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For many generations the area now known as Olympia was a favorite shellfish gathering site for Coastal Salish tribes, including the Nisqually, Duwamish and Squaxin.
In 1850, the town of Olympia was platted by the first american settler, Edmund Sylvester. The Maine native laid out a New England style community with a town square, tree lined streets, land for schools, and a Masonic Hall.
The name of Olympia was selected by Isaac N. Ebey, a local resident, in honor of the majestic Olympic mountains visible to the north on a clear day.
With an economic engine fueled to a great extent by state government activity, Olympia - the Capital City of Washington State - enjoys the benefits of a stable work force, engaged and educated community, and well-supported school system.
Mild winters and pleasantly warm summers make the Olympia area an ideal place for outdoor recreation. In Olympia, you can "get out of town" without even leaving the city. Public trails lead to saltwater beaches where native americans once met for potlatches, through woods thick with big-leaf maples and towering Douglas firs. Salmon return to Budd Inlet each fall and run the ladder under the 5th Avenue Bridge.
Olympia's strategic geographic location along Interstate 5 at the gateway to the Olympic Penisula, puts one within two hours or less of regional recreational attractions - from hiking and skiing in the mountains to beachcombing along ocean shores.
History
Changes were made to the topography of the city in 1911-12, when almost 22 blocks were added to the downtown area in a gigantic dredging and filling effort to create a deep water harbor and fill the sloughs to the north and east of the city.
In 1919, the City awarded a contract to Union Bridge Company to build more reliable bridge concrete bridge connecting downtown Olympia with the westside. The amount of the contract was $132,750.
With increased growth in state government and the economic stimulus of World War I, the city began to grow in population and development. Olympia became a center of lumber processing and the city boasted as new smokestacks went up on the waterfront. Downtown buildings were constructed and residential areas south and west of the city developed. By the time of the completion of the grand domed legislative building in 1927, the city had become a fitting setting for such an imposing structure.
A devastating earthquake in 1949 damaged or destroyed many historic downtown buildings, which were quickly rebuilt. Today, downtown Olympia is a charming mix of historic, mid-century, and contempory architecture.
State government grew rapidly in Olympia after World War II, but many state offices were moving to other parts of the State. A Washington State Supreme Court decision in 1954 mandated that Olympia was the seat of government and that state office headquarters must locate here.
The 1950's ushered in construction of a new freeway through Olympia and her neighboring communities of Tumwater and Lacey. Interstate 5, which runs from the southern tip of California to the Washington State/Canadian border, is a vital transportation link for Olympia and the Puget Sound region.
Long time residents still mention the "Columbus Day" storm which hit the northwest on October 12, 1962, with seventy-eight mile per hour winds. Two people were killed in the Olympia area and extensive damage was caused to buildings and trees.
In the 1960's the time of smokestacks and plywood mills drew mostly to an end along Olympia's waterfront when the Simpson, Georgia Pacific, and St. Regis mills closed, victims of changing markets.
A new era began at the close of the sixties when The Evergreen State College was authorized by the state legislature on Cooper Point road at the site of historic Athens University, just west of the Olympia City limits. The institution has changed and enlivened the Capital City's cultural and social climate.
In recent years, Olympia, with its neighbors of Lacey and Tumwater, have witnessed phenomenal growth. The small, muddy, bustling village of the 1850s is only a memory, but the tenacious spirit of Olympians over more than a century echoes through the vibrant city of Olympia.
Twenty-First Century Vision
On May 16, 2004 the Olympia community dedicated a new bridge and gateway corridor linking Olympia's downtown and eastside with westside Olympia. The Olympia City Council named the new bridge the Olympia-Yashiro Friendship Bridge in honor of Olympia's sister city, Yashiro, Japan.
The bridge is much more than a transportation corridor. With decorative mosaic designs, dramatic accent lighting, and spacious pedestrian walkways and overlooks, the new bridge defines Olympia as a commuity and expresses the city's relationship to the surrounding natural environment.
Learn more about this city
City of OLYMPIA, WA official site
City of OLYMPIA, WA general information
City of OLYMPIA, WA yellow pages
City of OLYMPIA, WA newspaper
County of KITSAP, WA official site
Experience Washington