Neighborhood Spotlight: Olympia, Washington
Olympia may be Washington’s state capital, but government is only one piece of its identity.
Sitting at the southern end of the Puget Sound, Olympia combines waterfront living, historic neighborhoods, a wonderfully independent downtown and a creative community that feels distinctly its own. While conveniently sitting directly along I-5 between Seattle and Portland.
It’s a city where you can spend the morning along the water, wander through an art shop in the afternoon, grab tacos for lunch and still find yourself surrounded by beautiful old homes, marinas and views of the South Sound.
And like most cities, Olympia changes quite a bit depending on which neighborhood you’re exploring. Here is a simple breakdown.
Downtown Olympia
Downtown is Olympia’s civic and creative center.
The Washington State Capitol Campus sits just above downtown, while the city stretches toward Capitol Lake, Percival Landing and Budd Inlet. Within a relatively compact area you’ll find independent restaurants, record stores, galleries, coffee shops, the farmers market and locally owned businesses.
For anyone who likes a neighborhood where you can park the car and wander, this is the Olympia I would start with.
There is also a wonderfully creative streak here.
Olyphant Art Supply on Capitol Way has been serving Olympia’s creative community since 2010, with art materials along with classes and events. Childhood’s End Gallery has been part of downtown Olympia for decades, and there are plenty of smaller galleries and maker spaces scattered throughout the neighborhood.
It’s the kind of downtown that rewards curiosity.
South Capitol
Just south of the Capitol Campus is one of Olympia’s most architecturally interesting residential areas.
South Capitol developed alongside the permanent state capitol, and much of its housing was constructed in the early 1900s. Craftsman homes, bungalows and mature trees give it a completely different feeling from downtown, despite being remarkably close to it.
The entire South Capitol Neighborhood Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
For someone drawn to older homes and neighborhoods where the architecture itself tells part of the story, this is a particularly fun part of Olympia to explore.
Eastside
Head east from downtown and Olympia becomes a little more residential.
The Eastside — historically known as Swantown — is one of Olympia’s older neighborhoods, with roots stretching back to the mid-1800s. Today you’ll find older homes, established trees and easy access back toward downtown and I-5.
It’s another example of something I like about Olympia: you don’t have to travel very far for the feeling of the city to change.
Westside
Across the water, West Olympia has developed its own collection of neighborhood businesses, homes and gathering places.
And this is also where one of Olympia’s best-known exports makes an appearance: coffee.
Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. began here in Olympia in 2005 and has grown well beyond the city, but its roots are still very much local. There are now Olympia Coffee cafés downtown, on the Westside and in South Olympia, making it pretty easy to work a coffee stop into almost any Olympia wandering. I was recently travelling to Eugene, Oregon and stopped at my friend’s incredible new farm-fresh bakery and cafe in downtown Eugene. They are serving Olympia Coffee. As previous residents of the Seattle area they appreciate good coffee and community.
Boston Harbor
This might be my personal favorite part of Olympia. Water, trees and marinas.
Boston Harbor feels almost like another world from downtown Olympia. Homes tuck themselves along Budd Inlet, boats fill the marina and the relationship with the water becomes much more immediate.
This is where you’ll find some truly unusual properties, too — including an A-frame I recently toured that hovers over the changing tide of the inlet, as well as cabin style homes and homes with views for miles. This area will make you start imagining rainy winter mornings by the fire and long summer evenings watching boats come and go. The changing of the seasons has a perfect lens from this corner of Olympia.
It’s quieter and more removed, while still keeping downtown Olympia within reach.
A Few Olympia Stops
A neighborhood guide isn’t complete without somewhere to eat.
One of my favorites is Taqueria La Esquinita, located in a vibrantly pink corner building this Mexican spot has welcoming service and delicious food. It’s exactly the kind of place I love finding, casual, unexpected and somewhere I’d happily build an Olympia afternoon around for tacos, oh wait I just did :)
For coffee, Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. is the obvious hometown stop, but Olympia’s coffee culture extends beyond one roaster. Downtown also has small independent spots like Bar Francis, and Ember Goods combines coffee with a shop full of Pacific Northwest goods.
And if you like getting a little creative while exploring a neighborhood, add Olyphant Art Supply, Childhood’s End Gallery or Lost & Found Crafts — a creative-reuse shop filled with secondhand art and craft supplies — to the list.
Why Olympia Works
Perhaps Olympia’s biggest geographic advantage is that it doesn’t ask you to completely choose between the two major cities surrounding it.
Seattle is north. Portland is south. Tacoma is close.
And Olympia sits along I-5 between them while maintaining an identity that feels much smaller, more creative and much closer to the water.
But I don’t think Olympia’s appeal is simply that it’s between two places.
It’s the combination of the Capitol history and sailboat masts. Historic homes and A-frames. Coffee roasters and art stores. Downtown sidewalks and quiet waterfront roads. Olympia is its own collection of neighborhoods — and there is a lot here worth exploring.
Let me know if you are curious about exploring your next home. I love helping you discover what is next.