Olympia: You say To-mah-toe, I say Toe-may-ter (Tacoma, Bellingham: home, rent)

[BrushFyre]

This is what is puzzling me. I was getting very excited about Olympia. I move all over but am slowing down and wanted to find a place to stick, and was considering Olympia. But then, on ANOTHER part of city-data, I found someone from the Pacific NW saying that people there are meanies. That they won't say hello back to you. That they won't answer you in the store, etc.

I respect the opinions of those who live in a place, about their place. But one will say one thing, one will refute it, another will agree with the first one, someone will chime in for the opposite opinion...and off we go, into Confusionland.

I visited Olympia once and it was a parade day. The people there had their chairs and coolers and all and were waiting for the parade. It was summer, I recall that. Anyway, the people would GET UP from their chairs and go walkabout, LEAVING purses and bags and things, and NO ONE BOTHERED THEIR STUFF.

I was used to things like that in the small towns where I had lived including Coupeville and Georgetown Texas. But it surprised me in Olympia.

Everyone was nice to us in Olympia. They said Howdy back. One person did say "You aren't from here!" and scowled at me when I said howdy. There's always one...

So what's the truth about the vibe in Olympia??? Naughty or nice? Or a mix? Some places are NOT nice overall. They have a sucky vibe. But what about Olympia? I am sick of the extreme heat of the South and Southwest tho I love the people.

Thank you for any opinions, I do respect all honest opinions and give them serious weight.

[BrushFyre]

Oops, may I add, what about the climate, it was much warmer in Olympia when we visited than it was in Coupeville...is it a bit diff in Olympia than in Coupeville (which was too cold for me during the summers)...

[allforcats]

Originally Posted by BrushFyre

So what's the truth about Olympia?

You have your own experience(s) of Olympia. Why would you doubt what you experienced with your own being?
Believe your own experiences; follow your own inclinations, your gut feeling, your intuition, and Life will always show you the very best it has to offer you on the paths you choose. Especially in western Washington, where the people are usually gentle and friendly.

[allforcats]

Warmth, coolth.... Winds vary from place to place and moment to moment, and certainly hour to hour and day to day. Protection from the mountains varies. Coupeville is out in the water; Olympia is not. The weather in western Washington changes every 20 minutes or so anyway.
Those are all reasons for the differences. And maybe another reason is that the Weather God saw you coming and decided to mess with your mind?

[chris]

Olympia is usually 5 or more degrees warmer than most of the sound during the summer (as are most parts directly south of there). In the winter, it's one of the rainiest cities in the country.

The vibe can be different depending on which day you visit. Most of the time it's fairly tame. Plenty of decent places to eat, go for walks, shopping, etc. You get a fair mix of Evergreen College (and other colleges) kids mixed with state workers and military all in the same place which is interesting. It's bustling during the week but weekends are often completely dead with the exception of the farmers market and shopping areas, unless of course there's a war protest or something fun like a parade going on.

Like most places, it gets worse every year since I've lived there. My wife does her shopping in Gig Harbor now instead of Olympia. For some reason she doesn't like homeless bums, drunks/druggies falling down on the street, being hassled at ATMs or around child molesteration central for the Thurston/Mason/Grays Harbor/Lewis county area.

Personally I avoid Olympia, mostly because of the road rage and grumpy dumpty attitude I feel while there. I never thought I'd say Bremerton is more appealing to me now than Olympia, but it is. Olympia is still better than Tacoma though. Olympia is in a state of transition. Eventually it will become just another part of the I5 dumpsterpass, basically an extension of Tacoma.

[scirocco22]

I kind of agree with Chris on the I-5 dumpsterpass comment ...it's actually extending all the way from Bellingham to Portland in my opinion.

However, BrushFrye, just like anywhere else, you'll find pockets of nice areas in any place that tends to have a bad reputation. For instance, I find people very friendly and warm in parts of Lacey and Yelm ...essentially suburbs of Olympia.

Everywhere will have its "meanies" ...don't let that generalization bother you.

Oh, and remember though, Olympia (as we've discussed in numerous threads) has the reputation of having the "most" days of rain than anywhere else in the country.

[BrushFyre]

allforcats, I was in Olympia for one day. I would hardly trust a single day to stand in for what those who live there can add or say!!! Trusting my gut instead of carefully researching on city-data and other sites led me to some real bummer places before. Whidbey being one of them. I like your sweet and optimistic outlook but I'm just an old road-weary lady whose rose-colored glasses got knocked off about 3 decades ago.

Well chris, thanks for your input, if it's going to be road rage, if it's bums around hassling me, I won't pursue Olympia too much longer. I had enough of that in Tucson, Baltimore, DC, Savannah, and Albuquerque. Couldn't just shop or run errands, always having to be so careful and navigating the aggressive panhandlers. Was attacked on campus once and was pushed down twice during purse snatchings. Every grocery store trip was having to "tip" trashy weirdos to "watch" my car or my basket while I fetched the car (weren't allowed to remove the basket from in front of the store). And the police did nothing and the other people thought this was "normal." That wasn't my "normal" at all! But I am not of the current generation so I'm behind the times I guess. Bums and druggies and trashy people really ruin an area. I feel bad for the bums, there is no mental health available for them.

But I like what they say in England: "Your right to swing your umbrella ends where my nose begins." In other words, live your life but don't push into my space and my face!!! We have no bums here. But we do have exhausting sizzling weather and tornadoes. You can't grow anything. I'm sick of carefully scouting for scorpions nightly. And finding them! Argh!

[BrushFyre]

Thx scirocco, for your input, about the rain, all that rain...no, it's too much...guess the weather god was just pulling my leg that sunny warm day in Olympia...and if Olympia is just getting to be part of that crowdy I-5 area, no...I am looking at Olympia several decades too late...*sigh*

[chris]

BrushFyre, I wouldn't say Olympia is as bad as some of the places you've lived, in terms of safety, but it does have that element about it downtown, especially after dusk.

Like Scirocco mentioned, the outlying areas are better. There are plenty of nice people and nice areas, but when people mention Olympia (where I had the displeasure of actually living in), I tend to lay it out on the table like I see it. There are *many* very nice places to live in Washington, and if it weren't for the overcast weather, I would be more favorable in terms of recommending it.

I've also lived outside of Baltimore and I didn't mind it (and spent time in Savannah when I lived in GA), but at the time I didn't have a family to be concerned with. Makes a huge difference on my outlook.

[Prple]

For what it's worth, in my experience, I have found Olympia to be much more friendly and comfortable than the eastside. Overall, I think Olympia is a great place to live and that it is underated.