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Olympia, Washington
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<p>Olympia is the <a href="/facts/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States/RMAd1LFl">capital city</a> of the U.S. state of <a href="/facts/Washington_(state)/7tCrTFnN">Washington</a>. The population was 55,605 at the <a href="/facts/2020_United_States_census/dTEm5TRr">2020 census</a>, while the Olympia <a href="/facts/Metropolitan_statistical_area/Y2yX0KJg">metropolitan statistical area</a> has an estimated 300,000 people. Olympia is the <a href="/facts/County_seat/ItAWPoWw">county seat</a> of <a href="/facts/Thurston_County%2c_Washington/1uhepL1T">Thurston County</a> and anchors the <a href="/facts/South_Puget_Sound/eawpEo71">South Puget Sound</a> region of western Washington, 50 miles (80 km) southwest of <a href="/facts/Seattle/7lYIrCa6">Seattle</a>. </p><p>The <a href="/facts/Squaxin/Vj4L1zIn">Squaxin</a> and other <a href="/facts/Coast_Salish/MWwnShpu">Coast Salish</a> peoples inhabited the southern Puget Sound region prior to the arrival of European and American settlers in the 19th century. The <a href="/facts/Treaty_of_Medicine_Creek/QQUranMj">Treaty of Medicine Creek</a> was signed in 1854 and followed by the Treaty of Olympia in 1856; these two treaties forced the Squaxin to relocate to an <a href="/facts/Indian_reservation/Y52l5YFG">Indian reservation</a>. Olympia was declared the capital of the <a href="/facts/Washington_Territory/9ByNRjyv">Washington Territory</a> in 1853 and incorporated as a town on January 28, 1859. It became a city in 1882. </p><p>Aside from its role in the state government, Olympia is also recognized as a countercultural hub in the Pacific Northwest. The city's <a href="/facts/Music_of_Olympia%2c_Washington/oAw78t8r">music scene</a> gained prominence in the 1990s for its role in the emergence of <a href="/facts/Punk_rock/voBjpcpS">punk rock</a> movements such as <a href="/facts/Riot_grrrl/6UdIVbSA">riot grrrl</a> and <a href="/facts/Grunge/X7CbpRLF">grunge</a>. Olympia is also home to <a href="/facts/The_Evergreen_State_College/cRsUupbg">The Evergreen State College</a>, a public liberal arts institution known for its non-traditional curriculum. <a href="/facts/Intercity_Transit/5QMn5Wfo">Intercity Transit</a> provides fare-free bus service throughout the Olympia area, which has high per-capita use of public transportation relative to other cities of its size. </p>