Question (sorta) about Olympia... (Seattle, Spokane: appointed, home, neighborhoods)

[InambaGuum]

So I'm relocating from the East Coast and currently staying in Seattle with a friend...but as much as I like Seattle (and I do), I'm just not sure if I'm really down with living in a huge city anymore. I've spent the last several years living in a college town and I like my space and green spaces. So I've been checking out other cities in the area...Olympia seemed to be a no-brainer -- just about the ideal size for me, college town, left-leaning, on the water, near the mountains, lots of vegetarian options for food, etc.

So...we went down to Olympia today for a few hours and headed for the waterfront. And it was really great...the farmer's marked seemed really nice, and the area down by the marina with the observation tower was pleasant and chill, and the various green spaces where they have the fair set up seemed like they could be a relaxing, social place to hang out on nice summer days.

But then we went to the downtown...and I was totally disappointed. It was deserted (and I mean really deserted...I'd usually see three or four times as many people out in the college town I'm moving from, and that's half the size!), of those I did see, I saw very few people in my age range (I'm 30), there were a rather disturbing number of panhandlers and drunks for such a small town (two of which were actually kind of aggressive), and the whole place just kind of had an air of decline.

I'm not trying to trash the place at all...I really want to like it. But I'm just wondering what happened? Was it because I went on a Sunday afternoon? Was I in the wrong part of town (I'm pretty sure it was the city center...that's what the signs said anyway)? Or is Olympia really this deserted and decaying?

Oh, and my Seattle area question is...given my criteria above, are there any other towns within an hour or so of Seattle that I should check out?

[eyerishroses]

Check out Edmonds, wa

[chris]

I guess I'd consider myself a critic when it comes to downtown Olympia - I agree with most of what you've said about it (run down, full of homeless and child predators, etc). However, what you're perceiving right now may be more aparent because it is summer, and most of the students have returned to their home areas outside of Olympia.

I know what you mean about getting away from big city living, but most of the places you're looking for with that college atmosphere exist in eastern wa (Spokane, Pullman, Ellensburg, Walla Walla, etc) with the exeption of Western Washington U up in Bellingham which is about 90 mintues north of Seattle. That might be something worth checking out, although you may find it to be really quiet with kids being out for the summer.

There's also schools in the Portland area (thinking Camas) but I can't remember which one is there and that's more like 2-3 hours away. You might even want to make the trek to Portland because it has much less of a "city feel" to it than Seattle does.

[Sandy Nelson]

Downtown Olympia is a lot more busy during the week, with the working crowd shopping and lunching. Additionally, many of the college students are out of town during the summer. It will never be a bustling metropolis, but it's a great place to live.

Sandy

[kc2sweet4ne1]

You should look at the Centralia/Chehalis area. It is only 30 minutes from Olympia- you can go there and visit anytime you want!

[dkbluespiral]

I wouldn't count Seattle out-living here it REALLY doesn't seem like too big of a city. I would look into the Queen Anne or Fremont areas-both are a 5 minute drive to downtown but feel farther away than that and have cute neighborhoods, shops, restaurants, etc. Also check out Kirkland or Redmond on the Eastside.

[cobolt]

I always felt Olympia was kind of depressing. There are some good eateries and quiant shops, but on the most part the area, the environment, and the people just seemed "out there" and I am not saying this from a liberal perspective. It just seems depressed and sad.

[Ultrarunner]

Any ideas on why???

Could it be the large number of transient State workers?

I really like Olympia as a whole... I just wish every time Olympia makes National News, that it wasn't for protesting our service men and women...

There have been several incidents this year of the riot police and protesters clashing at the Port... can't we just all get along for the children?

Last week, two Canadian Coast Guard ships were scheduled to stop by on a "Good Will" tour. The stop over was cancelled due to security concerns over possible protesters... Where else other than Olympia could you find people protesting the Canadians... and that is a shame.

[Sandy Nelson]

Ultrarunner,

I agree with you on that aspect of Olympia. It's disappointing how little appreciation our military personnel get. The Olympia mayor is prior Air Force, but I think the rest of the city council is anti military, some of them militantly so.

Sandy

[cobolt]

Yes Oly is very anti-military. I am a vet and I live right outside Tacoma, in fact pretty much between Ft Lewis and McChord and the military support from the local community is great.

I wish I knew why Oly seems so depressed to me. I mean, I like going there to explore and they have nice parks, eateries, etc, I think much moreso than Tacoma and on the whole, there seems to be more of a sense of community, but there is just something off there.

My co-worker lives there and he loves it. Of course, he is an eclectic soul, and very involved in the art community so it works for him