Could Sequim be the safest place to live? That’s a big question. Let’s break it down so we can intelligently answer it. The phrase “safest place to live” can mean a lot of things. If you lived in Chicago like I once did, and your idea of safe is not living in the murder capital of the U.S., then Sequim is the safest place to live. If you survived the New Orleans or Houston hurricanes and floods, then you would feel like Sequim is the safest place to live. If you lived in Las Vegas as I did when I was with the USAF, and you notice that Lake Mead has dropped about 130 feet since 1994 when I lived there, then when it comes to water supplies and droughts, you would definitely feel like Sequim is safer.
Sequim – The Safest Place to Live
The interior of Alaska is dangerously cold in the winters. I know because I grew up as a young boy in a remote cabin in Alaska, and I recall temperatures of -75 degrees F. In as little as 20 minutes a person could freeze to death in that kind of weather if unprepared. Compared to that, Sequim is the safest place to live. [BTW, I wrote a book about growing up in remote Alaska if you would like to read it. You’ll find it on Amazon, and it’s called Teachings of the Wilderness.]
Today, we hear a lot about dangerous hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, super volcanoes, and there are massive record setting forest fires (are the CA fires really forest fires or DEW?). Even lovely Hawaii saw disaster strike this past year. Then there is the threat of nuclear war, chemical warfare, and the EMP (electro-magnetic pulse), which allegedly can take out our entire power grid for a year.
The Single Safest Place to Live
Of all places you could live, where is the safest place to live? I submit that one of the best candidates for the safest place to live is Sequim, Washington. Even with a natural disaster, we are a fairly safe place. In a major event, our Hood Canal Bridge is probably down, and Seattle criminals will probably not be able to get here. Can you imagine living in a metropolitan area when the power is out and grocery stores and gas stations are closed, and the criminal gangs are making the rounds from house to house? That may be the most important reason Sequim is safe, at least when it comes to the safety of your spouse and children.
Many Sequimites have a pantry with 6 months of food storage. Many have organic vegetable gardens and have canned their own fruits. The Olympic Peninsula is full of rich wildlife, fish, deer, and cattle and sheep. We have 200 inches of rain the the mountains, and all that fresh water pours out under Sequim to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We have a mild climate without hot or cold extremes, and we have fresh clean air coming in off the Pacific Ocean. A backup generator is another popular item, and most of us could survive just fine, especially compared to most metropolitan areas of the country.
I think Sequim is the ideal place to retire, but I also think it is the safest place to live.
Last Updated on September 23, 2019 by Chuck Marunde
This information is very helpful; exceedingly well done, IMHO. Thank you.