Thurston County is a vibrant and healthy community with its seat of government in the city of Olympia which is also the capital of the state. It is located at the south end of Puget Sound about 60 miles south of Seattle and 100 miles north of Portland. The eighth largest county in the state, it encompasses 727 square miles. In addition to Olympia, the primary communities are Tumwater and Lacey. All communities are business friendly with very stable economies. Residents enjoy panoramic views of Mount Rainier, the Olympic Mountains, South Puget Sound waterfront, outdoor recreation, a vibrant independent music scene and a burgeoning cottage art industry.

Thurston has been one of the fastest growing counties in the State for 3 decades, exceeding the overall rate of growth consistently with the majority of the increase coming from the inflow migration of people.

The county is home to three well respected state higher educational institutions; South Puget Sound Community College, the Evergreen State College and Saint Martins University. Three American Indian tribes reside here, the Nisqually, Squaxin and Chehalis. The Port of Olympia is the county’s deep water connection to the world and the Port Authority also owns the Olympia Regional Airport in Tumwater as well as much commercial real estate.

The hub of the medical community is the renowned Providence Saint Peters Hospital. There are eight school districts providing primary and secondary education to most of county’s students. The Timberland Regional Library System has 27 branches broadly distributed. Family and business friendly with infrastructure for both, Thurston County is a paradise waiting to be discovered.