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For most visitors to Washington’s capital city, the first view of Olympia is that of the 28-story-high Capitol dome, looming above the tree line as a symbol of the history, political importance and beauty of the area. The Capitol Campus includes the pillared Temple of Justice, seat of the State Supreme Court and, to the west, the red brick Governor’s Mansion. The restored Old Capitol’s high arched windows and pointed towers can be found on 7th Avenue between Washington and Franklin Streets. Yet even with all this grandeur, Olympia feels as much like a small town as it does the center of State government.
The city boasts a fairly lively and eclectic downtown, over 700 acres of parks, a working port and an attractive waterfront with the parks and boardwalk of Percival Landing as a community focal point. State legislators and attorneys mix seamlessly with a thriving visual and performance art community and the liberal thinkers of Evergreen State College. There is a strong sense of community, creative diversity and pride in the area’s history and natural environment, perhaps best conveyed by the little things preserved throughout town - murals on back walls in alleys, a spring-fed drinking fountain on the corner of Fourth and Washington, imprints of antique tools in the concrete entry of what was once an 1884 hardware store and a boulder in Sylvester park marking the end of the Oregon Trail.
In town, you’ll find coffee roasters, waterfront restaurants, unique shops, an award-winning museum just for children, a bustling Farmer's Market and, of course, legislators at work. Capitol Lake and the harbor are easily accessed by bike paths and parks. Out of town the Nisqually Delta, Pacific Ocean, Olympic Mountains and Washington’s volcano region await, offering both solitude and adventure.
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