Geography of Olympia
Olympia, Washington, the state capital. It is also the seat of Thurston County. The city is at the southern end of Puget Sound in the west-central part of the state, near Tacoma. Olympia functions mainly as a seat of government, but is also a manufacturing city, a seaport, and a trade center. The Evergreen State College is here. Just east of the city is Fort Lewis, a major U.S. Army base; nearby are Mt. Rainier and Olympic national parks. Olympia was founded in 1850 and was made the capital of Washington Territory when it was formed in 1853. It was made the state capital when Washington was admitted to the Union in 1889.
Population: 42,514.