Have you been asking yourself "Is Nanaimo a good place to live?" Well, I'm going to give you my top 6 reasons why I think Nanaimo is the BEST place to live on Vancouver Island!
It's Stunning!
It goes without saying that if you're thinking of relocating to B.C. or, if you're lucky enough to be from B.C. that you're drawn to its beauty. Vancouver Island is no exception.
Nanaimo has surprised me with how much beauty is right in my backyard. I'm within walking distance to some of the most beautiful beaches and trails and I think my family and friends might be a little bit tired of how much I post pictures of sunsets and beaches... but honestly, sometimes it's visual overload. I'm so blown away by the amount of beauty here.
Warm Climate!
Part of what enhances the beauty of Nanaimo is the weather. We (My husband, 4 kids and dog) came from the North Shore mountains on the Mainland which do get a lot of rain and yes it does rain here in Nanaimo... I'm not going to lie. The climate is relatively the same as Vancouver, so very mild temperatures in the winter which is obviously a draw if you're from a colder region! We've noticed a huge amount of extra sunny days here on Vancouver Island and have really enjoyed the weather here in Nanaimo so far.
Road Trips!
Living in Central Vancouver Island makes it the perfect starting point for exploring.
Nearby, about 20 minutes away, you have a very popular tourist destination in Parksville. This spot is super popular for beachgoers and campers. It's a spot that we often take friends and family who come to visit and they love exploring the beaches there.
A little bit further out is a very popular spot many of you are familiar with- Tofino. It has arguably (and I will say) some of the most beautiful beaches in the world- and that's only about a two-hour and 40-minute drive. When you're already living in Nanaimo, you're dropping the ferry ride. It's such a close destination that you can go in the summer, or in the winter when you can get in some really good storm-watching!
If you're looking for a little bit more shopping, or maybe some different dining experiences, Victoria- which is the capital of BC- is only about an hour and a half drive away. You can drive down, spend the day shopping and exploring, looking at museums, and be back at home by dinner time.
Easy Access on and off Vancouver Island!
One of the main reasons we decided to move to Nanaimo was for the commutability. You might actually be thinking "how often am I going to leave the Island?". Well, wouldn't you rather be 10 to 15 minutes away from a ferry than let's say, an hour or two hours away from getting off of the Island?
Nanaimo has two major BC ferry ports. one of them is Departure Bay which goes into Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver. In fact, I spent a year commuting to my job in West Vancouver as a walk-on passenger! One of the other major ports is Duke Point which is a little further away than where we are currently in North Nanaimo. That gets you into Tsawwassen, so if you're going to the airport (YVR) it's a little bit closer to that location. So that's a bonus- I think it's really great to be able to hop on a less than two hour ride and get to the Mainland get to some extra shopping or have people visit you!
If you want to know more about the subject of BC Ferries, I am going to do another blog post on this topic in the near future!
Speaking of airports, Nanaimo does have an airport! It is a smaller airport but I consider this a positive thing- and this is coming from an ex-Flight Attendant. If you're starting off your vacation in a major airport it can be kind of stressful and what we have found is the Nanaimo airport is quiet. You can always find parking and security lineups are short. It's also going to connect you to any destination you need to get to! That is definitely a major bonus!
Get Places Faster!
Okay, I'm super surprised I didn't list this as number one! That's because when people ask me "how do you like living in Nanaimo?" my number one answer is always "I love that there is no traffic!!!". So, if you ask somebody who is from Nanaimo, they might disagree. They might tell you that it's getting busier and they find that their commute is a little bit slower. If you're from a large city, like we are, you will notice a huge difference! The main one being- you can actually plan how long it's going to take for you to get from point A to point B almost to the minute and I would say everything on average is about 20 minutes away, depending if you're going further out. You're not sitting in your car and I don't care how good your podcasts or audio books are... listen to those on the beach and spend less time in the car!
Visitors!
My final reason why I love living in Nanaimo- and some of you may disagree, but we have had so many visitors come and see us! I think there are a few reasons for this, the major one being that Vancouver Island is a very popular tourist destination for people looking for a staycation. Oftentimes, they'll come into Vancouver Island via Nanaimo using BC Ferries, so we'll have a lot of people come in and stop in on us on their way to other places like Tofino or Parksville. They'll stay for the afternoon or sometimes they'll stay longer on their way home if they're a little bit too tired to make it all the way across on the ferry. The bonus is that we've been able to afford a little bit more house to host them so if they want to spend the night we've got the space for them! It's been incredible, we've had friends and family that barely visited us when we lived on the Mainland come and stay with us here. That's a big perk for me- it may not be for you- but I certainly love it!
Those are my top six reasons why Nanaimo is a good place to live. I can go on and on about this topic- and I will in future videos, so hopefully you will stay tuned! If you are thinking of relocating I hope this has helped!
