Go Nanaimo, British Columbia
David Stanley
By David Stanley
Boomtown Nanaimo, British Columbia, is currently one of the hottest
housing markets in Canada. Baby boomers all across the country are
casting their aging eyes west in their quest for a retirement haven,
and the many advantages of Nanaimo, BC, are becoming known.
First off, there's the mild climate moderated by warm Pacific currents
arriving from Japan. Nanaimo only gets a couple of weeks of snow a
year, quite a contrast to central and eastern Canada which can be
snowed in from December to April. There's enough rain to keep the
city's gardens and parks lush and green, but plenty of clear, dry days
for outdoor enthusiasts throughout the year.
Nanaimo isn't a big city - under 100,000 - so traffic jams are the
exception, and there's still free parking downtown. As the main service
center for the upper two-thirds of Vancouver Island, the City of
Nanaimo has all the services you could ask for, from the big box stores
of North Nanaimo to intimate boutiques and cafes downtown.
Nanaimo is well connected. BC Ferries runs large car ferries from
Nanaimo to Vancouver every couple of hours, and seaplanes are
constantly coming and going on their way to/from downtown Vancouver or
Vancouver International Airport. Nanaimo also has a regular airport
south of town and you can get a free extension to Nanaimo on many Air
Canada tickets to Vancouver.
Another great attraction for snowbird retirees is the fact that Nanaimo
real estate is still affordable. Housing prices have increased 50
percent in recent years, but you can still purchase real estate here
for about half which comparable properties would cost in Vancouver.
Nanaimo Realty, Remax Nanaimo, and Coast Realty Nanaimo can tell you
more.
However Nanaimo's greatest attraction is its friendly, outgoing people.
Nanaimo still has a certain "small town" air lost in go-go places like
Toronto, and it's easy for newcomers to plug into the local scene.
There's always something happening in the Harbour City. It's paradise
found.
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David Stanley's travel series "Unknown Sights of Canada" is
exclusively available on http://www.gonanaimo.com while his Go Nanaimo
Blog is at http://www.gonanaimo.com/blog
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