Olympia, Washington

Encyclopedia : O : OL : OLY : Olympia, Washington

State Capitol and waterfront, 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."

Contents

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 See also
5 Sister Cities
6 External links

History

Old Capitol building and Sylvester Park

Olympia and the namesake Olympic Mountains

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.

In the 1830s the Hudson's Bay Company established a trading post at nearby Sequalitchew Creek (now Dupont) In the 1840s Catholic missionaries established a mission and school at Priest Point near the future townsite for the conversion of natives to Catholicism.

American settlers 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 north of the Columbia River.

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. The settlement of Smithfield was renamed Olympia after the Olympic Mountains to the north. 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. The site was the northern end of the "Cowlitz Portage," the overland trail between the Cowlitz River and Puget Sound.

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 create a separate territory 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.

In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railroad bypassed Olympia, choosing Tacoma as its west coast terminus. Shaken 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 1891.

After Washington achieved statehood in 1889, Olympia continued to serve 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 2003]

Olympia 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.

Geography

Downtown Olympia and Mt. Rainier

Olympia is located at [47°2′33″N, 122°53′35″W] (47.042418, -122.893077)^{[Geographic references#1GR1]}.

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.

Demographics

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} 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.

Sister Cities

Olympia has the following sister cities, according to [link] and [link]:

There 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 officially recognized. [link]

External links

Looking west towards downtown

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