goals: raise family. stable job for a physical therapist; bonus points for structural engineering positions, but i realize this eliminates all small town options.

wants: clean air. close to ski resort. close to appealing mountains and other natural beauty. safe. more than adequate water supply. no consistent noise (like loud highway that penetrates the whole town, frequent trains, air traffic). bonus for creeks in town.

size: between 5,000 - 100,000 people

location: likely somewhere within 150 miles of the border (avoid extremes a little more, plus family access when visiting)

---

places so far (though they might not meet all goals):
- Armstrong, BC
- Chilliwack, BC
- Fernie, BC
- Golden, BC
- Creston, BC
- Nelson, BC
- Penticton, BC
- Revelstoke, BC
- Rossland, BC
- Salmon Arm, BC
- Vernon, BC

please feel free to shoot down any of the towns (but give reasons). this hard working american is looking to get out of this gun-infested country. the thought of my young kids or wife being in that situation, or in a school lockdown drill, has been eating away at me for years. we should be able to meet the immigration testing requirements and will be good, well-educated citizens.

thanks!

iron:


I can understand gun-related problems & desire to bring up kids in safety. What happened down in El Paso is horror. These kind of issues are far better in Canada, but you still have various big city problems (as you need to be in proximity of big city) -- crime, drugs, overpopulation, etc. In addition some things are better in US (I lived in CA 6 years). Relocating to another country is tough decision with many consequences & should not be made on impulse based on recent events, or even disagreement with current political climate.


That being said, and looking at your requirements, one option that was not mentioned is Squamish. It is small town, in very beautiful country, real-estate is still relatively affordable, you are close to Whistler -- major ski resort -- and border is close too. For work you have ~1hr daily commute on Sea-to-Sky & I know young families living in Vancouver that have gone that way. Daily commute is not ideal but can be managed, and chances of finding employment as Structural Engineer in Vancouver are good. Another option not mentioned might be somewhere on Van Island, vicinity of Victoria (employment) with daily ferry service over to Port Angeles to US. Ski Resort is 2-3 hr drive north (Mt. Washington). Vic is very safe with probably best climate in Canada too.

thanks for the response, zel.

my desire here in this case is not impulse driven. it has been on my mind for years, but certain events do drive the point home further. i'm feeling some pressure based on the immigration scoring system since i think we'd score a little above the current acceptance rate score, but in a few years, would fall below due to scoring of one's age. also, my oldest is almost 3, so i would like to have her in a stable school system by the time she's 5.

for the structural engineer position --- this is not critical. i believe i will be able to work for my current (small) employer from abroad. the PT position is more important since that's on the immigration list for jobs in need.

vancouver island is nice, but not for us. i need something bigger than an island. only so many peaks to bag there!

I always like looking at the Crime Severity Index (CSI) to see the crime rate for a particular place.
https://www.macleans.ca/canadas-most-dangerous-places/

You can refine the search for British Columbia only then click on the city to see the breakdown of the types of crime.

Don't underestimate the size of VI, its huge! Endless peaks to bag, just more rugged.

I'd say Squamish is the most ideal place given your requirements. You may also like Deep Cove in North Vancouver, but real estate is significantly pricier.

Armstrong/Vernon/Salmon Arm/Revy/Penticton are all within 2-3 hours of each other... Golden's not much further

Creston/Nelson = Kootenays, nice lifestyle

Rossland/Fernie - too remote/small town in my opinion

Chilliwack & Squamish = Vancouver

Vancouver Island = Ferry nightmare

Basically you're looking at the Okanagan.

Given the choice of living in one of these towns, which one would you select and why? Alternatively, which one(s) would you avoid and why?

Fernie
Golden
Invermere
Kimberley
Nelson
Revelstoke
Rossland

This question is difficult to answer without considering a lot of factors such as crime rate, affordability, types of amenities that are suitable to you, living to work there or retire, affordable and/or availability of accommodation. You can't go wrong with outdoor recreation. I've been through all these towns and lived in Fernie and Nelson in the past. What I didn't like about Nelson is that most of the houses are built on the mountainside therefore the roads are steep and it snows more compared to downtown. Parking is very limited downtown and it's all pay park.

solo75 is right. In addition, personal situation comes into play & everyone is different. You need to tell us what is important to you. Living in smaller place has advantages specially now during pandemic, but you lose amenities, shopping etc bigger cities offer. In tourist towns things will be more expensive. Travel - if you have to fly somewhere, how close is nearest airport? Then lifestyle issues (skiing, etc). Is medical care important to you? (certain things will not be available in smaller towns). Then ...



Not to avoid giving concrete response, if I had to chose something from list above it would be Fernie or Revelstoke. Both have good outdoors which is important to me. Revelstoke is strategically placed fairly well for trips to say Okananagan, Coast or Rockies. Fernie is smaller but Calgary or Lethebridge are reasonably close

This is the internet where you dont need much reason to give an opinion.

I would not want to be on the main highway (or at least what I call main) so that removes Golden, Revelstoke, Fernie. Which is too bad because the idea of being in Golden and its proximity to Banff is attractive.

I would not want to be in Nelson or Rossland. Nelson is quite nice and I like the lake but still its nothing special.

That leaves Kimberley and Invermere. They get short listed because of their proximity to the Rockies, the skiing, and the resort feel of the towns. Small enough that there is not much hustle and bustle. But big enough that you can get most things that you would want. Could even get a few acres just out of town and have a bit of a ranch. 1-2 hours to hot springs, golf, and skiing.

Difficult choice between the two. I have spent time in both. I really like Kimberley's look and had a really good summer there. But I give the nod to Invermere because its a bit closer to the Rockies and Hot Springs.

Actually I don't think Trans-Canada is much of a problem in Golden, as town is way off & you can't hear anything. Golden does get too hot in summer & considerably lacks amenities. But point is well taken because Canmore (in AB) has Trans-Canada right across middle of valley + very noisy CP Rail line & it is a problem.

Speaking of Hwy1 and Golden, heard the other day they plan 24 hr closure for 6-8 weeks this spring. It's because of works on that ~4km bottleneck west of town that is really narrow & even dangerous. So one will have to use alternate route via Radium & then Hwy93 to Castle Junction, which adds ~1hr

Fernie for sure, or honestly maybe just Bowen Island.

Ah yes, I have gotten off the highway in Golden and it is a surprisingly nice little town when you get a few blocks of the highway. So point taken.

update here. old thread, i know.


i have towns narrowed down to nelson, rossland, and kimberley. i would love to hear first/secondhand info if anyone has it. my brief summary of these towns, in comparison to one another, is as follows:
* nelson: most amenities. highly aesthetic (city and mountains). homeless problems. most expensive real estate and limited building options. best quality mountain access, but perhaps not as much super close local stuff. ski resort sounds like it might be overcrowded these days, and while the snow is reportedly the best, it's definitely smallest on the list.


* rossland: least amenities. bedroom community for trail, which is an engineering hub (with questionable water quality). strong community network. recreation in the backyard. mountain quality is lower - more like foothills. close to quality outdoor swimming (christina lake), though a long drive nonetheless (nelson has swimming, but water is pretty chilly). not much for water/creeks in town. red resort is excellent and minutes from the door. super safe. no homeless issues. people i've talked with have said they would choose no other place. real estate is on par with kimberley. good access to road biking and US border.


* kind of a middle ground compared to nelson/rossland. colder, though it appears this is mostly nighttime temps and decidedly so in the winter. more sunshine than rossland; cooler than nelson. not as likely to be grey in the winter. ski resort is definitely not red level, but good enough size. doesn't seem prone to large population growth because of vicinity relative to main highway (you need to go out of your way to get there). mountain quality is higher than rossland, but not quite nelson. similar good sense of community and supposedly a thriving town for young kids. good local hiking, though it sounds like you don't want to live in kimberley proper b/c of early sunsets in the winter behind the nature park.



my job will be permanent work from home (thanks covid). wife is a PT, so some opportunities exist in all locations.


thanks!

Hope you settle into a good place of your choice .. I live in Chilliwack, and it being central . have great access to many trails; Manning Park area, Coquihalla, Fraser and Chilliwack River Valley.

Many many peaks to bag is that is your primary thing

K