teenagers: sequim or port angeles? (co-op, movie theater, schools)

[huganorca]

Hello: Moving to work in health care field in Sequim, but not sure where to settle - we have a multi-generational family with 85 year old parents and teenagers age 13 (boy, athlete) and 14 (girl, photographer/graphic artist). Salary will be comfortable. Any suggestions about which community might be best for both ends of the age spectrum? I worry that Sequim might be too boring for teens but weather better for elderly parents. Thanks for your thoughts.

[eponabri]

Many kids on both towns tend to be active in 4H, and participate in the Clallam County Fair which is happening right now. Schools also have clubs, athletics, etc... Lots of hiking and camping opportunities in both towns. Also boating, surfing

Port Angeles has a movie theater downtown, while Sequim doesn't have one at all. We keep hearing that we will be getting one. Port Angeles has the Fine Arts Center (one of my favorite places) with Art in the Park. Sequim has a school that teaches dance and music. The Port Angeles rec center has basketball and tennis.

Both towns have a skateboard park and public swimming pools.

During the summer, Sequim has outdoor concents in the evening and addition of a movie under the stars once a month. Sequim also has a Boys and Girls Club.

There are the many lavender farms in Sequim and a lot of kids work there in the summer time during harvesting and festival time. Dungeness Wildlife Refuge is a great place to hike.. including the five mile hike out to the lighthouse. There are museums in both towns.

Sequim has a co-op art gallery called the The Blue Whole Gallery, if your daughter does her own artwork and would like to display it. They require that all participants also volunteer at the gallery too.

Both towns have good libraries. Port Angeles has a community college with some free activities for families.

Sequim and Port Angeles are small towns, and like any other town, kids will find something to do if they are motivated to do so. Even in a big city, kids can get bored. Opportunities are there for almost anything they want to do.

Hope that helps..

[huganorca]

thank you eponabri. we will be traveling there in a few months and will look around with my parents as well as my kids. I think the weather and elder resources in Sequim may sway us to live there. I do think the kids would enjoy PA alot, and I may need to find a way to let them enjoy the best of both worlds. The lack of a movie theater in Sequim (hard for my kids to imagine that is even possible!) is a big topic for discussion!

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by huganorca

I think the weather and elder resources in Sequim may sway us to live there.

This has been discussed here before but who ever came up with the idea to sell Sequim for it's weather deserves some sort of marketing genius award! IMO, it's more hype than reality. "Sunny days" does not consistently translate into an abundance of sunshine. The National Weather Service (NWS) uses sensors to detect the amount of sunshine that occurs during any 24 hour period. According to the official NWS definition, a day is considered sunny if the average sky condition is clear for 30% or more of a given 24 hour period. Thus as long as the sun is shining upon the weather service sensors for more than 1/3 of those 24 hours, it can be officially labeled as a "sunny day". Which of course means that the other 2/3 of that given day can be dark gray, gusting wind, pouring rain, snowing, whatever... yet it's still considered a "sunny day" according to the NWS. Go figure...

Honestly, I don't think you'll notice a huge difference in the weather (practically speaking) between Sequim and PA. FWIW, there are a lot of micro-climates in the area. For example, it can be raining in Sequim and sunny in Dungeness (which is only a few miles away) or sunny in PA and simultaneously raining in Sequim (or vice-versa), etc.

I'd vote for living in whichever town your kids like better. Most parents are happy to live anywhere as long as they're close to family. Let the kids check out both towns, schools, activities etc. before deciding. IMO each city has a somewhat different "feel" (e.g. topography, shopping, housing, service, job options).

If you do end up in PA and work in Sequim, you'll have a short commute each day.

Good Luck!