Questions about Sequim and Region (Seattle: retiree)

[swsha4]

Thanks for the info Ocean Girl. We are moving there this spring but will rent for a while just in case we don't want to stay.

[Carlsborg Oracle]

We moved to the Carlsborg area --5 miles west of Sequim, 10 miles east of Port Angeles-- about 20 years ago and are very comfortable here.
Whether you're looking to volunteer or just want to be entertained, there's loads of choices from symphony to trails.
However, the area is over supplied with whiners and complainers.
We really don't need any more folks who buy a few acres in the middle of a field that one of our few remaining farmers was leasing, and then complain about the loss of farmland, the dust raised by farm equipment, tractors impeding traffic and, or course, horse droppings alongside trails and roads.
If you're dreaming of having a little farm, take it from me, even a few acres is hard work for little or no pay.
If you're dreaming of the peace and quiet of country living, that's a fantasy. Folks hunt and target shoot and ride moto-cross and use chain saws in the country. We live within earshot of Sunnydell Shooting Grounds, the Sequim Valley Airport and an auto race track. We like it, but if it would bother you, go elsewhere.
As for the weather, our marine climate is very mild and changable, but complaining about the weather is a leading local passtime.
Micro-climates offer a lot of variety--choose carefully.
That fantastic bluff water and mountain view comes with lots of strong winds and fog.
The higher you go up in the hills the more rain and snow you get, not to mention slower emergency response, especially if you put in a long winding forrested driveway that isn't wide enough to accommodate a fire truck.
As for commercial development, the same folks who whine about chain stores coming here loved to toddle off to Silverdale. Their business is what lured those stores here, not the city council.
Improved shopping options keeps more sales tax dollars here to pay for the infrastructure we all need, and generates more jobs. (You might need one to pay your property taxes.)
If you still want to come, take it slow and do your research. Rent for a year to be sure you'll like it, before you buy.
And don't whine.

[inlandcldy]

Thanks Ocean Girl for all the information on sequim and port townsend. My husband and I are thinking of moving to Port Townsend from california. I am not a snow lover and wonder how many times a year it snows there and does it stay on the ground for long periods of time. Both my husband and I are in healthcare and wonder what job prospects are like in the area.Thanks again for the valuable information you posted.

[swsha4]

Carlsborg, your neighbors sound horrid! Or are you just whining about them?

[cindycat]

Listen to the advice to rent for a year before you buy. I wish we'd done that. We moved to Silverdale, then Port Ludlow, after vacationing in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years. We're ready to move back to the wide open spaces. We realize now it's like that old saying - nice place to visit but we wouldn't want to live there.

We lived in Oklahoma City - with surrounding towns, it's about 800 square miles, so we were used to driving 30-45 minutes to run out for dinner. The difference is that back there we did our driving on lighted four-lane roads. Here we drive on dark winding two-lane roads. The "roads" also include ferries, which are forever being pulled from service because the proper inspections weren't done or a wave washed over the deck or the captain ran into something. Most of the shopping and services are on the Kitsap Peninsula, so that's where we go. When we have appointments, we always have to allow extra time in case the Hood Canal Bridge is closed.

Years ago my husband read something that said you shouldn't retire to a place smaller than the one you're used to. I wished we'd paid attention. Lots of people here are from California and they really love it here because it's so peaceful and private. We see it as lonely and isolated.

So, I guess I'm one of those whiners. Most people are happy here, though. If you're looking for a retirement place where you can get away from it all, the Olympic/Kitsap areas are for you.

[bv900]

Is it true that Sequim is trying to match up to Victoria as far as looks?

[Oceangirl]

No Sequim is not matching in looks like Victoria B.C. Victoria is a large city with more established buildings and harbors. It has tall buildings. Sequim's tallest are the WalMart and Home Depot. Nothing British about Sequim either. Oh just one little tea room for mostly senior folks enjoyment. A warning about weather, as Carlsborg Oracle said there are micro climates all over the area. I live in a colder more wet part and am not happy at all. I never see the sun in winter and that is a bit difficult for me. I don't go out much from my front door in winter except to shovel snow when it occurs, and I can count on that every year. The winds are sometimes so extreme my ears and face hurt if I don't cover them up. But this is usually in the cold of winter.
Sequim really doesn't have much for beaches except Port Williams and it is very rocky in places and hard to walk on if you have any problems with your legs or balance. I don't find the area I am in warm. I am in an area called Blyn/Gardiner and they are a bit colder and wetter. The Casino is in this area.
Yes complaining about weather is common. You can't really count on perfect days very often but they happen most on the flat areas of Sequim and Carlsborg. I like Carlsborg,. Sequim is looking mostly like a tiny little strip of a town with big box stores at one end. Lots of retirement condos, and such. It can be very noisy depending where you live. A friend lives near the skeet shooting range and every weekend it is just noisy as it can be with bang bang bang all day long. I live 2 miles from the Hwy but hear the cars all day long.
When Californians do come here they have a sort of attitude of, this place is great, shut the gate behind us now. And then they spend a year trying to make things happen in government or society and usually get told off. It is very isolated in a way, I find it more difficult to find friends. I had to finally see a doc about my winter depression and she said it is very hard here to make friends unless you join a club or work. Most clubs are run by seniors, I am usually the only brown hair in these clubs and get out voted a lot. I went back to college.
People are friendly, I have rarely heard of any real crime here. I feel so safe it's like back in the 1950's from the description of those times. I am totally relaxed and more worried for the elderly here. I must admit I have adopted a habit of opening out swinging doors very slowly because I usually encounter a nice older person on a walker. I have seen tourists just bang the door right into these folks while coming out of the restrooms or small shops. Remeber, this a retirement town mostly. Farmers are leaving. Chic farms are coming up, mostly lavender and $10 gallon milk dairies. I am waiting for special breed mini farms beside alpacas to arise.
This is a very beautiful place with the mountains and ocean on either side of the highway. Very interesting to see while driving. But the weather is not all sunshine all the time. Expect changes every half hour and keep a jacket handy. Those year round winds are usually blowing near the beach areas and it is not warm winds either. Sunland is a featured community to live in but from what I have been told there is a lot of attitude in there and we are better than you activities going on there. Buy carefully.
Working in healthcare you will do fine finding work.Lots of it here.
The library is a popular place but small, although you can order books from the other libraries in the system and have them sent to Sequim.
If you buy closer to town you can walk to everything very quickly, if you buy far from town expect to drive a lot. Think gas prices.
And as said before, if you build high up in the hills or hidden down a one lane drive the fire truck and rescue units have a hard time getting to you quickly.
If you have real medical problems you have to go to Seattle for special services and crossing the Hood Canal or taking ferries is time consuming and costly. It can cost up to $30 or more round trip for ferries to the Seattle side.
If you like it slow, casual, sleepy with punctuations of small theatre, a few musical performances, some small clubs, this is great. If you like to walk, unless you live in town where there are sidewalks you will have to walk along under developed roads, I would NOT recommend walking the faster traffic roads as it is hazardous, or you drive to a park to walk. Depends on where you choose to live. It is so very different in each area. Everything outside of the little town is spread out.
I myself find I am very bored being younger and not being a big boater, kayaker , long hiker, or gambler.It is sometimes hard to find interesting things to do. I have learned to read a lot and find homey entertainment in winter.I would golf more but can't afford it yet. Summers here are great starting in July. June is usually wet or cloudy and cool.This July fourth where I live it was raining, again.No sure how Sequim proper did. Our snow birds come from June to Sept and leave in October.
Definately live here as a renter for a year, get to know the area, find out where the sun shines most if you like it and find a home in that area. Be aware that these trees are very tall and fall on houses at times.Their tops break off due to winds most every year. Buy carefully.
But it is very beautiful, the sunsets are like no other I have seen, it is definately green most of the year, it is fun to take a drive and look at hay being bailed up and cows in herds.The mountains when you can see them. Sea planes fly by constantly. Geese, eagles, ducks, elk, deer and other animals abound. Fishing is good I hear.
Figure out what you like to do and see if it is here and then sop around for your place in the sun. Good luck

[inlandcldy]

Ocean Girl, thanks again for all the great information you shared and may I suggest you start blogging. Your previous posts were interesting, informative and well written. You have provided a valuable service here by giving your readers the real "low-down" on the area. Thank you for your insight.

[Eastwood]

“We are, however, afraid it will turn into an "Anytown" with the rich Californians moving in who often like to fill it with ugly chain stores for their convenience. We love, and are open to, the whole area between Port Angeles & Port Ludlow.”

“We will be California expatriates also, yakker, but not the rich ones who will drive real estate up. Those are the ones who came to our little town and made it impossible for the locals to stay by outbidding each other for houses.”

“Yes, Washington folks are very welcoming and warm. They also have a reputation for being intelligent and reasonable. I just hope they don't get run out of their paradise by the less conscious rich California retirees."

This attitude never fails to amuse me.

Rich Californians don't live in Anytown, USA, they live in California. They also don't shop in chain stores, they are rich, remember?

Californians don't drive up the prices of houses, nor do the wealthy. They also don't make it impossible for locals to stay in their houses. Californians are not stealing houses from people; buyers can only buy what home owners put on the market.

Chain stores are placed in areas where there is dense population of poor and middle class who depend on the lower prices that these stores offer.

Homes that are foreclosed on are purchased by people who have no business buying them in the first place. Sorry but the average blue collar worker is not supposed to live in a million dollar house. People with real wealth don't lose their homes by foreclosure.

People who hate Californians are actually just loathing a California transplant in most cases.

[KAILANI]

Originally Posted by yakker

My wife and I just got back from a trip that included 5 days on the Olympic Peninsula with a day in Sequim. We loved Happy Valley and the hills over looking town, Even though we're from California, somehow Walmart, Costco, and the strip malls beat us there. Imagine that.

Go ahead and hate me for being Californian; after all, I am the pariah of the world, and it's always gratifying to be accused of being the source of all of it's problems.

On a positive note, All the people we met in Washington were friendly and welcoming. I guess it's only the transplants that arrive with an attitude.

Sorry to say but retirees from California have changed Sequim..
Look, I LOVE CA, its numerous beautiful places to visit. I sometimes wish I could afford to live there, it's a great place!
BUT, When retirees landed upon good 'ole Sequim, they fell in love with the quaint small town feel, beautiful vistas, fair weather (not too hot, not too cold) and a great bang for their buck! Life seemed great, until noticing that there were not too many places to go shopping. Its a 1 1/2 hr drive to Silverdale to be able to get to Home Depot and the mall, which was just fine for the locals. Talking with newbies, I hear all the time, "This place is beautiful, I just wish you guys would have a (insert big box store name here) " Next thing you knew, BOOM, Here they come..... SO as for your comment, it bears validity.
What i've found since I moved here 10 yrs ago is that the people here like how things are done here and don't want to mess with it. People are very welcoming and friendly, as long as you don't try to take over. There have been generations of families who own the land in Sequim who have been driven out of their land due to rising taxes from the increases in the real estate market, wouldn't you be upset too...So much for passing it down to the kids..

As for high crime rate (someone else mentioned) I don't really see a lot of crime here in PA, petty theft at times. but I do hate seeing people walking around who are obviously on drugs, its just plain sad....