Olympia, WA — typical scenery (representative photo)

Living in Olympia, Washington

Washington's capital city where Puget Sound, local culture, trails and Northwest living come together.

Olympia sits at the southern end of Puget Sound and offers something increasingly hard to find: a real city with restaurants, arts, employment and amenities that still feels closely connected to water, forests, mountains and the outdoors. You don't have to choose between city and outdoors here.

Thurston County
City Living
Waterfront

What it's like to live in Olympia

Olympia has several personalities. Downtown gives you restaurants, coffee shops, the Capitol Campus, marinas and the waterfront. West Olympia brings established neighborhoods and easy shopping. Go north toward Boston Harbor or Cooper Point and it turns rural and coastal; head southeast into East Olympia and acreage is still within reach of the city. Two homes with an "Olympia" mailing address can offer completely different lifestyles.

Homes & real estate

Olympia real estate isn't one market. You'll find historic homes near downtown, mid-century neighborhoods, newer construction, condos, waterfront homes, lake properties, acreage and rural homes. The better question isn't "Should I live in Olympia?" — it's "Which part of the Olympia area fits the way I actually want to live?"

Parks, trails & outdoor recreation

Puget Sound is part of everyday life — kayaking, boating, fishing and beachcombing are all nearby. Thurston County sits between the Cascades and the Pacific Coast, so Mount Rainier is to the east and the ocean beaches are roughly an hour west. Locally you'll find waterfront walks, parks, forests and trails throughout the area.

Local attractions, shopping & dining

The Capitol Campus, the downtown waterfront and marinas, the farmers market, live theater and a long list of locally owned restaurants and coffee shops give Olympia a character all its own.

Getting around

I-5 runs straight through the area, connecting you to Tacoma and Seattle to the north and Portland to the south. Intercity Transit serves Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater.