a question for olympiads (?)

[RainDog]

is that what you call yourselves? oh wait, that wasn't the question.

this (these are) is the question(s): what do you think are the best and worst things about living in Olympia? if someone is moving to Olympia for a job, what sorts of things should they know that would make the move better, easier, etc.

Are housing prices too high to live in the city if you're middle class? What are the neighborhoods you like, and why? If you're a person who likes foreign films and local rather than chain stores and restaurants, etc... where would you live?

[cynthiainolympia]

1. response to: A question for Olympiads

We are Olympians, though Olympia is actually a tri-city area with Lacey and Tumwater the other two cities. But no one differentiates as I've never heard of anyone referring to themselves or others as Lacey-ites or Tumwater-arians.

The best thing about living in Olympia is the locale. Absolutely beautiful. We have southern Puget Sound at our doorstep for boating, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, snorkeling; see Mt. Rainier on clear days and not-so-clear days and it's a stunner!; there are literally hundreds of fishing lakes and ponds; if you're into hiking, trails abound within the city itself or you can do mountain hiking and its only an hour or less away; the Pacific ocean is an hour drive out to the coast; weather is mild and temperate and the air is cleaned frequently with mist and rain. Local services are excellent, and the water from your tap is not only drinkable but smells good - or you can go to a local Artesian well and stock up on pure water yourself; plus, we are still heavily treed here with firs often well over 100' tall. You can still hunt deer and elk within an hour's drive. I have coyotes in the cow fields down the road from me, my german shepherd dog keeps the raccoons and opossums out of the backyard and I still see deer crossing the street in my neighborhood. For truly rural areas, drive 5-15 minutes out of downtown. There is nothing I don't like about Olympia. I've lived overseas and in many, many states (last count: 41 moves) but have settled in Olympia for 30 years and love it here. It's simply beautiful.

For movies, go to the Yahoo Movie site and key in the 98501 zipcode. I think the old Capitol Theatre downtown plays unique films. The other theaters do the commercial films.

Housing - Olympia has excellent housing bargains to be had right now. Developers overbuilt and I recently heard that some new stick-built homes have lowered prices as much as $30K. You can go to some real estate sites such as Windermere.com and look at their offerings. They'll have everything that's posted on the multiple listing service on their website. Personally, I like neighborhoods in the SE side of town - they use the 98501, 98503 and 98513 zip codes on the real estate websites. If you like rural life, try Tenino, Rainier or Yelm which are all incorporated small townships outside of Olympia but within Thurston County and literally 10-20 minutes away. Yelm is the largest. Homes generally sell from $200K to $1M. There are many rental single-family homes available in nice neighborhoods along with apartments and condos.

Employment - State government is Olympia's largest employer in Thurston County. Go to careers.wa.gov to check out what is available. Easy commuting distance to Tacoma (that's in Pierce County). I think the average family income is about $50K or more. There are many millionaires in Olympia and there are many low-income families. Generally, I'd say Olympia is overwhelmingly middle-class. Many people who live in Olympia do not work here - they commute to Tacoma or further north to Seattle. Tacoma can be as quick as a 20 minute freeway drive. Fort Lewis Army base and McChord Air Force Base are on the outskirts of Tacoma. Many families are military and there are many military retirees.

If you plan on checking out Olympia, see the local paper at theolympian.com.

[RainDog]

2. thanks!

what a thoughtful reply. Olympia sounds like a better version of where I live now. I definitely would not be buying a house, so it's nice to hear that there are some affordable rents. --what would go for 200k in your area would buy an extremely nice house here.

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. I live about 45 minutes west of Olympia.

But my brother lives in town.

IMHO, there is nothing not to like about Olympia. The farmers market and the waterfront are both great entertainment. The Evergreen State College is the best liberal arts school on the west coast. The capital is a beautiful building and there are some very nice neighborhoods. Rentals are plentiful, and although I wouldn't consider them cheap, they are at least not ludicrous.

I doubt that house values will collapse, but I also doubt that houses will appreciate markedly. If you decide to live here permanently, it may be prudent to wait awhile before buying a home.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/apa/545441527.html

[TechBear_Seattle]

4. Wow. With housing prices like that...

Does the Sounder connect Olympia with Seattle? It would be nice to buy a house down there and not have to give up my current job here.