Editing Olympia, Washington (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Olympia Washington.jpg|thumb|Astronaut photograph of Olympia, Washington, taken from the International Space Station (ISS)]]

Olympia is located in Thurston County<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|archive-date=May 31, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> at the southern end of [[Puget Sound]] on [[Budd Inlet]], where the [[Deschutes River (Washington)|Deschutes River]] [[estuary]] enters the Sound. The river was dammed in 1951 to create [[Capitol Lake]]; in late 2022 the state government approved the dam's removal to restore the estuary at an unspecified date.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Capitol Lake – Deschutes Estuary EIS identifies estuary restoration as preferred long-term management approach|url=https://des.wa.gov/about/news-center/news/2022/capitol-lake-deschutes-estuary-eis-identifies-estuary-restoration-preferred-long-term-management|publisher=Washington State Department of Enterprise Services|access-date=April 24, 2023|archive-date=April 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424151436/https://des.wa.gov/about/news-center/news/2022/capitol-lake-deschutes-estuary-eis-identifies-estuary-restoration-preferred-long-term-management|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city is {{convert|47|mi|km}} southwest of [[Seattle]], the most populous city in Washington, and {{convert|100|mi|km}} north of [[Portland, Oregon]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Things to Do in Olympia, WA |url=https://www.frommers.com/destinations/olympia-wa |work=[[Frommer's]] |accessdate=March 13, 2024}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Olympia has an area of {{convert|19.68|sqmi|2}}, of which {{convert|17.82|sqmi|2|abbr=on}} is land and {{convert|1.86|sqmi|2|abbr=on}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 12, 2012 }}</ref> The cities of Lacey and Tumwater border Olympia.

The area is located near the southern limit of the [[Last Glacial Period#Pinedale or Fraser glaciation (Rocky Mountains)|Fraser Glaciation]] and the underlying sediments consist largely of [[Vashon Glaciation|Vashon]]-age [[till]] and [[Glaciofluvial deposits|outwash]] deposited at that time; the area also includes former lakebeds and alluvial deposits associated with [[proglacial lake]]s that existed in the area near the end of Vashon-stage glaciation. Residual glacial topography in the area includes [[drumlin]]s, [[subglacial channel]]s, and [[kettle lake]]s.<ref name= "Walsh et al. 2003">{{cite map |author = T.J. Walsh, R.L. Logan, H.W. Schasse, and M. Polenz|year = 2003|title = Geologic Map of the Tumwater 7.5-minute Quadrangle, Thurston County, Washington|url = https://www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/ger_ofr2003-25_geol_map_tumwater_24k.pdf|scale = 1:24000|publisher = Washington State Department of Natural Resources|access-date = April 24, 2023}}</ref> Much of downtown Olympia sits on [[reclaimed land]]. [[Intertidal zone|Tidewater]] areas were filled as early as the 1870s, but the major change occurred in 1910–11 with placement of the Carlyon Fill (named for mayor P.H. Carlyon). Over {{Convert|2|e6yd3|spell=in}} of sediment were [[Dredging|dredged]], thereby creating a deep-water port at Olympia; the dredged material was used to fill tidelands, creating almost 30 blocks of what is now downtown.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Olympia's Shorelines|url=https://www.thurstontalk.com/2012/11/11/history-of-olympias-shorelines/|author=Emmett O’Connell|date=November 11, 2012 |access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=April 2023}}

===Climate===
Olympia has a warm-summer [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Csb''). The local [[microclimate]] has dry summers in July and mildly humid summers in early June and late August, with cool July and August overnight lows. It is part of USDA [[Hardiness zone]] 8a, with isolated pockets around Puget Sound in zone 8b.<ref>{{cite web|title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map|url=http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=June 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227032333/http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/|archive-date=February 27, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Most of western Washington's weather is brought in by weather systems that form near the [[Aleutian Islands]] in [[Alaska]]. It contains cold moist air, which brings western Washington cold rain, cloudiness, and fog. November through January are Olympia's rainiest months. City streets, creeks, and rivers can flood from November to February. The monthly mean temperature ranges from {{convert|38.4|°F|1}} in December to {{convert|64.1|°F|1}} in August. Seasonal snowfall for 1981–2010 averaged {{convert|10.8|in|cm|1}}<ref name= "NWS Seattle, WA (SEW)">{{cite web
|url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=sew
|title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data
|access-date = September 5, 2016
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|archive-date = May 14, 2021
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210514063409/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=sew
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> but has historically ranged from trace amounts in 1991–92 to {{convert|81.5|in|cm|abbr=on}} in 1968–69.<ref name = "NWS Seattle, WA (SEW)"/>

[[File:Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) - Olympia Area, WA(ThreadEx).svg|thumb|right|Climate chart for Olympia]]
Olympia averages {{convert|50|in|mm|sigfig=3}} of precipitation annually and has a year-round average of 75% cloud cover. Annual precipitation has ranged from {{convert|29.92|in|mm|abbr=on}} in 1952 to {{convert|66.71|in|mm|abbr=on}} in 1950; for water year (October 1 – September 30) precipitation, the range is {{convert|32.71|in|mm|abbr=on}} in 2000–01 to {{convert|72.57|in|mm|abbr=on}} in 1998–99.<ref name = "NWS Seattle, WA (SEW)"/> With a period of record dating back to 1948, extreme temperatures have ranged from {{convert|-8|°F|0}} on January 1, 1979, up to {{convert|110|°F|0}}, on June 28, 2021; the record cold daily maximum is {{convert|18|°F|0}} on January 31, 1950, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is {{convert|69|°F|0}} on July 22, 2006.<ref name = "NWS Seattle, WA (SEW)"/> Between 1991 and 2020 the mean coldest daily maximum was right on the freezing point at {{convert|32|F|C}} and the warmest night of the year averaged a very mild {{convert|60|F|C}}.<ref name= "NWS Seattle, WA (SEW)"/>

On average, 6.3 days annually reach {{convert|90|°F|0}}, 1.8 days stay at or below freezing all day, and 78 nights reach the freezing mark.<ref name = "NWS Seattle, WA (SEW)"/> The average window for freezing temperatures is October 8 through May 3, allowing a growing season of 157 days, nearly 100 days shorter than in Seattle.<ref name = "NWS Seattle, WA (SEW)"/>

{{Olympia, Washington weatherbox}}

{{Graph:Weather monthly history
| table=ncei.noaa.gov/weather/Olympia, Washington.tab
| title=Olympia monthly weather statistics
}}

===Artesian water===
Olympia was historically dependent on [[artesian water]]s, including springs that supplied early settlers in Swantown and Tumwater. The artesian spring at Fourth Avenue and Main Street (now called Capitol Way) was the main community well where settlers, as well as the local Steh-Chass and visiting Native Americans, gathered to socialize. Settler accounts recall paying Native Americans to collect water here. The artesian well at [[Artesian Commons]] park, a former parking lot, is active.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://olympiawa.gov/documents/CouncilPackets/20100614/FA_DiamondPkgLotSTF.pdf|title=Real Estate Purchase and Sale Agreement for Acquisition of Diamond Parking Lot, June 2010|author=City of Olympia|access-date=February 3, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721060534/http://olympiawa.gov/documents/CouncilPackets/20100614/FA_DiamondPkgLotSTF.pdf|archive-date=July 21, 2011}}</ref> Another still flows at the corner of Olympia Avenue and Washington Street. A small park was constructed around another spring in the [[Bigelow Neighborhood]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://olympiawa.gov/community/parks/parks-and-trails/bigelow-springs.aspx |title=Bigelow Springs |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314014921/http://olympiawa.gov/community/parks/parks-and-trails/bigelow-springs.aspx |archive-date=March 14, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The northeast end of Capitol Lake was the location of an artesian well until the construction of a new park that included changes to the shoreline. McAllister Springs, Olympia's main water source, is fed by artesian wells, and the former [[Olympia Brewery]] is supplied by 26 artesian wells.

Efforts to protect and preserve the free-flowing artesian well on 4th Avenue in downtown Olympia began in 1991 with support from a local coffee roaster. Donations from the public were used to form "Friends of the Artesians", a group that researched the wells, maintained them, and tested their quality. They were later replaced by the non-profit organization [[H2Olympia]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oly-wa.us/Artesians/index.php|title=Friends of Artesians: Homepage|access-date=August 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704013324/http://www.oly-wa.us/Artesians/index.php|archive-date=July 4, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2011, the city of Olympia committed $50,000 toward improvements of an artesian well in a parking lot that the city purchased the same year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theolympian.com/2011/01/13/1504565/city-will-protect-improve-well.html#storylink=mirelated|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914172511/http://www.theolympian.com/2011/01/13/1504565/city-will-protect-improve-well.html%23storylink=mirelated|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 14, 2012|title=City of Olympia Will Protect, Improve Artesian Well.|author=Matt Batcheldor|access-date=February 8, 2011}}</ref> Renovations at the well were completed in late 2011, including surface improvements, solar lighting, and a raised area to fill bottles. In spring 2012, sea-themed mosaic artwork created by community members was installed at the site of the well.