Olympia Essential Info
Overview
Olympia is in the South Sound region of Washington.
Olympia is the capitol of Washington State, and the Thurston County seat. The city reflects a diverse economic base and culture. It is also home to The Evergreen State College, one of six public four-year schools in Washington. As of the 2000 census, there are 42,514 residents of Olympia.
Olympia's art and music scene is unusually large and active for a town of its size, and its identity as a city remains distinct despite strong influences from Seattle, Tacoma and Everett to the North and from Portland/Vancouver to the South. Olympia is somewhat of a breeding ground for Pacific Northwest alternative culture having spawned or influenced many of the region's better-known personalities.
The city's downtown core has been designated as a National Historic District.
The natural beauty of Olympia is of particular note. From downtown, one can see the Olympic Mountains to the northwest set behind Puget Sound's Budd Bay - and towering Mt. Rainier to the southeast set next to the state capitol building and Capitol Lake.
Description is available from Wikitravel under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license. A list of contributors is available at the original article.
Basics
Best Time To Go
Mar-Oct
Current Time
Current Weather
Rain
Fun Facts
- Kurt Cobain moved to Olympia where he and fellow founding member Krist Novoselic founded the iconic band.
- The world's first soft-serve ice cream machine was located in an Olympia Dairy Queen.
- In 1896, Olympia became the home of the Olympia Brewing Company, which brewed Olympia Beer until 2003.
- In 1984, Olympia hosted the U.S. Olympic women's marathon trial. The winner of the event was Joan Benoit who would later win a gold medal at the first women's Olympic marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympic games in Los Angeles.
- The 90s riot grrrl feminist punk movement, which included bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile, originated in Olympia
Popular Foods
- Razor Clams
- Almond Chicken