What's wrong with Sequim (besides the weather)? (Seattle, Port Angeles: crimes, how much)

[george_seifert]

I'm looking to retire in Sequim or PT so I thought I'd ask a different sort of question. Rather than rehash everybody's answer about what they like about Sequim I thought I'd ask what they don't like (besides the weather and lack of nightlife which doesn't bother me). I don't want to start any Sequim hate wars, but I thought this might give me a different perspective about the area. Thanks.

George

[NWbyNW]

Sequim - Isolation to me. I like more options of things to buy, see, and do, but then again, I might be spoiled. It seems like a long way if you need to go to Seattle for example for something. Otherwise in my mind, Sequim is nice. It's a growing town and will continue to get better over time (We hope). Weather is also drier in Sequim, less rain. You might like that.

Port Townsend - Isolation compared to Sequim x10. It's a small town and certainly beautiful with a great historic downtown, but if you need major shopping done at something like Costco or Walmart, you will have to go to Sequim or Silverdale. You also have the Port Townsend premium on everything from food to gas, it all costs more. You might not like the politics of the town depending on your views, as it is very liberal, artsy, and granola. Downtown shops, some of them, are seasonal and vary in hours depending on tourist season, which completely changes the towns demographics. Most of the town is quiet, peaceful, and retired, but a lot of elderly retired as well. The town has areas catered to the elderly and a slower pace of life. Winds and more rain here then Sequim.

[Hemlock140]

For young people, the problem with Sequim is that it's mostly retirees from California. That works to your advantage since they cater to the older people. You will find everything you need there in terms of shopping and restaurants, plus more in Port Angeles 20 minutes away.
My parents are between the two cities and in the last 10 years have averaged 10" of rain a year, about 1/4 of Seattle. It does get colder in winter at their place a few miles above 101 at 500' elevation, but they see the sun almost every day if only for a couple of hours in the afternoon. There is heavy traffic in town and on 101 during many summer weekends with the many events there such as the Irrigation Festival, Crab Festival, and Lavender Festival.
In winter it's very quiet. When you buy a home, you can choose views of the water or the mountains or both, and acreage is still available with an older small house or factory-built for only $300,000.

[rainforest338]

My issues with Sequim....
The area really isn't what I consider rural. It is a full on town ~6,000 people but the surrounding area that is considered Sequim is an extra 20K. Check on Google Earth and you'll see how much bigger 'Sequim' is than Port Angeles.
The town really seems to be lacking in an identity with the box store craze. It used to have more of a farming town look/feel, now it is more the suburb-strip mall and the farming areas are more of the recreated-Kincadesque looking stores than authentic farm stores. Put it this way....I feel underdressed going into the farm coop.
But it is a mostly quiet and pretty comfortable place.
The other main thing I dislike about the area is the crime. Lots of crime, mostly small time bored teen and young adult stuff. And a good deal of those bored kids are hooked on heroin. And a good portion of the community enables and encourages the bad behavior because so many are related. All kinds of instances where a guy will be running from the law and about half of the community are treating the guy like a hero. Sets a great example for all the other kids in the area.... If you get a jury notice, expect to be picked. As a transplant there is a good chance that you won't know the defendant, the cop, the prosecutor or some of the witnesses....but people that have lived in the area their whole lives will have and get dismissed.
Traffic! The roads are built for not nearly this volume of traffic. There are still so many intersections that are now busy that have left turns out onto the highway. Sometimes I'll be at a stop sign for 10-15 minutes. It used to be I could drive from Kitsap to Sequim with high beams on at night...now I just leave it on low because of all the oncoming traffic. One major road through the area, and the area has grown considerably. In the actual town of Sequim, they are planning to build another major road between the 101 bypass and Washington St in the next couple of years to alleviate all the traffic on Washington St. Basically the area is growing faster than the infrastructure can keep up with.
Other than those, I can't think of too much more at the moment.

[xboxmas]

It seems isolated. I feel like the ferry is the link to civilization lol(even though it isn't the only link, just the shorter one).

[george_seifert]

Thanks. These are great answers. Keep 'em coming. Interesting note about the traffic. I wouldn't have expected that.

Although we aren't big community activists, I'm hoping to find a place with a sense of community and some personality. I'm getting the sense that that might be lacking in Sequim.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by george_seifert

Thanks. These are great answers. Keep 'em coming. Interesting note about the traffic. I wouldn't have expected that.

Although we aren't big community activists, I'm hoping to find a place with a sense of community and some personality. I'm getting the sense that that might be lacking in Sequim.

You will definitely find that sense of community in the older, more rural areas, not so much in the newer developments. You might like Port Townsend better.

[Dendrite]

I'm sitting in my favorite Sequim coffee shop now sipping a Latte and skimming RSS feeds. Interesting question about what's not to like about the town. I had to think about it for a few moments because there's so much to like but I'd agree with the above posts. The sunny weather is probably a little overstated, particularly our winter weather. It's gray and drizzle out as I type this (but I see patches of clear sky on the horizon). Certainly lots of seniors here. I'm in my mid 50's and I'm the youngest customer in the coffee shop this morning by a decade or more. Last the farming town identity has been overshadowed by the plethera of big box stores that have been built here in the past several years (with more slated to be built) but the upside is that a lot of the town feels "new" as much of it has been built in the last decade. It's also nice to have more local shopping options versus driving to Silverdale or even Seatttle as we used too.

OK, back to my coffee!

[JGC97]

Originally Posted by rainforest338

The other main thing I dislike about the area is the crime. Lots of crime, mostly small time bored teen and young adult stuff. And a good deal of those bored kids are hooked on heroin. And a good portion of the community enables and encourages the bad behavior because so many are related. All kinds of instances where a guy will be running from the law and about half of the community are treating the guy like a hero. Sets a great example for all the other kids in the area.... If you get a jury notice, expect to be picked. As a transplant there is a good chance that you won't know the defendant, the cop, the prosecutor or some of the witnesses....but people that have lived in the area their whole lives will have and get dismissed.

This is disturbing. Since there is a large population of seniors living in Sequim, are they the target of these crimes? Most punks like to target the elderly. To think others turn a blind eye to the crimes, is even worse. That doesn't shed a good light on Sequim. Is this their dirty little secret?

[Andy]

The weather? It's why Sequim has boomed.