Sequim lies within the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and receives, on average, less than 16 inches (410 mm) of rain per year – about the same as Los Angeles, California – giving rise to the region's local nickname of Sunny Sequim.

[7] Fogs and cool breezes from the Juan de Fuca Strait make Sequim's climate more humid than would be expected from the low average rate of annual precipitation.

The city and the surrounding area are particularly known for the commercial cultivation of lavender, supported by the unique climate.

The name Sequim is derived from the Klallam word sxʷčkʷíyəŋ,[8] which means "hunting ground"[9] or "place for going to shoot".

[11] The historic translation of "quiet waters" was disproven in 2010 by linguist Timothy Montler, who had researched the Klallam language and interviewed elders of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.

[11][13] Fossils discovered in the late 1970s – at a dig near Sequim known as the Manis Mastodon site, by Carl Gustafson, an archaeologist at Washington State University – included a mastodon bone with an embedded bone point, evidencing the presence of hunters in the area about 14,000 years ago.

According to Michael R. Waters, an archaeologist at Texas A&M University, this is the first hunting weapon found that dates to the pre-Clovis period.

The band of S'Klallam Indians disbanded into their own individual federally recognized tribes in the early 1900s.

According to other tales, the town Sequim in S'Klallam means "a place for going to shoot", which represents the abundance of game and wildlife of the area.

[14][15] Archeological excavation during construction of the U.S. Route 101 bypass in the 1990s found artifacts that were dated between 6000 to 8000 years before present.

While the lands along the river became fertile farmlands, the remainder of the area remained arid prairie, known as "the desert".

Historically, much of the area was an open, oak-studded prairie, supported by somewhat excessively-drained gravelly and sandy loam soil; agriculture and development of the Dungeness valley have changed this ecosystem.

Sequim is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, so annual precipitation is the lowest in the western portion of the state at only 16 inches, Winters are mostly mild with very little snowfall.

[24][25] The festival celebrates the lavender capstone and includes parades, pageants, and arts and crafts.

To the east along Highway 101 is Sequim Bay, a 4-mile (6.5 km) long inlet from the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The 2023 motion picture, directed by George Clooney, was planned to be shown at a school auditorium as the city lacks a formal movie theater.

[31] A number of students from the school district were in invited attendance at the premiere in December 2023, held at the SIFF Cinema Downtown in Seattle.

KSQM, FM 91.5 is a non-commercial station staffed by community volunteers featuring a variety of music.