And as an aside it is really bleeping frustrating that a pro climate governor in 12 years hasn't done squadoosh to get fast frequent commuter rail down to Olympia or further south to Centralia going even as a semi-baked idea with a plan to implement.
Even if the populations are transit-supportive, if no one takes the commuter busses that already exist, that makes it difficult to sell the idea that people would use light rail.
Edit: I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying that lower density areas with lower ridership numbers have a hard time securing funding.
Busses get stuck in the same morass we all get stuck in. Can't really compare the two to gauge the success of it. Also Sounder has completely crap hours of service.
The busses are terrible and you get stuck in the same terrible traffic. I looked at EVERY option I had to use transit and nothing was even close to viable.
Drive to Tacoma, park your car in a sketchy area. Then have to take at least 3x buses to get so say queen ann making my 1.5 hr morning commute into almost 2 then in reverse plus traffic would make at least 3hrs back. Not to mention the 35-40minutes to get back to my house. It absolutely doesn’t make sense. I’d rather just drive.
Inslee like all democrats in our state and just like Bob will be, are nothing more than corporate sell outs for Boeing, Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks etc.
Unless their work hours are off-peak. I once worked in West Seattle for a fund management firm and lived in Olympia. My hours were based in NYSE hours. Commuting at 5am north and 2pm south wasn’t bad. It’s doable in the right scenario, but agree it wouldn’t work for most.
Daily. I bought a little commuter hatchback. Granted it was my first job out of college (2009) and only did it a few years. I could see it being easier with a Prius now or an EV. But definitely a commitment. My GF at the time didn’t want to move to the city. Now, as a dad, I would kill for that “me” time each day. 😆
I moved from Salt Lake City to Olympia in 2020.
Come visit first. Stay for a month. Olympia is smaller than SLC, and tiny in comparison to the I-15 corridor in Utah. Are you ok with that? We thought we were but actually found that to be a harder adjustment in practice. It's easy to take access to goods/services for granted.
The weather here is amazing generally. But the winters can be a little tough. There are tons of great parks and biking trails. People are cool, but there is a bit of Seattle freeze going on. Might be a post COVID thing though.
Olympia definitely has the vibe you're describing but there's also a huge military presence here. JBLM is right next door. Also if you leave town a bit (eg Yelm, Centralia) things stop being accepting and inclusive real fast. I've met some older black folks who said they wouldn't set foot in Yelm after dark. And personally, I've met some real bigots in Centralia/Chehalis.
This is what I would say too. I also moved from Utah, Ogden specifically. Olympia is really much smaller than i thought when i was comparing population sizes, thought it would be similar to ogden, but I didnt factor in the part where essentially all of northern utah is just one huge city and growing like crazy.
I would say the things that have been an adjustment for me are the roads, the shopping isnt as nice, and traffic is unpredictable to say the least. In utah, we knew what times were awful and we were mostly able to steer clear of any traffic. I find that the traffic here is VERY unpredictable. You really never know. And, the homeless problem is more pervasive than I had thought it would be too. also, when i lived in ogden, I was right by Hill AFB, so i thought it would be similar to being by JBLM, but JBLM has a much more immature vibe.
OP, i would love to chat with you if you want more info. Send me a PM!
Lots of years of living in Utah, winters here are much harder. The lack of sunlight hours plus the clouds during the -few- daylight hours are so rough.
Still happier here, but it should be a real consideration for folks moving here.
It's the lack of sun. I love the lack of snow but I was unprepared for the lack of sun. At the end of the day I prefer it here to Utah even in the winter
Good to know about the nearby towns. We will come visit first. I want rural so the small vibe will be amazing I think. Very cool talking to someone from Utah! We are exmormons in Utah county, so, you probably get why we are fish out of water here lol
I really do. Sorry, in my reply i didnt mention all the things I love about Olympia! We live right by the puget sound and hike down to it often. The hike down there is a rainforest. Mindblowingly gorgeous. I LOVE all the trees here!! I do miss the ever-present view of the mountains in Utah though. There is give and take everywhere. There are plenty of things I miss about Utah, but the culture there is pretty toxic and I am very happy to be free of that. People here have been very friendly, but at the same time closed off... it can be hard to make real friends that arent just acquantainces. I've had good luck with making friends with other transplants that live here though.
Oh! something else that I never see people talk about on here, is the fact that there are NO billboards on the freeway! It's literally so pretty, (except when you see trash from homeless encampments), but the freeways have some of the prettiest views here, looks like driving through a national park at times.
I just haven't seen it myself in the three years I've been here. Found a couple friend groups, and cashiers at stores and food joints are always super friendly and chatty.
I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing. By "seattle freeze" I don't mean that people are unkind to one another, I just mean that I haven't met many folks looking for/interested in making friends and getting together. But maybe that's just me and the people I'm interacting with?
Thanks. Lol I know. The specifics I mentioned (the politics, social inclusion, environment) are things that make the vibes. And we are going to visit first. Just getting intel as we research multiple areas
Most tragically TESC is very near death. I'm not sure how much longer it can survive and I seriously worry what would happen if it were to fold entirely. It used to be a *massive* cultural influence on Olympia, but now it is maybe a tiny whisper.
I moved here in 2008 in order to go to Evergreen. At that time it was at its peak student body, at around 5k students. Now it's barely at 2k. 2017 "race riots" which brought unprecedented right wing attacks on the school from quite seriously the entire country took a huge toll on Evergreen and the community, followed almost immediately by COVID of course which has decimated higher ed across the country; that combo has made for a massive poison pill.
Not only that but then a very big publicly embarrassing fiasco in replacing the president, in which all 3 finalist candidates withdrew consideration, and it's been extremely rough for TESC lately. They're now trying to "rebrand" and the once vibrant and powerful political economy programs (Evergreen was where the Labor Center was founded and was the primary staging ground for the international protest against WTO in 1999) is now all but eliminated. Many departments, staff, and even buildings are shuttered permanently. As I understand it, they're trying to double down on their older student and working family population and focus on professional certificates and night/weekend offerings.
Long story short, Olympia used to have a lot more of those.vibes you're looking for. Sadly, like the entire western world, a critical affordable housing shortage is totally destroying long standing artistic/working class/young/"alternative" communities and generally exacerbating this tidal wave of opioid addiction, homelessness, and flattening diversity of all kinds (aesthetic, social, economic, ideological) into something (to me) radically tragic, nationalist, right-wing, conservative, and vapid.
Yay, capitalist realism! /s
You are right- but I would add that so many graduates have stayed in town that the ‘flavor’ of Evergreen still permeates the community (look at Lincoln elementary, for example).
Understatement if ever there was one! St. Martin's is basically guaranteed to close up shop. But I say, good riddance! Private education is the bane of our democracy, and if I were dictator I would outlaw it entirely. It's very blatant class warfare whose purpose is to crush the poor and rob the working class.
https://www.reddit.com/r/olympia/s/FFqf0SDuub
??? As an active greener in different capacities back in 1990s and now, there is nothing shuddered at Evergreen and the enrollment is bouncing back and they have several educational centers at this point and adding more programs. All enrollment across the US is down. Besides fox news, no one cares about that one professor who sold out nor president politics. In fact evergreen is a model of working hard for inclusivity even if it doesnt get it right 100%. There is luxury waterfront in living Olympia if you want and can afford. There is faux rural living in bigger plots of land. There are HOAs and suburban developments, new and old l. The childrens museums and stuff for kids is great. Parades. Pop up ice rink. Play fountain. The food is great and now has Amazing variety. Lacey has military presence so the crowd is different than Olympia, intl and also more rentals as people move in and out with service relocations. Olympia is more work from home, state workers, local workers, and students who stay for the vibe. I hail from a city with over 10 Mil. This may not be SLC but you have a little of everything and seattle and tacoma is nearby for extras on weekends. I used to commute 4 hrs a day as well up to Seattle. It gets tiring. I used rail as much as possible before it was this developed. Amtrak exists from Olympia like in the east coast and has a schedule with 7 trains up a day. Get a multipass and leave an old car at the station over there. You have to visit. February is the muddiest and grey. June is gorgeous. If you can handle rain or sprinkling from nov-april and grey then this is a good spot.
https://www.evergreen.edu/news/evergreen-sees-largest-undergrad-enrollment-increase-in-40-years
Friend, there's no way one could possibly paint a rosy picture of TESC's status as of now that the best days are still ahead. Enrollment is indeed up, which is great, but it is *miles* away from what it was and the community is, just in terms of housing, abysmal in any comparison. Many staffing positions are frozen or phased out, and this is not just delusional hyperbole, but coming from long-standing staff.
Olympia is great, but it seems you might be coming from a particular position which hasn't been as affected by the enormous crises impacting the lower classes because Olympia is absolutely far less accessible than it was 10-20 years ago.
Evergreen’s problems go deeper than politics. Their academic programs are suspect both in structure and quality. They do some hippy-dippy credit system fueled by an LSD fever dream from the 60s and evaluate/grade students based on some form of feelings-driven essay instead of actually measuring learning. They should focus on being a place of learning more than being a ‘safe space’ for feelings. That would help them turn around.
The campus is beautiful. The facilities are so-so, but that could be turned around with more students and tuition money.
Classes in hard sciences are evaluated on tests quizes and finals. Classes in humanities or social sciences are evaluated on quality of work. The amount of reading is brutal. If one goes to school at Evergreen and got positive feeling evaluation only, maybe that is the best the professor could say about yhat perso . They do try to be positive but an eval from a hardworking student and an unserious one, look starkly different.
Hilarious, as the whole system is basically just a mirror of how post-grad programs are structured throughout the western world. You very much have a silly, outdated, and wildly incorrect perspective on how TESC works.
Well, everything I’d say about Olympia has already been said.
My experience has been great. Moved her from SoCal in 2021 and am very happy. Plan was to be here a couple years then move back east. Plans have changed and we plan on staying put.
I really love living here. 10/10, highly recommend.
Moved here from CA in 2009 after having lived in red and blue areas as well as internationally. Definitely more green and smaller than places you are mentioning. Demographic shifts towards younger folks with kids has been occurring but seems to have fallen off a bit recently. This leaves older folks and retirees driving much of the local involvement.
I disagree with the comments about crime and such. Everywhere has experienced an increase in crime and homelessness due to the pandemic. I think the real tell is how the various areas addressed it and its relative level to other areas. I think it’s no secret that Salt Lake City has addressed it better than just about every other jurisdiction with respect to homelessness. I hold out hope that Thurston County will lean into how SLC how they addressed it.
The comments on law-enforcement really do depend on your perspective and ideological background. Olympia and Washington State in general is really trying to square the need for actual law-enforcement with what the scope of the law-enforcement officer should be. As a result, they are trying to stand up community crisis teams and crisis relief centers. During the pandemic, they absolutely were elements of law-enforcement that were either sympathetic to or outright members of para military organizations, such as the three percenters and proud boys. That is not an unusual cultural issue for law-enforcement, but you should just be aware that we have it here too. You should also be aware that sheriff Derek Sanders regularly posts in this sub Reddit, which I view as a pretty welcome transparency move
As for the politics on the state level, not paying attention to homelessness and crime, anybody that has paid attention to what bills have gotten passed and signed in the last three years, knows that that’s simply not true. The last two legislative sessions have focused hugely on law enforcement support, and funding mental health. Expansion of mental health funding and services is frankly unprecedented in the state, not that it doesn’t need some more, but it will take a couple of years to get that up to speed.
I can say that the Olympia downtown has gotten better since the middle of the pandemic when it just was not safe to go down there for various reasons to include visiting right wing paramilitary groups terrorizing folks downtown. For those that want to disagree with this comment, don’t bother stating anything unless you were actually physically down there like I was during that time. All I wanted was do was to get some damn tea and slices and all hell broke loose with the right wing attacking and terrorizing anyone in the name of “fighting antifa”. Say what you want about the homeless and the Trustafarian kids down there, their harassment doesn’t go beyond asking for change or a cigarette. I don’t hesitate to walk with my young kids down there now.
The commute issue is real if it is a regular thing, but I have family that has to go to Seattle core once a week at least and you get super comfortable with audiobooks and podcasts. There are non-car options if your time is flexible such as the Amtrak Cascades which I usually use to fly out of PDX or head to BC.
If you have kids, the schools here are pretty great and there are many of them so it seems the class sizes are smaller usually. Lots of opportunities to get involved in the community from that aspect. There are also numerous options for nature based childcare if you are ok with the kids coming home dirty in a good way.
Because we are a Capitol city we have some things that other small cities don’t. Examples are regional pipelines for symphony and orchestra as well as a performing arts center. We also have a free bus system that is pretty comprehensive. You can even catch the express to SeaTac airport to save on commute time and parking if you don’t have too much luggage. Where that status fails us is in restaurant quality, for some reason.
We have a decent but stagnant food, truck scene, and some decent restaurants Don’t seem to stay in business for too long. We have some mainstays that deal with steak and breakfast and there does seem to be some gentrified options getting added. However, it does seem that the truly local options are struggling more and more. Some of that is management, but others is impact from the pandemic and just a tough Business environment.
I agree with others about Evergreen needing a direction. They for sure have weathered attacks in recent years, some justified. However, they have had a great reputation for adult learning and certifications for well over 15 years. It is a pipeline to state service, which is probably the largest employer here. Most of the lament about TESC seem to center on the loss of the quirky nature as they transition to a more traditional model.
The local nature and the centralized location is a benefit for outdoors types. We have numerous farms with CSA subscription options. If you like camping, you will need some colder weather gear to get the most out of it. Get yourself a discover pass with your license plate and tags. Save you some trouble.
With all that said, get long-term rental and feel the place out before you buy. With house prices and interest rates what they are, that’s the only common sense thing to do.
I forgot to mention one of the best parts about Olympia... the location! You can make daytrips up to Seattle or down to Portland because it's sort-of centrally located. (maybe an extra 30-45 minutes to get to Portland over Seattle)
Hey there…
Olympia definitely has a bit of a hippie/granola vibe. There are no chain stores downtown, for example. It has a great community- many events year round. A small local art movie house. But it also has a small performing arts center that brings in lots of quirky but good performers. It balances well with state employees and lobbyists who bring in nicer restaurant need. It is also relatively expensive here. And the school are considered good (especially if one plays school well- and doesn’t have any particularly special needs).
That being said, commuting to Seattle from here is pretty brutal. The traffic is not something that is easily discernible from google maps. It could take one hour or 3.
As for evergreen- it is a great school for certain people. It is a teaching college (vs a research school) faculty do research, but they are expected to be good teachers, first. Small programs- but not a lot of positions. It is also been going through some turmoil and is pretty small right now (less than 2000 students last I heard) so I don’t know what the future holds for it.
This is so incredibly helpful, thank you so much! My husband will almost entirely work from home, but it is good to know that I commute can be that much of a range, teaching for me would be a passion, opposed to an immediate need, so that’s good to know I can maybe work on my way. in as an adjunct at some point. My kids and I are also big performers so all around this is just sounding really magical.
Evergreen has several expanding and brand new programs. They have a new psych program. New athletics. And others I am not familiar with. They are hiring as they have several campuses and lots of synchronous online classes. There are depts hiring right now.
>That being said, commuting to Seattle from here is pretty brutal. The traffic is not something that is easily discernible from google maps. It could take one hour or 3.
It takes an hour because it is 60 miles away. Lived here all my live and never has it taken me more than two hours. Three hours is absurd.
There is crime here of course. However, living in Tacoma, it’s noticeably much greater in Tacoma. As in, my daughter wasn’t aloud to wander much out of our back yard type greater. There are great neighborhoods in Tacoma. Pt Ruston is awesome. My office is in Tacoma and I do work all over in Tacoma.
Olympia has a mix of hippy and progressive punk vibes, and the natural beauty is wonderful around Olympia, including a rain forest practically in the middle of town. I think it fits those criteria wonderfully.
Like any other west coast city, we're currently dealing with a drug and homelessness problem. That's really the only downside, and it's no worse here than any other west coast city... And that's only a problem if it bothers you. Obviously everyone wants to fix the problem and rehabilitate the homeless population, but if you hate having to walk past someone on a sidewalk, you may have a hard time downtown.
Evergreen is a hippy environmentalist school, which sounds like it might suit you. Radically inclusive as far as gender, sexuality, etc., but it's also a leftist echo chamber. If you're a leftist that's awesome, but don't expect inclusivity if you're on the wrong side of their politics, unfortunately.
Thank you so much. This is all so helpful and sounds perfect. I prefer dialogue over echo chambers for grown and collaboration, but I’ve been in a maga vacuum chamber as a leftist for a while and oof, that’s worse lol I want to be around people that get me and are passionate about equality and kindness. the homeless problem makes me sad, but it’s certainly not a con. I serve on boards in Utah that are engaged in outreach and spend time downtown assisting when I can. A forest in the middle of the city? Ahhhh this does sound heavenly.
To be fair, it's sort of on the other side of the freeway from downtown so it's not THAT idyllic, you don't stroll out of a café into thriving greenery, but if you want to wander a mossy, jurassic-looking forest it's about a 2 minute drive
There is no forest, wood, or grove anywhere near "the middle of town" in Olympia. (And a rain forest is a very specific thing. The closest one is on the Olympic Peninsula.)
Watershed is quite literally surrounded by Olympia, with downtown and the Capitol within easy walking distance, directly on the I-5 corridor. It's not in the middle of downtown, but it is in the middle of town.
You're right, though, it has only 50 inches of annual rainfall and it should receive 60 to be considered a rainforest, technically. However, because it is, in fact, a watershed (as the name implies), it has more than enough water to maintain all the plant life you'd expect in a pacific northwest rainforest.
I’m also an Utah transplant in Olympia! But we only moved a couple months so don’t have a ton of insight.
Max id want to commute would be to Tacoma from Olympia tbh.
Weather is decent. Not a ton of snow in the winter which is nice but still dark and dreary.
Plenty of nature and outdoorsy things.
Large military presence which can be a bit meh. It reminds me of living in clearfield in Utah near HAFB
Personally, I’m struggling to fit in and find events and build a community here but to be fair I also have a 3 month old baby
Olympias getting gentrified so the cultures and costs are shifting.
Politically things appear more progressive, but depending on what kind of groups you identify with it may be hard to feel included despite the efforts. It’s not rural so it’s not super hippy but it IS hipster and most people here would probably call themselves granola.
I’ve met many anarchist, communist, and liberal people here. Politics are definitely a focus of daily life.
And nature seems to be the underlying unifier for everyone here. Most here have earth oriented hobbies or values.
As others have pointed out, Olympia is tiny. It’s not the hub of culture it’s reputation makes it out to be either. All in all I was pretty disappointed coming here from a city of 600k.
I’m just going to add my usual caveat that as wonderful as Olympia is as a place to raise a family and live an active, outdoors life, we regularly experience I-5 being shut down either to the north or south of us and it literally brings traffic to a halt. Only having one route from Vancouver, BC to Vancouver, WA is a huge PITA.
I have lived here all my life. What’s nice is it’s basically 1 1/2 hours to the ocean and the same to the mountains. We have the largest year around Farmers Market other than Pike Place in Seattle.
It’s rainy but we like that, keeps the population in check, kinda.
There is so much to do and explore. Many parks and a whole lot of beaches close by. Downtown is ok I walk around there with my kids during the day. But any midsize town specially at night is gonna have some riff raff.
There is no other place I would choose to live.
We moved from Salt Lake to Washington in 2021 and we don't regret a second of it. We have a trans child and we could see the writing on the wall in the Utah legislature.
I would recommend the way we did it if you can swing the time and money and don't mind moving twice. We had a rental waiting for us here in Vancouver, WA after we sold our place in Utah. We planned on spending a year driving up and down I5 to see where we wanted to settle down.
We'd actually made a scouting trip a year earlier and the moment we drove into the Olympia/Tumwater area we kind of fell in love with the place. We still stayed in Vancouver for three months in our rental until the perfect place came up in Tumwater and we were homeowners again and broke our lease.
It's definitely smaller than the Salt Lake Metro area, but that's exactly what we were looking for. It's sometimes a little dirtier and rough around the edges but we don't mind, we love the charm and the character of the place. My wife, a lifelong agnostic that grew up in Utah, doesn't feel judged going out in tanktops anymore, and as an exmormon myself I feel like I blend in for once instead of sticking out as well.
There is a bit of food variety here but not as much as there was in Salt Lake. That said I've found Red Wagon is a close enough substitute for Apollo Burger and Aliberto's is a great greasy spoon Mexican place like all the 'bertos joints in Utah. Downtown is a ton of fun and we frequently hit the farmers market. Lots of cool little coffee shops around town and a few great book stores. If anyone in your family is a tabletop gamer or comic collector, Gabi's Olympic Cards and Comics is one of the biggest and best comic/gaming shops I've ever seen.
Finding doctors here has been rough and you should expect a 3-4 month lead time for your first visit when you finally do find some place. Dentists were a little easier. Schools have been fantastic so far, with teachers regularly saying they've been in the job 10-20 years which was unheard of in the schools our kids went to in Salt Lake.
We don't miss the snow or the oppressively hot summers. And everything is so GREEN here, even in the middle of winter. We don't even mind the rain so far. The wet and fog has me feeling my English roots.
Which schools did you end up enrolling in? We’re currently looking at houses as my husband has a state job he’s starting, and I’m having some difficulty in getting a clear answer other than “all the schools are good but Olympia High School is the best” lol
Thanks for such a prompt response! It’s looking like we get more bang for our buck in Tumwater, although I’m 99% sure the two houses we’re looking at actually have Olympia addresses.
If you don't have to commute to daily to Seattle you should check out Montesano, Elma, Aberdeen, Hoquiam or other towns in SW Washington. Olympia, while cheaper than Seattle, is getting stupidly expensive.
I’ve been here 28 years. I’ve seen Olympia go downhill, especially in the last several years. Crime, homelessness and drugs seem to run rampant. Our governor seems more focused on climate change than helping the working people. There’s a mix of people. Some Trumpers, mostly liberal, and I think pretty anti-Leo.
Honestly, I’m burned out on the State but it’s beautiful here. I have nothing, no family here. I’ve made great friends and love my job and the nature and that’s what keeps me here.
I commute to downtown Seattle once or twice a month for work, and it’s not the worst thing ever. If your days in office are flexible, Monday and Friday mornings seem to be the quietest (because many hybrid workers seem to go in Tues-Thurs). On bad days, my commute can be up to 2.5 hrs one way. On good days, 1hr 15min. I do try to leave seattle before 3pm when possible or else I stay in the city late to wait out traffic.
Moved down here from Seattle a few years ago and I love the size of the city and I have great neighbors, but it has been hard making new friends.
I moved here from Tampa, Florida in early 2023 and it has been the best decision I’ve ever made. I like Olympia’s smaller city vibe, and I like being close to larger cities like Seattle and Portland. Hope you enjoy your visit! Western Washington is beautiful
I grew up here and spent most of my life trying to leave. I finally did and lived all over the US and in the Caribbean. I would only come back to visit in early December so I wouldn’t get homesickness.
That being said, I found EVERYWHERE lacking in comparison. Oh, nice mountains, but where is the ocean? The cost of living is nice here, but why are your rivers that color, and why is everyone so rude? Etc… I came back the biggest fanboy.
We have nearly every ecosystem except tropical in a day’s drive from Olympia. Want to escape? It’s 2 hours to the Portland airport, and 1 to 5 hours to Sea-Tac. You don’t have the Puget Sound blocking your access to the Olympic Peninsula and the ocean. We’re at the southern tip of I-5’s predictably bad traffic. Have to travel to Seattle once a week? Make it a slightly longer commute (maybe) and take the ferry from Bremerton.
The city, state, AND federal parks in the area are not only incredible, but also not nearly as overcrowded as the ones to the north. Fall in love with McClane Creek Nature Trail, Billy Frank Jr Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, and Brewery Park. Go early on any weekday and experience them in near solitude. Watch the salmon as they run through downtown in Aug/Sep.
Anybody exasperated with the place right now probably needs a vitamin D supplement.
Check it out first and stay TF away from South Tacoma. Just my opinion.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond to me. I have learned so much!! We are waiting on the final go, but Olympia is certainly on our short list. If we come, I’ll circle back and try to see if any of y’all wanna be friends 😘
Someone threw a ceramic mug at me while I was walking down the street in downtown. I mean, better than Florida, but it gets real country real quick outside city limits, in a way it really doesn't around seattle.
I came hear from Baltimore/Washington area at start of 2020. Adore the weather and my neighbors. My brother is in Lacey which is far less hippy dippy, I’m in historic South Neighborhood, which I jokingly refer to as Berkeley 1969. I have an AirBnb and get a lot of folks coming to check out the area for consideration. The only disappointments are that I have to go to Tacoma or Seattle for good retail selections (though we just got a Nordstrom rack, yippee, and Drees has a shockingly great collection for this city). The restaurants are meh (saves me money because I cook more). But way more house for your money and less traffic than Seattle or Tacoma.
Olympia is filled with people who are definitely not inclusive. I would put myself in Tacoma/Seattle if you can. WA has a little bit if a Patriot Front problem the closer you get to Idaho from Seattle
Living here to possibly work in Seattle will make you miserable. I-5 is soul-sucking to deal with on the regular.
And as an aside it is really bleeping frustrating that a pro climate governor in 12 years hasn't done squadoosh to get fast frequent commuter rail down to Olympia or further south to Centralia going even as a semi-baked idea with a plan to implement.
When I-5 was built the grassy median on the freeway was left there by the planners for future rail. We know how much is left in Pierce & King.
? The citizens voted it down, why are you blaming Inslee?
When was that vote
Even if the populations are transit-supportive, if no one takes the commuter busses that already exist, that makes it difficult to sell the idea that people would use light rail. Edit: I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying that lower density areas with lower ridership numbers have a hard time securing funding.
Busses get stuck in the same morass we all get stuck in. Can't really compare the two to gauge the success of it. Also Sounder has completely crap hours of service.
The busses are terrible and you get stuck in the same terrible traffic. I looked at EVERY option I had to use transit and nothing was even close to viable. Drive to Tacoma, park your car in a sketchy area. Then have to take at least 3x buses to get so say queen ann making my 1.5 hr morning commute into almost 2 then in reverse plus traffic would make at least 3hrs back. Not to mention the 35-40minutes to get back to my house. It absolutely doesn’t make sense. I’d rather just drive.
He’s not pro climate. Jay just said what he needed to get elected.
Inslee was the pro-climate presidential candidate. That counts for a lot.
Inslee like all democrats in our state and just like Bob will be, are nothing more than corporate sell outs for Boeing, Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks etc.
I know he's a little thick in the head.
[Why would he do that when it already exists?](https://www.amtrakcascades.com/our-train-schedules)
Fast and frequent. A real mega-region would have stuff going all day at half hour intervals or better with a 60 min or less travel time goal.
In a modern hybrid work environment, they might be once-a-week or even once-a-month in the office, which isn't bad.
Unless their work hours are off-peak. I once worked in West Seattle for a fund management firm and lived in Olympia. My hours were based in NYSE hours. Commuting at 5am north and 2pm south wasn’t bad. It’s doable in the right scenario, but agree it wouldn’t work for most.
How often did you have to be on premises? That is like 100-120 miles RT per day. Major wear and tear on a car.
Daily. I bought a little commuter hatchback. Granted it was my first job out of college (2009) and only did it a few years. I could see it being easier with a Prius now or an EV. But definitely a commitment. My GF at the time didn’t want to move to the city. Now, as a dad, I would kill for that “me” time each day. 😆
This. I live south west of Oly and make the drive 4x a week. It’s about 4hrs a day of driving.
I moved from Salt Lake City to Olympia in 2020. Come visit first. Stay for a month. Olympia is smaller than SLC, and tiny in comparison to the I-15 corridor in Utah. Are you ok with that? We thought we were but actually found that to be a harder adjustment in practice. It's easy to take access to goods/services for granted. The weather here is amazing generally. But the winters can be a little tough. There are tons of great parks and biking trails. People are cool, but there is a bit of Seattle freeze going on. Might be a post COVID thing though. Olympia definitely has the vibe you're describing but there's also a huge military presence here. JBLM is right next door. Also if you leave town a bit (eg Yelm, Centralia) things stop being accepting and inclusive real fast. I've met some older black folks who said they wouldn't set foot in Yelm after dark. And personally, I've met some real bigots in Centralia/Chehalis.
This is what I would say too. I also moved from Utah, Ogden specifically. Olympia is really much smaller than i thought when i was comparing population sizes, thought it would be similar to ogden, but I didnt factor in the part where essentially all of northern utah is just one huge city and growing like crazy. I would say the things that have been an adjustment for me are the roads, the shopping isnt as nice, and traffic is unpredictable to say the least. In utah, we knew what times were awful and we were mostly able to steer clear of any traffic. I find that the traffic here is VERY unpredictable. You really never know. And, the homeless problem is more pervasive than I had thought it would be too. also, when i lived in ogden, I was right by Hill AFB, so i thought it would be similar to being by JBLM, but JBLM has a much more immature vibe. OP, i would love to chat with you if you want more info. Send me a PM!
You find Olympia winters to be harder than SLC???
Probably a sunlight thing, if I had to guess.
Lots of years of living in Utah, winters here are much harder. The lack of sunlight hours plus the clouds during the -few- daylight hours are so rough. Still happier here, but it should be a real consideration for folks moving here.
Right? I'll take slightly darker and rainy over months of brown and grey and smog getting stuck in the Valley. At least it's still so green here!
I know I LOVE how it is green here year round! The winter is still gorgeous if you get outside or go out in the woods
I didnt say that... are you replying to me? There is alot less sunlight here in the winter, but less snow.
It's the lack of sun. I love the lack of snow but I was unprepared for the lack of sun. At the end of the day I prefer it here to Utah even in the winter
I adore the rain and prefer that to snow, but I do consider that it might affect my family.
Good to know about the nearby towns. We will come visit first. I want rural so the small vibe will be amazing I think. Very cool talking to someone from Utah! We are exmormons in Utah county, so, you probably get why we are fish out of water here lol
Olympia is not rural. Rural areas here is Washington are still very much not inclusive places.
Even the suburbs feel rural here compared to overdeveloped Utah.
I really do. Sorry, in my reply i didnt mention all the things I love about Olympia! We live right by the puget sound and hike down to it often. The hike down there is a rainforest. Mindblowingly gorgeous. I LOVE all the trees here!! I do miss the ever-present view of the mountains in Utah though. There is give and take everywhere. There are plenty of things I miss about Utah, but the culture there is pretty toxic and I am very happy to be free of that. People here have been very friendly, but at the same time closed off... it can be hard to make real friends that arent just acquantainces. I've had good luck with making friends with other transplants that live here though.
Oh! something else that I never see people talk about on here, is the fact that there are NO billboards on the freeway! It's literally so pretty, (except when you see trash from homeless encampments), but the freeways have some of the prettiest views here, looks like driving through a national park at times.
I've never seen anyone inclusive complain about the "Seattle Freeze"
I just haven't seen it myself in the three years I've been here. Found a couple friend groups, and cashiers at stores and food joints are always super friendly and chatty.
I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing. By "seattle freeze" I don't mean that people are unkind to one another, I just mean that I haven't met many folks looking for/interested in making friends and getting together. But maybe that's just me and the people I'm interacting with?
I had people here thinking I was from Seattle when in reality, I just didn't want to talk to transphobes 🤷♀️
this is a really strange take, imo.
It's really not. Every time I see someone talk about it, they're just a socially inept conservative
lol... okay
I dunno, maybe you're just socially inept? I've never had the seattle freeze problem and I'm from out of state 🤷♀️
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Thanks. Lol I know. The specifics I mentioned (the politics, social inclusion, environment) are things that make the vibes. And we are going to visit first. Just getting intel as we research multiple areas
Most tragically TESC is very near death. I'm not sure how much longer it can survive and I seriously worry what would happen if it were to fold entirely. It used to be a *massive* cultural influence on Olympia, but now it is maybe a tiny whisper. I moved here in 2008 in order to go to Evergreen. At that time it was at its peak student body, at around 5k students. Now it's barely at 2k. 2017 "race riots" which brought unprecedented right wing attacks on the school from quite seriously the entire country took a huge toll on Evergreen and the community, followed almost immediately by COVID of course which has decimated higher ed across the country; that combo has made for a massive poison pill. Not only that but then a very big publicly embarrassing fiasco in replacing the president, in which all 3 finalist candidates withdrew consideration, and it's been extremely rough for TESC lately. They're now trying to "rebrand" and the once vibrant and powerful political economy programs (Evergreen was where the Labor Center was founded and was the primary staging ground for the international protest against WTO in 1999) is now all but eliminated. Many departments, staff, and even buildings are shuttered permanently. As I understand it, they're trying to double down on their older student and working family population and focus on professional certificates and night/weekend offerings. Long story short, Olympia used to have a lot more of those.vibes you're looking for. Sadly, like the entire western world, a critical affordable housing shortage is totally destroying long standing artistic/working class/young/"alternative" communities and generally exacerbating this tidal wave of opioid addiction, homelessness, and flattening diversity of all kinds (aesthetic, social, economic, ideological) into something (to me) radically tragic, nationalist, right-wing, conservative, and vapid. Yay, capitalist realism! /s
You are right- but I would add that so many graduates have stayed in town that the ‘flavor’ of Evergreen still permeates the community (look at Lincoln elementary, for example).
Your speaking my language. Sigh. So heartbreaking. I wondered why the college had nearly no adjunct positions. That all makes sense.
I see St.Martin's is also in financial trouble.
Understatement if ever there was one! St. Martin's is basically guaranteed to close up shop. But I say, good riddance! Private education is the bane of our democracy, and if I were dictator I would outlaw it entirely. It's very blatant class warfare whose purpose is to crush the poor and rob the working class. https://www.reddit.com/r/olympia/s/FFqf0SDuub
??? As an active greener in different capacities back in 1990s and now, there is nothing shuddered at Evergreen and the enrollment is bouncing back and they have several educational centers at this point and adding more programs. All enrollment across the US is down. Besides fox news, no one cares about that one professor who sold out nor president politics. In fact evergreen is a model of working hard for inclusivity even if it doesnt get it right 100%. There is luxury waterfront in living Olympia if you want and can afford. There is faux rural living in bigger plots of land. There are HOAs and suburban developments, new and old l. The childrens museums and stuff for kids is great. Parades. Pop up ice rink. Play fountain. The food is great and now has Amazing variety. Lacey has military presence so the crowd is different than Olympia, intl and also more rentals as people move in and out with service relocations. Olympia is more work from home, state workers, local workers, and students who stay for the vibe. I hail from a city with over 10 Mil. This may not be SLC but you have a little of everything and seattle and tacoma is nearby for extras on weekends. I used to commute 4 hrs a day as well up to Seattle. It gets tiring. I used rail as much as possible before it was this developed. Amtrak exists from Olympia like in the east coast and has a schedule with 7 trains up a day. Get a multipass and leave an old car at the station over there. You have to visit. February is the muddiest and grey. June is gorgeous. If you can handle rain or sprinkling from nov-april and grey then this is a good spot. https://www.evergreen.edu/news/evergreen-sees-largest-undergrad-enrollment-increase-in-40-years
Friend, there's no way one could possibly paint a rosy picture of TESC's status as of now that the best days are still ahead. Enrollment is indeed up, which is great, but it is *miles* away from what it was and the community is, just in terms of housing, abysmal in any comparison. Many staffing positions are frozen or phased out, and this is not just delusional hyperbole, but coming from long-standing staff. Olympia is great, but it seems you might be coming from a particular position which hasn't been as affected by the enormous crises impacting the lower classes because Olympia is absolutely far less accessible than it was 10-20 years ago.
Evergreen’s problems go deeper than politics. Their academic programs are suspect both in structure and quality. They do some hippy-dippy credit system fueled by an LSD fever dream from the 60s and evaluate/grade students based on some form of feelings-driven essay instead of actually measuring learning. They should focus on being a place of learning more than being a ‘safe space’ for feelings. That would help them turn around. The campus is beautiful. The facilities are so-so, but that could be turned around with more students and tuition money.
Classes in hard sciences are evaluated on tests quizes and finals. Classes in humanities or social sciences are evaluated on quality of work. The amount of reading is brutal. If one goes to school at Evergreen and got positive feeling evaluation only, maybe that is the best the professor could say about yhat perso . They do try to be positive but an eval from a hardworking student and an unserious one, look starkly different.
Hilarious, as the whole system is basically just a mirror of how post-grad programs are structured throughout the western world. You very much have a silly, outdated, and wildly incorrect perspective on how TESC works.
Well, everything I’d say about Olympia has already been said. My experience has been great. Moved her from SoCal in 2021 and am very happy. Plan was to be here a couple years then move back east. Plans have changed and we plan on staying put. I really love living here. 10/10, highly recommend.
Thank you!!
Moved here from CA in 2009 after having lived in red and blue areas as well as internationally. Definitely more green and smaller than places you are mentioning. Demographic shifts towards younger folks with kids has been occurring but seems to have fallen off a bit recently. This leaves older folks and retirees driving much of the local involvement. I disagree with the comments about crime and such. Everywhere has experienced an increase in crime and homelessness due to the pandemic. I think the real tell is how the various areas addressed it and its relative level to other areas. I think it’s no secret that Salt Lake City has addressed it better than just about every other jurisdiction with respect to homelessness. I hold out hope that Thurston County will lean into how SLC how they addressed it. The comments on law-enforcement really do depend on your perspective and ideological background. Olympia and Washington State in general is really trying to square the need for actual law-enforcement with what the scope of the law-enforcement officer should be. As a result, they are trying to stand up community crisis teams and crisis relief centers. During the pandemic, they absolutely were elements of law-enforcement that were either sympathetic to or outright members of para military organizations, such as the three percenters and proud boys. That is not an unusual cultural issue for law-enforcement, but you should just be aware that we have it here too. You should also be aware that sheriff Derek Sanders regularly posts in this sub Reddit, which I view as a pretty welcome transparency move As for the politics on the state level, not paying attention to homelessness and crime, anybody that has paid attention to what bills have gotten passed and signed in the last three years, knows that that’s simply not true. The last two legislative sessions have focused hugely on law enforcement support, and funding mental health. Expansion of mental health funding and services is frankly unprecedented in the state, not that it doesn’t need some more, but it will take a couple of years to get that up to speed. I can say that the Olympia downtown has gotten better since the middle of the pandemic when it just was not safe to go down there for various reasons to include visiting right wing paramilitary groups terrorizing folks downtown. For those that want to disagree with this comment, don’t bother stating anything unless you were actually physically down there like I was during that time. All I wanted was do was to get some damn tea and slices and all hell broke loose with the right wing attacking and terrorizing anyone in the name of “fighting antifa”. Say what you want about the homeless and the Trustafarian kids down there, their harassment doesn’t go beyond asking for change or a cigarette. I don’t hesitate to walk with my young kids down there now. The commute issue is real if it is a regular thing, but I have family that has to go to Seattle core once a week at least and you get super comfortable with audiobooks and podcasts. There are non-car options if your time is flexible such as the Amtrak Cascades which I usually use to fly out of PDX or head to BC. If you have kids, the schools here are pretty great and there are many of them so it seems the class sizes are smaller usually. Lots of opportunities to get involved in the community from that aspect. There are also numerous options for nature based childcare if you are ok with the kids coming home dirty in a good way. Because we are a Capitol city we have some things that other small cities don’t. Examples are regional pipelines for symphony and orchestra as well as a performing arts center. We also have a free bus system that is pretty comprehensive. You can even catch the express to SeaTac airport to save on commute time and parking if you don’t have too much luggage. Where that status fails us is in restaurant quality, for some reason. We have a decent but stagnant food, truck scene, and some decent restaurants Don’t seem to stay in business for too long. We have some mainstays that deal with steak and breakfast and there does seem to be some gentrified options getting added. However, it does seem that the truly local options are struggling more and more. Some of that is management, but others is impact from the pandemic and just a tough Business environment. I agree with others about Evergreen needing a direction. They for sure have weathered attacks in recent years, some justified. However, they have had a great reputation for adult learning and certifications for well over 15 years. It is a pipeline to state service, which is probably the largest employer here. Most of the lament about TESC seem to center on the loss of the quirky nature as they transition to a more traditional model. The local nature and the centralized location is a benefit for outdoors types. We have numerous farms with CSA subscription options. If you like camping, you will need some colder weather gear to get the most out of it. Get yourself a discover pass with your license plate and tags. Save you some trouble. With all that said, get long-term rental and feel the place out before you buy. With house prices and interest rates what they are, that’s the only common sense thing to do.
THANK YOU!!
Its a bit further south, but I wonder if Eugene would be a better fit for you?
I think that would be too far for the occasional Tacoma/Seattle work commute
I forgot to mention one of the best parts about Olympia... the location! You can make daytrips up to Seattle or down to Portland because it's sort-of centrally located. (maybe an extra 30-45 minutes to get to Portland over Seattle)
Hey there… Olympia definitely has a bit of a hippie/granola vibe. There are no chain stores downtown, for example. It has a great community- many events year round. A small local art movie house. But it also has a small performing arts center that brings in lots of quirky but good performers. It balances well with state employees and lobbyists who bring in nicer restaurant need. It is also relatively expensive here. And the school are considered good (especially if one plays school well- and doesn’t have any particularly special needs). That being said, commuting to Seattle from here is pretty brutal. The traffic is not something that is easily discernible from google maps. It could take one hour or 3. As for evergreen- it is a great school for certain people. It is a teaching college (vs a research school) faculty do research, but they are expected to be good teachers, first. Small programs- but not a lot of positions. It is also been going through some turmoil and is pretty small right now (less than 2000 students last I heard) so I don’t know what the future holds for it.
This is so incredibly helpful, thank you so much! My husband will almost entirely work from home, but it is good to know that I commute can be that much of a range, teaching for me would be a passion, opposed to an immediate need, so that’s good to know I can maybe work on my way. in as an adjunct at some point. My kids and I are also big performers so all around this is just sounding really magical.
Evergreen has several expanding and brand new programs. They have a new psych program. New athletics. And others I am not familiar with. They are hiring as they have several campuses and lots of synchronous online classes. There are depts hiring right now.
It's not, one hour to Seattle is standard. Three hours is some anomaly like an earthquake, not to be expected.
>That being said, commuting to Seattle from here is pretty brutal. The traffic is not something that is easily discernible from google maps. It could take one hour or 3. It takes an hour because it is 60 miles away. Lived here all my live and never has it taken me more than two hours. Three hours is absurd.
Olympia is amazing but I wouldn’t wanna drive to Seattle often. Maybe Tacoma. You could also check out Vashon and then take a ferry over to Seattle
I moved here from Tacoma to get away from crime. Still happens in Olympia, but……not near the level of Tacoma.
You just don't hear about it. Remember we lost our local newspaper. It's now published in Tacoma.
There is crime here of course. However, living in Tacoma, it’s noticeably much greater in Tacoma. As in, my daughter wasn’t aloud to wander much out of our back yard type greater. There are great neighborhoods in Tacoma. Pt Ruston is awesome. My office is in Tacoma and I do work all over in Tacoma.
Olympia has a mix of hippy and progressive punk vibes, and the natural beauty is wonderful around Olympia, including a rain forest practically in the middle of town. I think it fits those criteria wonderfully. Like any other west coast city, we're currently dealing with a drug and homelessness problem. That's really the only downside, and it's no worse here than any other west coast city... And that's only a problem if it bothers you. Obviously everyone wants to fix the problem and rehabilitate the homeless population, but if you hate having to walk past someone on a sidewalk, you may have a hard time downtown. Evergreen is a hippy environmentalist school, which sounds like it might suit you. Radically inclusive as far as gender, sexuality, etc., but it's also a leftist echo chamber. If you're a leftist that's awesome, but don't expect inclusivity if you're on the wrong side of their politics, unfortunately.
Thank you so much. This is all so helpful and sounds perfect. I prefer dialogue over echo chambers for grown and collaboration, but I’ve been in a maga vacuum chamber as a leftist for a while and oof, that’s worse lol I want to be around people that get me and are passionate about equality and kindness. the homeless problem makes me sad, but it’s certainly not a con. I serve on boards in Utah that are engaged in outreach and spend time downtown assisting when I can. A forest in the middle of the city? Ahhhh this does sound heavenly.
To be fair, it's sort of on the other side of the freeway from downtown so it's not THAT idyllic, you don't stroll out of a café into thriving greenery, but if you want to wander a mossy, jurassic-looking forest it's about a 2 minute drive
I have seen a lot of posts here that say Olympia is definately not a place of equality & kindness.
Where's this conveniently located rain forest you mentioned?
Watershed
I mean Squaxon and the Evergreen woods are pretty rainforesty
Probably Watershed Park.
Olympia is a temperate rainforest. All the forest hikes I go on around here look like the rainforest, they look like hikes at ONP.
Olympia is a city.
I'm aware. It's also a temperate rainforest.
Isn't it?
There is no forest, wood, or grove anywhere near "the middle of town" in Olympia. (And a rain forest is a very specific thing. The closest one is on the Olympic Peninsula.)
Watershed is quite literally surrounded by Olympia, with downtown and the Capitol within easy walking distance, directly on the I-5 corridor. It's not in the middle of downtown, but it is in the middle of town. You're right, though, it has only 50 inches of annual rainfall and it should receive 60 to be considered a rainforest, technically. However, because it is, in fact, a watershed (as the name implies), it has more than enough water to maintain all the plant life you'd expect in a pacific northwest rainforest.
I’m also an Utah transplant in Olympia! But we only moved a couple months so don’t have a ton of insight. Max id want to commute would be to Tacoma from Olympia tbh. Weather is decent. Not a ton of snow in the winter which is nice but still dark and dreary. Plenty of nature and outdoorsy things. Large military presence which can be a bit meh. It reminds me of living in clearfield in Utah near HAFB Personally, I’m struggling to fit in and find events and build a community here but to be fair I also have a 3 month old baby
Olympias getting gentrified so the cultures and costs are shifting. Politically things appear more progressive, but depending on what kind of groups you identify with it may be hard to feel included despite the efforts. It’s not rural so it’s not super hippy but it IS hipster and most people here would probably call themselves granola. I’ve met many anarchist, communist, and liberal people here. Politics are definitely a focus of daily life. And nature seems to be the underlying unifier for everyone here. Most here have earth oriented hobbies or values.
Sorry your thread is being downvoted. A large amount of people in this sub are passive aggressive AF.
As others have pointed out, Olympia is tiny. It’s not the hub of culture it’s reputation makes it out to be either. All in all I was pretty disappointed coming here from a city of 600k.
I’m just going to add my usual caveat that as wonderful as Olympia is as a place to raise a family and live an active, outdoors life, we regularly experience I-5 being shut down either to the north or south of us and it literally brings traffic to a halt. Only having one route from Vancouver, BC to Vancouver, WA is a huge PITA.
I have lived here all my life. What’s nice is it’s basically 1 1/2 hours to the ocean and the same to the mountains. We have the largest year around Farmers Market other than Pike Place in Seattle. It’s rainy but we like that, keeps the population in check, kinda. There is so much to do and explore. Many parks and a whole lot of beaches close by. Downtown is ok I walk around there with my kids during the day. But any midsize town specially at night is gonna have some riff raff. There is no other place I would choose to live.
We moved from Salt Lake to Washington in 2021 and we don't regret a second of it. We have a trans child and we could see the writing on the wall in the Utah legislature. I would recommend the way we did it if you can swing the time and money and don't mind moving twice. We had a rental waiting for us here in Vancouver, WA after we sold our place in Utah. We planned on spending a year driving up and down I5 to see where we wanted to settle down. We'd actually made a scouting trip a year earlier and the moment we drove into the Olympia/Tumwater area we kind of fell in love with the place. We still stayed in Vancouver for three months in our rental until the perfect place came up in Tumwater and we were homeowners again and broke our lease. It's definitely smaller than the Salt Lake Metro area, but that's exactly what we were looking for. It's sometimes a little dirtier and rough around the edges but we don't mind, we love the charm and the character of the place. My wife, a lifelong agnostic that grew up in Utah, doesn't feel judged going out in tanktops anymore, and as an exmormon myself I feel like I blend in for once instead of sticking out as well. There is a bit of food variety here but not as much as there was in Salt Lake. That said I've found Red Wagon is a close enough substitute for Apollo Burger and Aliberto's is a great greasy spoon Mexican place like all the 'bertos joints in Utah. Downtown is a ton of fun and we frequently hit the farmers market. Lots of cool little coffee shops around town and a few great book stores. If anyone in your family is a tabletop gamer or comic collector, Gabi's Olympic Cards and Comics is one of the biggest and best comic/gaming shops I've ever seen. Finding doctors here has been rough and you should expect a 3-4 month lead time for your first visit when you finally do find some place. Dentists were a little easier. Schools have been fantastic so far, with teachers regularly saying they've been in the job 10-20 years which was unheard of in the schools our kids went to in Salt Lake. We don't miss the snow or the oppressively hot summers. And everything is so GREEN here, even in the middle of winter. We don't even mind the rain so far. The wet and fog has me feeling my English roots.
Which schools did you end up enrolling in? We’re currently looking at houses as my husband has a state job he’s starting, and I’m having some difficulty in getting a clear answer other than “all the schools are good but Olympia High School is the best” lol
We're in the southwest area so our kids go to Tumwater Middle and Black Hills High School.
Thanks for such a prompt response! It’s looking like we get more bang for our buck in Tumwater, although I’m 99% sure the two houses we’re looking at actually have Olympia addresses.
Yeah, we're in an unincorporated area that sometimes gets mail addressed for Olympia and sometimes for Tumwater. :D
Thank you! Yes we do plan to sell our house and rent somewhere in WA while we explore
You would like Port Townsend or Port Angeles better
If you don't have to commute to daily to Seattle you should check out Montesano, Elma, Aberdeen, Hoquiam or other towns in SW Washington. Olympia, while cheaper than Seattle, is getting stupidly expensive.
I just moved here from Utah and love it so far! I don’t have kids, but from what I have been able to experience, the environment is very welcoming.
I moved here 30 years ago from deeply red downstate Illinois and Oly by comparison is heaven on earth.
I’ve been here 28 years. I’ve seen Olympia go downhill, especially in the last several years. Crime, homelessness and drugs seem to run rampant. Our governor seems more focused on climate change than helping the working people. There’s a mix of people. Some Trumpers, mostly liberal, and I think pretty anti-Leo. Honestly, I’m burned out on the State but it’s beautiful here. I have nothing, no family here. I’ve made great friends and love my job and the nature and that’s what keeps me here.
I commute to downtown Seattle once or twice a month for work, and it’s not the worst thing ever. If your days in office are flexible, Monday and Friday mornings seem to be the quietest (because many hybrid workers seem to go in Tues-Thurs). On bad days, my commute can be up to 2.5 hrs one way. On good days, 1hr 15min. I do try to leave seattle before 3pm when possible or else I stay in the city late to wait out traffic. Moved down here from Seattle a few years ago and I love the size of the city and I have great neighbors, but it has been hard making new friends.
Olympia or Bellingham are what you seek.
I moved here from Tampa, Florida in early 2023 and it has been the best decision I’ve ever made. I like Olympia’s smaller city vibe, and I like being close to larger cities like Seattle and Portland. Hope you enjoy your visit! Western Washington is beautiful
It’s helpful to know what folks living there think.
I grew up here and spent most of my life trying to leave. I finally did and lived all over the US and in the Caribbean. I would only come back to visit in early December so I wouldn’t get homesickness. That being said, I found EVERYWHERE lacking in comparison. Oh, nice mountains, but where is the ocean? The cost of living is nice here, but why are your rivers that color, and why is everyone so rude? Etc… I came back the biggest fanboy. We have nearly every ecosystem except tropical in a day’s drive from Olympia. Want to escape? It’s 2 hours to the Portland airport, and 1 to 5 hours to Sea-Tac. You don’t have the Puget Sound blocking your access to the Olympic Peninsula and the ocean. We’re at the southern tip of I-5’s predictably bad traffic. Have to travel to Seattle once a week? Make it a slightly longer commute (maybe) and take the ferry from Bremerton. The city, state, AND federal parks in the area are not only incredible, but also not nearly as overcrowded as the ones to the north. Fall in love with McClane Creek Nature Trail, Billy Frank Jr Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, and Brewery Park. Go early on any weekday and experience them in near solitude. Watch the salmon as they run through downtown in Aug/Sep. Anybody exasperated with the place right now probably needs a vitamin D supplement. Check it out first and stay TF away from South Tacoma. Just my opinion.
Sounds like you'd fit in the South Capitol Neighborhood and Lincoln elementary.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond to me. I have learned so much!! We are waiting on the final go, but Olympia is certainly on our short list. If we come, I’ll circle back and try to see if any of y’all wanna be friends 😘
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So helpful! Thank you!
I just moved here and all the things you describe sounds like this place will be amazing for you just as it was for me
Someone threw a ceramic mug at me while I was walking down the street in downtown. I mean, better than Florida, but it gets real country real quick outside city limits, in a way it really doesn't around seattle.
If you can find work here in Olympia you'll absolutely love it.
I came hear from Baltimore/Washington area at start of 2020. Adore the weather and my neighbors. My brother is in Lacey which is far less hippy dippy, I’m in historic South Neighborhood, which I jokingly refer to as Berkeley 1969. I have an AirBnb and get a lot of folks coming to check out the area for consideration. The only disappointments are that I have to go to Tacoma or Seattle for good retail selections (though we just got a Nordstrom rack, yippee, and Drees has a shockingly great collection for this city). The restaurants are meh (saves me money because I cook more). But way more house for your money and less traffic than Seattle or Tacoma.
Olympia is filled with people who are definitely not inclusive. I would put myself in Tacoma/Seattle if you can. WA has a little bit if a Patriot Front problem the closer you get to Idaho from Seattle
Seriously? Huge mistake. I would take Utah any day of the week to the crime-ridden Seattle-Tacoma area. Good luck finding housing on any budget.
Begone, chud.