Sequim, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sequim, Washington
City
John Wayne Marina in Sequim
Sequim, Washington
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Clallam
Government
• Type	Council–manager
Area
• Total	6.40 sq mi (16.58 km2)
• Land	6.32 sq mi (16.37 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2)
Elevation	184 ft (56 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,018
• Estimate  (2021)	8,241
• Density	1,252.81/sq mi (483.59/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98382
Area code	360
FIPS code	53-63385
GNIS feature ID	1531505
Website	City of Sequim

Sequim is a city in Washington, USA. It's found in Clallam County. The city sits by the Dungeness River, close to the Olympic Mountains. In 2020, about 8,018 people lived there. By 2022, the number grew to an estimated 8,319.

Sequim is special because it's in a "rain shadow". This means the Olympic Mountains block most of the rain. Sequim gets less than 16 inches of rain each year. That's about the same as Los Angeles, California! This is why people call it Sunny Sequim.

Even though it's dry, it's near some of the wettest temperate rainforests in the United States. This unusual climate is sometimes called the "Blue Hole of Sequim". Cool breezes and fog from the Juan de Fuca Strait make the air more humid than you might expect.

The city and nearby areas are famous for growing lavender. The special climate helps it grow well. Sequim is known as the "Lavender Capital of North America". It's also known for its tasty Dungeness crab.

What Does "Sequim" Mean?

The name Sequim comes from the Klallam word sxʷčkʷíyəŋ. This word means "hunting ground" or "place for going to shoot." The name was first used for the settlement in 1879. Before that, it was spelled "Seguim."

For a long time, people thought the name meant "quiet waters." But in 2010, a linguist named Timothy Montler proved this wrong. He studied the Klallam language and talked to elders from the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.

Sequim is pronounced "skwim." The "e" sound is silent. A common mistake is to say "see-kwim."

Sequim's History

Early Inhabitants

Scientists found very old fossils near Sequim in the late 1970s. This place is called the Manis Mastodon site. They found a mastodon bone with a bone point stuck in it. This shows that hunters were in the area about 14,000 years ago.

This is important because it's the first hunting weapon found that is older than the Clovis culture. The S'Klallam tribe lived in this region before Europeans arrived. S'Klallam means "the strong people." The local tribe today is the Jamestown S'Klallam tribe. It's named after an early leader, Lord James Balch.

European Settlement

Manuel Quimper and George Vancouver explored the coast of this region in the 1790s. The first European settlers came to the Dungeness Valley in the 1850s. They settled near Dungeness, Washington.

The land along the river was good for farming. But most of the area was dry prairie, called "the desert." In the 1890s, irrigation canals brought water to the prairie. This allowed more farms to grow.

Sequim officially became a city on October 31, 1913. For many years, small farms, mostly dairy farms, were common around the town. Near the end of World War I, a railway was built through Sequim. It connected Port Angeles to Port Townsend. The railway mainly carried wood from the forests of the western Olympic Peninsula.

Geography and Climate

Land and Trees

The city of Sequim covers about 6.37 square miles (16.5 square kilometers). Most of this is land, with a small amount of water.

The forests around Sequim have many Douglas-fir and western red cedar trees. Other trees like black cottonwood, red alder, and bigleaf maple also grow here. You can also find Pacific madrone, lodgepole pine, and Garry oak. These trees can grow very large.

Long ago, much of the area was an open prairie with oak trees. The soil here is gravelly and sandy. Farming and building in the Dungeness valley have changed this natural area. The soil under Sequim is even named after the city: the "Sequim series."

Weather in Sequim

Sequim has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. This means it has warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. It's sometimes called an oceanic climate because the temperatures are quite cool.

As mentioned, Sequim is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains. This makes its yearly rainfall the lowest in western Washington, at only 16 inches.

Winters are usually mild, and there's very little snow. Some years, there's no snow at all. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Sequim was 99°F (37°C) on July 16, 1941. The coldest was -3°F (-19°C) on January 19, 1935.

People of Sequim

2020 Population Data

In 2020, the census showed 8,018 people living in Sequim. There were 3,480 households. The city had about 1,270 people per square mile.

Most residents (86.7%) were White. Other groups included African American (1.9%), Native American (0.9%), and Asian (3.1%). About 6.1% of people were from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people made up 8.5% of the population.

About 19.3% of residents were under 18 years old. A large number, 34.0%, were 65 years or older. The population was 44.7% male and 55.3% female.

2010 Population Data

In 2010, there were 6,606 people and 3,340 households in Sequim. The city had about 1,047 people per square mile. There were 3,767 housing units.

Most people (91.3%) were White. Other groups included African American (0.4%), Native American (1.2%), and Asian (1.9%). Hispanic or Latino people made up 4.8% of the population.

About 17.1% of households had children under 18. Many households (45.5%) were single individuals. About 29.2% of households had someone 65 or older living alone. The average household had 1.87 people. The average family had 2.57 people.

The average age in Sequim was 57.9 years. About 15.2% of residents were under 18. And 40.4% were 65 or older. The population was 44.4% male and 55.6% female.

Fun Things to Do in Sequim

Festivals and Events

Sequim hosts an Irrigation Festival every May. As of 2019, it's the longest-running festival in Washington state. It has been going for 124 years! The festival celebrates the city's history with irrigation and lavender. It includes parades, pageants, and arts and crafts.

Sequim is also famous for its annual Sequim Lavender Weekend. This happens on the third weekend in July. People come from everywhere to see the beautiful lavender fields.

Places to Visit

Drawing of a mastodon skeleton by Rembrandt Peale

Sequim is home to a group of Roosevelt elk. Sometimes, these elk cross US 101 near the town. Some elk wear radio collars. These collars trigger warning lights for drivers to be careful.

Just north of the city is the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. It's near where the Dungeness River meets the sea. This refuge includes the Dungeness Spit. You can hike five miles (8 km) to the New Dungeness Lighthouse at the end of the spit.

East of Sequim, along Highway 101, is Sequim Bay. This is a 4-mile (6.5 km) long inlet from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Sequim Bay State Park is along the western side. The bay is a great spot for watching birds.

The Museum and Arts Center in Sequim has exhibits about nature and culture. It has a large painting of a mastodon. You can also see mastodon bones and learn about their excavation.

Education in Sequim

The Sequim School District serves almost 29,000 people. It includes several schools:

• Sequim High School
• Sequim Middle School
• Olympic Peninsula Academy
• Helen Haller Elementary
• Greywolf Elementary

There is also a private school:

• Five Acre School

Media and Connections

Movies and TV

Students from the Rotary Club at Sequim High School helped arrange a special movie screening. They showed "The Boys in the Boat" at their school. This movie is about Joe Rantz and his Olympic rowing team from 1936.

The city doesn't have a movie theater. So, the film, directed by George Clooney, was shown in a school auditorium. Some students from the district even attended the movie's premiere in Seattle in December 2023.

Local News

Sequim has two main local news publications. These are the community newspaper Sequim Gazette and the Peninsula Daily News.

Radio Stations

Several radio stations serve Sequim. KSQM, FM 91.5, is a non-commercial station run by volunteers. It plays a variety of music. Z-104.9 FM, KZQM, is a commercial station that plays classic hits. Newsradio KONP also provides local news, talk shows, and sports on 1450 AM and 101.3 FM.

Sister City

Sequim has a sister city in Japan called Shiso, Hyōgo. Sequim High School and Sequim Middle School have an exchange student program with Shiso. This allows students to visit and learn about each other's cultures.

Famous People from Sequim

Musical Groups

See also

In Spanish: Sequim para niños