Sixty miles south of Seattle, on the shores of south Puget Sound, rests Washington’s capital city, Olympia. For hundreds of years before the coming of the whites, the region was occupied by the Nisqually and Suquamish people. First settled by the newcomers in 1846, the city was named, incorporated and after a fierce battle between competing communities was designated the capital of the new Washington Territory. In 1854 Governor Stevens, residing in Olympia, moved quickly to establish agreements with the indigenous tribes in the Territory signing 10 treaties in 13 months with over 100 groups. Logging and timber products, coal mining, and farming drove the economy and the natural harbor the transportation link to get those products to market. Over the next decades telephones, electricity and a city water system were added. The State Capitol Campus was built and by the 1950s Olympia had mostly assumed its current characteristics of a capital city.

Today state government is a stabilizing factor for the city economy and is one reason why INC. Magazine names Olympia as a “Best City For Business In America.” Government is the county’s second-largest industry behind services, employing over 25,000 people. Other economic engines include manufacturing, agriculture, education and the Port of Olympia. Excellent transportation links and plenty of consumer oriented business complete a total package.

Olympia School District, one of the State’s oldest, was founded in 1852. Today, it serves a student population of 9,231 and with 507 full-time classroom teachers, the district’s overall student/teacher ratio is 18.2/1. Teachers average 15.7 years of experience and 69.8% have a masters degree or higher. Recent state standardized testing scores place Olympia students above average in comparison to other Washington students. Traditional higher education is provided by South Sound Community College, the Evergreen State University and Saint Martin’s University.

The city maintains more than 26 parks in over 700 acres and has been recognized for 14 consecutive years as a Tree City USA. Local activities include walking and home tours, farmers markets and the state capitol campus and special events such as Harbor Days and Lakefair occur every month. Other local options include theatre groups, museums and galleries, volunteering, golfing, and the Olympia Symphony. The great outdoors offers boating, skiing, salmon fishing, hiking, whale watching, camping, wildlife viewing and the wider NW Metroplex options include more of the arts as well as zoos and aquaria, casinos, nightclubs, shows and pro sports.