Lacey, Washington

About Lacey

The city of Lacey is a rapidly growing community located just north of Olympia and about 6 miles south of Joint Base Lewis McChord. Founded in 1853, area was originally named Woodland, after settlers Isaac and Catherine Wood. The area remained unincorporated until 1966, when the city was created and renamed Lacey after prominent attorney and developer O.C. Lacey. Over the years Lacey population has grown to rival Olympia at more than 40,000.

Lacey and its neighboring cities of Olympia and Tumwater have grown steadily over the years, offering good employment opportunities, an affordable cost of living, and a mild, temperate climate conducive to year 'round enjoyment the countless outdoor activities an area blessed with such uncommon natural beauty has to offer.

Lacey has always been a working town, with forest products and retail industries key to its history and development. Today that spirit continues as the city flourishes with retail, warehousing/distribution centers, a large retirement community, a major mushroom farm and Weyerhaeuser's corrugated container factory.

Lacey is proud of its slower-pace and location in the midst of the outdoor wonders of the Pacific Northwest. The city maintains more than 500 acres of parkland and open space. Tolmie Cove Washington State Park and the 3,700-acre Nisqually Wildlife Refuge offer access to Puget Sound. A newly completed, 100-acre Regional Athletic Complex offers natural and artificial turn for soccer and baseball, picnic and outdoor event facilities, playgrounds, concession areas, walking trails, all with stunning views of Mt. Rainier.

Minutes away in next-door Olympia, venues such as the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Capitol Theater, Olympia Little Theatre and Harlequin Productions offer the best of local, national and internationally known arts and entertainment.

Geography

Lacey is located in Thurston County at the southern end of Puget Sound. It is centrally located between the major metropolitan areas of Seattle, Washington to the north and Portland, Oregon to the south. It is also midway between the Cascade Mountain range and it's crown jewel, Mt. Rainier to the east, and the Pacific Ocean beaches of Washington's western coast.

With its central location, Lacey is also a hub for major transportation modes. Interstate 5 and Amtrak's rail lines – two main north/south travel corridors for the western United States, travel through Lacey. To the west, US Highways 101 and 12 offer easy access to the Olympic Peninsula and Pacific Ocean. A regional airport serving general aviation from light planes and helicopters up to corporate jets is nearby in Tumwater.

Lacey Real Estate

People searching for housing in Lacey will find a few older neighborhoods with homes generally built between the 1950s to 1980s. However, the vast majority of Lacey’s residential communities have been established in the last 10 to 20 years and are located both to the North end and South end of Lacey. New neighborhoods to the South include Horizon Pointe, where at one time there were seven builders actively constructing homes.
The North end of Lacey, including the Hawk’s Prairie area, has seen the most new construction and development. There are new neighborhoods all along Willamette, a major road that runs through the North side of Lacey. The largest project in this area is the Lacey Gateway Project, this includes about 1,000 acres of property set to be developed into retail, commercial and residential. Famed sporting goods retailer Cabela’s was the first business to open its doors in the new Lacey Gateway Town Center. It is speculated that this Gateway Project will create an additional 8,000 jobs for the Lacey area.

Mean real estate prices in 2008:

All housing units $242,491
Detached houses $265,754
Townhouses or other attached units $171,108
In 2-unit structures $203,408
In 3- to 4-unit structures $214,996
Mobile homes $43,876

Weather

Lacey enjoys the same temperate climate as its neighbors in western Washington State.

Jan April July Oct
Avg. Temp 38 48 63 50
Precip in inches 8 3.3 0.8 4

Population

Lacey population as of July 2008 stands at 40,702 people, a 30.3% increase from the 2000 census count. An average of 2.47 persons occupy the 12,459 households in Lacey. Median age is 34.2 years, slightly younger than the Washington state average of 35.3.

Employment

Many Lacey residents work for Washington State as the capitol is in Olympia just to the south. Civilian employees and active duty Army and Air Force personnel live in Lacey and commute to Lewis/McChord. Others commute north to Tacoma or Seattle or work in Lacey at one of the many educational, retail or light industrial centers.

The diverse economy offers a wide range of occupations in business, retail, manufacturing, agriculture, timber, civilian military support and a variety of other commercial activities. Management and professionals comprise 33.5% of the occupations, followed by sales and office at 28.9%, service at 18.2%, transportation at 9.7% and construction at 8.6%. Private wage and salary workers make up 63.1% of the workforce, followed by government workers at 31.7% and self-employed at 4.7%. Average commute time for Lacey residents is less than 24 minutes each way.

Income

Median household income in 2000 was $43,848. Median earnings for full-time, year-round workers was $37,053 for males and $29,497 for females. Just over 7% of the families were below the poverty line.

Cost of Living

The Cost of Living Index for Lacey is 108.6 as of December 2009. The average for all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas participating in the Cost of Living Index = 100.

Lacey Schools

Public education in Lacey is provided by the North Thurston School District, the largest school district in the county. More than 14,000 students are served by 13 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 3 comprehensive high schools and one high school of choice. NTSD's 1,600 staff includes the highest percentage of National Board Certified teachers in Washington State.

88.1% of Lacey residents over age 25 have earned a high school diploma or higher level of education. Post-secondary education is available at two public colleges in Olympia: South Puget Sound Community College, a two-year community and technical school, and The Evergreen State College, a nationally ranked environmental and liberal arts college. Saint Martin's University in Lacey is a private, Benedictine institution offering four-year and graduate degrees.