Olympia, Washington
''This article is about the capital of the U.S. state of Washington. For other uses, see
Olympia (disambiguation).
Olympia is the capital of
Washington, a
state in the
United States of America. It was incorporated on
January 28,
1859. As of the 2000 census, it had a
population of 42,514. Its metro area, which includes the cities of
Lacey and
Tumwater, has a population of 224,100. Olympia is the
county seat of
Thurston County and the focal point of the South
Puget Sound region and serves as a regional center for shopping, culture and entertainment. Highlights of a visit to Olympia can include a stop at the Temple of Justice to watch a state Supreme Court hearing, a run around Capitol Lake, or a stop at one of many small boutiques, coffee shops, and bakeries located in the downtown area. The local farmer's market is also known for its size, quality, variety in vendors, and popularity.
The people of Olympia are called "
Olympians."
|
Old Capitol building and Sylvester Park |
Olympia is situated at the extreme southern tip of
Puget Sound on
Budd Inlet. The site of Olympia was home to
Lushootseed-speaking peoples for thousands of years. The abundant shellfish in the tideflats and the many salmon-spawning streams entering Puget Sound at this point made it a productive food-gathering area. Many tribes shared access to these resources, including
Squaxin,
Nisqually,
Puyallup,
Chehalis,
Suquamish, and
Duwamish. According to early settlers' accounts, natives called the present site of Olympia "Schict Woot", meaning "place of the bear."
In the 1830s the
Hudson's Bay Company established
Fort Nisqually, a trading post at nearby
Sequalitchew Creek (now
Dupont) At the request of the Hudson's Bay Company, French
Catholic missionaries established a mission and school in the 1840s near the future townsite for the conversion of natives to Catholicism.
American settlers also came to the area in the 1840s, drawn by the water-power potential of
Tumwater Falls and established nearby "New Market," now known as
Tumwater, the first American settlement on
Puget Sound. The site was the northern end of the "Cowlitz Portage," the overland trail between the
Cowlitz River and
Puget Sound. In a time when water travel was the easist form of transportation, Olympia's location on the main north-south route through the region made it a crossroads for regional trade.
Edmund Sylvester and
Levi Smith jointly claimed the land that now comprises downtown Olympia. Smith's untimely death in
1848 left Sylvester the sole owner of the land on which he platted the future townsite. Early names for the settlement included "Smithfield" and "Smithter" in honor of Levi Smith. In 1853 the town settled on Olympia due to its view of the
Olympic Mountains to the north.
In
1851 the U.S. Congress established the Customs District of Puget Sound for Washington Territory and Olympia became the home of the customs house. In
1854 the customs house was moved to
Port Townsend at the opening of Puget Sound to better monitor shipping activity. In
1852 Olympia became the county seat of the newly organized
Thurston County.
A campaign by settlers to separate the territory north of the
Columbia River from
Oregon resulted in Congress creating
Washington Territory.
Isaac I. Stevens served as its first governor. Upon his arrival in Olympia in
1853 Stevens declared it capital of the territory.
 |
State Capitol and waterfront, Olympia, Washington. |
In 1873, the
Northern Pacific Railroad bypassed Olympia, choosing
Tacoma as its west coast terminus. Annoyed by the slight, Olympia residents set to work building their own spur connector to the main line at
Tenino. It was completed in
1878 and served as Olympia's only rail connection until the Northern Pacific built a spur to Olympia in
1891.
After Washington achieved statehood in
1889, Olympia continued as the state's capital city. Construction of the current
Washington State Capitol began in
1912, with the prominent Legislative Building completed in
1928.
Aside from its role as the seat of state government, Olympia was a fairly typical Pacific Northwest town. Early on, extraction industries such as logging and oystering were the basis of much of the economy. By the twentieth century, sawmilling, fruit canning, and other industrial concerns comprised its economic base. Olympia also served as a shipping center for materials produced from the surrounding countryside, including sandstone, coal, and agricultural products.
Scandinavian immigrants founded two cooperative plywood mills after WWI. During WWI and WWII there were also increased influxes of labor attracted by wartime industry including shipbuilding.
A significant earthquake in 1949 damaged many historic buildings beyond repair, and they were demolished. Others were retrofit with new facades to replace the damaged Nineteenth Century wood and glass storefronts. Subsequently, much of Olympia's downtown reflects mid-twentieth century architectural trends. Olympia was the closest major city to the epicenter of the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, M6.8, centered approximately 15 miles northeast of the city. Damage in that quake was focused in older buildings and some roadways.
By the 1970s the local industrial concerns that supported working class families were on the decline. Downtown businesses struggled to compete with newly constructed shopping centers when former downtown "anchor" businesses relocated to the outskirts of the city.
In 1967, the state legislature approved the creation of
The Evergreen State College near Olympia, mostly due to the efforts of progressive Republican Governor
Daniel J. Evans. Evans later served as president of the college, leaving Evergreen in 1983 when he was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by Sen. Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson's death.
Because of the college's presence, Olympia has become a hub for artists and musicians (many of whom have been influential in
punk,
post-punk,
anti-folk,
lo-fi and other music trends (see
Olympia music scene)). Olympia was recently named one of the best college towns in the nation.
Outside Magazine, September 2003Olympia hosts the state's largest annual
Earth Day celebration,
Procession of the Species, a community arts-based festival and parade. Olympia is also known for its farmer's market, the second largest in Washington as well as the Washington Center for the Performing Arts.
Olympia is located at (47.042418, -122.893077).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.0
km² (18.5
mi²). 43.3 km² (16.7 mi²) of it is land and 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²) of it (9.77%) is water.
The city of Olympia is located at the southern end of
Puget Sound on
Budd Inlet. The
Deschutes River estuary at Olympia has been dammed to create
Capitol Lake. Much of the lower areas of downtown Olympia are
reclaimed land.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 42,514 people, 18,670 households, and 9,969 families residing in the city. The
population density was 982.3/km² (2,544.4/mi²). There were 19,738 housing units at an average density of 456.1/km² (1,181.3/mi²). The ethnic makeup of the city is 85.26% White, 1.89%
African American, 1.30%
Native American, 5.82%
Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 1.68% from other cultural backgrounds, and 3.76% from two or more ethnicities. 4.38% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any ethnicities.
There were 18,670 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were
married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.6% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,846, and the median income for a family was $54,136. Males had a median income of $41,267 versus $31,515 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $22,590. About 6.9% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
*
Music of Washington, especially
riot grrl*
List of people who lived in Olympia, Washington*
The Evergreen State College*
Cascadia*Capitol
LakeFairOlympia has the following
sister cities, according to [
1] and [
2]:
*
Olympia,
Greece*
Samarkand,
Uzbekistan*
Yashiro,
JapanThere is also a popular movement to establish a sister city relationship with
Rafah,
Palestine, the site of the death of
Olympia native
Rachel Corrie. This sister city relationship is not yet officially recognized by the city, however, they are a 501c3 not for profit corporation, and have sponsored delegations to Rafah, hosted many community events, and transport hand-made needlework from Gaza to be sold in Olympia. [
3]
*
City of Olympia*
State of Washington*
Olympia Thurston County Visitor & Convention Bureau*
State Capitol Visitor Information*
Washington State Capitol Museum*
The Olympia Historical Society*
KAOS 89.3fm - Olympia Community Radio*
Bigelow House Museum*
The Evergreen State College*
South Puget Sound Community College*
Thurston GeoData Center*
Olympia-Thurston Chamber of Commerce*
Economic Development Council of Thurston County*
Washington Center for the Performing Arts*
Lakefair*
Procession of the Species*
Intercity Transit*
GLBT Rainbow Center Olympia*
OlyMusic.com - Olympia Music Scene*
OlympiaCommunitySchool.org - Independent K-3 Education*
OlyBlog: Hyperlocal News about Olympia*
buyolympia.com Olympia's Finest In Full Strut*
The Olympian - Daily Newspaper of Olympia
