Tumwater, Washington

Etymology

Tumwater was originally called "Newmarket" by American settlers, and under the latter name was platted in 1845. The present name is derived from the Chinook Jargon word tumwata, which means "waterfall".

History

The site of Tumwater and Tumwater Falls has been home to Southern Lushootseed-speaking peoples known as the Steh-Chass / Stehchass or Statca'sabsh (a subtribe of the Sahewamish (Sahe'wabsh), a subgroup of the Nisqually people; who became part of the post-treaty Squaxin Island Tribe) for thousands of years. "Steh-Chass" is the Lushootseed name for Budd Inlet, Deschutes River and the Tumwater Falls area, and for an important village of the Statca'sabsh.

A post office called Tumwater was established in 1863.

Tumwater was incorporated as a town on November 25, 1869, and as a city in 1875.

The construction of Interstate 5, which was completed in 1958, required the demolition of 100 buildings in downtown Tumwater. Major businesses had already relocated northeast to Tumwater Square, which remains a local shopping center. The Tumwater Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 to preserve remnants of downtown amid plans to widen Interstate 5.

Geography

Tumwater is located two miles south of the neighboring state capital of Olympia.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.49 sqmi, of which, 14.32 sqmi is land and 0.17 sqmi is water.

Climate

This region experiences warm and dry summers, with average monthly temperatures between 71.6 °F (22 °C) and 98.1 °F (36.7 °C). According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Tumwater has a very warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Tumwater ranks 89th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked. It is also the highest rank in Thurston County.

| align-fn = center 2020 Census

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 17,371 people, 7,566 households, and 4,460 families living in the city. The population density was 1213.1 PD/sqmi. There were 8,064 housing units at an average density of 563.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 85.0% White, 1.7% African American, 1.2% Native American, 4.8% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.2% of the population.

There were 7,566 households, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.1% were non-families. Of all households, 31.6% were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.83.

The median age in the city was 35 years. 27% of residents were under the age of 18, 10% from 18 to 24; 31.7% were between the ages of 25 and 44; 26.8% from 45 to 64; and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 12,698 people, 5,659 households, and 3,253 families living in the city. The population density was 1,276.1 people per square mile (492.7/km2). There were 5,953 housing units at an average density of 598.2 per square mile (231.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.41% White, 1.39% African American, 1.24% Native American, 3.90% Asian, 0.36% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races, and 3.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.08% of the population.

There were 5,659 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. Of all households, 33.7% were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 23.2% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,329, and the median income for a family was $54,156. Males had a median income of $41,778 versus $32,044 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,080. About 4.3% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The Davis Meeker oak tree, listed on the Tumwater Register of Historic Places, is a 400-year-old historic Garry oak located at the Olympia Regional Airport on Old Highway 99. Named after Ezra Meeker and Jack Davis, an environmentalist who helped save the oak in 1984 during a highway improvement project, the tree was a trail maker on the Cowlitz Trail, and then later on the Oregon Trail. In 2024, safety for passing motorists became a concern when a 10 foot branch broke and fell several feet near the roadway. Tumwater's mayor, Debbie Sullivan, attempted to remove the tree in May of that year without the support of the city council based on a 2023 report of the city's arborist that concluded the tree was high risk; the report was criticized for having numerous flaws. Due to public protests, coupled with a citizen lawsuit and report discrepancies, the mayor paused her efforts and agreed to obtain a second opinion. Options to save the tree were announced by the city in February 2025 and the city council adopted a plan to preserve the tree in April. A Thurston County judge ruled in December 2025 that the city “may not alter or destroy" the historic tree without the permission of the Tumwater Historic Preservation Commission; the ruling is considered permanent.

Four identical concrete totem poles are located on the Art Deco-style Carlyon Bridge in Tumwater. The Haida-style sculptures contain, from the top, a raven, a grizzly bear, an eagle, and another bear. The totems were added as part of an overall project on Capitol Boulevard in 1937. The sculptures, when erected, were considered to be the only known concrete totems in the world. They remained without color until 1951, painted with some hues regarded to be non-traditional in indigenous works, but repainted after 1990. The designer of the totems is unknown.

Government

Due to the city being located in close proximity to the state capital, Tumwater is home to many state government offices, including the Washington State Department of Corrections, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, the Washington State Department of Health, the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, the Washington State Department of Revenue and the Office of the Attorney General.

The City of Tumwater itself is a non-charter Code City and uses a mayor-council form of government. The Mayor is elected as a chief executive officer and advised by seven council members who act as policymakers and provide guidelines and performance objectives. The Tumwater City Council elections are held in odd-numbered years.

, the City has 520 full and part-time employees and an annual budget of $330 million. In 2023, the City had 241 employees and a 2023–2024 biennium general fund budget of $84.9 million, an increase from a 2021–2022 biennium expense budget of $63.9 million and 235 employees.

Education

The Tumwater School District is home to numerous schools including Tumwater High School and Black Hills High School.

Gallery

File:Tumwater Falls.jpg|Tumwater Falls of the Deschutes River File:Old Olympia Brewery as seen from Tumwater, WA park.jpg|The original brewery that produced Olympia Beer, pictured in 2012

References

References

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2. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
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10. (April 7, 1953). "Tumwater Settled By Simmons Party". [[The News Tribune]].
11. (1992). "Thurston County Place Names: A Heritage Guide". Thurston County Historical Commission.
12. Batcheldor, Matt. (December 7, 2008). "I-5 at 50: It's changed the face of the region". The Olympian.
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19. (January 18, 2023). "Proposal for Cowlitz Trail to be added to Oregon Trail gets thumbs up from Tumwater". The JOLT News.
20. (May 15, 2024). "Tumwater mayor decides to remove Davis-Meeker Oak: Councilmembers and arborists disagree". The JOLT News.
21. (June 3, 2024). "'Save the Davis-Meeker Garry Oak' group leading multi-prong effort to save historic Tumwater tree". The JOLT News.
22. (April 29, 2024). "Arborist to Tumwater: Save the Davis Meeker Oak: Open letter to Tumwater Mayor Debbie Sullivan and City Administrator Lisa Parks". The JOLT News.
23. (June 5, 2024). "Tumwater mayor pauses tree removal after 'passionate pleas'". KING 5 News.
24. (June 6, 2024). "Tumwater mayor pauses plan to cut down historic Davis-Meeker oak tree. Here's why". The Olympian.
25. (June 21, 2024). "Tumwater’s arborist contradicted himself on Davis-Meeker Oak". The JOLT News.
26. (February 12, 2025). "400-year-old Tumwater tree may be spared". [[KING 5 News]].
27. (April 17, 2025). "Tumwater adopts resolution funding maintenance of Davis-Meeker tree". The JOLT News.
28. (December 30, 2025). "Can city cut down beloved 400-year-old tree? Thurston County judge rules". The Olympian.
29. (October 27, 2024). "Concrete totems still standing in Tumwater once marked the gateway to Puget Sound. Here's their story". The Olympian.
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35. "Tumwater School District".