Olympia, Washington was incorporated way back in 1859, and you can still see a few vestiges of its carless past in the victorian decor of some downtown buildings (Wikipedia, 2025). However, like many West Coast suburbs, Olympia has grown like a weed since World War II.
Truth be told, this place is now mostly indistinguishable from any other American suburb — a sprawling assemblage of big-box stores, fast-food joints and endless boulevards . . . often clogged with traffic.
While one can point to a few interesting parts of town, such as a lovely waterfront along Puget Sound, Olympia mostly has a rather soulless quality. It’s the kind of place that is primarily designed to pass through as quickly as possible. Anthropologist Marc Auge (2009) calls this a “non-place.” That becomes particularly apparent at night.
Even a ‘non-place’ can be expensive to live in
As with much of the West Coast, Olympia housing prices have soared in recent decades. As a case in point, the median home sale price is $530,000 (Zillow, 2025a). This is much higher than the $348,000 for the U.S. as a whole (Zillow, 2025b).
Also see ‘Moon over automotive non-place’
One result is a growing number of people who are homeless. Some live in cars and trailers parked by the side of the road. Every once in a while a local government official will tell these folks that they have to move somewhere else.
“Somewhere else” could end up being under a bridge or on a park bench along the boardwalk on a cold winter night.
Some locals might complain that I am presenting Olympia in an overly negative light — that this is a relatively pleasant place to live as American suburbs go. I wouldn’t actually disagree with that assessment.
For example, the bigger parks are nice and the city lights can be pretty, particularly around the state capitol.
Even so, most parts of town still have an anonymous, ticky-tacky quality. Yet it is fairly expensive to live here.
Ironically, one generally needs to be affluent to buy a house in the most walkable neighborhoods. That can pose a challenge even for those who have lived here for decades but in their retirement want to downsize — and reduce their car use.
The most affordable option may be to leave — if indeed it is possible to go from one “non-place” to another. As in: “No matter where you go, there you aren’t.”
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Auge, Marc; 2009. Non-Places: An Introduction to Supermodernity. Second edition. John Howe, translator. Verso.
- Wikipedia; 2025. “Olympia, Washington.” Page last modified May 8.
- Zillow; 2025a. “Olympia, WA Housing Market.” Accessed May 11.
- ——; 2025b. “United States Housing.” Accessed May 11.
Travel a lot and rent somewhere that seems promising before you move. It might just be that “familiarity breeds contempt.” We took a cross country trip through the southern states around the time of the election, and frankly, there’s a lot of what you’re describing, just with worse weather and no proximity to the ocean. City after city has homelessness and blight from closed businesses. Then a lot of undeveloped land in between. Maybe it’s undevelopable? There’s a lot of neglect. Our friends who moved from the West Coast spend much of their vacation time coming back to visit. They lose the appreciation on theie homes, lose their prop 13 (I am in California) and they are priced out of coming back. The grass is not always greener.
We also like a place with a walkable area – not a fan of some South Orange County areas for that reason. Too spread out with too many hills.
As I get older, I am not a fan of living in the altitude or in a place with bad weather or a lot of humidity.
I have always held the theory that the best land in an area was developed first! I am leery of new communities. Think about it: settlers came in and chose land near water sources with good soil and good weather relative to the region, land near the main trail or road for transporting goods. More of the new communities follow the same pattern with the same mini mansions and the same big box stores. It reminds me of a line from e. e. cummings: “anyone lived in a pretty how town.” There’s no sense of history and no hole in the wall restaurants.
I think with Olympia being a capital city, along the water, a certain amount of it will stay in good condition.
Many decades ago, we passed through Olympia and took the brewery tour. You”ve never been so thirsty for a beer until you’ve walked through an hour of a brewery tour. That beer was at the optimal temperature in the right shape of chilled glass. Too bad it’s no longer in operation.