Wednesday, June 01, 2022

Two Northwest Capitals--Salem And Olympia



 Both Washington and Oregon's capitals are what could be considered "drive by" cities.  Both are similar distances south of each state's largest and best known city.   Both share names with products that you may find at a supermarket.  Salem is a brand of cigarettes, while Olympia shares its name with a brand of beer.  Neither town is particularly well known outside of the region.

I began to wonder about similarities and differences in the towns several years ago, after touring the capitol in Olympia.  First off, Olympia Beer started in the greater Olympia area, whereas Salem Cigarettes probably gets its name from Winston-Salem, North Carolina which has long been the hometown of its parent company.  Salem is three times as large as Olympia.   

I found this post from a blog that really points out the differences and similarities between Oympia and Salem that you can check out by clicking here.

From what I gathered from the article, Salem has more of a "family" vibe, whereas Olympia is maybe edgier, artsy, and singles oriented. 

Both states are bordered on the East by Idaho, where its capital is probably its best known city and largest city, Boise.


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