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City Guide
Living in Lacey. The practical pick.
Newer neighborhoods, parks and lakes everywhere, and the shortest Thurston commute to JBLM. Lacey, WA is where PCS families and first-time buyers keep landing, for reasons that hold up.
Living here
Day to day, living in Lacey revolves around water: the city wraps around a string of lakes and the Woodland Creek corridor, with trails linking most neighborhoods to a park. Housing skews newer than its neighbors: planned communities, townhomes, and fresh construction around Hawks Prairie.
The older heart of town sits near Saint Martin's University, whose wooded campus has anchored Lacey since before the city incorporated. Long Lake and Hicks Lake carry the summer swim crowds, the Regional Athletic Complex handles the tournament weekends, and the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge sits just past the northeast edge for anyone who wants boardwalk miles over an estuary.
Photo: Mike Gordon · Pexels
Who it fits
JBLM households on a clock: about twenty minutes from the main gate, with the housing allowance stretching further than anywhere comparably close. Also anyone who wants Costco, Cabela's, and the freeway inside a ten-minute bubble.
Getting around
I-5 runs straight through the city with interchanges at Sleater-Kinney Road, Martin Way, and Marvin Road at Hawks Prairie. Downtown Olympia is about ten minutes west, the JBLM main gate about twenty minutes north, Tacoma roughly forty without traffic, and Seattle an hour and change. Amtrak's Centennial Station on Yelm Highway puts the Cascades and the Coast Starlight in town: Seattle and Portland without touching the freeway. Intercity Transit runs zero-fare buses from the Lacey Transit Center across Lacey, Olympia, and out to Yelm. You read that right: the buses are free.
Schools
Independent ratings for Lacey schools linked below, with deeper data on the state's OSPI report card.
- Timberline High SchoolHigh school · North Thurston Public Schools
- River Ridge High SchoolHigh school · North Thurston Public Schools
- North Thurston High SchoolHigh school · North Thurston Public Schools
- Salish Middle SchoolMiddle school · North Thurston Public Schools
- Komachin Middle SchoolMiddle school · North Thurston Public Schools
- Envision Career AcademyChoice CTE high school · North Thurston Public Schools
- North Thurston Public SchoolsDistrictRatings on GreatSchools →
School assignment depends on the exact address. We check boundaries for any home you're considering, before you write an offer.
Nisqually Wildlife Refuge · Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Common questions
Straight answers to what buyers ask us about Lacey most.
Is Lacey a good place to live?
Lacey keeps landing PCS families and first-time buyers for reasons that hold up: newer neighborhoods, parks and lakes everywhere, and the shortest Thurston County commute to JBLM.
How far is Lacey from JBLM?
About 20 minutes to the main gate up I-5. Downtown Olympia is about 10 minutes west, Tacoma roughly 40 without traffic, and Seattle an hour and change.
What school district serves Lacey?
North Thurston Public Schools, with three comprehensive high schools in Timberline, River Ridge, and North Thurston, plus Envision Career Academy for career and technical education.
Does Lacey have public transit?
Yes, and it is free to ride. Intercity Transit buses run zero fare from the Lacey Transit Center, and Amtrak's Centennial Station on Yelm Highway puts Cascades and Coast Starlight service in town.
Nisqually Wildlife Refuge · Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Curious what your budget buys in Lacey?
One call gets you a straight answer, from people who work these streets every week.