# Lacey, Washington

Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Olympia with a population of 53,526 at the 2020 census, making it the 24th most populous city in Washington. Lacey is located along Interstate 5 between Olympia and the Nisqually River, which marks the border with Pierce County and Joint Base Lewis–McChord.

## History

Lacey was originally called Woodland after settlers Isaac and Catherine Wood, who claimed land there in 1853. By 1891, the railroad had come to the community of Woodland and the residents decided it was time to apply for a post office. The request was denied because there was already a town called Woodland on the Columbia River. The name Lacey was chosen for the new post office application, presumably after O. C. Lacey, a Justice of the Peace in Olympia. The small settlements of Woodland and Chambers Prairie consolidated into Lacey in the 1950s.
Initial studies on incorporation of the Lacey area were undertaken in 1963 by a local chamber of commerce to prevent the City of Olympia from annexing the area. The study proposed an incorporated area of 5.64 square miles (14.6 km$^2$) that would encompass 5,738 residents. A proposal to incorporate Lacey was placed before voters at a special election on August 11, 1964, and was defeated by a margin of over 300 votes.
A second attempt to incorporate 10.29 square miles (26.7 km$^2$) and 8,860 residents into the City of Lacey was proposed in 1966. Voters approved incorporation in the November 8, 1966, election, by a margin of approximately 200 votes. The City of Lacey was officially incorporated on December 5, 1966, after the election results were certified. The City of Olympia responded with a special election to annex 2 square miles (5.2 km$^2$) that would be withdrawn from Lacey under provisions of a state law. The special election would encompass the entirety of Olympia rather than solely restricted to the affected area; it was approved on January 24, 1967.
At the time, the main industries were cattle, milk, forest products, and retail. Lacey later became a commuter town for Olympia, Fort Lewis and to some extent, Tacoma. In 1975, the local Jaycees chapter proposed moving the county seat for Thurston County from Olympia to Lacey to give the city "an identity" beyond being a bedroom community.

## Geography

Lacey generally lies between Olympia to the west and the Nisqually River delta (which includes the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge) to the east. The city's northernmost point is along the Nisqually Reach on Puget Sound adjacent to Tolmie State Park and its southern boundary is a section of the BNSF Railway's Seattle Subdivision, a major freight and passenger railway.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.51 square miles (42.76 km$^2$), of which, 16.06 square miles (41.60 km$^2$) is land and 0.45 square miles (1.17 km$^2$) is water.

## Demographics
### 2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 53,526 people, 20,984 households in the city.

### 2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 42,393 people, 16,949 households, and 10,869 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,639.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,019.2/km$^2$). There were 18,493 housing units at an average density of 1,151.5 per square mile (444.6/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the city was 74.2% White, 5.4% African American, 1.2% Native American, 8.0% Asian, 1.7% Pacific Islander, 2.6% from other races, and 7.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.2% of the population.
There were 16,949 households, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.9% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99.
The median age in the city was 34 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.5% were from 25 to 44; 21.8% were from 45 to 64; and 14.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

### 2000 census

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $46,848, and the median income for a family was $54,923. Males had a median income of $41,053 versus $32,497 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,224. About 7.1% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

### Neighborhoods

Mushroom Corner is located along Interstate 5 and is included in the Tanglewilde-Thompson Place Census-designated place (CDP) for Census purposes. The "corner" in Mushroom Corner is located at the intersection of Steilacoom Road SE and Marvin Road SE. The community takes its name from the local mushroom crop; the Ostrom Mushroom Farm that formerly operated nearby.

## Economy

The largest retail area in Lacey is the South Sound Center, which opened in 1966 and was originally an enclosed mall until 2000. Plans to develop a city center near the mall were considered as early as the 1990s to revitalize the area around the civic campus. The Lacey Gateway was developed in the 2000s and is home to a Cabela's store, but failed to attract other major tenants. The Nisqually Tribe announced plans in 2023 to build Quiemuth Resort, a casino resort with a 350-room hotel adjacent to Lacey Gateway, and a mixed-use development at a nearby site.
The city designated 500 acres (200 ha) of land in the Hawks Prairie area for industrial use in the 1990s with the intent of attracting high-tech businesses. It instead was developed into large warehouses and distribution centers that serve the Puget Sound region and connect with the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma. In 2003, retailer Target opened its West Coast distribution center in Lacey with 1.7 million square feet (160,000 m$^2$) of space—among the largest warehouses in the U.S. by usable volume. The city council passed a cap of 200,000 square feet (19,000 m$^2$) for new warehouses in 2006, but lifted it in 2015 for additional development.

### Sustainability

Lacey was the twelfth city to be designated an official "Green Power Community" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its use of renewable energy sources; 8.4% of its total energy use comes from green power sources. It is working to meet its Alternative Energy Initiative, which includes using 100 percent green electrical energy in all of its municipal buildings, parks, utilities, and 3,000 streetlights and traffic signals; providing electric vehicle charging stations to visitors and employees at its city hall and library campus; and initiating conversion of its municipal fleet to energy efficient vehicles powered by electricity, hybrid technology, and 80/20 biofuel. Lacey has received the "Tree City, USA" designation from the National Arbor Day Foundation for twenty six years.

## Education

The city is entirely within the boundaries of North Thurston Public Schools, the largest school district in Thurston County. Lacey is also home to various faith based schools, such as Holy Family School (Roman Catholic Preschool through 8th grade), Faith Lutheran School (Preschool through 8th Grade) and Foundation Campus, which includes Community Christian Academy (Pre-school to Middle School) and Northwest Christian High School. Lacey is also the home of Pope John Paul II High School.
Lacey is also home to Saint Martin's University, a private four-year university that was founded in 1895 by the Order of Saint Benedict. The Olympia-based South Puget Sound Community College opened a satellite center in a Hawks Prairie strip mall in 1995 to serve Lacey. It was replaced in September 2015 by a larger branch campus at a former office park. The college had also purchased 54.5 acres (22.1 ha) in 2005 to build a larger permanent campus, but sold the land after issues with wetlands mitigation were discovered.

### Public secondary schools

* Aspire Middle School (Magnet)
* Chinook Middle School
* Komachin Middle School
* Nisqually Middle School
* Salish Middle School
* North Thurston High School
* River Ridge High School
* Timberline High School
* South Sound High School (Alternative High School, closed as of 2021)

## Infrastructure
### Transportation

Lacey is bisected from west to east by Interstate 5, a north–south freeway connecting Seattle to Portland, Oregon. The first diverging diamond interchange in Washington opened in August 2020 at a junction in Lacey between Interstate 5 and Marvin Road (State Route 510). As of 2021, the city maintains 178.6 miles (287.4 km) of streets within its city limits.
The city is served by Intercity Transit, the public transit system for Thurston County, and is the eastern terminus of The One bus rapid transit line. The agency also runs express buses from Olympia and Lacey to Lakewood with onward connections to other transit systems. The county's only Amtrak station, Centennial Station, is located near Lacey's southern boundary and is served by daily Cascades and Coast Starlight trains.

### Utilities

As of 2013, the city government provides tap water to over 22,000 customers, of which 89 percent are classified as residential users. Lacey sources its water from 19 groundwater wells and maintains seven reservoirs and 357 miles (575 km) of water mains to deliver and distribute water throughout the city.

### Healthcare

The largest hospital in Thurston County is the Providence St. Peter Hospital, which has a 390-bed capacity and is located northwest of Lacey. St. Peter Hospital was originally located in Olympia from its foundation in 1887 until January 1971, when its current location opened outside of the city limits. It is operated by Providence Health & Services, a not-for-profit Catholic healthcare provider that also has outpatient and specialty facilities in Lacey. The city also has an off-campus emergency room for the MultiCare Capital Medical Center, the other major hospital in the Olympia area. The facility opened in 2023 and has 18 beds. A mental health hospital was opened in Lacey by US HealthVest in 2018 and a second facility with 85 beds was planned by Providence St. Peter Hospital and Fairfax Behavioral Health. The Providence–Fairfax plan was later put on hold after Fairfax announced in 2023 that they would not pursue the project.

## Notable people

* Elizabeth Ayer, architect
* Andrew Barkis, state legislator
* Brad Blackburn, MMA fighter
* Buford O. Furrow, perpetrator of the 1999 Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting
* Tom Dutra, soccer player and coach
* Karen Fraser, state legislator
* Ron Holmes, American football player
* Kasey Keller, soccer player
* Mike Kreidler, U.S. representative, state legislator, and Insurance Commissioner of Washington
* Janice Langbehn, gay activist
* Ed Murray, state legislator and mayor of Seattle
* Mike Sellers, American football player
* Jerramy Stevens, American football player
* Jonathan Stewart, American football player
* Joseph Wohleb, architect
* Kim Wyman, former Secretary of State of Washington

## Sister city

Lacey has a sister city in Poland, Mińsk Mazowiecki.