Kiplinger's Magazine, a national magazine about personal finance, has ranked Olympia number six out of ten in the county in its list of "Best Cities 2009." Olympia celebrated the distinction with a party at the Olympia's Farmer's Market today.
Olympia Mayor Doug Mah, who just returned from Washington D.C. last week to seek funding for Percival Landing, said that our community is one that practices sustainability, embraces higher education, and shops and buys locally. Mah told the packed crowd in true pep rally style,"We are on the map in Washington D.C.! You need to invest in the community because we invest in this community, and with your help, we'll be Number One!"
Above: Jerry Farmer, left, sales manager for 94.5 Roxy radio station, serves as Master of Ceremonies, joined by Sandra Miller, General Manager of the Governor Hotel, and Olympia Mayor Doug Mah during today's festivities at the Olympia Farmer's Market.
Janine Gates Photography Photo of Procession Chosen by Kiplinger's
Marc Wojno, Kiplinger Senior Associate Editor, who wrote the story about Olympia, stayed at the Governor Hotel during his time in Olympia the same weekend as Artswalk and the Procession of the Species, April 24-25. Local photographer Janine Gates had the pleasure of meeting Wojno during his stay there, and chatted with him at length about local issues.
A photo by Janine Gates Photography is featured in the magazine's online "Walking Tour" of Olympia, available for viewing at www.kiplinger.com. The photo features the seemingly hundreds of zebras who danced at the finale of the Procession, held in downtown Olympia. The video also features the Capitol Building, various downtown businesses, and the Farmer's Market.
The only error in the story is quoting Olympia's population as 233,113. This is the approximate population of Thurston County, which is about 245,000. Olympia's population is about 45,000.
A good time was had by all at the Market, and free cake was served by members of the Olympia Downtown Association and the Thurston County Economic Development Council. Olympia Mayor Doug Mah signed copies of the Kiplinger magazine, which were pre-signed by Lacey Mayor Graeme Sackrison.
Above: Olympia Mayor Doug Mah autographed copies of Kiplinger's Magazine, in which Olympia was ranked number six out of ten "Best Cities 2009."
Above: Kiplinger's Magazine
Hi Janine,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your e-mail and for your kind words. I'm thrilled about the reception that the Kiplinger magazine story on Best Cities has had in Olympia. Yes, one of your photos was selected for the walking tour...sorry for not telling you earlier as I've been focused on the August issue, which we've just put to press. The past few weeks have been incredibly busy for us, as you can well imagine.
Also, thank you for the link to your blog site and to your story. However, please note that the population number is correct and that it is not an error, as a few readers have suggested. As we have stated extensively in both the magazine and on our Web site, the population of 233,000+ represents the metropolitain statistical area, or MSA, of the Olympia region. We use the MSA because it represents the population in the neighboring suburbs of the city. This information came straight from the U.S. Census. As you suggest, the 233,000+ figure represents Thurston County, including Lacey and Tumwater. Olympia represents Lacey and Tumwater and Thurston County. Please make a note of this.
Again, thank you for your kind words and best wishes.
Marc A. Wojno
Senior Associate Editor (Research)
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
1729 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 887-6543
MWojno@Kiplinger.com