annual Precip50.7 inches
StationGRAPEVIEW 3 SW
Distance18.2 miles
Jan Temp34 to 45 F
Apr Temp40 to 59 F
Jul Temp53 to 74 F
Oct Temp44 to 60 F
Annual Precip53.2 inches
StationPUYALLUP 2 W EXP STN
Distance28.9 miles
Jan Temp33 to 47 F
Apr Temp39 to 61 F
Jul Temp52 to 78 F
Oct Temp42 to 62 F
Annual Precip40.5 inches

Nearby Cities and Towns

LocationPopulationMedian Family Income
DuPont9,379$88,371
Lacey47,852$76,789
Rainier2,346$71,648
Tenino1,695$63,611
Tumwater22,500$79,685
Yelm8,772$67,546

Olympia Hospitals

Providence St. Peter Hospital
(Non-profit)
413 Lilly Rd Ne
(360) 491-9480
Capital Medical Center
(Proprietary)
3900 Capital Mall Dr Sw
(360) 754-5858

Olympia Public Schools

Avanti High School
1113 Legion Way Se
ZIP: 98501
(360) 596-7900
High
Total Enrollment 155
Centennial Elementary Olympia
2637 45th Ave Se
ZIP: 98501
(360) 596-8300
Primary
Total Enrollment 530
East Olympia Elementary
8700 Rich Road
ZIP: 98501
(360) 709-7150
Primary
Total Enrollment 463
Lincoln Elementary School
213 21st Ave Se
ZIP: 98501
(360) 596-6400
Primary
Total Enrollment 292
Madison Elementary School
1225 Legion Way Se
ZIP: 98501
(360) 596-6300
Primary
Total Enrollment 265
Mckenny Elementary
3250 Morse Merryman Rd Se
ZIP: 98501
(360) 596-8400
Primary
Total Enrollment 382
Olympia High School
1302 North St Se
ZIP: 98501
(360) 596-7000
High
Total Enrollment 1785
Pioneer Elementary School
1655 Carlyon Ave Se
ZIP: 98501
(360) 596-6500
Primary
Total Enrollment 502
Washington Middle School
3100 Cain Rd Se
ZIP: 98501
(360) 596-3000
Middle
Total Enrollment 758
Capital High School
2707 Conger Ave Nw
ZIP: 98502
(360) 596-8000
High
Total Enrollment 1402
Garfield Elementary School
325 Plymouth St Nw
ZIP: 98502
(360) 596-6900
Primary
Total Enrollment 320
Griffin School
6530 33rd Ave Nw
ZIP: 98502
(360) 866-2515
Primary
Total Enrollment 653
Jefferson Middle School
2200 Conger Ave Nw
ZIP: 98502
(360) 596-3200
Middle
Total Enrollment 413
Julia Butler Hansen Elementary
1919 Road Sixty Five Nw
ZIP: 98502
(360) 596-7400
Primary
Total Enrollment 471
Leland P Brown Elementary
2000 26th Ave Nw
ZIP: 98502
(360) 596-6800
Primary
Total Enrollment 319
Mclane Elementary School
200 Delphi Rd Sw
ZIP: 98502
(360) 596-6600
Primary
Total Enrollment 341
Thurgood Marshall Middle School
3939 20th Ave Nw
ZIP: 98502
(360) 596-7600
Middle
Total Enrollment 383
Boston Harbor Elementary
7300 Zangle Rd Ne
ZIP: 98506
(360) 596-6200
Primary
Total Enrollment 151
Olympia Regional Learning Academy
2001 26th Avenue Ne
ZIP: 98506
(360) 596-7730
Other
Total Enrollment 303
Olympia Regional Learning Academy B
2001 26th Ave Nw
ZIP: 98506
(360) 596-7730
Primary
Total Enrollment 156
Reeves Middle School
2200 Quince St Ne
ZIP: 98506
(360) 596-3400
Middle
Total Enrollment 403
Roosevelt Elementary School
1417 San Francisco Ave Ne
ZIP: 98506
(360) 596-6700
Primary
Total Enrollment 420
Touchstone
2010 N Puget St
ZIP: 98506
(360) 596-6100
Other
Total Enrollment 5
Black Lake Elementary
6345 Belmore-black Lake Road
ZIP: 98512
(360) 709-7350
Primary
Total Enrollment 497
Littlerock Elementary School
12710 Littlerock Rd Sw
ZIP: 98512
(360) 709-7250
Primary
Total Enrollment 334
Secondary Options
7741 Littlerock Road Sw
ZIP: 98512
(360) 709-7760
High
Total Enrollment 101
Wa He Lut Indian School
11110 Conine Avenue Se
ZIP: 98513
(360) 456-1311
Primary

Olympia Private Schools

Capital Montessori School
730 Lilly Rd Se
ZIP: 98501
Elementary
Total Enrollment 20
Olympia Community School
1601 North St Se
ZIP: 98501
Elementary
Total Enrollment 28
Olympia Waldorf School
8126 Normandy St Se
ZIP: 98501
Elementary
Total Enrollment 137
Rising Tide School
114 20th Ave Se
ZIP: 98501
Combined Elementary And Secondary
Total Enrollment 17
St Michael School
1204 11th Ave Se
ZIP: 98501
Elementary
Total Enrollment 259
The Childrens Inn
1939 Karen Frazier Rd Se
ZIP: 98501
Elementary
Total Enrollment 8
Evergreen Christian School
1010 Black Lake Blvd Sw
ZIP: 98502
Elementary
Total Enrollment 347
Olympia Christian School
1215 Ethel St
ZIP: 98502
Elementary
Total Enrollment 44
Gospel Outreach Christian School
1925 South Bay Rd Ne
ZIP: 98506
Combined Elementary And Secondary
Total Enrollment 49
Cornerstone Christian School
5501 Wiggins Rd Se
ZIP: 98512
Elementary
Total Enrollment 80
Wahelut Indian School
11110 Conine Ave Se
ZIP: 98513
Combined Elementary And Secondary
Total Enrollment 119
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