B.C. Best Places to Retire Thread.

The Einstein on the R1 has all of 3 yrs experience according to his posts on a local FB group. Managed to stick his front wheel between the rear duals as it was rolling along ...... no recollection of getting of the bike. Obviously so zoned out/distracted that he was right up the tail of that dump truck. And in morning rush hour, speeds along there aren't much more than 60 km/hr or so.

I lived out in east Abbotsford for 4 years, way up a hill. There was no transit so there was no easy access for nefarious characters to access the neighborhood. Combined with being 3 km off the highway and about 400m in elevation gain, they weren't riding their stolen bicycles thru either. However that LMD crush and total disregard of any civil treatment of strangers was enough. We moved to the east Kootenays and what a difference. Average home prices in the $250K range. My neighbor will be selling his 7 yr old, 4500 sq ft, beautifully finished, in law suite, 2 car attached/1.5 car detached garage, corner lot place in the next year or so ..... planning on asking $625K.

Incredibly clear air and water. People that, for the most part, treat each other with respect and kindness. Almost empty roads. Easy access to Spokane, Calgary and Kelowna. Endless trails and dirt roads to explore. Wildlife like I have never seen. Ospreys, kestrels, grizzly, elk, white tail ..... it is endless. The summer has been fantastic with weeks of 28-30 deg C days and no water restrictions. And I'm looking forward to having 4 seasons again ...... but I can update that in January! We aren't 100% that this is our retirement spot yet but after 4 months we still love the area. There must be something going for it, there are a lot of retirees already here.

@Sikorsky - Are you in Cranbrook, or perhaps a smaller town?

Anyone tried the Creston area?? I'm going to go look at real estate there in a couple of weeks. I want somewhere close to the US border and also good for cycling/motorcycling.

Any comments on Creston??

Cheers

Smaller town outside Cranbrook. A little over an hour away. We go there for any big box store items we require if we just don't go to Calgary.

Sent you a pm Sikorsky!

Cheers

I just did a small to medium tour encompassing up island, crossing over to Bella Coola, then northeast BC, circling back and through the Fraser canyon back to the ‘big smoke’ . That I could not find a standard headlight bulb for 3 1/2 days through these uniquely tiny towns, pretty well sealed my opinion that in my senior years,,,I’m not about to put myself in a position where I have to drive more than 1hour to get anything minor or major. Or have to drive more than 1 hour for specialized health care.
I’ve been pretty lucky, travelled the world by motorbike, jet, boat. There are indeed many shit holes in the world, indeed some festering shit holes in Canada and B.C. Generally they coincide with really decent real estate prices. In fact, they always do.
This continues to be an interesting thread. I’ve read many reasons for the move to ‘retire’. It seems a lot are about human being avoidance. I’ve been through places in B.C. where human interaction is most definitely an easy goal , but it’s a 4 hour drive every 3 months to stock up on stuff. I think most here enjoy a coffee, a decent pub, etc, but these places need a viable spending population to survive. I can only surmise that the balancing act between desolation and life convenience, and the balancing act with a high needs spouse, can make these big escape moves tricky?

"I can only surmise that the balancing act between desolation and life convenience, and the balancing act with a high needs spouse, can make these big escape moves tricky?"

10-4

Very good points Steve!
The reason we are looking to move elsewhere is I'm on acreage and the condos are only a block away now. Our little piece of property is worth a tidy sum and it's just getting too busy around here for me.

As to your comment about not wanting to drive more than an hour for things, I'm going to counter with it now takes about an hour to get anywhere in the lower mainland. That's if there are no traffic problems.

Funny, I spent 3 weeks in Montana/Wyoming and Oregon and hated when I got to the west side of the Cascades.

Cheers

I think life convenience would get the nod over a high needs spouse. Life wouldn't be convenient WITH a high needs spouse!

Cheers

Yep, urban sprawl has really gotten bad along the city side of the Cascades.. A few days back we stayed a night at my friends place just North of Everett, this was a rural area just a few years ago and the road noise would shut down at night... Now the vehicle traffic goes full out all night long and never shuts down.. It has gotten so bad that my friend bought a property in Ellensberg and plans to get out of the anywhere near Seattle/Vancouver corridor.. He is tired of fighting traffic anytime you want to go pick something up..

Yes, things are getting busy on the west coast. Many people want to be here. I moved to Crescent Beach, and then 12 acres in Langley at 1 year old, and at 7 years old. I've seen change. Massive change. I remember distinctly only 1 traffic light on Fraser Hwy, from 152nd in Surrey to Mt. Lehman in Abbotsford [then Clearbrook]. That light was at Fraser and Glover, downtown Langley. Change is the one constant in life, that's for sure.
I sort of have the same feelings you have regarding the west side of the Cascades. My preference comes directly from decades riding a motorcycle, in the summer, on the east side of the Cascades. The superiority of summer riding on the east side is quite fantastic. Winters on the east side,,,,I don't find pleasant.

I get news popups regularly on my desktop. Regarding specialized healthcare outside of major centres, here's what just came across my feed:
https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/0...-the-province-still-travelling-to-give-birth/

If I go east, I'll also go south for the winter as I'm not a winter sports person. As for hospitals/doctors that is a huge concern for most of us.
I'm going to go look at Creston in a couple of weeks and just see how I like it.
I grew up in Vancouver and it was a great place to be in the 60's, 70's and even early 80's, but Expo ruined this area!

Cheers

Expo definitely changed things.
I'm waiting for the final rush of persons escaping Hong Kong as the communists start to press buttons there recently. I figure 30% minimum increase in my home sale. Then I'll at least study the situation. It cannot ever be an emotional decision for me, it must be logical, and be made with situational awareness. I know personally of 2 couples who moved [one from Coquitlam to Qualicum, the other from Fort Langley to Youbou], only to both move back into Metro because of health care availability reasons. Ended up costing them both $75K + for real estate and assorted moving costs for this,IMO, clearly not thought out fully move.
I am fully aware that the lower humidity of the northern part of the Sonoran Desert reaching up through the southern Okanagan positively affects my aching knees. I also an fully aware that the dry air also negatively affects my nasal air passages. I also think I'd get a bit bored moving to a small town. "Mind rust" must be avoided in retirement. There are consequences to every move we make in life, not all are good. The art of weighing all of the good things in the current situation, and weighing the good things in the new situation, seeing if the scale tips more toward the good side of the scale, whether this offsets the financial costs incurred, all must be logical and not empathy triggered decisions.

Agree with your reasoning Steve!

I have been looking elsewhere for about 4 years now and since retirement 1 1/2 years ago I don't NEED to stay.

Part of my reasoning for moving is that we are on acreage in Cloverdale and the Clayton densification is very close now. Our area is slated for condos and 14 houses per acre. I just feel like we are being squeezed out........and if we are forced to move, it's time for me to try a smaller place to live as I have always wanted to get out of this zoo.
I'll never know if I don't try, so now is the time to continue the search.

Thanks for writing your thoughts as I think it helps us all that are in the same boat.

Cheers

Gotta put in a plug for the North Shuswap, Scotch Creek in particular. It's about 55 min to Kamloops or 45 to Salmon Arm, riding galore....both on road and off. If you stay off the waterfront, owned mostly by Calgarians, it's very affordable to most anyone and you have at least 4 months of excellent weather to enjoy what I believe is the best lake(s) in BC.

Any updates on where some of you retiree's have ended up? Or why you are where you are??

Cheers

Campbell River on Vancouver Island. Paid move to work for Telus on remote islands, often flying on a Beaver amphibious plane or on a water taxi to get to work. Retired 18 years now.

Scuba diving, freshwater, river, & ocean fishing, kayaking, downhill bicycling, camping, & skiing are added benefits locally.

Not a large amount of paved highways here, but the back country gravel is superb & only minutes from my door.

The "Road of Many Ditches" ...


Johnstone Straight ...


Muchalat inlet, Gold River ...


Backside of Mt Washington ...

What's the scoop on real estate in Campbell River these days FishnBiker?

....and are we fully recovered?

Average city homes (3~4 BR) are $400K t0 $550K. Further out you can get some acreage also. Since Covid, home offices have popped up & kept prices steady. My place is 10 minutes from downtown, 2200 Sq Ft, 4 BR, 2 car garage with RV parking on a 60 x 120 lot, 15 years. Assessed at $516K.

Recovered from the leg break, yes. Still have nagging nerve damage after 2 surgeries. The surgeon says it may last years more. Still able to ride & go overseas backpacking when available, so that's just fine by me. I still have my 95 Tiger, but it's being restored for a Collector plate while my Suzuki DR 790 does the day to day riding. The Tiger got too heavy to pick up after naps & the DR is 200 lbs lighter. Kayaking is now also more in focus for me as it includes my wife as well.

Some of the riding around here ... https://fishnbiker.smugmug.com/Motorcycle-Travel/Day-Rides-Vancouver-Island/

I am planning on Retiring in the Salmon Arm Area. Been here since 1957 But the place is changing fast. Developers are ripping up our greenspace and building houses row on row. We drove around at Christmas looking at lights and there are new streets all over. New houses in Canoe are selling for 6 to 7 hundred thousand. WTF! I am not really complaining the growth has been good for my business. Trouble is the growth is fast changing the character of our small town and out growing our infrastructure in and above ground. There are going to be some heathy tax increases to pay for some upgrades. Our planned Chunnel is going disrupt town way more than those who voted for it counted on. A new shit plant and swimming pool are on the books but with no idea how to fund them at the moment. The old ones are seriously over loaded and need of repair. The only saving grace is our city staff know all this and are trying to hold back the influx/growth in an orderly fashion. So just be aware if you're planning on moving here there are some of us old timers who might not welcome you with open arms, unless of course you're willing to pay lots of taxes, and I mean lots of taxes.