It struck me about a year ago that depending on where were socially or geographically in Olympia, you saw Olympia differently. You could see it as “the hippest town in the West,” the home of progressive politics, or just a town full of boring state workers.

This made me think then think about how many different Olympias there were, almost self contained communities that each had a different perspective on Olympia when they say in a blanket statement “Olympia is so…”

 Anyway, here’s my back of the napkin list. I’m prepared for people to not like this list, so be warned, I’m very open to not really fighting for the truth of this.

1. Hipster Village
In short, just google “Hippest Town in the West.” K Records, LadyFest and hey, did you know Kurt Cobain lived in THAT house? Or, what people mean when they talk about the downtown arts scene. This enclave is somewhat Evergreen State College related.

2. Public Employment Neighborhood 
Broad swath of state employees. Do I really need to explain this?

3. Progressive Politics Parkway
This one is also Evergreen related. It would include OMJP, the county Democrats (the folks that aren’t members of the Kiwanas) and various protests at various times.

4. Born Fere Town


The people that would attend the Spaghetti Bowl after they were 25 or so. Obviously these folks bounce around through the other enclaves, but there’s something different not having shown up here as an adult. If the next two enclaves are the most exclusive, this one is the least.

5. Christian Ghetto
Very small overall, but also one of the most exclusive and worth mentioning because of politics. This one is the Church of the Living Water, Evergreen Christian Center and the explanation why a candidate like Ira Knight (city council candidate, circa 2005) thought he could win.

6. Military Fog

This is probably the most exclusive enclave, and worth mentioning because of the growth of JBLM in the recent decade. In short, probably not from here, probably not staying here. But, here for the time being.