Moving to BC

[V]

Originally Posted by Peanut

This solution costs $$$, though. A few acres plus house within 20 minutes of Calgary is $1M+. A few acres in the more rural small town setting is half that. Or less.

I found this place. 4 acres, less than 20 minutes from Calgary, listed at under 800k. I don't know how hot the market is down there, but I'm guessing you can get it for less than list. Looks like a nice place!!

https://www.realtor.ca/Residential/S...Alberta-T1X0K5

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

I grew up in a small town in the Okanagan, and while my childhood was pretty good, high school years were terrible and I couldn't wait to get out. Didn't have many friends and had no opportunities to meet new people I could get along with, ended up becoming very reclusive and spent all my time inside playing video games. Moved to Calgary after for school/work and it took many years after that to break out of the shell I had built up. Now I could never move back, and I don't want my kids growing up in such a limited environment

And one thing that hasn't really been mentioned much as a downside for small towns is the lack of diversity. Growing up the only non-white people in town were the Asian family that owned the token Chinese restaurant, the first time I saw a Black person was in the Kelowna Costco, and I had never tasted any kind of ethnic food until moving to Calgary. One of my favorite parts about living in Calgary is meeting people from all over the world and sharing experiences, you just don't get that from small town life

Every town has to have one, I think its a law.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by V

I found this place. 4 acres, less than 20 minutes from Calgary, listed at under 800k. I don't know how hot the market is down there, but I'm guessing you can get it for less than list. Looks like a nice place!!

https://www.realtor.ca/Residential/S...Alberta-T1X0K5

lol at the bathroom photo with the realtor in the reflection. Smooth.

Sorry I neglected to mention my own personal criteria is that I want a forested (or partially forested) acreage, not prairie pastureland. Trust me, we are on the lookout constantly.

But still, $800k isn't chump change!!

[Locke]

Do I have to be the one to mention that none of these places are in BC?

[TheAlpineOracle]

I grew up in a small town in the Maritimes. I had a great childhood and would be indifferent if I moved back to a small or not, but I echo what some people have said about booze/drugs in small towns for teenagers. There was nothing to do where I grew up, so we spent our summers weekends drunk and high on a beach. From what I gather, we started drinking much earlier than kids who grew up in bigger cities. A lot of people I grew up with also had a really hard time the first couple years of university when we moved to bigger cities. Couldn't adjust to the activity in the City, basically went hogwild at the bars and clubs, and quickly got the Dean's vacation. I suspect this would be a similar plot moving to rural BC.

Drunk and high on a beach..... Maybe just forget what I just said, that doesn't sound very terrible at all. Sounds like a good vacation.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

#### no, that is the last thing I want.



My point is that there is a difference between rural and remote.

You can move to any number of smaller rural areas but still be within 15-30 mins of a large area. Driving 30 mins for an activity isn't a big deal, often the travel within a city like Calgary for example is greater than 30 mins.

Remote, you have what the community offers and that is it.



I am happy your child enjoys common interests with their dad, it is important.

Have a good Friday Peanut.

Well, if my posts seem incredulous in tone it's because it feels like you're arguing an objective fact with me. A town of 14,000 people can't offer the same breadth and diversity of activities as a city with 1M+, just due to manpower issues alone. There's only 14,000 people!! Of course they won't have the same number of music teachers available, or dance teachers, or recreation facilities, or whatever metric you choose. It's not possible because there's simply not as many people.

I feel like an apt comparison would be airports. Like someone saying the travel options are the same in Penticton as they are in Calgary because they both have airports. Well, no, they objectively aren't the same. Calgary airport is bigger, busier, offers more airlines, more destinations, more travel times, etc. Penticton HAS an airport. That's good. It provides travel options. But it does not provide the same travel options as the Calgary airport.

And then the person says "well, if you consider the Penticton airport PLUS the Kelowna airport, it's basically the same". Well, no. It's still not the same even considering the bigger airport in the bigger town nearby, and now you're also moving the goalposts.

BUT ANYWAYS. I dream of small-er town living myself. I just don't know what town exactly strikes the right balance FOR ME (and my family) of the things that we value.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Locke

Every town has to have one, I think its a law.

No kidding. Sounds exactly like the small town I grew up in.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Locke

Every town has to have one, I think its a law.

Chinese restaurant and a Boston Pizza.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

No kidding. Sounds exactly like the small town I grew up in.

I'm born and raised in Calgary but I've been to more small towns than I care to think about and I like Chinese food, so its worked out for me.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Peanut

Well, if my posts seem incredulous in tone it's because it feels like you're arguing an objective fact with me. A town of 14,000 people can't offer the same breadth and diversity of activities as a city with 1M+, just due to manpower issues alone. There's only 14,000 people!! Of course they won't have the same number of music teachers available, or dance teachers, or recreation facilities, or whatever metric you choose. It's not possible because there's simply not as many people.

I feel like an apt comparison would be airports. Like someone saying the travel options are the same in Penticton as they are in Calgary because they both have airports. Well, no, they objectively aren't the same. Calgary airport is bigger, busier, offers more airlines, more destinations, more travel times, etc. Penticton HAS an airport. That's good. It provides travel options. But it does not provide the same travel options as the Calgary airport.

And then the person says "well, if you consider the Penticton airport PLUS the Kelowna airport, it's basically the same". Well, no. It's still not the same even considering the bigger airport in the bigger town nearby, and now you're also moving the goalposts.

BUT ANYWAYS. I dream of small-er town living myself. I just don't know what town exactly strikes the right balance FOR ME (and my family) of the things that we value.

nah, we aren't having a discussion.

[Galakanokis]

In my early 20's I moved to a small northern BC town for work and I loved it there. Never in a million years did I think I would move away, even my friends said they thought I would stay. 20 years later I am in Vancouver and while I don't love it here (mainly housing issues) I cannot for the life of me ever imagine moving to small town again. There really is just so much to do out here and it is quite easy to keep the kids busy. Sometimes we find the opposite, finding downtime for the kids so they are just goofing around and playing outside with friends.

Just my opinion which has obviously changed over time. I had a good buddy that came from Vancouver to the same small town and he did love it there, stayed and eventually became the Mayor. You never know until you do.

[Erick Estrada]

For me the issue with smaller towns in Canada is the drastic changes between summer and winter life. Summers are usually fantastic with plenty of things to do outdoors and people all out and about and little town festivals, etc. When winter hits they turn into ghost towns as people hibernate in their houses and bars with noting going on outside of the odd curling bonspiel. Nothing to do but drink and do drugs for a lot of the younger people and I got caught up in that and didn't clean up my act until moving to the city.

[squiggs96]

If you're wanting to move to Trail, you better move quick. The wave of Vancouver home buyers pushing people out of the core has moved all the way to the Kootenays. My mom put her house on the market, and it sold two days later. She had a 1,350 SF home on 5 acres in Casino. She's moving to Christina Lake, I think so she can camp full time.

[Flamenspiel]

Originally Posted by Peanut

I feel like an apt comparison would be airports. Like someone saying the travel options are the same in Penticton as they are in Calgary because they both have airports. Well, no, they objectively aren't the same. Calgary airport is bigger, busier, offers more airlines, more destinations, more travel times, etc. Penticton HAS an airport. That's good. It provides travel options. But it does not provide the same travel options as the Calgary airport.

And then the person says "well, if you consider the Penticton airport PLUS the Kelowna airport, it's basically the same". Well, no. It's still not the same even considering the bigger airport in the bigger town nearby, and now you're also moving the goalposts.

BUT ANYWAYS. I dream of small-er town living myself. I just don't know what town exactly strikes the right balance FOR ME (and my family) of the things that we value.

This is spot on, there are airports and there are international airports. You want nonstop to Maui, CR, or London and Calgary will get you there. Even people who live in Kelowna, Spokane, or Penticton have to use connecting flights

Its not only flying, when it comes to driving, be prepared to have a new expensive SUV or truck to take your kids two hours to get to hockey games or swim meets. Now, if that new SUV or truck has an issue and you do not have a local dealer, be prepared to drive in to Calgary or have parts shipped in for self install.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Peanut

Chinese restaurant and a Boston Pizza.

My town wasn't big enough for a Boston Pizza, or even an A&W or Subway. Going to a fast food place was a treat for us as kids when we drove to Vernon for shopping

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

The wave of Vancouver home buyers pushing people out of the core has moved all the way to the Kootenays.

Let me guess, "just 15 minutes to get to downtown Vancouver"?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Let me guess, "just 15 minutes to get to downtown Vancouver"?

If you take the Helicopter.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

If you're wanting to move to Trail, you better move quick. The wave of Vancouver home buyers pushing people out of the core has moved all the way to the Kootenays. My mom put her house on the market, and it sold two days later. She had a 1,350 SF home on 5 acres in Casino. She's moving to Christina Lake, I think so she can camp full time.

I'm a big fan of Christina Lake, but man, I don't know if I could LIVE there.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by Locke

Every town has to have one, I think its a law.

It should also be known as the Canada Café.

[Sylvanfan]

I lived in Cranbrook from 1981 to 1989. As a young kid it was okay, but my parents moved us to a larger city when my brother and I got to be Teen agers. Things change in 30 years, but my parents reasoning was that very few people in Cranbrook at that time seemed to aspire to leave, or go to school. But we did live pretty well when we lived there. I do remember that we owned a big house and when we went to leave it was hard to sell. Eventually some teachers traded their smaller house and 50 grand for a house that was listed for 127 grand. Two years later the small crap house my folks took on trade sold for 90 and the big houses still wouldn't move.