Sequim, Washington

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Sequim, Washington
settlement_type = City
nickname = Sunny Sequim
motto =

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Sequim, Washington


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Washington
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Clallam

government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
leader_name =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 13.7
area_land_km2 = 13.7
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 5.3
area_land_sq_mi = 5.3
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 4334
population_density_km2 = 316.8
population_density_sq_mi = 820.6

timezone = Pacific (PST)
utc_offset = -8
timezone_DST = PDT
utc_offset_DST = -7
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 56
elevation_ft = 184
latd = 48 |latm = 4 |lats = 41 |latNS = N
longd = 123 |longm = 6 |longs = 5 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 98382
area_code = 360
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 53-63385GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1531505GR|3
website = [http://www.ci.sequim.wa.us/ www.ci.sequim.wa.us]
footnotes =

The Sequim School District is home of Sequim High School, Sequim Middle School, Sequim Community School, Helen Haller Elementary and Greywolf Elementary.

Sequim (IPA|skwɪm) is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. The city population is 5,688 (2007), with a population of 23,000 in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley. It is located along the Dungeness River near the base of the Olympic Mountains. The city has been increasing in population dramatically in recent years and has become a magnet for retirees, losing its rural character.POVassertion

The city and the surrounding area are particularly known for their production of lavender, as the unique climate allows a commercial growth industry that is only rivaled in France. Sequim holds the title of the "Lavender Capital of North America." The area is also known for its Dungeness crab. Sequim lies within the rainshadow of the Olympic Mountains and receives an average of less than 15" of rain per year, nearly qualifying it as a desert. Fogs and cool breezes from the Juan de Fuca Strait make Sequim's environment more humid than would be expected from the low average annual precipitation, so that the native vegetation is forest dominated by Douglas-fir.

Sequim is pronounced "s'kwim". The e is silent.

Media

Sequim Gazette - Sequim's community newspaper [http://www.sequimgazette.com] Peninsula Daily News [http://www.peninsuladailynews.com] Sequim This Week (weekly, produced by the Peninsula Daily News) [http://www.sequimthisweek.com]

ister city

Sequim's sister city is Shiso, Hyogo, Japan. Sequim and Shiso have an exchange student program set up through [http://www.sequim.k12.wa.us/highschool/site/default.asp Sequim High School] and [http://www.sequim.k12.wa.us/middleschool/site/default.asp Sequim Middle School] .

History

Aboriginal inhabitants

The S'Klallam tribe had inhabited the region prior to the arrival of the first Europeans. Both Manuel Quimper and George Vancouver explored the region's coast in the 1790's.

First European settlers

The first European settlers arrived in the Dungeness Valley in the 1850's, settling nearby Dungeness, Washington. While the lands along the river became fertile farmlands, the remainder of the area remained arid prairie. Irrigation canals first brought water to the prairie in the 1890s, allowing the expansion of farmlands.

Incorporation

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 which passed through from Port Angeles to Port Townsend, built primarily to carry wood products from the forests of the western Olympic Peninsula.

Modern

In recent decades, the family farms that once dotted the valley have been parceled off into home sites as the area's excellent climate has drawn many retired people. Recent years have seen a resurgence of organic farming in the area, with Nash Huber of [http://www.nashsorganicproduce.com/ Nash's Organic Produce] leading the way, and a weekly farmer's market is held downtown from May to October.

Commemmoration

Each May since 1895, Sequim holds the [http://www.irrigationfestival.com/ Irrigation Festival] . As of 2008, it is the longest continuously running festival in the state.Fact|date=March 2008

The [http://www.lavenderfestival.com/ Sequim Lavender Festival] has been held every July since 1996. It includes three days of lavender farm tours and a street fair. The tours allow you to get an up-close view (and smell) of the blooming fields and to learn how the growers cultivate and use their lavender. Farms on the tour provide a variety of amenities and entertainment, including gift shops, food and crafts booths, live music, and U-pick lavendar blooms. You will find lavender products of every kind at the street fair, from oils and lotions to lavender lemonade to sachets and wands. Demonstration sessions cover tips and techniques on everything from growing your own lavender to brewing lavender tea. Admission to the farm tours is around $15; shuttle buses provide transportation between the farms and the street fair.

Tourist attractions

Sequim is home of a herd of Roosevelt elk, one attraction to the area. Sequim holds a [http://www.lavenderfestival.com/ Lavender Festival] during the summer of every year,usually around July, which attracts tens of thousands of people.Fact|date=March 2008 The Museum and Arts Center features both natural and cultural exhibits including a mastodon mural mounted with the remaining mastodons bones, artifacts, and a video on the excavation. For all we know, these mastodons could have been the pets of many of the residents of Sequim. What probably happened was that the mastodons fell into a mud or quick sand pit and when the pit dried up they became fossilized to many years later be excavated and brought to the Sequim Museum.

The [http://www.olygamefarm.com/ Olympic Game Farm] allows visitors to get a close look at many large game animals. Someweasel-inline are concerned about the treatment of these animals.

The [http://www.stateparks.com/dungeness.html Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge] is a National park just outside the city. It includes Dungeness Spit and a five mile hike to the New Dungeness Lighthouse at the end of the spit.

Geography

Sequim is located at coor dms|48|4|41|N|123|6|5|W|city (48.078002, -123.101427)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles (13.7 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2007, there were 5,688 people, 2,163 households, and 1,111 families residing in the city. The population density was 820.6 people per square mile (316.9/km²). There were 2,424 housing units at an average density of 459.0/sq mi (177.3/km²). 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 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 population was spread out with 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.

References

External links

* [http://pac.nols.org/ North Olympic Library System]
* [http://www.mysequim.com/weathercam.html Live Sequim Weather Camera]
* [http://www.visitsun.com/index.html Official Tourism Web Site]
* [http://www.irrigationfestival.com Official Irrigation Festival Site]
* [http://www.ci.sequim.wa.us/index.cfm City of Sequim]
* [http://www.lavenderfestival.com/index.html Sequim Lavender Festival]
* [http://www.sequimschools.wednet.edu/schools/shs/ Sequim High School homepage]
* [http://www.sequimschools.wednet.edu/schools/sms/ Sequim Middle School homepage]
* [http://myweather.sequim.com Sequim Weather and Web Camera]
* [http://www.olympicrocks.com/ Lapidary Club]
* [http://www.sequimrealestateonline.com Sequim Real Estate]
* [http://gonw.about.com/od/eventswa/a/sequimlav.htm]
* [http://www.lavenderfestival.com]