British Columbia mags- "Retirement" home advice

[Meanfruit]

You're all forgetting he mentioned his wife would like to be in proximity to male go go dancers, er, an urban center. So Revy, Golden, Nelson, and Invermere are out. Unless you can convince your significant other that a 2 to 3 hour drive to a "city" in a Canadian winter is child's play, this dream is gonna be short lived. Move to a bigger town, drive to your fun. That way you don't end up with a divorce lawyer instead of your sledding buds.

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[DougW]

Invermere? It doesn't have a ski hill it has a giant hot tub with a ski hill attached. If the lake/water summer thing was a big consideration I'd put it into the mix but also push Kelowna and Vernon to the top, Revie abit , Golden meh and push Canmore off the list.

Not to push Golden but Golden to Brisco (Bugs turnoff) is 45min , Invermere to Brisco is 30min.

[reckless toboggan]

Invermere? It doesn't have a ski hill it has a giant hot tub with a ski hill attached.

Funny because it's true.

Not to push Golden but Golden to Brisco (Bugs turnoff) is 45min , Invermere to Brisco is 30min.

Golden? Never heard of it. Nothing to see here...move along, move along.

[kootenayskier]

All of the towns being considered have access to World class outdoor recreation. Where they differ (widely) is in the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of community. It's the quality of relationships with friends and neighbours that make small mountain town living special, and finding the people you want to spend your time with should be a significant driver of your choices. If all you're seeking is better views and facilities and don't have anything to contribute to community, best to just stay in the suburbs and don't drive up the price of real estate.

[liv2ski]

I never really thought about Canmore. I have never been but I always assumed it was a tourist town like Whistler. I love Whistler but I do want my little one to grow up somewhere a bit more... real? What put me off Squamish is the house quality vs. the price seems out of whack with the places I looked at in the interior. That and I guess I have nostalgia for the interior.

I know little of Kamploops. I have been through Kelowna many times and, coincidentally, the guy I sit beside at work is from a farm outside Vernon, and this is probably biasing my decision process toward that area.

A few years back I would have said I lived to ski and would have pushed for something like Rossland or Nelson but my priorities have shifted with age and time and I suspect they will continue to do so. Also, I will continue to have business interests in Hakuba, Japan, so I may end up spending peak season back in the J-Pow anyway, making spring, summer and autumn the more important months to consider for my retirement home. There is a chance I may start some kind of time-occupying job as well (I am not sure being a rentier is a good example for my son and I am only 42...) so being close to an urban center gives me more options as well.

I had to double check the meaning of Urban center and came up with: "There are officially two types of urban areas: “urbanized areas” of 50,000 or more people and “urban clusters” of between 2,500 and 50,000 people. For the 2010 count, the Census Bureau has defined 486 urbanized areas, accounting for 71.2 percent of the U.S. population. The 3,087 urban clusters account for 9.5 percent of the U.S. population".

So do you want the larger urban area or the smaller urban cluster. I prefer the smaller, but I feel you maybe talking the larger. If larger, I still love around Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver. Close to town, yet you could likely be at Whistler in 45 minutes. O and if Squamish prices knock your socks off then maybe Kelowna is the call.

[DougW]

All of the towns being considered have access to World class outdoor recreation. Where they differ (widely) is in the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of community. It's the quality of relationships with friends and neighbours that make small mountain town living special, and finding the people you want to spend your time with should be a significant driver of your choices. If all you're seeking is better views and facilities and don't have anything to contribute to community, best to just stay in the suburbs and don't drive up the price of real estate.

Very true and this depends on the community and can vary over time. Ivermere has a terrible rep for local vs Calgary weekend people animosity, I would imagine if you had money, it would take a hell of a time not to be an outsider.

Golden sounds like it was terrible 17 years ago. We have a friend who moved there to be head of patrol and she has said going into the grocery store people would look at you like in invasion of the body snatchers. I don't think it is like that now.
Very true about getting involved , we known some people who have been here of 6 years and hardly know anybody. But then there is Mrs DougW and me ( inside the big costumes)

All hail the Snow King Bitches!!

[BCMtnHound]

I've found that the community acceptance for newcomers rests somewhere between 5 and 10k population, and the current economic state of the community. In the smaller communities when they lose a major economic driver (I.e. mill or mine), it becomes very difficult for the newbies. Especially if you come into the area not self sufficient wealth-wise. Places I've lived like this are Creston, Kaslo, Ft. St. James, Dawson, Golden. Places that population buffered the integration were Nelson, Cranbrook, Smithers. Granted I only lived in each for 3 or 4 years, but that has been my experience.

[DougW]

I think a big factor is the % of born there and their parents were born there. I most activities I would say that only 20% of the people in an activity are old family people. Many are newish or moved here 20 years ago, and the ones ones running things are newish to 10-15 years. In the young people demo only a small % were actually born in Golden, maybe 10-15% , majority came of a short time and stayed and made it work for 4 years, at that point some stayed and really become permanent and some drifted off. Now if I spent my time drinking at the legion those % would change radically.

[garyfromterrace]

Very true and this depends on the community and can vary over time. Ivermere has a terrible rep for local vs Calgary weekend people animosity, I would imagine if you had money, it would take a hell of a time not to be an outsider.

Golden sounds like it was terrible 17 years ago. We have a friend who moved there to be head of patrol and she has said going into the grocery store people would look at you like in invasion of the body snatchers. I don't think it is like that now.
Very true about getting involved , we known some people who have been here of 6 years and hardly know anybody. But then there is Mrs DougW and me ( inside the big costumes)

All hail the Snow King Bitches!!

Cool!! I've only seen that sort of thing in Prague. Very bohemium of you DougW. I see you're bringing it to your community, props!

[garyfromterrace]

I'm lucky enough to have good friends and/or family in revy, golden, Rossland, nelson. All of my clan are there to not be in an urban environment or near one.

[DougW]

Its a fun evening and done the snow King thing for 3 years and Mrs 2 years. Its abit heavy and can't see the show that well but still fun to be the King for a night.

[StuntCok]

Yes, the integration issue is also one of the things against moving to a small mountain town and leaning more toward something in Vernon or Kelowna, where the "locals" vs the "outsiders" vibe isn't so strong. The exception would be Whistler/Squamish, where I already have a lot of good friends and that is a location where a lot of my friends globally would pass through as well.

[DougW]

Invermere and Fernie are known for that. For some reason I think or at least in my experience Golden is very good, but I did hear on lady on the gondie , mid 30s, say it was hard. Maybe in that demographic??

[Mudfoot]

Stayed in Squamish for the first time for a few days while skiing Whistler last season. Seemed like a nice town with some cool places and friendly people, but the motel desk clerks told us, and they had signs all over the parking lot saying to take everything out of our truck at night because stuff was constantly getting ripped off. Allegedly it was meth-heads. I do not really know anything about the place, but based on my brief experience it did not sound like a place I would want to move to.

[DougW]

Golden has that too , bikes being stolen out of the back of trucks etc. There is a transient population ( Australians , just kidding not only them.... but mostly) who don't always get here with enough money and party too hard and an addicted population which is always going to be a problem.

[StuntCok]

The thievery aspect is quite foreign to me as a Japan resident. I leave my truck unlocked, keys in the ignition and often with a mountain bike in the box overnight with zero chance of thievery even with an Aussie living down the road.

[XXX-er]

As I near the end of a dubious "career" as an expat investment banker in Japan, I am looking to return home to Canada..

investment banker you must be pond scum eh?

But in any case, is your wife AZN what do you think will work for her is a more important question than anything discussed so far, cuz in reality skiing is a small part of life to almost everyone else who has a life unless maybe you get paid to ski but even then ?

I've seen guys bring AZN wife to small towns and it no workey very well, too cold, no culture that they are familiar with

even if she is not AZN you won't be in Kansas anymore Toto so its a different culture ... just about anywhere in BC if you don't secure your stuff someone is gona steal it

[BCMtnHound]

Theft in my experience has been concentrated in the upper-middle class suburbs, and along the highway corridors. Go to where the pickings are obvious and/or concentrated. Issues locally here have been organized crime related, hitting many communities along the transportation corridor in succession, mostly hitting businesses or more affluent looking houses and yards with obvious potentials.
I keep my yard clean and put away my toys, vehicles are mostly locked but not always, and I lose no sleep over it. More issues with free-ranging neighbour dogs pissing/shitting on the front lawn, or pedestrians helping themselves to the plums on the tree alongside the road.

[XXX-er]

Exactly ^^ go where the pickings are good

on that note buddy of mine who used to live in Canmore told me THE best garage sales were in Canmore, she used to hit them every Saturday am, cuz people from Calgary with lots of money buy shit they don't need, when they need to make more room to buy more shit they don't need they have a garage sale at the Canmore house and so its all really good quality stuff


I remember crashing in my buddys basement, place had 5 levels but it was so narrow I would fall asleep counting the 12 or 13 tiles wide and it was built " in the shade of a freeway "

she sold out, bought 5 acres on the side of the mtn up here and never ever looks back

[Beaver]

You're all forgetting he mentioned his wife would like to be in proximity to male go go dancers, er, an urban center. So Revy, Golden, Nelson, and Invermere are out. Unless you can convince your significant other that a 2 to 3 hour drive to a "city" in a Canadian winter is child's play, this dream is gonna be short lived. Move to a bigger town, drive to your fun. That way you don't end up with a divorce lawyer instead of your sledding buds.

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They have male go go dancers in Vernon?

[Beaver]

The thievery aspect is quite foreign to me as a Japan resident. I leave my truck unlocked, keys in the ignition and often with a mountain bike in the box overnight with zero chance of thievery even with an Aussie living down the road.

I hear that, I was visiting friends in the Kootenays on the long weekend. I left my bike leaning against my truck with the keys in the ignition. Everything was there in the morning, in Vernon I leave nothing out and always lock my doors. I failed to lock my car one night and lost my MP3 player, bike pack & a recip. saw. Mother fucking crackers.

[BFD]

investment banker you must be pond scum eh?

But in any case, is your wife AZN what do you think will work for her is a more important question than anything discussed so far, cuz in reality skiing is a small part of life to almost everyone else who has a life unless maybe you get paid to ski but even then ?

I've seen guys bring AZN wife to small towns and it no workey very well, too cold, no culture that they are familiar with

You won't be in Kansas anymore Toto its a different culture ... so just about anywhere in BC if you don't secure your stuff someone is gona steal it

Well that explains the terrible chinese food in New Denver.

[XXX-er]

Everywhere in Canada my people would immigrate can't speak good engrish can't find job so open chinese restaurant cook anything ... gwai lo have no idea what chinese food is anyway!

[StuntCok]

investment banker you must be pond scum eh?

But in any case, is your wife AZN what do you think will work for her is a more important question than anything discussed so far, cuz in reality skiing is a small part of life to almost everyone else who has a life unless maybe you get paid to ski but even then ?

I am one of the very few good ones. Honest.

Yes, the wife is Asian but has been desperate to get out of Japan for ages now. She is a good part of my motivation to leave, in fact. She was raised speaking English as a first language so that isn't an issue. She's spent a lot of time in Northern Manitoba so I am pretty sure the cold of interior BC won't phase her much. Anyway, it is good to hear that there are male go go dancers in Vernon as that widens my second career options.

[fatnslow]

I am one of the very few good ones. Honest.

Yes, the wife is Asian but has been desperate to get out of Japan for ages now. She is a good part of my motivation to leave, in fact. She was raised speaking English as a first language so that isn't an issue. She's spent a lot of time in Northern Manitoba so I am pretty sure the cold of interior BC won't phase her much. Anyway, it is good to hear that there are male go go dancers in Vernon as that widens my second career options.

You say that now but wait until she makes your hung over and tired ass all the way to Vancouver for proper short grain calrose rice after blowing a gasket after eating shitty white folks rice for just a bit too long.