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74-810: Originating out of an interest to expand the End Poverty in California movement to Washington state as a means of alleviating the misery of the Great Depression , the WCF came to be dominated by the Communist Party USA beginning in the popular front years of the late 1930s. Charged by critics to be a Communist front , the WCF was dissolved in 1948, during the era of the Second Red Scare . The Washington Commonwealth Federation

148-722: A city in 1882. The site of Olympia had been home to Lushootseed -speaking peoples known as the Steh-Chass (or Stehchass, later part of the post-treaty Squaxin Island Tribe) for thousands of years. Other Native Americans regularly visited the head of Budd Inlet and the Steh-Chass, including the other ancestor tribes of the Squaxin , as well as the Nisqually , Puyallup , Chehalis , Suquamish , and Duwamish . The first recorded Europeans came to Olympia in 1792. Peter Puget and

222-641: A crew from the British Vancouver Expedition are said to have explored the site, but neither recorded any encounters with the resident Indigenous population. In 1846, Edmund Sylvester and Levi Lathrop Smith jointly claimed the land that is now downtown Olympia. In 1851, the U.S. Congress established the Customs District of Puget Sound for Washington Territory and Olympia became the home of the customs house. Its population steadily expanded from Oregon Trail immigrants. In 1850,

296-697: A free shuttle route called "Dash". Dash runs from the Capitol Campus to the Farmers Market at the far edge of downtown. Intercity Transit's Olympia Express provides service to Lakewood and Tacoma, with connections to regional bus and commuter rail service. In 2009 Intercity Transit won an award for America's best Public Transportation System in the midsize category by the American Public Transportation Association . The fleet runs entirely on biodiesel fuel and

370-710: A gallery in its Minnaert Center with rotating exhibitions. Evergreen State College, northwest of Olympia, has a professionally curated gallery with rotating shows in the Dan Evans Library building. South of Olympia, Monarch Contemporary Art Center and Sculpture Park has an 80-acre sculpture garden and art gallery . Each year, the Olympia Film Society (OFS) produces a film festival and fosters film and video education in Olympia. It also shows independent, classic, and international films year-round at

444-467: 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. 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. Renovations at

518-511: A male householder with no wife present, and 48.6% were other families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the city was 38 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 13.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of

592-506: A nonprofit antipoverty organization with the same name and acronym that was inspired by Sinclair's campaign. Sinclair's movement is thought to have been extremely influential in California's politics, as well as a standard for Democrats and Republicans. EPIC had a substantial role in the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, eventually helping provide for the unemployed. Other administrations, such as

666-647: A number of its members to the Washington State Legislature and electing leading WCF activist Hugh DeLacy to the U.S. Congress . To some extent, the Washington Commonwealth Federation was effectively killed by its wartime success. By the end of World War II, the WCF stood as the single most important political influence in the politics of the Democratic Party of Washington. From the perspective of

740-585: A small Eastside Community), and Trillium Park, which was created by the efforts of adjoining neighborhood associations with the easement of private property. The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is near Olympia, as are the Capitol State Forest , Burfoot Park , and the Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area . In 1984, Olympia hosted the U.S. Olympic women's marathon trial. The winner of

814-428: A state industrial commission would be created to launch state-owned farms and industries to employ those who could not secure employment in the private sector . Employees would produce goods to be sold in state-owned stores and the employees would in turn purchase these same goods. A separate form of currency would be used to pay employees and to purchase goods within the system to ensure the rate of return. Essentially,

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888-527: A warmonger, further isolating the organization from its base of support within the state Democratic Party. Membership in the organization plummeted. Following the December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , which pushed America into World War II as an ally of the Soviet Union , the political ground upon which the WCF stood shifted again. The organization made a dramatic comeback, however, electing

962-488: A year-round average of 75% cloud cover. Annual precipitation has ranged from 29.92 in (760 mm) in 1952 to 66.71 in (1,694 mm) in 1950; for water year (October 1 – September 30) precipitation, the range is 32.71 in (831 mm) in 2000–01 to 72.57 in (1,843 mm) in 1998–99. With a period of record dating back to 1948, extreme temperatures have ranged from −8 °F (−22 °C) on January 1, 1979, up to 110 °F (43 °C), on June 28, 2021;

1036-692: Is a private high school. In addition to primary and secondary schools, Olympia has a number of institutions of higher learning, including The Evergreen State College and South Puget Sound Community College . The Evergreen State College (TESC) offers bachelor's degrees in liberal arts and science, and master's degrees in environmental studies, public administration, education, and teaching. South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) offers associate degrees in arts, science, biology, elementary education, pre-nursing, applied science, general studies, and business. Robust journalism in Olympia dates to before Washington Territory 's incorporation in 1853. The Olympian

1110-672: Is a soccer club that was founded in 2014 and primarily played at Black Hill High School. They field an amateur men's team in USL League Two and the Evergreen Premier League . The women's team was associated with the Northwest Premier League . As of 2024 , the teams play their home matches at South Sound Stadium and the women's team plays in the USL W League . The majority of Olympia is located in

1184-598: Is composed of about 20% biodiesel-electric hybrid buses. Olympia Regional Airport is just south of Olympia in Tumwater. It is operated by the Port of Olympia and serves general aviation as well as corporate aviation . The airport hosts the Olympic AirShow, a medium-sized airshow that occurs on Father's Day weekend each year. Olympia is twinned with: A previous sister city agreement with Olympia, Greece ,

1258-594: Is located near the southern limit of the Fraser Glaciation and the underlying sediments consist largely of Vashon -age till and outwash deposited at that time; the area also includes former lakebeds and alluvial deposits associated with proglacial lakes that existed in the area near the end of Vashon-stage glaciation. Residual glacial topography in the area includes drumlins , subglacial channels , and kettle lakes . Much of downtown Olympia sits on reclaimed land . Tidewater areas were filled as early as

1332-971: Is part of USDA Hardiness zone 8a, with isolated pockets around Puget Sound in zone 8b. 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 38.4 °F (3.6 °C) in December to 64.1 °F (17.8 °C) in August. Seasonal snowfall for 1981–2010 averaged 10.8 inches (27.4 cm) but has historically ranged from trace amounts in 1991–92 to 81.5 in (207 cm) in 1968–69. Olympia averages 50 inches (1,270 mm) of precipitation annually and has

1406-532: Is recognized as having been very influential in shaping Roosevelt's New Deal programs. In late 1934, Harry Hopkins , a senior adviser to Roosevelt who went on to oversee many New Deal programs, proposed an "End Poverty in America" campaign that The New York Times wrote “differs from Sinclair's plan in detail, but not in principle.” In 2022, universal basic income advocate and former Mayor of Stockton Michael Tubbs created "End Poverty in California" (EPIC),

1480-469: Is the local daily newspaper. The Tacoma-based Weekly Volcano has covered Olympia entertainment since 2001. Progressive newspaper Works in Progress is published monthly. The statewide government channel TVW is based in Olympia. Online outlet NorthAmericaTalk, an aggregate for local community news and marketing, was established with headquarters in Olympia. Olympia and Thurston County are included in

1554-480: Is transmitted from a tower in nearby Tumwater . Evergreen State College's KAOS broadcasts a mix of educational and political programming, with student-driven music shows. Amtrak provides service to Olympia-Lacey at Centennial Station . Amtrak train 11, the southbound Coast Starlight , departs Olympia at 11:19am with service to Centralia; Portland ; Sacramento ; Emeryville, California (with bus connection to San Francisco ); and Los Angeles . Amtrak train 14,

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1628-522: The Bigelow Neighborhood . 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

1702-670: The Democratic Party in September 1933. A grassroots movement soon formed in support of EPIC, with thousands joining End Poverty Leagues across the state. A weekly newspaper, the EPIC News , appeared in support of the plan, and reached a circulation of nearly a million by the time of the gubernatorial primary election in August 1934 . Several EPIC-supporting candidates won their primaries for California State Assembly and Senate seats. Sinclair did not receive full support from

1776-635: The Olympia School District . It enrolled 9,782 students in K-12 in the 2021–22 school year. The district has a total of 18 schools: 11 elementary schools, four middle schools and three high schools. Its high schools are Olympia High School (formally known as William Winlock Miller High School), Capital High School , and Avanti High School. Portions of Olympia are in the North Thurston Public Schools district and

1850-670: The Tumwater School District . In the 2007–08 school year, Olympia began the Parent Partnership Program, which provides more opportunities to homeschooling families. Olympia's online high school, Olympia Regional Learning Academy (ORLA), is part of the same program. Private elementary schools include Olympia Waldorf School, Olympia Community School, St. Michael School, Holy Family, and Evergreen Christian. Private middle schools include Olympia Waldorf School and NOVA School. Pope John Paul II High School

1924-737: The Washington State Grange , the Liberty Party, the Bellamy Clubs , Continental Committee Technocrats , Democratic Party Clubs , and sundry unaffiliated individuals as the Washington Commonwealth Federation. In the aftermath of the rise of Nazism in Germany in 1933, the Communist International began to steer the national political parties obedient to it away from the ultra-radical rhetoric of

1998-682: The 1870s, but the major change occurred in 1910–11 with placement of the Carlyon Fill (named for mayor P.H. Carlyon). Over two million cubic yards (1,500,000 m ) of sediment were 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. Olympia has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( 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

2072-558: The 1930s. From a membership of 1,137 in 1936, total CPUSA membership in the state grew to 5,016 by the end of 1938 and continued to increase in the first months of 1939. However, with pervasive CP control of the WCF's organizational apparatus came a desire to use the group's public clout to advance the party line of CPUSA and the Comintern. Following the Nazi-Soviet Pact of August 1939, the WCF began to denounce Roosevelt as

2146-601: The CBI, some Communist Party members were elected by labor groups as delegates to the April 1936 convention of the WCF. Following that gathering, Communist participation was formally allowed by the convention's refusal to reinstitute the previous exclusionary rule. A short period of organizational growth and seemingly bright prospects followed communist entry into the organization. The positive outlook soon dissipated, however, as by 1938 factional disputes and red-baiting severely weakened

2220-653: The Communist Party. Another reliable insider indicated that 90 percent of those employed by the WCF's newspaper were CPUSA members, including both of the publication's editors. It was a time of substantial influence, with more than a dozen "concealed communists" elected to the statehouse in Olympia between 1936 and 1939, including 11 members of the Washington House of Representatives and 3 State Senators. WCF-backed politicians constituted fully one third of

2294-559: The Farm Security Administration, continued to carry on these acts favoring the EPIC movement. Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County . It had a population of 55,605 at the time of the 2020 census , making it the state of Washington's 23rd-most populous city . Olympia borders Lacey to the east and Tumwater to

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2368-471: The Future . Specifically, the plan called for state seizure of idle factories and farm land where the owner had failed to pay property taxes. The government would then hire the unemployed to work on the farms and at the factories. The farms would then operate as self-sufficient, worker-run co-ops. EPIC also called for the implementation of California's first state income tax. The tax was to be progressive , with

2442-589: The Procession of the Species attracts up to 30,000 viewers, while its costumed participants of all ages frequently number nearly 3,000. On the Friday evening before the Procession of Species, a Luminary Procession is held. The Fleetwoods , a popular 1950s and 1960s doo-wop group, whose hits included " Come Softly to Me " and " Mr. Blue ", originated in Olympia. Additionally, acclaimed black metal band Wolves in

2516-539: The Seattle-Tacoma designated market area (DMA), and therefore are chiefly served by Seattle's network-affiliated television stations and some radio stations. Since 1983, Olympia has had a public, educational and government access television station, which was rebranded in 2016 as Thurston Community Media. Olympia sits on the southern fringe of the FM signal of National Public Radio member station KUOW . An AM simulcast

2590-680: The Socialist party in California. EPIC faced major opposition by the Republican Party and major media figures. According to Greg Mitchell's 2017 article on EPIC in The Nation , opponents of EPIC "organized the most lavish and creative dirty-tricks campaign ever seen—one that was to become a landmark in American politics" involving "turning over a major campaign to outside advertising, publicity, media and fundraising consultants for

2664-893: The Throne Room hails from the city, forming in 2002. Olympia has a wide array of public parks and nature conservation areas. Percival Landing Park includes 0.9 miles (1.4 km) of boardwalk along Budd Inlet, as well as a playground, picnic areas, and a large open space. The boardwalk leads north to an open-air amphitheater, a viewing tower beside the Port of Olympia, as well as the Olympia Farmers' Market. Squaxin Park has an extensive trail system, 150-year-old forest, and undeveloped waterfront on Puget Sound. The city's 39 other developed parks include Watershed Park , Woodruff Park , Sunrise Park , Yauger Park (home to one of Olympia's public skate parks ), Friendly Grove (nestled in

2738-478: The WCF with many non-Communist members ending their participation. The Communist Party came to exert decisive influence in the organization, which began to closely follow the CPUSA's national political line, with its Executive Secretary, Howard Costigan , secretly a member of the Communist Party from 1936. Costigan later estimated that by 1937, 56 of the 72 members of the WCF's governing Executive Board were members of

2812-466: The art-deco Capitol Theater . A mostly volunteer-powered organization, OFS supports and presents a variety of cultural events, including All Freakin' Night , an all-night horror film screening with a cult following. On the fourth Saturday in April, in honor of Earth Day , Olympia is host to one of the region's largest community celebrations – the Procession of the Species . Held in conjunction with

2886-565: The basis for Sinclair's campaign for governor of California in 1934 . The plan called for a massive public works program, sweeping tax reform, and guaranteed pensions. It gained major popular support, with thousands joining End Poverty Leagues across the state. EPIC never came to fruition due to Sinclair's defeat in the 1934 election , but is seen as an influence on New Deal programs enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt . Sinclair laid out his vision for EPIC in his 1933 book I, Governor of California, and How I ended Poverty: A True Story of

2960-534: The beginning of the Puget Sound War . The war ended with Leschi's capture in 1856; he was executed two years later. The 1949 Olympia earthquake damaged many historic buildings beyond repair, and they were demolished. Parts of the city also suffered damage from earthquakes in 1965 and 2001 . Interstate 5 was built through the south side of the city in the late 1950s as a replacement for earlier highways that traveled through downtown Olympia. The freeway

3034-579: The campus of Saint Martin's University. Art in Ecology is a long-established art-in-the-workplace venue that has works by numerous northwest artists. Permanent installations by Alfredo Arreguin, commissioned by the Washington State Arts Commission, are accompanied by changing solo and group exhibitions throughout the year. Appointments to view the works are needed; tours take about an hour. South Puget Sound Community College has

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3108-476: The city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female. According to Olympia's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the county's top employers are: Olympia is a regional center for fine arts. A number of theatrical experiences are available with companies such as Animal Fire Theater, Olympia Family Theater, Olympia Little Theater, Theater Artists Olympia, Broadway Olympia Productions, and Harlequin Productions at

3182-462: The city was 78.4% White , 9.6% Hispanic or Latino , 7.3% Asian , 3.1% African American , and 6.9% from other races or multiracial. As of the 2010 census , there were 46,478 people, 20,761 households, and 10,672 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,608.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,007.0/km ). There were 22,086 housing units at an average density of 1,239.4 units per square mile (478.5 units/km ). The racial makeup of

3256-444: The city was 83.7% White , 2.0% African American , 1.1% Native American , 6.0% Asian , 0.4% Pacific Islander , 1.8% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.3% of the population. There were 20,761 households, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.2% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had

3330-419: The city's biannual Arts Walk, the Procession is organized by the community-based nonprofit organization Earthbound Productions, and is the culmination of an annual Community Art Studio that is free and open to the public. In its July 2009 Best of America feature, Reader's Digest magazine honored the Procession of the Species with the top spot in its "can't resist" parades and processions list. Open to all,

3404-442: The efforts of Upton Sinclair in his maverick End Poverty in California movement (EPIC) of 1934, marked by Sinclair's run for Governor of California behind the slogan of "production for use." In the estimation of one student of the movement: "The CBI believed EPIC offered an excellent model for social and economic reform and struggled to find political candidates to promote its expansion into Washington State. Under this plan,

3478-607: The estuary at an unspecified date. The city is 47 miles (76 km) southwest of Seattle , the most populous city in Washington, and 100 miles (160 km) north of Portland, Oregon . According to the United States Census Bureau , Olympia has an area of 19.68 square miles (50.97 km ), of which 17.82 sq mi (46.15 km ) is land and 1.86 sq mi (4.82 km ) is water. The cities of Lacey and Tumwater border Olympia. The area

3552-801: The event was Joan Benoit , who won a gold medal at the first women's Olympic marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympic games in Los Angeles . Olympia is the home of the Oly Rollers , the local women's flat track roller derby league whose travel team, the Cosa Nostra Donnas, were the 2009 national champions of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), winning the national Declaration of Derby tournament in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . FC Olympia (also known as Oly Town Artesians)

3626-524: The exposure of the WCF as a surreptitious Communist front. In the view of historian Harvey Klehr , the Washington Commonwealth Federation marked perhaps the most effective alliance between Communists and non-Communists of anywhere in the US in the Depression. Throughout its existence, the WCF published a regular newspaper, beginning in August 1934 as The Washington Commonwealth Builder in 1934. The name of

3700-406: The face of this coordinated opposition, and without the backing of Roosevelt, Sinclair fell behind Merriam in the polls. On November 6, 1934, Merriam defeated Sinclair with 1,138,629 (48.9%) to Sinclair's 879,537 (37.8%). Even in defeat, Sinclair received twice as many votes as any previous Democratic candidate for governor. In addition, two dozen candidates running on the EPIC platform were elected to

3774-494: The fall, both of which groups derided the WCF as a " Trojan Horse for the Communist Party." In the conservative political climate of the late 1950s, many of the programs backed by the WCF would be ultimately reversed. The anti-WCF offensive would achieve full flower in the 1948 Canwell Joint Legislative Fact-Finding Committee on Un-American Activities of the Washington Legislature, which would dedicate itself to

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3848-612: The first time." The heads of Hollywood's major movie studios strongly opposed EPIC, largely due to Sinclair's proposal to hand over idle movie studio lots to unemployed film workers to make movies of their own. The studio heads reacted by threatening to move film operations to Florida and deducting money from employee paychecks to finance the campaign of Sinclair's Republican opponent for governor, Frank Merriam . Two of California's most influential figures in print media, William Randolph Hearst and Harry Chandler , also used their papers to support Merriam's campaign and attack Sinclair. In

3922-583: The freezing mark. 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. See or edit raw graph data . Olympia was historically dependent on artesian waters , including springs that supplied early settlers in Swantown and Tumwater. The artesian spring at Fourth Avenue and Main Street (now called Capitol Way)

3996-462: The group's leadership, its mission had been fulfilled, and the federation was dissolved as an unnecessary component of state Democratic politics. The WCF also faced determined opposition from an unlikely alliance, however. The 1938 elections were marked by centrist "Regular" Democrats attacking WCF-backed candidates in the primaries, followed by conservative Republican opponents of the New Deal in

4070-611: The historic State Theater, as well as Broadway Olympia's Black Box Theater at Capitol Mall. The Olympia Symphony Orchestra performs five regular-season concerts at the Washington Center and two pops concerts. The Masterworks Chorale Ensemble performs four regular-season concerts at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. Visual art venues include some of the local coffeehouses, Olympia Coffee Roasting Co., Batdorf & Bronson , and Burial Grounds downtown, with

4144-572: The latter indefinitely closed. Art House Designs is an art gallery that also hosts a jazz performance space. Murals and public art installations of sculpture are prevalent in Olympia and are especially featured on the State Capitol Campus and along Percival Landing on the urban waterfront. The Washington Center for the Performing Arts also presents visual art exhibitions throughout the season in its lobby areas. Notable art venues near Olympia include Art in Ecology, housed in Washington Department of Ecology's 322,000-square-foot, three-story building on

4218-517: The northbound Coast Starlight, departs Olympia at 6:01pm daily with service to Tacoma and Seattle . Amtrak Cascades trains, operating as far north as Vancouver and as far south as Eugene, Oregon , serve Olympia-Lacey several times daily in both directions. Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and the surrounding area are primarily served by Intercity Transit , with connections to Grays Harbor Transit , Mason Transit Authority , Pierce Transit , Sound Transit , and Twin Transit . Intercity Transit maintains

4292-423: The paper was shorted in October 1935 to The Washington Commonwealth. In August 1936, the name of the paper was changed again, now to Commonwealth News, which was changed again just three months later, with the paper re-emerging as The Sunday News. In September 1938 the organization marked its growing affection for the social program of Roosevelt, changing its name again to the Washington New Dealer. That name

4366-429: The party establishment, however, and Roosevelt refused to endorse him, seeing the EPIC plan as too radical. Sinclair's opponents claimed that he sought to "Sovietize California". The Socialist party in California and nationwide refused to allow its members to be active in any other party including the Democratic Party and expelled him, along with socialists who supported his California campaign. The expulsions destroyed

4440-415: The people involved would produce goods for use and not for profit." While the CBI in Washington did not achieve the same sort of explosive growth exhibited by the EPIC movement in California, the group still won the support of some key farm and labor organizations in the state. The group moved to further expand its range of influence in October 1935, when a convention was held that brought together members of

4514-519: The preservation of Indigenous fishing, hunting, gathering and other rights. It also included a section which, at least as interpreted by United States officials, required the Native American signatories to move to one of three reservations. Doing so would effectively force the Nisqually people to cede their prime farming and living space. One of the leaders of the Nisqually, Chief Leschi , outraged, refused to give up ownership of this land and instead fought for his people's right to their territory, sparking

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4588-491: The record cold daily maximum is 18 °F (−8 °C) on January 31, 1950, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 69 °F (21 °C) on July 22, 2006. Between 1991 and 2020 the mean coldest daily maximum was right on the freezing point at 32 °F (0 °C) and the warmest night of the year averaged a very mild 60 °F (16 °C). On average, 6.3 days annually reach 90 °F (32 °C), 1.8 days stay at or below freezing all day, and 78 nights reach

4662-472: The seats in the 1937 Washington House, a voting bloc that enabled the passage of a bevy of bills addressing longtime progressive concerns, including repeal of the state's California Criminal Syndicalism Act , passage of a pure food and drug act, establishment of a minimum wage for state employees, establishment of a graduated income tax , and other measures. The Communist Party showed a pattern of impressive growth in Washington state during these last years of

4736-447: The so-called " Third Period " and towards a more moderate building of alliances with non-Communist individuals and groups, policies known as Popular Front tactics . In the United States this change in the Comintern line saw members of the Communist Party attempt to join and seek to exert influence within established political organizations, such as the Washington Commonwealth Federation. Although they were initially banned from membership by

4810-415: The south. The Squaxin and other Coast Salish peoples inhabited the southern Puget Sound region prior to the arrival of European and American settlers in the 19th century. The Treaty of Medicine Creek was signed in 1854 and followed by the Treaty of Olympia in 1856; these two treaties forced the Squaxin to relocate to an Indian reservation . Olympia was incorporated as a town on January 28, 1859, and as

4884-558: The state legislature, including Culbert Olson , who became governor four years later. The EPIC movement continued after Sinclair's defeat. It "recalled a mayor, kicked out a district attorney, replaced the governor with one of our choice" between 1934 and 1938, according to Robert A. Heinlein , who by then was deputy publisher of the EPIC News . Heinlein also ran for the State Assembly in Hollywood and Beverly Hills in 1938. He lost, causing him to take up science fiction writing to pay off his campaign debt. Despite Sinclair's defeat, EPIC

4958-553: The town settled on the name Olympia, at local resident Colonel Isaac N. Ebey 's suggestion, because of its view of the Olympic Mountains to the northwest. The area began to be served by a small fleet of steamboats known as the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet . Over two days, December 24–26, 1854, Governor Isaac I. Stevens negotiated the Treaty of Medicine Creek with the representatives of the Nisqually, Puyallup, Squawksin, Steh'Chass, Noo-Seh-Chatl, Squi-Aitl, T'Peeksin, Sah-Heh-Wa-Mish, and S'Hotl-Ma-Mish tribes. Stevens's treaty included

5032-443: The wealthiest being taxed at 30%. The plan would also have increased inheritance taxes and instituted a 4% tax on stock transfers. EPIC also included government-provided pensions for the old, disabled, and widowed. To implement EPIC, Sinclair called for the creation of three new government agencies: the California Authority for Land (CAL), the California Authority for Production (CAP), and the California Authority for Money (CAM). CAL

5106-505: 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. As of the 2020 census , there were 55,605 people within the city. The population density was 2,825 inhabitants per square mile (1,090.7/km ). There were 25,642 housing units at an average density of 1,303 units per square mile (503 units/km ). The racial makeup of

5180-426: Was launched in August 1934 as "Commonwealth Builders, Inc." (CBI) by a group of middle-class socialists who sought effective political action to achieve a "Cooperative Commonwealth" that included government ownership of banking and large-scale industry, state aid to farmers and small businesses, and the establishment of a network of producer and consumer cooperatives . These individuals were greatly influenced by

5254-414: Was originally planned to cut through the city, but was moved further out to save costs. It opened to traffic on December 12, 1958, and was later expanded in 1991. Olympia is at the southern end of Puget Sound on Budd Inlet , where the 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

5328-537: Was retained until the middle of World War II . In January 1943, the WCF changed the name of its official organ to its sixth and final incarnation, The New World. That name was retained by the newspaper until its termination, in November 1948. End Poverty in California movement End Poverty in California ( EPIC ) was a political campaign started in 1934 by socialist writer Upton Sinclair (best known as author of The Jungle ). The movement formed

5402-409: 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. Another still flows at the corner of Olympia Avenue and Washington Street. A small park was constructed around another spring in

5476-533: Was to implement the plan for seizure and cultivation of unused farm lands. CAP was to do the same for idle factories. CAM meanwhile was to be used to finance CAL and CAP by issuing scrip to workers and issues bonds for the purchase of lands, factories, and machinery. After two previous unsuccessful runs for the U.S. Congress as a member of the Socialist Party , Sinclair was encouraged by the election of President Roosevelt in 1932 to switch his affiliation to

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