← All neighborhood guides · Thurston County guide
City Guide
Living in Olympia. The capital.
The state capital acts like it: living in Olympia, WA gets you a walkable downtown on the water, a farmers market that runs half the year, and craftsman neighborhoods climbing the hills behind the Capitol dome. Government payrolls keep the market steady in every season.
Living here
The isthmus between Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet holds downtown's shops, venues, and the boardwalk at Percival Landing. The South Capitol and Bigelow neighborhoods carry the historic housing stock. The Westside adds midcentury value minutes from Evergreen.
The Eastside and the streets around Bigelow deliver bungalows and postwar homes on walkable grids, with Squaxin Park's forested shoreline on Budd Inlet at the north end. Southeast Olympia runs newer: cul-de-sac subdivisions and larger floor plans out toward Yelm Highway and the LBA Park ballfields. Almost everything in the city sits within fifteen minutes of the water.
Photo: Mattsjc · CC BY-SA 4.0
Who it fits
State workers, obviously, but also buyers who want a small city with big-city culture per square foot, an hour from Seattle and twenty-five minutes from JBLM's south gates.
Getting around
I-5 runs right through town, and US 101 splits off toward the Westside and the peninsulas beyond. Figure roughly 25 minutes to JBLM's main gates, 35 to 40 to Tacoma, and over an hour to Seattle outside the commute crush. Intercity Transit buses have been zero fare since 2020, with the downtown Olympia Transit Center as the hub and an express route to Lakewood Station for Sounder and Sound Transit connections north. Amtrak's Cascades and Coast Starlight stop at Centennial Station, about 15 minutes east in Lacey.
Schools
Most Olympia schools sit in the Olympia School District. Some Olympia-addressed homes east and south of the city line fall in North Thurston or Tumwater schools. Independent ratings linked, with deeper data on the state's OSPI report card.
- Olympia High SchoolHigh · Olympia School District
- Capital High SchoolHigh · Olympia School District
- Washington Middle SchoolMiddle · Olympia School District
- Jefferson Middle SchoolMiddle · Olympia School District
- Avanti High SchoolSmall option high school, downtown · Olympia School District
- Olympia School DistrictDistrictRatings on GreatSchools →
School assignment depends on the exact address. We check boundaries for any home you're considering, before you write an offer.
Washington State Capitol at dusk · Photo: Mike Gordon · Pexels
Common questions
Straight answers to what buyers ask us about Olympia most.
Is Olympia a good place to live?
The state capital acts like it: a walkable downtown on the water, a farmers market that runs half the year, and craftsman neighborhoods climbing the hills behind the Capitol dome. Government payrolls keep the market steady in every season.
How far is Olympia from Seattle and Tacoma?
Figure 35 to 40 minutes to Tacoma, roughly 25 minutes to JBLM's main gates, and over an hour to Seattle outside the commute crush.
Is public transit free in Olympia?
Yes. Intercity Transit buses have been zero fare since 2020, with the downtown Olympia Transit Center as the hub and an express route to Lakewood Station for Sounder connections north.
What school district serves Olympia?
The Olympia School District: Olympia High, Capital High, and Avanti, a small option high school downtown.
Percival Landing, Budd Inlet · Photo: Matthew.kowal · CC BY-SA 4.0
Curious what your budget buys in Olympia?
One call gets you a straight answer, from a Windermere team that works these streets every week.