1. You have very strong opinions about lavender

You either love it or you hate it. There is no middle ground. With the annual lavender festival painting the town purple every July you know you’ll either be touring the farms and drinking the lavender-infused Kool-Aid or escaping to aunt Mimi’s in Spokane for the weekend.

2. To you, irrigation is a cause for celebration

Water is wealth in Sequim, so of course we throw a party, complete with a logging show, carnival, and grand parade. You may have even reigned as a queen or princess (like me) or at least ridden on a float since the half of the town that isn’t watching the parade is in it.

3. You never think twice about leaving your car running while checking your mail

The police blotter is mostly filled with cases of errant farm animals, so it’s pretty safe to say your car will still be there when you get back. Or your tractor. Or your horse.

4. You know the life cycle of a salmon better than an actual salmon

if you attended elementary school in Sequim you’ve probably even released some fry into the wilderness that is a local river. Ah, the circle of life.

5. You find car horns so rude

politeness in traffic is key in such a small town so getting honked at when you’re not holding a car-wash sign can be extremely alarming.

6. Your pumpkins only come from a patch

why buy pumpkins from a grocery store when you can turn choosing your future jack-o-lantern into an outing? Cider, corn mazes, and a giant pumpkin slingshot make this the best part of the season.

7. Your Christmas always entails a light up tractor

Yes you read that right, agricultural pride isn’t just reserved for months with bountiful harvests or berry-picking weather. I’m beginning to wonder why Santa hasn’t considered this for a mode of transportation.

8. You have been late to school or work because of the elk-

Though usually it’s the crowd pulling over to take pictures rather than the actual creatures that slow down traffic. Around here it’s a completely legitimate excuse and a great opportunity to see the majesty of nature. If only the majesty of nature would migrate just a little bit to the left.

9. You can never grocery shop in pajamas because you will run into literally everyone you know

Your former science teacher, your best friend’s ex, your pastor; and that’s just in the produce section. Anonymity is a luxury in a small town, but at least it makes it easier to write off stalking your crush as a coincidence.

10. Every occasion is a chance to meet for coffee

club meeting? Over coffee. Bible study? Over coffee. Hostage negotiation? Over coffee. But only at your regular hangout where the baristas all know your name and your punch card is always full.

11. You know that you won’t find railroad cars at railroad bridge park, but you’ll find plenty at the B&B across town

this defies all logic but if you’re a true Sequimmite it’s a no-brainer.

12. The directions you give always involve the old grain elevator

as pretty much the tallest and most recognizable building in Sequim it’s hard for tourists to miss and end up driving through a field of cows looking for Home Depot.

13. You’re used to unique street names

Lois Lane, Bell Bottom Road, Woodcock Road. If you actually needed signs to know where you were going you might begin to wonder who came up with these amusing monikers.

14. Either you or your friend have family that have lived here for over a hundred years

probably where some of the aforementioned street names came from.

15. Seeing Canada is an almost daily occurrence

Not every American can claim they can see a foreign country from their town (well, maybe besides Sarah Palin) but being so close to the Canadian border ensures some great views.

16. You can start any conversation with how much snow there is on the mountains

Winter: “Wow, look how low the snow is getting on the mountains!” Summer: “It’s so warm, there’s hardly any snow left on the mountains!” these exchanges are pretty much the Sequim equivalent of “nice weather we’re having” and always guaranteed to make some fantastic small talk.

17. The Kitsap mall feels like a foreign country to you

It’s basically a giant store filled with smaller stores! What is this sorcery? With the closest one of these shopping metropolises over an hour away it can be easy to forget how to ride an escalator or how you ended up with an empty wallet.

18. Two words: purple and gold

You’ve seen the colors on flags in the center of town, chanted them at home games, and possibly even painted yourself with them. Purple and gold are not just colors, they are a way of life (and far superior to green and white I might add).

19. “Sun” is in the title of just about every establishment you frequent, and it’s probably somewhere in your address too

thanks to the ‘blue hole’ the commemoration of sunshine will never cease to make life a little more confusing “Hey let’s go to Sunshine café! We can take a Sun Taxi from Sunland, but I need to stop by Sunny Farms first."