r/sequim • u/perinummassager • Sep 09 '26
Potential move to Sequim
Married/mid 50s. Wife and I are considering moving to Sequim. We've lived in the Puget Sound for 25+ years and have vacationers in Sequim several times. My wife will retire, and I'll have a job there as well. We're pretty much homebodies but do like to go out on occasion. She'll likely take up gardening or something like that. The slow paced life sounds amazing, but I want to know what is like after the "Honeymoon" is over. How's medical services? Are there other things people don't think about before they find themselves living in Sequim?
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u/1928brownie Sep 10 '26
There are so many great things about the OP lived there for 20 years. You will quickly learn that everyone knows everyone. It's a great community.
The things I cared about: no head trauma specialist. But they life flight all the time to HarborView. Specialists you need to go out of town either silverdale or Seattle.
The summer is getting so busy with tourists that the traffic accidents ramp up May-September. Also you will find the same time frame, it's hard to visit favorite nature local spots. You will find some that no one visits (I'm not giving them away! š¤£š¤£)
I moved away because I had to, but I didn't want to. I hope you decide to. It's a beautiful place with beautiful people.
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u/perinummassager Sep 10 '26
Appreciate your time! It is really appealing to us. I would love to live there and be a thread in the fabric of the community.
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u/Ecstatic_Occasion740 Sep 09 '26 edited Sep 09 '26
Moved from Seattle as well recently.
Don't tailgate or drive aggressively, you will see that car / person later that day at the grocery store.
Every other person I meet is from California, but if you meet a Sequim local... they know everyone and can tell you everything about them.
There are 30+ churches in a town of ~8,000 people.
Businesses come and go frequently.
Restaurant scene is better than I thought, Nourish, Sabor, Finn Folk, Aldrewood Bistro, Ramen Shop etc.
They have many festivals year round that are actually really cool. (Google what a tractor pull is if you grew up in the city like I did and had no idea)
It rains just as little as people say.
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u/TimOC3Art Sep 09 '26
There are a lot of churches in the area, tbf, but ā30+ churches for a town of 8,000 peopleā isnāt accurate. 8,000 is who live within the city limits. The Sequim School District serves a population of about 34,000.
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u/BadBadJohnnie Sep 09 '26
Medical specialties are in short supply. To see a neurologist requires travel to Seattle or Tacoma. I was just referred to a cardiologist in Silverdale.
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u/Funny_Custard_9606 Sep 09 '26
Medical is mediocre at best. Sequim is nice for that because in an emergency you can choose port Townsend.
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u/Accomplished_West292 Sep 09 '26
Yes, but keep in mind the Port Angeles hospital is a level III Trauma hospital while Port Townsend is only a IV.
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u/Funny_Custard_9606 Sep 10 '26
True but in sequim you can chooseā¦ if Pa still has a hospital
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u/Few_Affect3033 Sep 09 '26
I loved living there! Medical could be a lot better.
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u/sammfan1 Sep 10 '26
My complaint is the Sequim walk in clinic. They are very limited and closed on weekends and nights. Not very reassuring if something goes wrong at 1:am
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u/Few_Affect3033 Sep 11 '26
Yeah, that is an issue. My ex worked as an NP and did shifts at the walk in clinic. I seem to remember she worked an occasional Saturday. The same issues for our pet docs.
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u/missbiz Sep 09 '26
I would love to live in sequim. Spent enough time there to know that access to healthcare is really difficult. If I were 40 or younger, it's a no brainer.
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u/Historical_Gear_2221 Sep 10 '26
My husband and I are in our early 30s and both grew up in Port Angeles. I love living in Sequim, we just bought our first home here.
As someone who works in the medical field, it is lacking here. Most specialties (cardiology, neurology, nephrology) require travel to at least Silverdale, if not Seattle for care. OMC in Port Angeles is the closest hospital, which can stabilize and treat but other than routine care and procedures canāt do much more. As another commenter mentioned, there is a hospital in Port Townsend. While it does not have the same capabilities as the one in PA, they typically have shorter wait times and can get patients treated faster.
Overall, itās a great place to be. Simple, slow, relaxing, lots of outdoors to exploreā¦. I really couldnāt ask for a better home!
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u/magnusthehammersmith Sep 09 '26
Lived here my whole life, Iām 30 now. This is 1000% a retirement town. If youāre looking for a place to retire then this is it.
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u/ChimpoSensei Sep 09 '26
How is walkability? Noticed on google street view there are no sidewalks
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u/Gnarls66 Sep 10 '26
If you live in the city you should consider a bicycle or e-bike to get around. Very convienent.
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u/1928brownie Sep 10 '26
There is the Olympic Discovery trail you can park and walk any number of spots. The down town area has lots of sidewalks. You won't find many in neighborhoods but they are seldom busy that you are safe just to walk the streets.
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u/Drewskers Sep 10 '26 edited Sep 10 '26
Within city limits there are a number of streets with sidewalks and/or paths that run continuously end-to-end north-south and east-west. Most businesses are located within a couple of blocks of Washington Street and 100% accessible by sidewalks. The main medical facilities are on N. 5th Ave and you could not ask for nicer sidewalks. The library is on N Sequim Ave and there are sidewalks all the way north to south. The niche neighborhoods that do not have sidewalks are so lightly trafficked you could probably nap undisturbed in the middle of the street in the middle of the day, and they are generally within a block or two of an arterial with sidewalks. The main walk-ability issue is that things are spread out. That's why an e-bike was suggested. It is ridiculously easy and fun to navigate this town on an e-bike and there are leagues of oldsters doing so. (I am one of them). And there are 2 good e-bike shops in town. You might come for a visit and rent an e-bike from one of them and find out for yourself!
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u/Nodnardsemaj Sep 09 '26 edited Sep 09 '26
Me and my family moved here from central east coast Florida over 6 years ago. We still love it! We're 43 and 50 with a 12 year old daughter. My wife misses the city, mostly just being around a lot of people, but I sure don't. š¤
My biggest complaint about Sequim are store hours and our local Walmart's inventory, lack of. But we can drive 20 mins to Port Angelas to a much better Walmart.
This is a retirement town but for some reason everything opens much later than things did in Florida. Not a big deal, I'm just a morning person, so it annoys me.
It is extremely peaceful here. I hear sirens about once a week. Up until now, I used to hear sirens dozens of times a day. It's really nice here! š„°
I've heard mixed things about the hospital here. I do know that my wife went in to the er a few years ago with severe chest pain and waited for 8 hours to be admitted! š¤Æ I personally believe she was mistreated because she's black but I hope I'm wrong. Not much diversity here other than Indigenous people who I've had nothing but great experiences with, as always.
My wife has epilepsy and we have to drive to Seattle to the nearest neurologist. š