SEQUIM, WA

Sequim is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It is located along the Dungeness River near the base of the Olympic Mountains. The 2010 census counted a population of 6,606.

Sequim lies within the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and receives on average less than of rain per year – about the same as Los Angeles, California – leading it to give itself the nickname of Sunny Sequim. However, the city is relatively close to some of the wettest temperate rainforests of the contiguous United States. This climate anomaly is sometimes called the "Blue Hole of Sequim". Fogs and cool breezes from the Juan de Fuca Strait make Sequim's climate more humid than would be expected from the low average annual precipitation. Some places have surprisingly luxuriant forests dominated by Douglas-fir and western red cedar. Black cottonwood, red alder, bigleaf maple, Pacific madrone, lodgepole pine, and Garry oak can also be large. Historically, much of the area was an open oak-studded prairie supported by somewhat excessively drained gravelly sandy loam soil, though agriculture and development of the Dungeness valley have changed this ecosystem. Most soils under Sequim have been placed in a series that is named after the city. This "Sequim series" is one of the few Mollisols in western Washington and its high base saturation, a characteristic of the Mollisol order, is attributed to the minimal leaching of bases caused by low annual rainfall.

The city and the surrounding area are particularly known for the commercial cultivation of lavender, supported by the unique climate. It makes Sequim the "Lavender Capital of North America", rivaled only in France. The area is also known for its Dungeness crab.

Sequim is pronounced as one syllable, with the e elided: "skwim". The name developed from the Klallam language.

History

Aboriginal inhabitants

Fossils discovered in the late 1970s at a dig near Sequim – by Carl Gustafson, an archaeologist at Washington State University – known as the Manis Mastodon Site included a mastodon bone with an embedded bone point, evidencing the presence of hunters in the area about 14,000 years ago. According to Michael R. Waters, an archaeologist at Texas A&M University, this is the first hunting weapon found that dates to the pre-Clovis period.

The S'Klallam tribe had inhabited the region prior to the arrival of the first Europeans. S'Klallam means "the strong people". The band of S'Klallam Indians disbanded into their own individual federally recognized tribes in the early 1900s. The local tribe is the Jamestown S'Klallam tribe, named after one of their early leaders, Lord James Balch. According to other tales, the town Sequim in S'Klallam means "a place for going to shoot", which represents the abundance of game and wildlife of the area.

Settlement

Manuel Quimper and George Vancouver explored the region's coast in the 1790s. The first European settlers arrived in the Dungeness Valley in the 1850s, settling nearby Dungeness, Washington. While the lands along the river became fertile farmlands, the remainder of the area remained arid prairie, known as "the desert". Irrigation canals first brought water to the prairie in the 1890s, allowing the expansion of farmlands.

Sequim was officially incorporated on October 31, 1913. For many decades small farms, mostly dairy farms, dotted the area around the small town. Near the end of World War I, Sequim became a stop for a railway that passed through from Port Angeles to Port Townsend, built primarily to carry wood products from the forests of the western Olympic Peninsula.

Geography

Sequim is located at (48.078002, -123.101427).

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

Climate

Sequim experiences a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb), sometimes classified as an oceanic climate owing to the relatively cool temperatures. Sequim is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, so annual precipitation is only 16 inches.

Winters are mostly mild with very little snowfall. Many years there is no snow at all. The highest temperature recorded in Sequim was on 16 July 1941, and the lowest on 19 January 1935.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,606 people (2020 US Census = 8024) 3,340 households, and 1,626 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,767 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.3% (2020=86.7%) White, 0.4% (2020=1.9%0 African American, 1.2% Native American, 1.9% (2020=3.1%) Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.7% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.8% (2020=8.5%) of the population.

[Note: The U.S. Postal Service delivers to 28,000+ people within Sequim's zip code, 98382 (2020=30,000+). 2/3 of these postal patrons live outside the Sequim city limits in Clallam County.]

There were 3,340 households, of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.5% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 51.3% were non-families. 45.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 29.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.87 and the average family size was 2.57.

The median age in the city was 57.9 years. 15.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.9% were from 25 to 44; 22.1% were from 45 to 64; and 40.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.4% male and 55.6% female.

2000 census

More detailed information from the 2000 census indicated that the racial makeup of the city was 93.91% White, 0.30% African American, 1.15% Native American, 1.75% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.92% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.86% of the population.

There were 2,163 households, out of which 15.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. 44.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 30.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.90 and the average family size was 2.55.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 15.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 15.2% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 44.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females, there were 73.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,880, and the median income for a family was $35,652. Males had a median income of $35,160 versus $20,347 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,253. About 9.8% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Sequim holds an Irrigation Festival every May. , it is the longest continually running festival in the state and is in its 124th year.

Tourist attractions

Education

The Sequim School District served a population of almost 29,000 as of 2018. It is home to the following schools:

Private schools:

Media

The local news publications consist of the community newspaper Sequim Gazette and the Peninsula Daily News.

Sequim is served by several radio stations. KSQM, FM 91.5 is a non-commercial station staffed by community volunteers featuring a variety of music. Z-104.9 FM, KZQM is a commercial station featuring classic hits.

Newsradio KONP also provides local news, talk and sports programming on 1450 AM and 101.3 FM.

Sister city

Sequim's sister city is Shiso, Hyōgo, Japan. Sequim and Shiso have an exchange student program set up through Sequim High School and Sequim Middle School.

Government and politics

QAnon controversy

In August 2020, the mayor of Sequim, William Armacost, expressed his support for the QAnon far-right conspiracy theory by stating that "QAnon is a truth movement that encourages you to think for yourself. If you remove Q from that equation, it's patriots from all over the world fighting for humanity, truth, freedom and saving children and others from human trafficking." Armacost reportedly posted QAnon slogans and messages on Facebook and wore QAnon symbols during city council meetings, which he claimed were symbols of support for law enforcement. Armacost claims he "never publicly stated" his support for QAnon. Armacost's views relating to QAnon attracted national media interest. Members of a citizens group have expressed concern that the focus on the views of a "small minority" is "damaging our tourism and our businesses.”

Notable people

Musical groups