Where in BC would you suggest a winter weary Maritimer retire to?

[lio45]

Originally Posted by le calmar

I, too, would choose Florida over BC, at least weather wise. But sometimes people are more comfortable staying in their own country. (I personally feel more at home/connected to my home region on the East Coast of the US than in Western Canada)

Originally Posted by someone123

I know this wasn't part of the question, but I think the idea of retiring to BC is not as great as it seems at first. It is one thing if you have friends or family here or move for a job, but the weather is kind of a weak reason on its own, particularly since you're talking +6-8 degrees in winter (or like 2 degrees in winter if you're looking at the interior), not Hawaii. If having to use a snowblower is a problem, move to a condo. That is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying into BC's absurd real estate market.

Even though it certainly wasn't part of the initial question, the point about the condo-with-interior-parking is a very good one... No more house maintenance to worry about, no more shoveling, no more snowblowing -- you don't even have to care that it snows.

[mistercorporate]

Seriously, with reliable high-speed satellite internet being so cheap these days, living on a boat during winter is looking like a real attractive option for retirement. 9 months in Ontario followed by 3 months yachting and exploring the Caribbean, heaven!! There are people who sail throughout the world like this.

[red-paladin]

List of the largest metropolitan areas in BC, 2011 and 2006 populations:

1 Vancouver CMA Lower Mainland Greater Vancouver 2,313,328 2,116,581
2 Victoria CMA Vancouver Island Capital 344,615 330,088

3 Kelowna CMA Thomson-Okanagan Central Okanagan 179,839 162,276
4 Abbotsford CMA Lower Mainland Fraser Valley 170,191 159,020
5 Kamloops CA Thomson-Okanagan Thompson-Nicola 98,754 92,797
6 Nanaimo CA Vancouver Island Nanaimo 98,021 92,361
7 Chilliwack CA Lower Mainland Fraser Valley 92,308 82,465

[logan5]

If renting is an option then Victoria seems like the best fit. Rents around here are a lot more reasonable.

[LaGrandeOurse]

I've been seriously considering relocating to BC too mainly for climate. I saw, recently, looking at the weather channel, -24 in Ottawa and +15 in Vancouver.
For me, my criteria are:
-French or english speaking
-Good climate
-Low taxes
-Ski resort and wilderness nearby
-Big city
-Good public transit

[Metro-One]

It is not just the milder weather alone that makes BC attractive to many, it is also the wide variety of landscapes and climate zones within very short relative distances that one can explore.

Every province has beauty and variety (not going to debate that!) but BC is the only province that has rain forest (home to some of the world's largest trees), world class ski resorts on mountains up to 2 / 3 km tall (there are taller mountains but no ski resorts are on the highest peaks), and sage brush / cactus semi deserts nestled in deep canyons home to a thriving wine industry with average summer highs over 30 degrees C in places all within half a days drive (or less) from each other.

Then there are other aspects the bring people as well, for me the variety of landscapes and biogeoclimate zones will always be what brings me back to BC.

Ad on that note, I think I just discovered my new favorite climate station in Canada (Oak Bay Victoria), and once again affirms my belief that Victoria truly is Canada's one climate outlier.



This is accompanied with only 638 mm of rain annually (around half of Vancouver) and almost 2200 annual hours of sunshine. July averages only 10.5 mm of rain and 328 hours of sunshine!

So if you are going to do the move to BC, you may as well make it Victoria IMO, there are still relatively decent prices for retirement areas in the burbs (and relatively near downtown).

[Metro-One]

And just for a little variety of BC landscapes / ecology:

Arbutus trees (in mid winter) on Vancouver Island:



Hemlock Mountain in the Fraser Valley



Okanagan Lake near Kelowna

[img]https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6128/...9ec889bf_b.jpg[/mg]

Long Beach, Tofino



Hiking near Squamish



Desert in the Thompson Valley





and big sky country / salt lakes up on the interior plateaus



All pics are my own.

[Procrastinational]

I'd definitely agree that you can't go wrong retiring to Victoria or, if you don't mind a more laid-back lifestyle, the Gulf Islands. All the amenities you need are nearby, and there is a fairly large community of retired folks.
Relative to Vancouver, housing prices are much more reasonable, and the winters are warmer and a less rainy.

If those areas are pricey, I think the best value in SW BC is in and around Nanaimo. Anywhere north of town from Lantzville to Qualicum Beach is very nice. Parksville is a very popular retirement spot.
As a bonus the area has slightly warmer summers than Victoria or Vancouver (near the ocean).

If you don't mind the odd cold day in winter but still don't want to deal with snow, the Okanagan is nice option. Penticton is my personal favourite. Vernon isn't bad but definitely has more of a gritty feel, and has highway 97 cutting right through town.

[MonctonRad]

I am certainly not disinclined to consider Vancouver Island as an option. I grew up on PEI and therefore am used to ferries. I've been to Vancouver Island once, and found the ferry crossings quite pleasant.

I wouldn't find living on the island really isolated. Victoria is just about the same size as Halifax and I'm sure that I would find all the amenities I'm interested in there. I really liked Victoria the one time I was there.

I kinda discounted Victoria though because I thought it would be expensive. Does anyone know how much it would cost to rent a two bedroom apartment in the city in a nicer neighbourhood? If it isn't too much, I would certainly consider it.

[MonctonRad]

And BTW, my interest in maybe retiring on the west coast is not entirely climate related. I also think it might be interesting to try something different for the third act of my life. I like exploring and there will be lots of new places to explore with a big move across the country........

[Klazu]

Squamish


Chilliwack

[Metro-One]

You will have lots to explore (countless things to do on the Island alone if you love the outdoors).

As for rental prices, I believe that in general rental prices in BC are far more reasonable than one would expect given the real estate prices. Hopefully someone on here can give you more information on that regarding Victoria.

[dleung]

I would say Gibsons. It's like a cheaper Sausalito. Within sight of metro Vancouver, but 1/3 the housing price, and amazing views of coastal fjords that even the island doesn't have. A 40min ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay terminal, which itself is a 20 minute drive from downtown Vancouver through the best part of the metro. Google the place and fall in love.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I am certainly not disinclined to consider Vancouver Island as an option. I grew up on PEI and therefore am used to ferries. I've been to Vancouver Island once, and found the ferry crossings quite pleasant.

I wouldn't find living on the island really isolated. Victoria is just about the same size as Halifax and I'm sure that I would find all the amenities I'm interested in there. I really liked Victoria the one time I was there.

I kinda discounted Victoria though because I thought it would be expensive. Does anyone know how much it would cost to rent a two bedroom apartment in the city in a nicer neighbourhood? If it isn't too much, I would certainly consider it.

I'd take a second look at Victoria, it might not be as expensive as you first think and it checks the boxes for culture and a decent hospital.

A lot of small town/small city BC lacks the charm of their eastern equivalents. Because of their relative youth too many are a big box retail strip along a highway with few cultural amenities. Some possible exceptions Chemauinus and Sidney (Vancouver island ) and Nelson in the interior, though. I've always found Nelson to be one of the more picturesque towns but it does get snow.

[Pinion]

My parents just moved from North Vancouver to Salt Spring Island to get serious about their retirement (turning 70 this year). I would love to do the same eventually. It's one of the few gulf islands with a fresh water lake/drinking supply and Ganges is a cool little town. Cell phone reception is atrocious due to hippie protests though - it's the only place in BC I've been that my Rogers phone didn't work.

[Procrastinational]

Originally Posted by Pinion

My parents just moved from North Vancouver to Salt Spring Island to get serious about their retirement (turning 70 this year). I would love to do the same eventually. It's one of the few gulf islands with a fresh water lake/drinking supply and Ganges is a cool little town. Cell phone reception is atrocious due to hippie protests though - it's the only place in BC I've been that my Rogers phone didn't work.

Saltspring Island is a wonderful spot to retire. It's quite quiet in the winter though, so if you are used to city life (even in a small city), it's a bit of an adjustment. It's by far the most populated of the Gulf Islands, and as a result, it is really the only one that feels like a proper community, and not just somewhere out in the sticks.

The only downsides I see to Saltspring are that you have to go off island for major shopping (a 20 minute ferry then short drive to Duncan), and that it can be challenging to find decent rentals. On the other hand, prices for houses on half-acre lots have become fairly affordable since the recession (as long as they aren't oceanfront).


Cell coverage is kind of an odd one on the island. The south end of the island (where most of the hippies are) has spotty to nonexistent coverage, but the north end of the island (including Ganges) is covered by all the major carriers.

If you didn't get coverage in Ganges on Rogers, then that might be more to do with the reception of your particular phone. In Ganges, my friend's iPhone on Rogers gets 3-4 bars. Word on the street is Telus has the best coverage on much of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. I've found that to be true, as my phone on Telus gets 1-2 bars at the south end of the island where Bell and Rogers phones have no coverage.

[BIMBAM]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I am certainly not disinclined to consider Vancouver Island as an option. I grew up on PEI and therefore am used to ferries. I've been to Vancouver Island once, and found the ferry crossings quite pleasant.

I wouldn't find living on the island really isolated. Victoria is just about the same size as Halifax and I'm sure that I would find all the amenities I'm interested in there. I really liked Victoria the one time I was there.

I kinda discounted Victoria though because I thought it would be expensive. Does anyone know how much it would cost to rent a two bedroom apartment in the city in a nicer neighbourhood? If it isn't too much, I would certainly consider it.

Here's a good idea of what you could get. It's in Oak Bay, not too far from downtown, but still a nice, quiet, residential area near the hospital. Older mid-century building and the decor isn't brand new, but it looks like it's in nice shape. 1095 a month.

http://victoria.craigslist.ca/apa/4934612432.html

To compare, a slightly nicer but still pretty comparable apartment in a nice town like Courtenay is 900$ a month.

http://comoxvalley.craigslist.ca/apa/4941476259.html

In a less prosperous but similarly sized town like Port Alberni you can get for 700$. One of the cheapest towns probably on the island because it's an area that has had struggles.

http://nanaimo.craigslist.ca/apa/4880618176.html

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by BIMBAM

Here's a good idea of what you could get. It's in Oak Bay, not too far from downtown, but still a nice, quiet, residential area near the hospital. Older mid-century building and the decor isn't brand new, but it looks like it's in nice shape. 1095 a month.

http://victoria.craigslist.ca/apa/4934612432.html

To compare, a slightly nicer but still pretty comparable apartment in a nice town like Courtenay is 900$ a month.

http://comoxvalley.craigslist.ca/apa/4941476259.html

In a less prosperous but similarly sized town like Port Alberni you can get for 700$. One of the cheapest towns probably on the island because it's an area that has had struggles.

http://nanaimo.craigslist.ca/apa/4880618176.html

Frankly even in Vancouver (burnaby/new west/surrey/richmond) you can find units like that near transit amenities for around that price +/- $200.

Cost of living on the west coast is high but people WAY over exaggerate it.

[urbandreamer]

Buy an RV and move around BC every 3-6 months. Find out where you really want to live that way and live relatively cheap.

[MolsonExport]

If it were me (retiring, as opposed to where I would want to live in my peak years), I'd pick the southern Okanagan (Penticton and points south). Osoyoos is great, but a bit rednecky and somewhat removed from healthcare services (Oliver, 20 minutes up the road, has a good hospital). The climate is sublime for 8 months, and tolerable for the other four months. Kelowna is too sprawly. Vernon is very nice as well, but I prefer Penticton (Skaha Lake, Okanagan lake, wine country, Apex for skiing).

I love the Sunshine Coast, but it is a bit isolated given the need for the ferry...the biggest settlement being Sechelt, which is rather smallish.

Vancouver Island (probably near Qualicum beach) would be my second choice. Close enough to Nanaimo and points south (e.g., Victoria).

Abbotsford is a suburb of Vancouver. Chilliwack...lovely scenery but basically (or rapidly becoming) a suburb of Vancouver and a tad too rednecky for my tastes. Plus, it is damp.