The Sequim grain elevator is a Sequim landmark.  I couldn’t resist this photo today, which was a beautiful sunny Sequim day.  The Sequim grain elevator sits right downtown in Sequim surrounded by businesses, but in the early years there wasn’t much around the grain elevator, except the railroad tracks.  The first structure built on this site was a storage facility for lettuce built by the Peninsula Grain Company.  In the 1920s this was a delivery and transfer station for local farmers who sent their produce to the Seattle metropolitan area. In 1935 Cecil Dawley purchased the building.  The word is Dawley ran his feed and farm equipment business until 1941, and then he leased it to the Clallam Co-operative Association.  The Clallam Co-Op operated the business from the mid-1940s through the mid-1970s.  Now the building is a Mexican restaurant called El Cazador.  The structure now also serves the area as a multi-purpose communications tower, including a Verizon communications center.

The Sequim Grain Elevator

In the ’50s and ’60s 40 tons of grain was lifted by belt to the top and dropped into railroad cars every day.  The Sequim grain elevator, aka the granary, has walls made of one inch by ten inch wooden planks.  They are stacked horizontally to create a solid wall of wood 10 inches thick and incredibly strong.  No wonder the building is still standing proud and erect.

Sequim Grain Elevator History

In the decades following WWII, Sequim farmers produced seed for cabbage, beets, mustard, carrots and other vegetables. The Sequim-Dungeness Valley was a thriving farm community, and there were at one time over 200 dairy cattle herds in the  Valley.  Somewhere along the way the price of milk was not keeping up with costs and farmers looked for other opportunities.  Today there are only two dairy farms left.

Some creative farmers discovered a little gold mine in the late 1960s in the form of high-quality grass seed that was especially prized for  golf courses.  At one point the Sequim-Dungeness Valley had the largest production of bent grass in the U.S.  These farmers started the Dungeness Agricultural Supply, which bought the Sequim grain elevator in 1969.

The Sequim grain elevator ceased operations in 1977 ending a treasured bit of local history.  Now you know the precious history of the Sequim grain elevator when you drive past it or when you see it on the city’s horizon.

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What would it be like to retire in Sequim WA?  A lot of retirees and soon-to-be-retirees have been contemplating what it would be like to retire in Sequim WA.  I’m typing “Sequim WA” because that’s what so many of you type in your Google search.  You’ve been working for 20 to 30 years or longer, and now you are thinking about settling down in Sequim WA in your retirement home.  Your move is a major transition.  It’s the next big phase in your life.

Sequim WA and Retirement Dream

The Move to Sequim WA

I drove to look at beautiful waterfront property today, and while there I met a neighbor who was outside in the sunshine.  We struck up a conversation.  This gentleman and his wife bought their waterfront property a decade ago and built an incredible retirement home.  They’re from Seattle and absolutely love their life in Sequim.  They had their home built to take full advantage of the panoramic water view.  I was struck by how relaxed and healthy they look and by how happy they are.

Later I met the other neighbor, a couple who sold their farm in Oregon and retired in Sequim.  They told me that this is the fulfillment of a long dream for them, too.  While standing outside in the spring sunshine, we had a very pleasant conversation about Sequim and living here.

What Will I Do In Sequim WA?

I’ve said before that if I could make a checklist of 100 of the most important reasons to live in a community, Sequim would have more items on the checklist than any place I know.  Many retirees obviously feel the same.

Not to wax too philosophical, but have you ever asked yourself what you would do if you could live your life over again?  I have, and for me at 57 years old, I don’t think I would waste most of my life in education and practicing law.  I’m glad I had all that real estate law experience for my real estate clients today, but it wasn’t worth half my life.  I think I spent too much time working, too much time being stressed out by the challenges of striving to get ahead, and not enough time enjoying living. 

What about you?  I cannot think of a better place to live than Sequim, and I can’t think of a better way to help others improve the quality of their lives than being a buyer’s agent here.  I’m glad I live in Sequim WA.

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Sequim WA is a lot of things, but one of the great attractions for so many retirees to the Sequim WA area is the beauty of the country.  I love the history of the Sequim valley and the surrounding mountains.  Sequim has a rich agricultural and farming history.  In this first photo, an old farmhouse approaching 100 years old still stands proud in the mountains between Sequim and Port Angeles.

Sequim WA Country Homes

Sequim WA Barns

Sequim WA and the surrounding area has several hundred old barns, many of which are falling apart as age catches up with them.  In this photo above, I marveled at the barn in this field as well as the incredible mountains that were the backdrop for this farm.  As I like to say, “If this old barn could talk what stories it would tell.”  I love history, and when you stand in a field looking at one of these old barns, you can’t help but meditate on the family and work history these barns must have seen.  For most farms like this, there have been not just one generation that was raised on the farm and worked it, but two or three generations.

Sequim WA Country Homes

Many newer Sequim WA homes are country style homes or craftsman style homes.  This home is what you might think of as country style architecture that is sturdy looking with large beams and primarily a wooden look.  There are not many contemporary style homes in the area as most people are looking for homes that are considered more consistent with farm country.  Of course, you can buy a small subdivision lot in the city of Sequim and build any home you want if you prefer a low maintenance yard.  Sequim WA is a lot of things, but it surely is a country setting way outside the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan areas.

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The Sequim business climate is good or not so good, depending on which business owner you ask.  Sequim is a great place to own a business, as long as you don’t chose a business with a high failure rate.  My whole life I’ve been watching small business owners invest their life savings to start a business and practice the one technical skill they are so good at.  In this collage of photos I took of Sequim businesses that have failed or buildings that have yet to find a business tenant, you can see the story.  The Sequim business climate is very good for some businesses, but for restaurants and video stores, business is not so good, especially in this recession. 

This Pizza Factory had massive overhead, too much space inside at a high rent per square foot, and too many employees.  They are good people, but their business was forseeably upside down the day it got started.  Another restaurant failed for the exact same reason.  It was a German restaurant in Rock Plaza in Sequim.  Good people.  Well intentioned, and good at cooking their specialties.  But business men they were not.  The best thing a prospective business owner could do is first seek advice from an experienced business consultant.  These folks did not.

Sequim Business Climate is Bad for Some

This Hollywood Video was put out of business by the online digital video companies, like Netflix and RedBox.  Hollywood Video was still operating on an old business model with far too much overhead.  Many businesses are struggling to adapt their bricks-and-mortar business model to the New World of Marketing.  The Sequim business climate is not immune from the dramatic paradigm shifts taking place.

Sequim Business Climate is Good for Others

There are many small business owners who are thriving, even in these challenging times.  Sequim has many successful business owners, and we also have many extraordinarily talented entrepreneurs who are inventors, authors, scientists, engineers, software programmers, biologists, and Internet geniuses.  Many retirees in Sequim have home businesses, and with high speed Internet and technologies, working out of the home has become the new low-overhead business.

Sequim Business Climate – Wise Counsel

The challenge today is not so much the Sequim business climate, because we actually have a stronger and more stable economy than 70% of small American towns today.  The greater challenge for the small business owner is choosing a business that has a high probability of success in a demographic like Sequim.  Many who start small businesses do not know there is more to starting a business than being a good cook or being a good mechanic.  Much more.  Seek wise business counsel before you invest your life savings in a risky business proposition.  You’re welcome to contact me and chat about your business plans.  I was, and still am, an entrepreneur for 37 years, including 20 years as a real estate attorney who also advised business owners, inventors, and joint venturers.  Regardless, do talk with someone who can offer experience and sage advice.

If you chose the right business for Sequim, you can be confident that the Sequim business climate is strong and stable.

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Saying that Sequim WA is beautiful is probably not front page news.  Who doesn’t know that Sequim WA is one of the most beautiful and incredible places to live?  I suppose a lot of people, but I am often surprised by how many people around the country talk about Sequim and about retiring here.

Sequim WA Butterfly

Sequim WA Mountains

Sequim WA Flowers

Sequim WA Night Life

Sequim WA is one of the best kept secrets with mountains to the south, the ocean to the north, a rain shadow that shields us with one-third the rainfall of Seattle, pristine old growth forests in the Olympic Mountains, and every conceivable recreational activity you can think of.  Sequim is off the beaten path, has an extremely low crime rate, one of the best school districts in the entire country, and a peaceful country setting of yesteryear.  Many people feel that the clock has been turned back 20 years when they come to Sequim WA.

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Sequim Washington is growing even in this national recession.  How is that possible?  Sequim is a very healthy little economy.  One of the reasons it is a healthy economy is because Sequim has been a retirement community for decades, and the retirees who move here tend to be conservative financially, and have not refinanced their homes to buy toys and get further in debt.  Retirees have payed off their homes or have lived humble lifestyles within their budgets.  This means we don’t have a lot of foreclosures, and there is a solid financial base for all the related service industries (groceries, medical, dental, automotive, restaurants, recreation, etc.).

Sequim Washington Big Box Stores

Sequim Washington Demographics

Perhaps the biggest proof that Sequim Washington has a strong economic base and a promising future comes from all the big box stores that have been moving in and building in Sequim.  You know that before big box stores ever consider buying prime real estate in any community, they do extensive demographic studies.  It is not the neighboring towns on the Olympic Peninsula that are attracting all these big box companies–it is Sequim.

The latest big box stores who love Sequim’s retired population and the future of Sequim Washington include Ross Dress for Less and the Grocery Outlet.  There is a good list of big box stores who love Sequim’s demographics, including Costco, Home Depot, Petco, Starbucks, WalMart, Office Depot, and a number of restaurant chains.

Sequim Washington Real Estate

Why is it important to retirees that the big box stores have been building in Sequim?  Because the demographic studies they perform independently are all saying the same thing–that Sequim is a strong community with a very solid demographic base of financially stable retirees.  These studies show a stable real estate market, even though prices have been discounted in this market.  It is primarily the strength of the future economy and future real estate market that these demographic studies have examined, and the indicators are all good.

This is one of the reasons I have said that buying a home in Sequim Washington is a good move and a good investment.  While most of us would concur that the real estate market may not begin to recover for a couple of years or more, when it does, Sequim will be one of the strongest economies in the country.  That doesn’t mean houses will appreciate rapidly, because they won’t.  The appreciation will be slow, perhaps 3% a year, but of all regional real estate markets, Sequim Washington has a market with a great economic base and solid indicators for future growth.

Of course, another huge factor (which I’m sure is part of the big box studies) is that retirees continue to move to Sequim and buy homes, and have been doing so every single month during the entire recession, and that has picked up dramatically recently.  Sequim Washington is a strong economy and a stable real estate market, which is good news for retirees.

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