Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-01-10
THE CITY OF HOMES.
Olympia, the Capital Of
the State.
Oregonian's New Years Edition.

the permanent capital of the new
State of Washington, one thing will
always be true of it, it is a charming
place to live in. Her people are hos
pitable and generous almost to fault,
and their beautiful homes are thrown
open to welcome the stranger with an
open-heartedness seldom seen except
on the Pacific coast, and then only in
cities that. like Olympia, make little
noise and hustle in the world outside,
but pursue the even tenor of their
way without regard to real estate
booms or enormous business ventures.
1t is pre-eminently place of rest. 1t
is, therefore, one of the best places i'll
the whole country for the permanent
seat of government of the lusty baby
State, which promises to soon eclipse
in population, wealth and prosperity
The larger number OF her older sisters.
Olympia is situated at the southern
of Budd's Inlet, in view of
hat magnificent body of water which
now passes under the general name of
Puget Sound, though much of it is
more correctly described as Admiralty
Inlet. The view as one rounds Dof-
[lemyre's Point, where the city first
comes in view, is delightful, and no
one who has ever travelled by day from
Tacoma to Olympia on one of the nu-
merous steamers that ply between the
two cities will ever forget the sensa-
ton of pleasure and satisfaction with
which he gazed on the capital city as
it appeared to him in its beauty. The
city, unlike other cities OF Puget
Sound, does not rise abruptly from
the waters edge and present to view a
series OF terraces, but has a gentle
slope back from the wharves easy
of ascent, yet affording the most
perfect drainage and making it a much
less difficult task for the city fathers
to provide good, clean streets, free
from mud in winter and dust in sum-
mer. Most of the streets are we'll
graded and this has generally been an
easy piece Of work on account OF the
lay of the city and therefore not been
burdensome to the taxpayers. Good
sidewalks have been laid ON the graded
streets and on no streets is there any
difficulty in driving, or trouble and
annoyance in walking. The city was
originally laid out along the east and
south shores of Budd's Inlet, but ad-
ditions have been made from time to
time until it now extends ON the west
side of the Inlet and q Substantial
bridge connects the two portions ol
the city. Many Of the citizens now
have their residences ON the west
side Z
The homes on each side of the bay
and in all parts of the city give indis-
putable evidence of the taste and cul-
ture of the people and of their love OF
the beautiful. The hare, ugly square
go common elsewhere are
by their absence, and in
their place are charming cottages
standing back from the streets in
beautiful: gardens full of fragrant flow
ers, and surrounded with verandas, up
which honeysuckles, woodbines, Vir-
ginia creepers, and other. climbing
plants have been trained. These make
Olympia the city of homes, the city
where one loves to dwell. The broad
leaved, soft maple OF the Pacific slope,
affording the most luxurious shade in
the summer, and barring its limbs in
the fall that all the sunshine may fall
On the passer-by in winter, adorns the
streets and avenues, and its gorgeous
foliage, when the leaves begin to turn,
make the streets appear like o scene
rom the Arabian Nights. The beau
tiful surroundings of the city have
their effect on the people and the So
,iety of Olympia is charming in its
though tinged with little
lristocratic officialisn,, and yet is
among the most refined in the whole
of the Pacific Northwest. These in
Fiuences also tell ON the physique of
the people as well as on their man.
ners, and nowhere are the young men
possessed OF greater share of good
looks, nowhere are the maidens more
and nowhere are the mat
rons more handsome or possessed of
more Of that gentle dignity that i'm
parts to home its greatest charm.
No one who has ever attended q ses-
sion OF the Legislature in Olympia,
from east or west Of the
but has been delighted
with the social features of the capital
city, and if the matter of the location
of the State capital were left to the
itself there is little. doubt
but that the personal preferences Of
the members would enable Olympia
to retain it permanently.
Passing from a consideration of the
city from the social point of view,
there are other matters that its citi-
zens think worthy of attention in con-
sidering the site Of the future capital,
and one of these is the question of
climate. There are no violent temp
ests ever experienced on Budd's Inlet.
The wind never rises to the dignity of
a gale, nor does the rain pour down in
those heavy storms experienced in the
Middle and Atlantic States. On the
contrary, the winds from the Pacific
ocean deposit their moisture so gently
that outdoor work can be carried on
nearly every day in the year., and
v l.ilc rains in the winter months are
frequ.n. and the annual fall is nearly
forty-five inches, the most delicate
ladies and children can be seen on