Sequim, Washington

The name Sequim is derived from the Klallam word sxʷčkʷíyəŋ,{{cite web |title=Klallam Language Word List |url=https://klallamlanguage.org/WordList/PLACENAMES.htm |publisher=Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe |access-date=December 10, 2024}} which means "hunting ground"{{cite web |last=Arksey |first=Laura |date=May 1, 2008 |title=Sequim and the Sequim-Dungeness Valley — Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/8555 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=December 10, 2024}} or "place for going to shoot".{{cite news |date=August 4, 2010 |title=Expert: Sequim Doesn't Mean Quiet Waters |url=https://www.npr.org/2010/08/04/128971895/expert-sequim-doesnt-mean-quiet-waters |work=Morning Edition |publisher=NPR |access-date=December 10, 2024}} It was adopted as the name of the settlement in 1879, with the spelling replacing the earlier "Seguim".{{cite news |date=January 6, 2002 |title=Sequim man sees red when others say 'See-kwim' |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/sequim-man-sees-red-when-others-say-see-kwim/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=December 10, 2024}} The historic translation of "quiet waters" was disproven in 2010 by linguist Timothy Montler, who had researched the Klallam language and interviewed elders of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.{{cite news |last=Chew |first=Jeff |date=August 3, 2010 |title=Awww, shoot! Sequim doesn't mean 'quiet waters' but good hunting grounds, Klallam language expert says |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/awww-shoot-sequim-doesnt-mean-quiet-waters-but-good-hunting-grounds-klallam-language-expert-says/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |accessdate=December 10, 2024}} Sequim is pronounced as one syllable, with the e elided: "skwim"; a common mispronounciation is "see-kwim".{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=January 9, 2019 |title=How do you say Carlsborg? Community discusses -borg vs. -berg |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/how-do-you-say-carlsborg-community-discusses-borg-vs-berg/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=December 10, 2024}}

Fossils discovered in the late 1970s – at a dig near Sequim known as the Manis Mastodon site, by Carl Gustafson, an archaeologist at Washington State University – 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.{{cite news|title='Quiet waters'? Sequim means something else entirely|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=The Seattle Times|date=August 4, 2010|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012524922_sequim04.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100805054321/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012524922_sequim04.html|archive-date=August 5, 2010}}{{cite book

| author=Olympic Peninsula Intertribal Cultural Advisory Committee | editor=Jacilee Wray | year=2003

| title=Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula: Who We Are

| page=35 | publisher=University of Oklahoma Press

| isbn=0-8061-3552-2 }} Archeological excavation during construction of the U.S. Route 101 bypass in the 1990s found artifacts that were dated between 6000 to 8000 years before present.{{harvp|Olympic Peninsula Intertribal Cultural Advisory Committee|2003|p=7}}

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.

File:ISS065-E-139248 - View of Earth.jpg]]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|6.37|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|6.31|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.06|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220065340/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 20, 2011 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 19, 2012 }}

The forests around Sequim are dominated by Douglas-fir and western red cedar. Other trees growing in the area include black cottonwood, red alder, bigleaf maple, Pacific madrone, lodgepole pine and Garry oak, all of which can grow to a significant size. Historically, much of the area was an open, oak-studded prairie, supported by somewhat excessively-drained gravelly and sandy loam soil; 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.{{cite web|url=http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx|title=Web Soil Survey|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302004416/http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx|archive-date=March 2, 2016}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www2.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/osd/dat/S/SEQUIM.html |title=Official Series Description - SEQUIM Series |access-date=November 17, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091117203412/http://www2.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/osd/dat/S/SEQUIM.html |archive-date=November 17, 2009 }}

Sequim is home to a herd of Roosevelt elk. The herd occasionally crosses U.S. Route 101 just to the southeast of the town. Radio collars on some members of the herd trigger warning lights for motorists.{{cite news |last=Egan |first=Timothy |author-link=Timothy Egan |date=January 2, 2001 |title=Elk that call ahead to cross the highway |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/02/us/sequim-journal-elk-that-call-ahead-to-cross-the-highway.html |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

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 the lowest in the western portion of the state at 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 {{convert|99|F|C|1}} on July 16, 1941, and the lowest {{convert|-3|F|C|1}} on January 19, 1935.{{cite web|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?wa7538|title=SEQUIM, WASHINGTON - Climate Summary|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923113048/http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?wa7538|archive-date=September 23, 2012}}

{{Weather box

| location = Sequim, Washington, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1980–present

| single line = Y

| collapsed = Y

| Jan record high F = 68

| Feb record high F = 63

| Mar record high F = 76

| Apr record high F = 77

| May record high F = 86

| Jun record high F = 93

| Jul record high F = 99

| Aug record high F = 91

| Sep record high F = 87

| Oct record high F = 73

| Nov record high F = 70

| Dec record high F = 64

| year record high F = 99

| Jan avg record high F = 56.3

| Feb avg record high F = 55.9

| Mar avg record high F = 61.6

| Apr avg record high F = 67.1

| May avg record high F = 74.3

| Jun avg record high F = 79.1

| Jul avg record high F = 82.3

| Aug avg record high F = 82.4

| Sep avg record high F = 75.5

| Oct avg record high F = 66.7

| Nov avg record high F = 59.8

| Dec avg record high F = 55.2

| year avg record high F = 85.2

| Jan high F = 46.2

| Feb high F = 47.8

| Mar high F = 51.3

| Apr high F = 55.8

| May high F = 61.5

| Jun high F = 65.4

| Jul high F = 70.0

| Aug high F = 70.4

| Sep high F = 65.9

| Oct high F = 57.5

| Nov high F = 50.4

| Dec high F = 45.9

| year high F = 57.3

| Jan mean F = 39.2

| Feb mean F = 39.9

| Mar mean F = 42.9

| Apr mean F = 46.8

| May mean F = 52.9

| Jun mean F = 57.1

| Jul mean F = 60.8

| Aug mean F = 60.7

| Sep mean F = 56.0

| Oct mean F = 48.7

| Nov mean F = 42.5

| Dec mean F = 38.8

| year mean F = 48.9

| Jan low F = 32.3

| Feb low F = 32.1

| Mar low F = 34.5

| Apr low F = 37.9

| May low F = 44.2

| Jun low F = 48.8

| Jul low F = 51.5

| Aug low F = 51.1

| Sep low F = 46.2

| Oct low F = 39.9

| Nov low F = 34.6

| Dec low F = 31.8

| year low F = 40.4

| Jan avg record low F = 19.7

| Feb avg record low F = 21.5

| Mar avg record low F = 24.8

| Apr avg record low F = 28.0

| May avg record low F = 33.2

| Jun avg record low F = 39.5

| Jul avg record low F = 43.2

| Aug avg record low F = 42.4

| Sep avg record low F = 36.5

| Oct avg record low F = 28.3

| Nov avg record low F = 22.9

| Dec avg record low F = 20.3

| year avg record low F = 15.6

| Jan record low F = 0

| Feb record low F = -3

| Mar record low F = 12

| Apr record low F = 19

| May record low F = 28

| Jun record low F = 33

| Jul record low F = 35

| Aug record low F = 33

| Sep record low F = 31

| Oct record low F = 19

| Nov record low F = 4

| Dec record low F = -1

| year record low F = −3

|precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 2.18

| Feb precipitation inch = 1.39

| Mar precipitation inch = 1.49

| Apr precipitation inch = 1.23

| May precipitation inch = 1.16

| Jun precipitation inch = 0.94

| Jul precipitation inch = 0.51

| Aug precipitation inch = 0.56

| Sep precipitation inch = 0.87

| Oct precipitation inch = 1.63

| Nov precipitation inch = 2.64

| Dec precipitation inch = 2.25

| year precipitation inch =

| Jan snow inch = 0.0

| Feb snow inch = 0.0

| Mar snow inch = 0.0

| Apr snow inch = 0.0

| May snow inch = 0.0

| Jun snow inch = 0.0

| Jul snow inch = 0.0

| Aug snow inch = 0.0

| Sep snow inch = 0.0

| Oct snow inch = 0.0

| Nov snow inch = 0.0

| Dec snow inch = 1.4

| year snow inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 16.2

|Feb precipitation days = 13.5

|Mar precipitation days = 14.5

|Apr precipitation days = 12.4

|May precipitation days = 10.7

|Jun precipitation days = 8.8

|Jul precipitation days = 4.8

|Aug precipitation days = 5.2

|Sep precipitation days = 8.6

|Oct precipitation days = 13.2

|Nov precipitation days = 16.7

|Dec precipitation days = 16.7

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 0.2

|Feb snow days = 0.0

|Mar snow days = 0.0

|Apr snow days = 0.0

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.0

|Nov snow days = 0.0

|Dec snow days = 0.1

|source 1 = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration{{cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=sew|title=NOWData Forecast Office Seattle, WA|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|accessdate=August 8, 2022}}

|source 2 = NOAA

{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00457544&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access - Station: Sequim 2E, WA

|access-date = October 17, 2022

}}

}}

{{US Census population

|1920= 402

|1930= 534

|1940= 676

|1950= 1044

|1960= 1164

|1970= 1549

|1980= 3013

|1990= 3616

|2000= 4334

|2010= 6606

|2020= 8024

|estyear=2023

|estimate=8203

|estref={{cite web |date=May 2024 |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Washington: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 4, 2025}}

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/sequimcitywashington|title=US Census Bureau Quick Facts: Sequim, WA|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 8, 2022}}

}}

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,018 people and 3,480 households in the city. The population density was {{convert|1269.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 86.7% White, 1.9% African American, 0.9% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 8.5% of the population.

19.3% of residents were under the age of 18; and 34.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.7% male and 55.3% female.

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,606 people, 3,340 households, and 1,626 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1046.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 3,767 housing units at an average density of {{convert|597.0|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 91.3% White, 0.4% African American, 1.2% Native American, 1.9% 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% of the population.

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.

The U.S. Department of Energy maintains a marine laboratory on Sequim Bay that is operated by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.{{cite web |last=Vleming |first=Jim |date=May 2022 |title=Clallam County profile |url=https://esd.wa.gov/media/pdf/928/clallam-county-profile-2022pdf/download?inline |publisher=Washington State Employment Security Department |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

File:SimplifiedPealeMastodon.jpg]]

The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge is located just north of the city, near the mouth of the Dungeness River. It includes the Dungeness Spit and a five-mile (8 km) hike to the New Dungeness Lighthouse{{cite book | first=Christopher | last=Petrich | year=2005 | title=A Complete Guide To The Lighthouses on Puget Sound Including Admiralty Inlet | page=72 | publisher=Lulu.com | isbn=1-4116-4186-8 }} at the end of the spit.

To the east along U.S. Route 101 is Sequim Bay, a 4-mile (6.5 km) long inlet from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Along the western stretch is the Sequim Bay State Park. The inlet is a popular birdwatching area.{{cite book | first=Natalie | last=McNair-Huff | year=2004 | title=Birding Washington | pages=48−51 | publisher=Globe Pequot | isbn=0-7627-2577-X }}

The Museum and Arts Center features both natural and cultural exhibits, including a mastodon mural mounted with the remaining mastodon bones, artifacts, and a video on the excavation.

File:Sequim City Hall.jpg]]

Sequim has had a council–manager government since a 1995 referendum was approved by city residents. The city council has seven members who each serve a four-year term and are elected at-large. The city council appoints a ceremonial mayor to preside over meetings during a two-year term and approves the hiring of a city manager as head of the municipal government's departments.{{cite web |title=About the Council |url=https://www.sequimwa.gov/317/About-the-Council |publisher=City of Sequim |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} Councilmember Brandon Janisse was elected as mayor in January 2024.{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=January 22, 2024 |title=Janisse elected mayor by Sequim City Council |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/janisse-elected-mayor-by-sequim-city-council/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |access-date=April 12, 2025}} Matt Huish has been the city manager since his hiring in November 2021.{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=April 17, 2024 |title=Sequim city manager receives positive council review |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/sequim-city-manager-receives-positive-council-review/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

At the federal level, the city lies within the 6th congressional district, which encompasses the entire Olympic Peninsula, the neighboring Kitsap Peninsula, and part of Tacoma.{{cite map |author=Census Bureau Geography Division |year=2023 |title=118th Congress of the United States: Washington – Congressional District 6 |scale=1:368,000 |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd118/cd_based/ST53/CD118_WA06.pdf |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=May 4, 2025}}{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Conor |date=July 30, 2024 |title=Candidates vie for open U.S. House seat in Washington 6th District primary race |url=https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/30/washington-6th-congressional-district-primary-election-voter-guide/74514608007/ |work=Kitsap Sun |accessdate=May 4, 2025}} Sequim is part of the state's 24th legislative district, which includes most of the Olympic Peninsula except for Mason County.{{cite map |date=July 2024 |title=Washington State Legislative & Congressional District Map |url=https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-07/Road%20Map_01.pdf |at=[https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-07/Road%20Map%20Inset_01.pdf Puget Sound inset] |publisher=Washington State Redistricting Commission |accessdate=May 4, 2025}} The city is represented in the Clallam County Commission as part of the 1st district, which includes most areas east of the Dungeness River.{{cite map |date=April 19, 2022 |title=Clallam County Commissioners' Districts with Clallam County Voter Precincts |url=https://clallamcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/137/Commissioner-Districts-PDF |publisher=Clallam County |accessdate=May 4, 2025}}

Sequim holds its annual Irrigation Festival in early May. It was first held on May 1, 1896, to commemorate the first anniversary of an irrigation system on the Dungeness River and is the longest continually running festival in the state, reaching its 130th edition in 2025. The festival includes a street parade, concerts, live entertainment and performances, arts and crafts, a car show, and a fashion show for clothing made with recycled materials.{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=April 30, 2025 |title=Sturdy Irrigation Festival turns 130 |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/sturdy-irrigation-festival-turns-130/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{cite news | url=http://www.sequimgazette.com/news/article.exm/2012-05-02_irrigation_festival_splashes_into_opening_weekend | title=Irrigation Festival splashes into opening weekend | work=Sequim Gazette | date=May 2, 2012 | access-date=June 8, 2012 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505024825/http://sequimgazette.com/news/article.exm/2012-05-02_irrigation_festival_splashes_into_opening_weekend | archive-date=May 5, 2012 }}

Other annual festivals include the Sunshine Festival, which began in 2020 and is held in March,{{cite news |date=October 13, 2021 |title=City of Sequim seeking Sunshine Fest performers |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/life/city-of-sequim-seeking-sunshine-fest-performers/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=February 27, 2024 |title=Sunshine Fest celebrates fifth year this weekend |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/sunshine-fest-celebrates-fifth-year-this-weekend/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} and the Sequim Lavender Weekend, held in July since 1997.{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=November 5, 2014 |title=The lavender impact |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/the-lavender-impact/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

The city is part of the North Olympic Library System (NOLS), which serves Clallam County. Sequim had its own library that was established in the 1910s and moved into the Clyde Rhodefer Memorial Library in 1936. The new library, named for the first Clallam County casualty in World War I, was opened in November 1936 and was constructed by the federal Public Works Administration.{{cite news |last=Mizar |first=Reneé |date=March 20, 2014 |title=Built with pride and purpose |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/built-with-pride-and-purpose/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 29, 2025}} The Clallam County Rural Library District, the predecessor to NOLS, acquired the branch in 1947. It was replaced with a modern building near Sequim High School in 1983.{{cite web |title=History of Sequim: For a Better Life — School, Library, Parks |url=https://www.sequimwa.gov/433/For-a-Better-Life----School-Library-Park |publisher=City of Sequim |accessdate=April 29, 2025}} The Sequim branch later became too small for the growing city and was proposed for replacement in a 2001 study; it was renovated in 2009 and a replacement was to be funded by a bond measure in 2018 that failed to pass with the required supermajority.{{cite news |last=Dashiell |first=Michael |date=April 29, 2024 |title=Sequim library breaks ground |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/sequim-library-breaks-ground/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |accessdate=April 29, 2025}} The state government awarded a grant in 2020 for the replacement library project, which broke ground in 2024. It is scheduled to open in 2025 and cost $10.6{{nbsp}}million; funding from the state government was supplemented by private donations.{{cite news |last=Dashiell |first=Michael |date=October 16, 2024 |title=NOLS unveils sneak peek of new Sequim Library |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/nols-unveils-sneak-peek-of-new-sequim-library/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 29, 2025}}{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=April 28, 2025 |title=Library expansion opening pushed to mid-summer |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/library-expansion-opening-pushed-to-mid-summer/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |accessdate=April 29, 2025}}

The Sequim School District provides public K–12 education to pupils in the city and surrounding area, which includes a portion of northeastern Jefferson County.{{cite map |author=U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division |date=December 21, 2020 |title=2020 Census – School District Reference Map: Clallam County, WA |scale=1:209,075 |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st53_wa/schooldistrict_maps/c53009_clallam/DC20SD_C53009.pdf |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} During the 2023–24 school year, the district had 2,613 total students and 145 teachers or instructors.{{cite web |title=Search for Public School Districts: Sequim School District |url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?ID2=5307830 |publisher=National Center for Educational Statistics |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} It has one high school, one middle school, two elementary schools, and one alternative school.{{cite news |last=Dashiell |first=Michael |date=April 18, 2023 |title=Sequim board approves elementary school reconfiguration for 2023-24 school year |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/sequim-board-approves-elementary-school-reconfiguration-for-2023-24-school-year/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{cite web |title=Sequim Alternative Schools |url=https://opa.sequimschools.org/ |publisher=Sequim School District |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

A private school, the Five Acre School, was established in 1995 at a rural property near Sequim and holds classes for students through the sixth grade. It became a non-profit organization in 2019.{{cite news |last=Dowley |first=Conor |date=June 23, 2019 |title=Sequim's Five Acre School becomes non-profit organization |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/sequims-five-acre-school-becomes-non-profit-organization/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{cite news |last=Dashiell |first=Michael |date=March 20, 2014 |title=Five acres of change |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/five-acres-of-change/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

Due to a social media post, students from the rotary club of Sequim High School were able to procure a film screening of The Boys in the Boat, a movie centered around Joe Rantz and his gold-medal 1936 Summer Olympics rowing team. The 2023 motion picture, directed by George Clooney, was planned to be shown at a school auditorium as the city lacks a formal movie theater.{{cite news |last1=Haun |first1=Riley |title=New 'Boys in the Boat' film gets a hometown welcome |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/new-boys-in-the-boat-film-gets-a-hometown-welcome/ |access-date=June 10, 2023 |work=The Seattle Times |date=March 4, 2023}} A number of students from the school district were in invited attendance at the premiere in December 2023, held at the SIFF Cinema Downtown in Seattle.{{cite news |last1=Simms |first1=Ryan |title=George Clooney-directed film about historic UW rowing team makes US debut in Seattle |url=https://komonews.com/news/local/the-boys-in-the-boat-seattle-george-clooney-director-premiere-siff-cinema-downtown-uw-rowing-team-row-crew-university-washington-1936-olympics-germany-jewish-german-adolph-hitler-oppression-boycott-race# |access-date=December 12, 2023 |publisher=KOMO 4 News |date=December 8, 2023}}

File:Sequim Gazette Building in Sequim, WA (2022).jpg]]

A local newspaper, the Sequim Gazette, is owned by Sound Publishing and publishes weekly print editions on Wednesdays that are delivered to subscribers.{{cite web |date=March 2019 |title=Washington State's Largest Community News Organization |page=40 |url=https://www.soundpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Sound_Media_Kit_P_031419.pdf |publisher=Sound Publishing |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} Its sister newspaper Peninsula Daily News, based in Port Angeles, also covers the area and has daily print editions.{{cite news |last=Ollikainen |first=Rob |date=November 1, 2011 |title=Peninsula Daily News sold to Canadian group |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/peninsula-daily-news-sold-to-canadian-group/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} The city's earliest newspaper, the Sequim Press, was founded in 1911 and ceased publication in 1985. The Gazette was originally known as the Sequim Shopper when it began publication in January 1974 and was renamed later that year to the Jimmy Come Lately Gazette. The newspaper was renamed to the Sequim Gazette on April 4, 1990, and was owned by Olympic View Publishing until it was sold to Sound Publishing in 2011.{{cite book |last1=Bagwell |first1=Steve |last2=Stapilus |first2=Randy |year=2013 |title=New Editions: The Northwest's newspapers as they were, are, and will be |pages=267–268 |publisher=Ridenbaugh Press |location=Carlton, Oregon |isbn=978-0-945648-10-9 |oclc=861618089}}{{cite news |date=July 29, 2014 |title=Gazette turns 40: Sequim newspapers started with Sequim Press in 1911 |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/gazette-turns-40-sequim-newspapers-started-with-sequim-press-in-1911/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

Sequim is served by local radio stations based in the city and nearby Port Angeles, as well as broadcasts from Victoria, British Columbia. Non-commercial station KSQM debuted in 2009 and broadcasts community programming as well as music.{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=March 19, 2014 |title=KSQM celebrates first anniversary |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/ksqm-celebrates-first-anniversary/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} A commercial classic rock station, KZEG, went on the air in 2018 and was originally named KZQM.{{cite news |date=November 13, 2024 |title=Sequim radio station gets new call letters |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/business/business-news-nov-13-2024/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

Sequim is connected to nearby Port Angeles and other areas of the Olympic Peninsula by U.S. Route 101, a major highway that travels around most of the peninsula.{{cite WSDOT map |year=2014 |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} The highway uses a {{convert|4|mi|km|adj=mid}} bypass around the south side of the city's downtown with three interchanges. The bypass opened to traffic in August 1999 following several decades of planning to alleviate traffic congestion through Sequim.{{cite news |last1=Whale |first1=Robert |date=August 18, 1999 |title=New Highway 101 route opens today |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sequim-gazette-new-highway-101-route/171440264/ A1], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sequim-gazette-new-highway-101-route/171440281/ A10], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sequim-gazette-new-highway-101-route/171440303/ A11] |work=Sequim Gazette |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sequim-gazette-new-highway-101-route/171440264/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} It cost $40.7 million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|40700000|1999}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US-GDP}} to construct and included the installation of warning signals triggered by the presence of nearby Roosevelt elk wearing radio collars for tracking.{{cite news |last=Erb |first=George |date=August 15, 1999 |title=Sequim is ready for traffic bypass operation |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/1999/08/16/newscolumn1.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=subscription |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

The city is also served by Clallam Transit, a local fare-free{{cite news |last=Beekman |first=Daniel |date=November 13, 2023 |title=Clallam Transit will be latest of many WA systems to go fare-free |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/clallam-transit-will-be-latest-of-many-wa-systems-to-go-fare-free/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} bus system that connects Sequim to Port Angeles, Blyn, and Diamond Point.{{cite web |date=January 1, 2024 |title=Clallam Transit Schedules & Information |pages=2, 16–19 |url=https://irp.cdn-website.com/0eaf265e/files/uploaded/2024%20Schedule%20Book%20(8).pdf |publisher=Clallam Transit |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=March 19, 2014 |title=Clallam Transit cuts could hit Sequim hardest |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/clallam-transit-cuts-could-hit-sequim-hardest/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} It also operates a microtransit service within the city.{{cite news |last=Hunt |first=Paula |date=February 3, 2025 |title=Clallam Transit purchases vehicles for interlink service |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/clallam-transit-purchases-vehicles-for-interlink-service/|work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} The agency operates intercity service to Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island ferry terminal on the Strait Shot, a route it launched in 2017 and still charges fares.{{cite news |last=Ollikainen |first=Rob |date=August 13, 2018 |title=Strait Shot service to Bainbridge ferry ridership up |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/strait-shot-service-to-bainbridge-ferry-ridership-up/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} Additional intercity service to Edmonds and Seattle is provided by the Dungeness Line, a private bus line operated by Greyhound and partially funded by the state's Travel Washington program.{{cite news |last=Major |first=Jesse |date=November 9, 2018 |title=Greyhound changes Dungeness Line schedule after feedback |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/greyhound-changes-dungeness-line-schedule-after-feedback/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

A private airfield, named Sequim Valley Airport, was built northwest of the city near Carlsborg in 1983. The area was chosen for its dry climate and level terrain; a paved runway was added in 1986. The airport is primarily used for general aviation and also hosts flight instructors, hot air balloon flights, air cargo, and emergency services. It is the site of the annual Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire/Fly-In, a fly-in festival.{{cite news |last=Dashiell |first=Michael |date=December 2, 2020 |title=New horizons for Sequim Valley Airport |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/life/new-horizons-for-sequim-valley-airport/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

Electric power for Sequim residents and businesses is provided by the Clallam County Public Utility District (PUD), a public utility that serves most of the county. Most of its electricity is purchased from the federal Bonneville Power Administration and is derived primarily from hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers.{{cite news |date=March 18, 2014 |title=Clallam PUD ponders 20-year power contracts |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/clallam-pud-ponders-20-year-power-contracts/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} The PUD constructed a 30-kilowatt community solar array at its former Sequim substation in 2019 and offered direct purchases for consumers.{{cite news |last=Ollikainen |first=Rob |date=April 3, 2019 |title=Clallam PUD to offer solar as a pilot project |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/clallam-pud-to-offer-solar-as-a-pilot-project/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} It is planned to be expanded with a microgrid demonstration project funded with a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce.{{cite news |last=Maple |first=Emma |date=October 2, 2024 |title=Grants to fund two clean energy projects in Clallam County |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/grants-to-fund-two-clean-energy-projects-in-clallam-county/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

The city government provides tap water from three sources: an infiltration gallery on the Dungeness River and two groundwater wells. Sequim has three reservoirs that hold a combined {{convert|2.9|e6gal|L}} that is treated and chlorinated before use.{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=September 21, 2022 |title=City plan looks to conserve more water, dig wells |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/city-plan-looks-to-conserve-more-water-dig-wells/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{cite web |date=July 2, 2024 |title=2023 Consumer Confidence Annual Water Quality Report |page=1 |url=https://www.sequimwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23647/2023-Water-Quality-Report |publisher=City of Sequim |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} The city maintains {{convert|72|mi|km}} of pipes and provides approximately {{convert|800,000|gal|L}} of water per day.{{cite web |date=October 2024 |title=Water Availability |url=https://sequimwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23510/Fact-Sheet_Water-Availability |publisher=City of Sequim |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} The infiltration gallery was constructed in 1953 to replace a direct feed from the Dungeness River.{{cite news |last=McLean |first=Evan |date=January 17, 2007 |title=Water plan aims for sustainability |page=A20 |work=Sequim Gazette |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sequim-gazette-water-plan-aims-for-s/171459357/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{cite web |title=FAQs: Where does my water come from? |url=https://www.sequimwa.gov/Faq.aspx?QID=120 |publisher=City of Sequim |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} The city government also operates a sewage system that collects wastewater with {{convert|73|mi|km}} of sewer lines that lead to a sewage treatment plant that processes up to {{convert|1.67|e6gal|L}} per day.{{cite web |title=Sewer |url=https://www.sequimwa.gov/354/Sewer |publisher=City of Sequim |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{cite news |date=March 19, 2014 |title=Sequim grant expands reclaimed water use |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/sequim-grant-expands-reclaimed-water-use/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} The wastewater is separated into reclaimed water, used for other city projects, and biosolids that are used on hay fields; a portion of the treated water is also discharged into the Strait of Juan de Fuca through an outfall pipe off the coast.{{cite web |title=Wastewater Source Control Program |url=https://www.sequimwa.gov/649/Wastewater-Source-Control-Program |publisher=City of Sequim |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} The sewage system also serves the unincorporated Carlsborg area under a contract with Clallam County and the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe's facilities in Blyn per a 2018 agreement.{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=January 31, 2020 |title=Jamestown Tribe to connect to Sequim sewer in February |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/jamestown-tribe-to-connect-to-sequim-sewer-in-february/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

Sequim contracts with Olympic Disposal, a subsidiary of Waste Connections, to provide curbside pickup of garbage, recycling, and yard waste from residents and businesses.{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=December 18, 2019 |title=City adds more garbage pickup options |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/city-adds-more-garbage-pickup-options/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

The city lies within the public hospital district for Olympic Medical Center, which has its main facilities in Port Angeles and serves most of Clallam County.{{cite news |last=Hunt |first=Paula |date=July 31, 2024 |title=Voters weighing levy for hospital district |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/omc-providing-facts-about-proposition-1/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} Olympic Medical Center operates several clinics in Sequim, including a walk-in facility for non-emergency care and specialty facilities in the city.{{cite news |date=January 31, 2024 |title=OMP's walk-in clinic returns to five-day-a-week service |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/omps-walk-in-clinic-returns-to-five-day-a-week-service/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} In 2022, the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe opened an opioid treatment center in Sequim to serve its tribal citizens and other members of the community. The tribe plans to also construct a psychiatric hospital using funds from the state government.{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=August 23, 2022 |title=Jamestown Tribe ushers in healing clinic |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/jamestown-tribe-ushers-in-healing-clinic/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{cite news |last=Segall |first=Peter |date=February 7, 2024 |title=Jamestown Healing Clinic looks to expand services |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/jamestown-healing-clinic-looks-to-expand-services/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

{{div col|colwidth=26em}}

• Richard B. Anderson, World War II soldier, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient{{cite web |last=Denfield |first=Duane Colt |date=May 5, 2015 |title=Richard B. Anderson receives the Medal of Honor posthumously on August 17, 1944. |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/11035 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=March 2, 2020}}
• {{ill|Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium|fr|Marie-Christine de Belgique}}, daughter of the late Belgian King Leopold III of Belgium and aunt of the current Monarch of Belgium, King Philippe{{cite news |date=May 27, 2020 |title=Belgische Prinses Marie-Christine leidt vereenzaamd leven|url=http://www.story.nl/artikel/royalty/belgische-prinses-marie-christine-leidt-vereenzaamd-leven |work=Story |agency=DPG Media |access-date=November 25, 2020}}{{cite news |date=November 14, 2020 |title=Wij vonden onze 'verdwenen' prinses: Marie-Christine snijdt voorgoed alle banden met België door |url=https://www.hln.be/royalty/wij-vonden-onze-verdwenen-prinses-marie-christine-snijdt-voorgoed-alle-banden-met-belgie-door~a58db220/ |work=Het Laatste Nieuws |agency=DPG Media |access-date=November 25, 2020}}
• Bailey Bryan, country music artist{{cite news |last=Grimmet |first=Abby |date=July 18, 2018 |title=Country star Bailey Bryan, a Sequim native, is taking on Nashville with a new perspective |url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/country-star-bailey-bryan-a-sequim-native-is-taking-on-nashville-with-a-new-perspective/281-575279446 |publisher=KING 5 News |access-date=March 2, 2020}}
• Matthew Dryke, two-time world champion skeet shooter and Olympic gold medalist{{cite news |last=Graham |first=Jeff |date=July 22, 2012 |title=Sequim's Matt Dryke once ruled the world in skeet shooting |url=http://archive.kitsapsun.com/sports/sequims-matt-dryke-once-ruled-the-world-in-skeet-shooting-ep-417323950-356618681.html |work=Kitsap Sun |access-date=March 2, 2020}}
• Dorothy Eck, Montana politician{{cite news |last=Schnotzler |first=Gail |date=September 25, 2017 |title=Dorothy Eck, trailblazer for women in Montana politics, dies at 93 |url=https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/politics/dorothy-eck-trailblazer-for-women-in-montana-politics-dies-at/article_2976d28a-b655-5218-b05e-32206d39d4c6.html |work=Bozeman Daily Chronicle |access-date=March 2, 2020}}
• Hal Keller, baseball player and executive{{cite news |date=June 5, 2012 |title=Former Seattle Mariners GM dies in Sequim |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/former-seattle-mariners-gm-dies-in-sequim/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |access-date=March 2, 2020}}
• Donald M. Kendall, former PepsiCo CEO and political adviser{{cite news |last=Jensen |first=Michael C. |date=July 25, 1976 |title=Kendall: Blunt and Politically Minded |page=82 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/25/archives/kendall-blunt-and-politically-minded.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 2, 2020}}
• Robbie Knievel, daredevil and stunt performer{{cite news |date=February 9, 1997 |title=Robbie Knievel, son of Evel, finds a haven |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19970209&slug=2523205 |work=The Seattle Times |agency=Associated Press |access-date=March 2, 2020}}
• Jesse Marunde, 2005 World's Strongest Man runner-up{{cite news |last=Trick |first=Randy |date=September 20, 2007 |title=Sequim strongman died of heart ailment, coroner confirms |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/sequim-strongman-died-of-heart-ailment-coroner-confirms/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |access-date=March 2, 2020}}
• James Henry McCourt, Wisconsin politician
• Pauline Moore, actress{{cite news |last=Oliver |first=Myrna |date=December 10, 2001 |title=Obituaries: Pauline Moore, 87; Actress Made 25 B Movies in 1930s, Early '40s |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-dec-10-me-13406-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 2, 2020}}
• Andrew Nisbet, Jr., member of the Washington House of Representatives and Army officer
• Joe Rantz, rower and Olympic gold medalist; depicted in the book Boys in the Boat{{cite news |last=Dashiell |first=Michael |date=August 17, 2016 |title=Joe Rantz's story relived in PBS's 'The Boys of '36' |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/joe-rantzs-story-relived-in-pbss-the-boys-of-36/ |work=Sequim Gazette |access-date=March 2, 2020}}
• Jennifer Thomas, classical pianist, violinist, composer, and recording artist{{cite news |last=Alexander |first=Gemma |date=August 19, 2019 |title=Sequim-based musician Jennifer Thomas made the Billboard charts with help from a burning piano and dramatic YouTube videos |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/classical-music/with-help-from-dramatic-youtube-videos-sequim-based-jennifer-thomas-makes-the-billboard-charts/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=May 3, 2021}}
• Phil Woolpert, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and NCAA Basketball Hall of Fame

{{div col end}}

{{div col|colwidth=26em}}

• Emblem3, musical group{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Matthew |date=June 10, 2016 |title=Sequim's Emblem3 reforms, returns to Northwest as part of tour |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/sequims-emblem3-reforms-returns-to-northwest-as-part-of-tour/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |access-date=March 2, 2020}}

{{div col end}}

Sequim has a sister city relationship with Shiso, Hyōgo, Japan. The city originally signed a sister city agreement in June 1993 with Yamasaki, Hyōgo, which merged with several municipalities to form Shiso in 2005.{{cite news |last=Harcharik |first=Karen |date=June 16, 1993 |title=Sister Cities: A covenant is signed |page=A1 |work=Sequim Gazette |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sequim-gazette-sister-cities-a-cove/171458635/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{cite news |last=Morrison Coate |first=Patricia |date=November 23, 2005 |title=Sequim renews Sister City bond |page=A11 |work=Sequim Gazette |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sequim-gazette-sequim-renews-sister/171458620/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=April 30, 2025}} The two cities operate a short-term exchange student program through Sequim's high school and middle school.{{cite news |date=September 22, 2017 |title=Japanese students visit Sequim |url=https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/japanese-students-visit-sequim/ |work=Peninsula Daily News |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{cite news |date=August 15, 2014 |title=Sequim students have an eye on Shiso |url=https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/sequim-students-have-an-eye-on-shiso/ |work=Sequim Gazette |accessdate=April 30, 2025}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Wikivoyage|Sequim}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website|http://www.sequimwa.gov/}}
• [http://www.sequimschools.wednet.edu/Domain/1 Sequim School District]
• [https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/sequimcitywashington Sequim City US 2020 Census Data]

{{Clallam County, Washington}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Clallam County, Washington

Category:Cities in Washington (state)

Category:Populated coastal places in Washington (state)

Category:Washington (state) placenames of Native American origin