LACEY

20th century

Initial studies on incorporation of the Lacey area were undertaken in 1963 by a local chamber of commerce to prevent the City of Olympia from annexing the area. The study proposed an incorporated area of 5.64 square miles (14.6 km2) that would encompass 5,738 residents. A proposal to incorporate Lacey was placed before voters at a special election on August 11, 1964, and was defeated by a margin of over 300 votes.

A second attempt to incorporate 10.29 square miles (26.7 km2) and 8,860 residents into the City of Lacey was proposed in 1966. Voters approved incorporation in the November 8, 1966, election, by a margin of approximately 200 votes. The City of Lacey was officially incorporated on December 5, 1966, after the election results were certified. The City of Olympia responded with a special election to annex 2 square miles (5.2 km2) that would be withdrawn from Lacey under provisions of a state law. The special election would encompass the entirety of Olympia rather than be solely restricted to the affected area; it was approved on January 24, 1967.

At the time, the main industries were cattle, milk, forest products, and retail. Lacey later became a commuter town for Olympia, Fort Lewis, and, to some extent, Tacoma. In 1975, the local Jaycees chapter proposed moving the county seat for Thurston County from Olympia to Lacey to give the city "an identity" beyond being a bedroom community.

21st century

In April 2025, a Tesla supercharger station located on Sleater-Kinney Road was vandalized. The act, originally reported as an explosion, was being investigated by the FBI as possibly a form of domestic terrorism and perhaps connected to a larger form of protest against the company.