Welcome to HPLacey, or the City of Lacey, or the State of Washington! Here’s information to help you in the first rush of getting go know a new place – nearest critical businesses, some fun cultural information and lingo, and help for pronouncing what may be very unfamiliar names.
Where’s The Nearest…?
Activity-related:
Parks with playgrounds: Our own “Tot Lot” is north of Balustrade on Inlay Street for 2–12-year-olds only. (The lot is undergoing a major renovation expected to be completed by Fall of 2026.) East on Balustrade Boulevard past the end our development is Horizon Pointe Park and west on Yelm Highway is William A. Bush Park, both City of Lacey parks with picnic shelters, large open fields, and playground equipment.
Walking/running/cycling trail: Chehalis Western Trail (wide, paved path runs from Chehalis to the Puget Sound) For nearest access, go straight through the roundabout at Balustrade and Rainier Rd. Se Blvd. SE and continue on 67th Ave. SE. Second-closest access is from Yelm Highway at the overpass just past William Bush Park. We also have nice gravel trails around the stormwater ponds south of Radius.
Off-leash Dog Park: Ward Lake Dog Park 2008 Yelm Hwy. (There are NO off-leash areas in the neighborhood itself.)
Food:
Coffee shop: This IS Washington, so they’re all over! Nearest with both drive-through and sit-down are Starbucks up College Street SE or Cutters Point on Ruddell Road SE at the intersection with Yelm Highway. Randeez east on Yelm Highway is drive-through only.
Grocery stores: QFC on Rainier Road just before Yelm Highway, Safeway on the opposite corner, and Walmart on Yelm Highway between College Road and Ruddell Road.
Restaurants: From fast food to sit down, Mexican, pizza, Asian, steak – just about anything can be found somewhere close along Yelm Highway, College Street, or Ruddell Road.
Medical care:
Urgent care: Multicare Indigo 5128 Yelm Highway SE (by Walmart) (360) 763-7040 OR Providence Immediate Care 4800 College Street SE (360) 493-4710
Hospital ER: St. Peter Hospital 413 Lilly Rd. (360) 491-9480 (main number)
Pharmacy: Safeway on Yelm Highway, QFC on Rainier Road, and Walmart on Yelm Highway all have pharmacies. Only Walmart has drive-through. Check websites for hours.
Miscellaneous:
Driver’s license office: 719 Sleater-Kinney Road SE #108(Way in the back of the lot behind Kohl’s department store, near the end of the Petsmart strip mall) DOL.wa.gov
Home improvement store: Lowes on Yelm Highway and College Street
County Dump and hazardous waste disposal: Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center 2420 Hogum Bay Rd. NE Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center
Pet-related:
Emergency vet (24-hour): Olympia Pet Emergency 4441 Pacific Ave. SE (360) 455-5155
Emergency vet urgent care (business hours): Pinehurst Veterinary Hospital and Surgical Center 4529 Intelco Loop SE (360) 878- 9505
Pet supply store: Petsmart 719 Sleater-Kinney (off of Pacific Avenue SE)
Travel-related:
Gas station: QFC Fuel Station 4669 Whitman Lane (off of Rainier Rd.) Most local grocery stores also have electric car charging stations.
Airport: SeaTac (Seattle-Tacoma) about an hour and a half north off of I-5 if traffic is good
Amtrack station: Take Balustrade Blvd. east (away from the roundabout) past Horizon Pointe Park all the way to Yelm Highway, turn right, go over the bridge, turn left at the sign
Greyhound bus station: 205 Franklin St. NE in downtown Olympia
Local Events
-“Arts Walk” is a celebration of – guess what? ART! Twice a year, Spring and Fall, downtown Olympia comes alive with all kinds of art exhibits by all ages, amateur to professional, in every medium there is.
-“The Procession of the Species” is a community celebration of the natural world that also takes place in downtown Olympia in April. It includes a parade of area residents using art, music, and dance. There are huge puppets operated by multiple people, dance and music groups in fancy costumes and makeup, and lots of children with their dressed-up pets.
– For Independence Day, no private fireworks are allowed in any of the three cities, but there are two options for public fireworks shows. The City of Lacey does theirs at Rainier Vista Park on the evening of the THIRD of July. Tumwater sets theirs off on the fourth at the Tumwater Valley Golf Course. Tumwater also does a parade.
-The biggest local event of the year is Lakefair in the third week of July down by Capitol Lake in downtown Olympia. There is a carnival with many rides, lots of craft and other vendors, a block of food trucks of all kinds, and multiple music stages. There is a big parade, a beauty pageant crowning the Lakefair Queen, and the final night ends with a fireworks display over Capitol Lake.
– The Thurston County Fair is at the end of July/start of August. It’s your usual small town county fair with rides, 4-H animals of all kinds, displays of all kinds of crafts and produce, food vendors, and so on. (Intercity Transit bus #72 that runs down Balustrade goes right by the entrance to the Fairgrounds, so you don’t even need to take your car!)
Local Facts
– The City of Lacey shares borders with the cities of Olympia and Tumwater. The three cities are part of Thurston County, along with a number of smaller cities, and the jurisdictions share a number of local projects, such as water treatment plants, Joint Animal Services, and Intercity Transit (our bus system).
-We are the only place in the world that can use “Olympic” in business names without having to get an exception to the copyright exercised by the International Olympic Committee for that term. The city of Olympia and the Olympic mountain range predate the formation of the modern IOC.
– Our water here comes from deep aquifers rather than any surface source, while Tacoma and Seattle depend on snowpack and reservoirs up in the mountains. This means we are less affected by a year or two of less-than-usual rain. Watering of lawns is rationed by odd/even addresses in summer, with no one watering on Fridays to give the aquifers a chance to recharge fully.
-There are no publicly owned/operated swimming pools. Park & Rec swim classes are held at some local high school pools, and there are two branches of the YMCA (one straight down Yelm Highway.) However, there is swimming in our many area lakes; major ones have publicly operated areas with life guards on duty, including Long Lake which is right next to the Fairgrounds and accessible by direct route on our InterCity Transit bus #72 that goes down Balustrade. There is also a quarry-turned-swimming hole down in Tenino, roughly half an hour south. There are splash pads for kids in downtown Olympia and at a number of area parks. There are also a number of “splash pads” for kids in downtown Olympia and at a number of area parks.
Local Weather
Predicting weather for our area, from Chehalis to our south and up to north of Seattle, is notoriously difficult. The Olympic Mountains are between us and the Pacific Ocean on the Olympic Peninsula to our east and then the Cascade Mountains are to our west. Storm fronts coming in from the ocean hit the Olympics and may go down and around, hitting us from the south; they may hit the Olympics and go north and around, hitting us from the north; or they may split and hit us from both ends. The Cascades generally force storms to dump most of their rain on this side of the mountains, although some may fall as snow in the mountains themselves. The biggest hazard from winds in the area is from falling trees. Cedars are notoriously shallow-rooted, although Douglas firs aren’t far behind.
Local Geography
-The Cascade Mountains are the range that runs from Canada all the way into California. Mt. Rainier is its tallest peak in Washington. There is also a smaller range, the Olympic Mountains, that sit on the Olympic Peninsula which lies between the Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound. From Olympia, they are to the northwest and usually have snow all year long.
-The Pacific Northwest (PNW) is comprised of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia in Canada. The Coastal PNW is the area of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia between the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
– Western Washington refers to the part of the state between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains, so it takes in the Olympic mountains, Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and all of I-5. Eastern Washington is between the Cascades and Idaho and is often called The Inland Empire. The two are basically two different states topographically, weather-wise, culturally, and politically, but when they were trying for statehood, those wanting a single state won out.
-Distances: It is about 400 miles from the Ocean to Idaho, 350 from Olympia. It is about
Pronunciation Guide
Local Streets:
Ruddell Road – RUD-le
Sleater-Kinney – SLEETer-KIN-nee (A main north-south street in Lacey from which the famous punk rock band took its name)
State places:
Alki – like “alkali” minus the “al” in the middle. (Alki Point was one of the two first areas settled in what would become Seattle and there is a popular beach there still)
Anacortes – anna-CORE-tis
Asotin – uh-SOH-t’n
Chehalis – shuh-HAIL-iss
Chelan – shuh-LAN
Chewelah – chuh-WEE-luh
Chimacum – CHIM-eh-come
Chuckanut – CHUCK-a-nut
Ephrata – ee-FREIGHT-uh
Hoh – HOE (a river and one of the largest temperate rainforests in the U.S. Absolutely stunning!)
Hoqiuam – HO-kwee-um
Humptulips – just like it looks. Yes, really.
Ilwaco – ill-WALK-o
Kalaloch – kuh-LAY-lock
Lummi – LUH-mee
Kittitas – KIT-eh-tass
Nisqually – Nih-SQUALL-ee
Nooksack – NOOK (like “look”)-sack
Ohanapecosh – o-HAN-uh-peh-COSH (takes practice to say, but it’s a very popular campground)
Okanogan – OAK-uh-NOGGIN
Palouse – puh-LOOSE (the rolling plains of southeast WA, origin of the Appaloosa horse)
Poulsbo – POLES-bo
Pend Oreille – pawn-DRAY
Puyallup – pew-AL (like Weird Al)- up
Sekiu – SEA-cue
Sequim – skwim
Skookumchuk – SKOOK (like “look”) -um-chuck
Skykomish – sky-COMB-ish
Steilacoom – STILL-uh-come
Swinomish – SWINN-oh-mish
Tillikum – TILL-eh-come
Tulalip – two-LAY-lip
Washougal – wah-SHOE-gull
Wenatchee – wen-ATCH-ee
Yakima – YAK-i-maw “Yakistan” – YAK-ih-STAN (the area around Yakima where Army field training for deserts takes place)
Funky Fauna:
Geoduck – GOOey-duck (Yes, really) (a very large, exceedingly weird-looking clam)
Local Fauna Facts
– Western Washington does not have rattlesnakes or any other venomous snakes.
– Western Washington does not have medically-concerning venomous spiders apart from a few small populations of black widows here or there or (mostly around Seattle) and a garden spider called the yellow sac spider. Although hobo spiders may be found, they are shy and reluctant biters, and their venom is no worse than the general run of spiders. The occasional brown recluse has inadvertently been imported in produce or products from other parts of the country, but it is not native here. The ginormous slightly hairy brown/grey spiders that may venture out into your house in the mid-summer to early fall are giant house spiders (eratigena atrica) and they are NOT dangerous … other than giving you a heart attack when you notice one scurrying across the floor. Although big and ugly, with up to a 4” leg span, they are highly beneficial for catching indoor insects. The males generally only venture out during mating season, looking for love.
-There ARE ticks in Western Washington, though they are not widespread. Lyme disease is exceedingly rare here, but other tick-borne illnesses are more common. If you like camping, do your tick inspections!
-Fleas are common, but one yard may have a lot of them while the neighbors have few.
-Here in the neighborhood, we have possums, squirrels, racoons, and, unfortunately, rats, the bane of urban existence. Coyotes are rather frequent nighttime callers. (Outdoor kitties are high on their menu.) Cougars and black bears are rare visitors, but not entirely unknown.
Local Flora Facts
-For gardening, we are considered USDA Hardiness Zones 8a and 8b due to the moderating influence of the Puget Sound.
-The most common big hedge bushes, with reddish leaves, are photinia (foe-TIN-ee-uh).
-The common groundcover with the tiny, round, deep green leaves and small, bright red berries is cotoneaster (kuh-TONE-ee-ASS-ter).
-The difference between rhododendrons and azaleas is mostly one of size. Rhodies have stouter and fewer stems to their bushes and grow larger. Much, much larger. Their flowers are also larger. Both put on very showy blooms in spring in a wide variety of colors. If you have a rhodie and want to keep it small(er), break off the new tips that form right after flowering. (Breaking them off later will mean no blooms next spring.)
-The trees with smooth, peeling, reddish-orange bark are Pacific madronas (muh-DRONE-uhs). They grow only within about 50 miles of saltwater, so are a distinctly coastal tree.
-The most common woody shrub along roadways and in vacant lots, boasting bright yellow blooms in later spring, is Scotch broom. It was imported to a garden along the coast many, many years ago and is now an aggressive invader that is high on the Western Washington’s Most Hated Plant list. Its pollen is very heavy and generally doesn’t float far, but since it blooms at the same time as several grasses and trees whose pollen floats far and wide, it is often blamed for severe hay fever episodes.
-English ivy is also an aggressive spreader here, as our winters are not severe enough to keep it in check. Ivy will take over our trees, forming wind sails that topple those trees in stormy winds.
Local Lingo & Cultural Notes
–“You guys” addresses any plural of people, male, female, or mixed. (“Y’all” is understood, but most folks here get lost at “all y’all”.)
-We use shopping carts at the store, not “buggies”; buggies are for dolls to ride in. A purse is what Mom carries her wallet, keys, Kleenex, and everything everyone else invariably needs in. A bag is what the grocery store loads your purchases in, or may refer to a to a suitcase.
–“Pop” is a generic for any soda or soft drink; sometimes even “Coke” is used as a generic.
-Interstate Highways are referred to as “Eye-(#)” – as in “I-5”, not “the 5”. (Looking at you, California!)
-“Doing the Puyallup” refers to going to the Western Washington State Fair, which is held in Puyallup for three weeks every September. It is the biggest fair in the state.
-“The mountain is out today!” refers to Mt. Rainier, which we usually keep wrapped in clouds to hide it from tourists so they’ll doubt whether it actually exists. Mt. St. Helens is NOT visible from here, even in good weather, being 2.5 hours south. (Well worth the drive to go see, however.)
-The “Tacoma Dome” is a concrete-lidded stadium in Tacoma close to I-5 that hosts concerts, conventions, and many other events. (The Kingdome was in Seattle and served the same purpose, but it was demolished in 2000, replaced Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park.)
-The raised white bumps on the highways in Western Washington are Braille for the benefit of our blind drivers. OK, no, they are used because they are more visible in rain than paint stripes, and we get far more rain than snow. (Eastern Washington doesn’t use them because they’d be plowed off with each winter’s snow.)
– The “turn confirmator” is the little stick off the side of the steering column which, if used at all, is turned on to confirm that one is making the turn one is already in the middle of. (There is a chronic shortage of blinker fluid here, so many people use this tool very sparingly.)
-The “Western Washington Rain Festival” runs from January to December.
-“Permadrizzle” is more-than-mist yet less-than-rain but will still get you wet if you’re out in it long enough. (Real Western Washingtonians seldom use umbrellas.)
-Western Washingtonians don’t tan; they rust.
-Real coffee is “leaded”; “unleaded” is the opposite and considered by many to be a waste of hot water.
–“Dream catchers” are the frequently seen macramé-type hangings of a woven circle, often adorned with beads or feathers, that are of indigenous origin now popularized. They may be used as wall-hangings, jewelry, rear-view mirror danglies, or other. (Btw, having danglies on your rear-view mirror here is not a sign of social status or ethnicity.)
-“Tressie/the trestle won again!” There is a local road (Mullen Rd. SE) that runs under a low railroad trestle (known locally as “Tressie”), and people driving box trucks, RVs, or other tall equipment are frequently challenging Tressie for dominance. They lose, turning their box trucks into flatbeds.
–Vancouver, Washington is on the very southern border of Washington, across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon. Vancouver, British Columbia is a city on Vancouver Island north of the Washington/Canadian border. Both are common destinations, so you do need to specify.
Universities/Colleges/Community Colleges
Central Washington University – just on the other side of the Cascades west in Ellensburg
Eastern Washington University – east side of the state in Cheney, almost to Spokane
Evergreen State College – here in Olympia (alumni known as “Greeners”)
South Puget Sound Community College – our local community college with multiple campuses
University of Washington – main campus in Seattle, multiple satellite campuses
Washington State University – east side of the state in Pullman, south of Spokane, multiple satellite campuses
Western Washington University – north on I-5 in Bellingham, almost to Canada
Professional Sports Teams
Baseball: Seattle Mariners (“the M’s”); mascot is the Mariner Moose; colors are navy blue, “northwest green” (also known as teal), silver, and white; official cap insignia is a compass over a baseball on a silver S, but an “M” in the shape of an upside-down trident is commonly used on fan apparel. They play in T-Mobile Park which has a retractable roof. Their AAA team, the Tacoma Rainiers, play at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma.
Basketball, men’s: Oh, oops. We don’t have one anymore. We used to have the Sonics until they moved to …. who cares where?
Basketball, women’s: The Seattle Storm; mascot is an Elmo-looking character named Doppler (after the storm-tracking radar); colors “Lightning Yellow, Thunder Green, and Bolt Green”; insignia incorporates the Space Needle, a lightning bolt, and the triangular shape at the top represents Mt. Rainier. They play at Climate Pledge Arena. (Yes, that’s its real name.)
Football: Seattle Seahawks (“the Hawks”); mascot is a large hawk-type bird named Blitz, with a live Augur hawk mascot named Taima; colors “College Navy, Seahawk Blue, Action Green, and Wolf Grey”; their arena is Lumen Field (formerly known as and still often referred to as Century Link.) Football teams are only allowed 11 men on the field, but the Seattle fans have a legendary record of being so loud that they came to be known collectively as the “12th man”, and fans often proudly wear the number on jerseys.
Hockey: Seattle Kraken; colors “deep sea blue, ice blue, boundless blue, and red alert”; symbol is a stylized, divided light blue S representing a tentacle, with a red eye in the top curve. They play at Climate Pledge Arena. The kraken is a legendary Nordic sea monster of enormous size reputed to bring down entire ships. (Western Washington has significant ties to the Nordic countries, especially Norway and Sweden.)
Soccer, men’s: Seattle Sounders; mascot Sammy the Sounder, an orca whale; colors bright blue and green, team symbol incorporates the Seattle Space Needle. They play at Lumen Field. Comedian Drew Carey is one of the owners.
Soccer, women’s: OL Reign; colors blue, white, and gold; symbol is a stylized lion (which replaced the older badge showing a queen with a crown.) They play at Lumen Field.
Main state university rivalry (mostly friendly): The University of Washington (UW; “the U-Dub”) is in Seattle. Their mascot is a husky, with teams/attendees/alumni known as “Huskies” or “Dawgs”. Their colors are purple and gold.
VS.
Washington State University (WSU; “wa-ZOO”) is in Pullman across the state by the Idaho border. Their mascot is a cougar, with teams/attendees/alumni known as “Cougs”. Their colors are crimson and white.