We L O V E Olympia - especially the local bicycle - 3/2/2022

We moved here from Kitsap Bremerton/Silverdale WA area and this beats it all the way in all material ways. The only reason not to give it 5 stars is the cost of housing. It is Bicycle friendly with great shopping and medical with no discernable traffic problems if you stay off the 5 around Tacoma. WE absolutely love it here, especially the bicycle trails and bike lanes in the street!

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Little Seattle - 9/25/2021

The city is horrible. The business have been chased out by homeless. The city government makes it for difficult for businesses to thrive. If you like what Seattle is right now then Olympia is perfect for you!

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We love Olympia and retired here - 5/13/2021

Having lived all over the world we decided to retire in Olympia and live on the Puget Sound. Yes it rains but the weather can change dramatically in a day with sun and rain. The flora and fauna are magnificent with lush greens from spring to fall. We see orcas several times a year and grow oysters, clams and mussels on our tidelands. We are close to big cities but have a small town feel. We love it here.

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Great place for real people (!) - 1/22/2020

Olympia is great. It's a big small town with a political lean due to the location of the states capital, and draws people from all over the country due to it's experimental- learning based liberal arts college. The vibrant downtown offers a large farmers market, multiple super affordable restaurants, art galleries, bars, live music, unique businesses, and a children's museum. The dense neighborhood sections are cozy and extremely walkable, and very accessible free public transit can take you to the majority of the city and surrounding areas of interest. Downtown may have some homeless residents, but most people who I have interacted with have been polite, and I have never felt unsafe. The violent crime rate is very low in the city, although property crime is quite high. Avoid north commute past the base. Although there are not many high paying jobs within the city, but if you're the type of person who strives to be middle income, this is a good place for you. Most Olympia residents are content with blue collar jobs, working for the government, nonprofits, or running local small businesses. I'm consistently blown away by how nice people are here compared to 45 minutes from NYC where I grew up. People can click together, but if you get over the fear of not fitting in and actually reach out to people, i've never had people not reciprocate. I guess the "freeze" is that people don't immediately completely accept you into their lives, but if you show them you can respect their boundaries, i've found the ice to break rather quickly.

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Not much change over the years - 4/26/2019

I've lived here nearly two years now and while it is a beautiful area like much of the NW, there are many issues which detract from its appeal. As the state capitol I would have expected to have seen more growth over the years. I lived and worked near SEA for over 25 years. While I certainly don't expect the range of jobs in OLY as I would north, there really hasn't been any significant growth in jobs, affordability, etc. in OLY as compared to other WA areas. Jobs here are in retail, medical, Gov and small biz and the salaries are significantly below average. If you are career-minded and want stability, be prepared to pack some boxes and move elsewhere. Not much has changed for the better since I first did a job search in OLY nearly 15 years ago. As one other comment noted, as a Capitol you'd expect more growth in tandem with other WA areas. If you're retired with family in the area or have or are satisfied with a job in the industries mentioned you'll be fine. It's just not for everyone, and you need to do some introspection and research before you move here.

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Oly - 12/25/2018

When I first moved to Olympia in 2012 we we're excited to be in a small town in the Northwest. The city has exploded population wise, apartment rent has exploded & housing has exploded. Hate crime is on the rise, homeless population has risen & through out the city you'll find tent cities. Crime has increased by 50%, all the public schools are in failure mode. The summers are warm & most apartments/ homes do not have ac. While the minimum wage continues to go up so does food & everything else dramatically. My family & I will be leaving soon, not the place we used to love.

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It's decent, not great - 3/24/2018

Housing and rental prices made a dramatic jump in the past two years. Average rent for a 2-bedroom in 2018 is about $1200. 2-3 bedroom houses are priced around $300-$350K and sell fast. If you're not paying cash, be prepared for a bidding war. Olympia/Lacey/Tumwater are small so it's easy to get used to the area and know where everything is. There's a Trader Joes, a couple of Fred Meyers and Targets, Westfield (Capital) Mall, and lots of coffee shops. SeaTac airport is about a 60-90 minute drive. If you're headed north, driving around lunch and rush-hour is a pain and going near the Army/Air Base really jams up traffic starting at 7 a.m. and again at 4 p.m., and pretty much all day Sunday when military are coming home from the weekend. Basically, don't go north on Sundays if possible. Road rage is an issue. Decent hiking trails are further north - at least an hour's drive. There are a few flat trails around Olympia but it can be a bit dangerous to go alone or even in pairs because that's where people go to shoot up (drugs). Pretty much all of Washington has a panhandling problem. Panhandlers are at nearly every store and freeway entrance, especially when the weather gets warm. If you're a transplant (not from Olympia), you may find it hard to meet people or make close friends. The "Seattle Freeze" extends to this area. There's a clique-esk mentality and two primary groups: Christian families that are super involved in church and sports, and party-going booze hounds that hang out at downtown bars on weekends. There's not much gray area or in-between. It's also very white here. The schools are average for Western Washington. The transit system is pretty epic, though. This is from the perspective of a nature-loving, introverted fan-girl who prefers quiet contemplation, video games and hanging with her awesome teens and who has lived in Olympia for five years. If you're like me, Bellevue is a better, but much more expensive, area. The northern Peninsula (Clallam county) is also a wonderful place for introverts who love the outdoors.

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Looking to move to Washington...help? - 8/21/2016

Hey so im looking to move to washington ive been researching alot and im having trouble. Im moving from southern cali to there at the begining of the new year. Me and my partner would like to get away from the terrible summer heat and actually afford an apartment with a friend. Our max for rent is 350 each, so 1050 for a 2 bedroom. I really want to expierence all the seasons but not so hot summers. i love the cold! also i work at starbucks so if anyone knows if there is one in a 30 minute drive that would be helpful. im gonna go back to searching . thank you to all and any who help!

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Great Recreation Opportunities - 1/16/2016

Nice trail around Capital lake and close to western chehalis trail. Views of Mt. Rainier and close to puget sound. 1.5 hours from seattle.

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Mixed Bag - 2/9/2014

This city is exposed to four different seasons. Being close to water, it gets more fog than cities away from it. Overall, it makes for a interesting place to live.

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Green City - 5/18/2013

Moved to Olympia about three months ago and it is not what I expected some of that is a good thing and bad thing. It's green, with tall trees and plenty of rain which I enjoy coming from phoenix, arizona. The public education system is not that great, my son has plenty of health conditions and we were told the two local hospitals cannot treat him so he will have to be airlifted to Seattle Childrens if a problems comes up, jobs are scarce, plenty of tourist and traffic. Olympia has potential but refuses to grow up and be the diverse capital city it's suppose to be. I love the state and if it were not for my son's health conditions would stay here but we are looking at moving closer to seattle.

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Nice Community but oh the weather! - 7/18/2012

It's true - Olympia is an interesting community with educated people, cultural tastes and social tolerance and I like all of that. The cost of living isn't really bad either. But the weather is not so good. The truth is that we would plan to retire here been here 20 years and domestic partner is 5th generation Washingtonian) but for the weather. The winters are milder than back east, but very wet. I mean there are many days that you don't see the sun and partly cloudy here means its dark enough in the middle of the day to have your house lights on. My 5th generation washingtonian love says we really have two months of summer here and ten months of fall/spring with rain. Yes we have 50 inches of rain a year, but unlike other places, it takes its time to rain here - often it may rain one tenth of an inch a day with the day being darkish and cloudy all day. That gets depressing. At first it didn't bother me but after all these years - too much. Many folk here compromise and travel for a month at a time or all winter to sunnier places during the winter months to get a break from the weather. We may do that.

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Drugs - 3/4/2012

I have read numerous reviews saying how wonderful Olympia is and how it is such a great place and all. Well My wife and I are both nurses at the local hospital and I can tell you that by and large the greatest number of patients we see are either addicted to heroin, or meth. The addiction problem is rampant but either the government is hiding the stats from us or the enforcement is so lax that nothing is done about it. Additionally Pierce county, just north of us is the number one meth county in the state and Thurston county is rated 4th in the state. I moved here 2 years ago from and within the first 6 months my wallet and cell phone were stolen from a picnic table while palying catch with my kids not 20 feet away. Then my car was broken into in my driveway, in broad daylight, on a nice quiet cul-de-sac full of brand new homes. Then again some kids went up and down the street shooting out car windows. Thankfully nobody was hit by any stray bullets. It is a nice city and all but like any other city it has it's problems and crime, drugs and druggies.

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Cost of Living - 3/12/2011

This place is expensive and does not have adequate shopping. Must go to Seattle to find things.

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pros and cons - 11/21/2010

I've lived in Olympia most of my life. I'm moving. I'm tired of it here. Pros: Beautiful area. Lots of parks, trails, and nature. Laid back. Not that hectic. Some places to get healthy food, (mostly the food co-ops, and Trader Joes). It is relatively safe. I think crime is and will rise though thanks to shady people, or parents with delinquent kids, moving here and transferring their previous problems to our town. That's just the evolution of cities though. You have a nice, peaceful town, it gets popular, so all the riff raff come pouring in and the town goes to crap. It's sad but true. Cons: Weather sucks. Cloudy and rainy most of the year. Cold. Not too cold though. You get about a month to two months of nice, warm, sunny, dry weather a year. The rest of the year is cold and wet. Even if it's not raining, the air is really cold and damp. Even at nights during the summer. If you don't live in a house, it's hard to keep anything from getting moldy or rusty. Even stuff in my basement here is getting rusty. It's getting expensive here, (food, rent, houses, utilities, etc.) Lots of druggies, alcoholics, punk kids, and homeless people downtown now. They've taken over. Downtown has gotten really dilapidated in some ares. Broken windows, and graffiti are more prevalent now. 4th Ave and the downtown bus station are where most of the riff raff hang out. There are some nice people here, but a lot of people are fake, stuck up, grouchy, snobs. Most of the time when you say hi to people while walking on the sidewalk or on a trail, they give you a dirty look instead of a smile, as if you have the audacity to be nice. Even a lot of the so called hippies are stuck up here. Open minded, spiritually enlightened my a**. I don't care what anyone says, this town isn't a friendly town. It is more so when the weather's nice, but even then, not so much. I'm sure people are going to be pissed that I think this, but I've lived here for 20 years and that's what I've experienced the most. Some days you can run into friendly people all day, but most days, you don't. If you have your own car, it's a lot better, because a lot of the rude, classless, people take the city bus. Not taking the bus alone, will make your experience here a lot more enjoyable. Traffic's getting pretty bad. I think the huge influx of people from all over is what drove the prices up, made the traffic bad, and brought in a lot of shady characters. If you're from a higher crime, bigger city, then this town will probably feel a lot better to you. Growing up in this town though, I don't like how it's changed. Of course it depends on where you go, who you meet, etc., that will determine your viewpoint. Some people love this place. I used to. I like the beauty and nature of this place the most. I dislike the people and the weather the most.

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Olympia, WA has a Great Quality of Life! - 5/20/2010

Having lived in Olympia for over 28 years, I can truly say I love it here. Being the State Capitol, there are always folks with divergent views expressing themselves. The mountains, Puget Sound, fresh air........relaxed lifestyle and proximity to Seattle, Portland, the Pacific Ocean, skiing.........all appeal to me. As a Realtor, I really enjoy helping folks move to our wonderful town/city, and sharing with them all the special things to do, places to eat etc.

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Absolutely Gorgeous - 5/2/2010

The City of Olympia must be one of the most beautiful cities in the country. The flowering plum trees start off spring in February/March, followed by pink or white dogwood trees (sometimes both on one tree as a result of creative grafting), and all manner of flowering cherry trees. People grow every kind of flower in their yards you can think of. As the capital city of Washington, aesthetics are emphasized by government and individuals. Spring here is wonderful! And the rest of the year ain't bad either.

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Olympia is stimulating and comfortable - 4/5/2010

With a wide range of political views and eclectic cultural happenings, both influenced by the presence of the state government and the Evergreen State College, Olympia is a great place to be stimulated and also a great place to relax and enjoy life. Rural areas to live are within easy reach of the more urban areas. People are friendly.

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Great City to Visit - 7/31/2009

Downtown Olympia's waterfront is very picturesque and is located on Puget Sound. The city is quaint and enjoys a small town atmosphere. Olympia is definitely worth a visit from July through October. However,during the remaining eight months of the year, the climate is mild, cloudy and rainy.The politics in western Washington is very liberal, and you'll frequently see groups picketing for their cause throughout downtown and the capitol.

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Unemployment Info on this site - 6/21/2009

Keep in mind that giant lay-offs in government are in process and will most likely be completed by the end of June/July 2009. Because we are the capitol, most living wage jobs are government. We are bracing for a loss of 8000 state jobs total with a large bulk of them to happen here. Employment is not looking quite so rosy.

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