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City Guide
Living in Tumwater. First on the Sound.
The falls of the Deschutes River drew the first permanent American settlement on Puget Sound here in 1845, then powered the brewery that put Tumwater's water on beer cans across the country. Today, living in Tumwater means sitting directly south of Olympia on I-5: a state-worker town with a school district families cross city lines for, and prices that still undercut the north Sound.
Living here
The falls are still the center of gravity. Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls wraps the Deschutes as it drops toward Capitol Lake, salmon climb the ladders every fall, and the brick 1906 brewhouse still stands below the bluff. The old Olympia Brewery closed in 2003, and the city's Brewery District plan is slowly turning that ground into the next chapter: trails, housing, and new uses along the river instead of a fenced-off relic.
Tumwater Hill climbs west of the freeway: established streets with a mix of ranch, split-level, and craftsman-style homes, a neighborhood park, and quick freeway access from the top of the hill. South along Littlerock Road and around Tumwater Boulevard is where the growth is: newer subdivisions, the Town Center corridor on Capitol Boulevard with its state agency offices, and big-box convenience at the Trosper Road exit. Push further southwest and you reach Black Lake, where lakeside living starts minutes from town.
Daily life runs on parks and short errands. Pioneer Park spreads 85 acres of ballfields, river access, and a paved loop trail along the Deschutes, and the Deschutes Valley Trail follows the river gorge below town. Olympia Regional Airport occupies the south end of the city, with the light industry and jobs that come with it.
Who it fits
State employees, first and foremost: agencies like Labor and Industries, the Department of Health, and the State Parks headquarters sit right in Tumwater, and the capitol campus is about ten minutes up Capitol Boulevard. It also fits families targeting the Tumwater School District, first-time buyers who want Olympia access without Olympia's close-in prices, and JBLM personnel who would rather live south of the base traffic than in the middle of it.
Historic Crosby House · Steven Pavlov, 2012 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Display crop & tint
Getting around
I-5 runs straight through town with its own string of exits, and Capitol Boulevard, the old Highway 99, is the surface spine north into Olympia. Downtown Olympia and the capitol campus are about a ten minute drive. Intercity Transit buses are zero fare and connect Tumwater to the Olympia Transit Center, and Amtrak stops at the Olympia-Lacey station about fifteen minutes east. Northbound, plan on 25 to 30 minutes to JBLM's gates and roughly 40 to Tacoma when I-5 behaves. Seattle is an hour and a half commitment at peak.
Schools
Tumwater schools at a glance: independent ratings linked, deeper data on the state's OSPI report card.
- Tumwater High SchoolHigh school · Tumwater School District
- A.G. West Black Hills High SchoolHigh school · Tumwater School District
- Tumwater Middle SchoolMiddle school · Tumwater School District
- George Washington Bush Middle SchoolMiddle school · Tumwater School District
- Tumwater Hill ElementaryElementary · Tumwater School District
- New Market Skills CenterRegional career & technical education · based in Tumwater
- Tumwater 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.
Mount Rainier at alpenglow · Photo: Lucas Davies · Unsplash
Common questions
Straight answers to what buyers ask us about Tumwater most.
Is Tumwater a good place to live?
Tumwater is a steady state-worker town directly south of Olympia, with a school district families cross city lines for and prices that still undercut the north Sound.
How far is Tumwater from Olympia?
About 10 minutes to downtown Olympia and the capitol campus. JBLM runs 25 to 30 minutes and Tacoma roughly 40 when I-5 behaves.
What school district serves Tumwater?
The Tumwater School District: Tumwater High and A.G. West Black Hills high schools, plus the New Market Skills Center for regional career and technical education.
What is Tumwater known for?
The falls of the Deschutes River drew the first permanent American settlement on Puget Sound here in 1845, and later powered the brewery that put Tumwater's water on beer cans across the country.
Ten minutes from the capitol campus, falls out your front door: one call to a Windermere team that works these streets every week, and we'll tell you straight what your budget buys in Tumwater, WA.
Puget Sound at golden hour · Photo: Toan Chu · Unsplash