Best Web Design in Lacey, WA (2026)

Web Design for Lacey, Washington

Lacey is a South Sound city in Thurston County, sitting just east of the state capital, Olympia, along Interstate 5. Long a fast-growing suburban community shaped by shopping centers and distribution warehouses, it is anchored by the Benedictine-founded St. Martin's University and threaded with wooded creeks and trails. Its identity is quietly its own, distinct from capital-city Olympia and brewery-town Tumwater.

AppWT works with Lacey, WA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Lacey

History. Originally called Woodland after settlers Isaac and Catherine Wood, who claimed land there in 1853. Renamed Lacey in 1891 when the community sought a post office; the name is believed to honor Oliver Chester (O. C.) Lacey of Olympia. The South Sound Center, the county's first suburban shopping center, opened in October 1966. Lacey incorporated as a city on December 5, 1966, after voters approved incorporation by roughly 200 votes on November 8, 1966; it had 8,860 residents at incorporation. 2020 census population of 53,526, ranking it 24th most populous in Washington.

Local economy. Largest employers (2023) include the State of Washington (about 2,520), North Thurston Public Schools (about 2,000), Amazon (about 838), St. Martin's University (about 612), and PetSmart (about 480). Target opened a 1.7-million-square-foot West Coast distribution center in Lacey in 2003, among the largest warehouses in the U.S. by usable volume. Long a commuter town serving Olympia, Joint Base Lewis-McChord (Fort Lewis), and to some extent Tacoma. Early industries were cattle, dairy, forest products, and retail.

Culture and community. The Lacey Spring Fun Fair, held at St. Martin's University, offers free rides, games, entertainment, and food and artisan vendors. Lacey in Tune brings free summer concerts to Huntamer Park. The South Sound BBQ Festival at Huntamer Park features competition barbecue, a beer-and-wine garden, and a wing-eating contest. Lacey created a poet laureate position in 2022, naming Cynthia Pratt as its first laureate. Public bronze sculptures 'Kite Girl' (1999) and 'Kite Boy' (2008) are civic landmarks.

What makes Lacey distinct. The city's original name was Woodland; residents had to pick a new name to get a post office in 1891. Lacey's sister city is Minsk Mazowiecki, Poland. In 2020 Lacey opened Washington's first diverging diamond interchange at I-5 and Marvin Road. In 1975 local Jaycees proposed moving the Thurston County seat from Olympia to Lacey to give the city 'an identity' beyond being a bedroom community. The Mushroom Corner neighborhood is literally named for the mushrooms once farmed there.

Lacey Landmarks and Local Life

• St. Martin's University - a private four-year Catholic institution founded in 1895 by the Order of Saint Benedict
• Karen Fraser Woodland Trail - a paved rail trail connecting Lacey and Olympia
• Huntamer Park - the city's central event and concert green
• The Mushroom Corner neighborhood - named for the former Ostrom Mushroom Farm
• Woodland Creek - a reminder of the city's original name