I love sharing my passion for living in Nanaimo since my move here in 2021. If you’ve landed on this video you might be in the same boat we were which is you’ve decided you want to live on Vancouver Island but aren’t quite sure where! If you’ve gotten as far as Nanaimo, I obviously can’t recommend it enough and you can learn more about the reasons I love it in this blog post!
But what are your other options? What do places that hug Nanaimo like Lantzville, Ladysmith and Nanoose Bay have to offer? Let’s dive in…
Lantzville
Drive North just out of Nanaimo, and you’re in Lantzville. The district is divided into two subareas, Lower Lantzville, which is the town center near the water, and Upper Lantzville, which is above the highway and incorporates the residential area known as “The Foothills” and also where you’ll find the Copley Ridge Recreation Trail, one of my favourite spots to hike.
Lantzville has a large population of retirees, so you’ll find this community strikes a nice balance of quiet living but with close proximity to the amenities of Nanaimo. Most of the homes were built before the 1960s into the 1980s and this is the kind of place you’ll want to be if you’re looking for a single detached home, without any large condo developments and a low rental market. Lantzville home prices now are steadily listed at a median price of $1.2Million dollars.
In Lower Lantzville you’ll find a quaint little oceanside town with small businesses and restaurants including the Lantzville pub, which is a great spot if you’re looking to grab a bite with a view! There’s also the Winchelsea Golf Course and Huddlestone Park and Lantzville’s elementary school is Seaview Elementary.
The foothills in upper Lantzville is an ever-growing community which I touched on briefly in my new Nanaimo development videos. The location has prime ocean views, some of the most beautiful I’ve seen since moving here. But, you’ll be paying a pretty penny to live up there, think over 1.5-1.6 to well over $2milion. Because of the elevation, expect a bit of a windier climate with a bit more snow and fog in the wintertime.
Nanoose Bay
As you exit Lantzville going north you get to a peninsula village called Nanoose Bay. Again, this is an area with an older population and resort-style communities such as Fairwinds, which is home to one of the best golf courses on Vancouver Island. People love Nanoose Bay for the outdoor recreation opportunities, like world-famous scuba diving at Madrona Point and Notch Hill Loop Trail. There are three marinas here making it a popular spot for boaters. If you’re picking up on the luxury note, you’re correct. Most homes here are custom-built and come with stunning ocean and golf course views, which are reflected in their pricing. Just check out any of these homes in the Beachcomber peninsula and you’ll see what I’m talking about. However contrary to Lantzville, you can find some townhouses and condos living here at a much more affordable price point.
Nanoose Bay is located between Nanaimo and Parksville and be prepared to have to drive to anywhere you need to go! One thing I will mention is that the cell service here is awful. There are so many pockets of dead service zones as your drive through Nanoose Bay, so beware!
Ladysmith
I’m going to take you now in the opposite direction to a town called Ladysmith. Just South of the Nanaimo Airport, Ladysmith has recently garnered some attention due to Pamela Anderson’s relocation to her hometown. She documented this on Netflix and her HGTV show “Pamela’s Garden of Eden”. Yep, that beautiful oceanfront home is located roughly 30 minutes from Nanaimo.
It’s bigger than the two previous areas I mentioned in this video and although home prices have risen drastically throughout the years, you can find a nice range of modest family homes priced between $500-$700k. Of course, oceanfront homes will be much more than they would be anywhere else.
People love the community of Ladysmith and I know many people who were born there and have stayed to raise their own families. There are larger grocery stores and chain restaurants but you will have to drive to nearby Duncan or Nanaimo if you want to go to the movies or shop at bigger stores for example. There are three schools here, Primary (k-3) Intermediate (4-7) and Secondary (8-12) and Ladysmith shares the school district with Nanaimo which is district 68.
Ladysmith is a great location in between two larger city centers on Vancouver Island and close to transportation like the airport which I mentioned and the Duke Point Ferry terminal.
If any of these communities have sparked your interest make sure you get in touch!
