Subject: Yeah Oly!

Olympia makes 'best place' list

SARAH JACKSON

THE OLYMPIAN

Olympia has done it again. Here "Frequently the darling of national magazine lists, Puget Sound's most southern jewel earned the No. 10 spot in the "50 Best Places to Live" story in the April issue of Men's Journal.

Olympia ranked above Portland and three Washington cities, Seattle, Bellingham and Spokane.

"I'm not surprised at all," City Manager Steve Hall said. "There are at least 100 things to love about this town. Everybody's got their list and I've got mine, too."

Men's Journal -- looking for the "healthiest, sexiest, most fun and most affordable towns in the land" -- claimed Olympia was the sixth cloudiest city in the country with only 137 days of sun.

Writers went on to say of Olympia: "Scene: Feels like a small town although, as the state capital, it's got all the amenities of much bigger cities. Located at the southern end of Puget Sound, a short drive from Mount Rainier."

Researchers upped the ante this year by using more variables, 50 in all, including stress levels and the number of bars per capita, as well as newer data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau and others.

Nearby wilderness was also a major factor to emphasize "active living."

"The West still dominates," the magazine said. "College towns sure rate highly; and, if you move to anyplace on this list, you'll have no excuse for getting bored."

Hall thinks Lacey and Tumwater deserve some of the credit, with places like Tumwater Falls Park and the Chehalis Western Trail.

"When people say that Olympia is on the Top 10 list, I think it's the greater Olympia area," Hall said.

That's a given for relative newcomer Steve Neuenschwander, who arrived from Indiana with his wife in May.

They live in the Meridian Campus development, where Neuenschwander, retired from the military, loves to play golf.

"She being Korean, this appeared to be the location that we both could have interests that met our needs. This locale makes it really easy for her family to visit from Korea as they can fly nonstop via Asiana Airlines from Inchon," he said. "When I think of Olympia, I also think of Lacey, Tumwater, et cetera in the same light as we are all connected together by urban growth."

Men's Journal chose Boulder, Colo., as No. 1 for the third year in a row.

Hall, who used to be assistant city manager in Boulder, said the gateway to the Rockies is wonderful, but Olympia's originality and diversity with events such as the Bon Odori Japanese Festival and Procession of the Species make it one of a kind.

"This is a place that likes to have fun," Hall said. "I think we ought to make it a goal to catch up with Boulder."

Sarah Jackson writes for The Olympian and can be reached at 360-704-6871 or sajackso@olympia.gannett.com.

Best places

The Top 10 places to live -- and a few honorable mentions -- from the April issue of Men's Journal, a national magazine on newsstands now.

1. Boulder, Colo.

2. Flagstaff, Ariz.

3. Reno, Nev.

4. Fort Collins, Colo.

5. Madison, Wis.

6. Missoula, Mont.

7. Corvallis, Ore.

8. Bloomington, Ind.

9. Santa Cruz, Calif.

10. Olympia

17. Portland

39. Seattle

43. Bellingham

49. Spokane