Mary louise

My husband is Canadian and we have a business in Chilliwack. We currently live in UK with our 2 kiddies (8 and 3) but it looks like we will be moving to BC in the summer for at least a couple of years. Initially the easiest thing will be for us to live in Chilliwack ( we have family there and in new westminster and in port moody), although I'm not keen to settle there for more than 6 months. ( we have been there on busmans holiday for a few years in a row and doesnt seem that much to do and family that live elsewhere in BC don't think it's a great place to be). Aside from the private schools ( st Marys would be the one I'd go for, being catholic, but very different from Uk - lots of parental committment and volunteer work required or you pay more and schl didnt look any nicer than public schools ) which are the better public schools in the town ? ( have seen fraser ranking report - our business is in cultus lake but that was one of the worst ranked schools in whole of BC) Also want somewhere safe, family friendly, close to facilities, but not in middle of chilliwack, to live ?

Also ( sorry, lots of questions !) for long term settlement, where would you recommend in BC ? Victoria sounds really nice to me ( pretty, safe, lots to do, lots of parks and green space, beaches, mild climate) but have never been there. Also, my hubbie says it's out of the question as, right now, our only business is in cultus lake and also all close family are on mainland BC. Wish I could persuade him otherwise !

snoopster

Hi Mary Louise
We stayed in Chilliwack for a month 3 years ago and found the town to be a nice place to be. We didn't find out much about schools while we were there as it was the summer break, and the family whose home we stayed in homeschooled their children (although this was for religious reasons I think, not because of schools being particularly bad). However, when driving around the area, one area - Promontory Heights - stood out as being particularly nice. It was a new subdivision to the south east of Chilliwack - just north of Cultus Lake (which we loved by the way - went there most days for a swim and a sunbathe!) You can see it on Google Earth. It's a little higher than the rest of the town and just feels a little removed from the rest of town, but has lots of young families. I don't know about which school catchment area it falls into, but it might be a start when investigating schools a bit further.
Hope this helps. Chilliwack is a lovely place in summer, and is well placed for sightseeing being midway between Vancouver and the interior of BC. We loved our month there.

Aviator

Depends on if you want rural or urban. There are some nice properties on Promontory if sub divisions are your thing, Ryder Lake for rural, parts of Sardis are OK. Most schools are public, with the odd exception of a private school.

G W Graham is apparently an OK school. The private schools ar eon here http://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=78 (Google is your friend!) Can never see why anyone would want to pay for school twice, we pay in taxes, why pay again. My kids got a very good education at public schools as did I. Drugs are just as prevalent in private schools. Talk to the School Disitrict.

Personally I would far sooner live in Chilliwack than New West or Port Moody. Victoria was mentioned on the news the other night as being one of the highest crime rate in BC. It has been promoted from 2nd http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimes...e-32dee9c43c4c

You would be far better advised to visit before making judgments or decisions.

Mary louise

thanks Snoopster

you've made me feel more positive about Chilliwack. I have been to Promontory - we are a little put off by how cut off from town it seems and how small back gardens are - some of the new builds have matchbox size backyards !

Mary louise

That is really interesting - didnt see Victoria as a high crime area - nothing I've read suggests that it would be. Can I ask why you prefer Chilliwack to New West and Port Moody ?

Aviator

Surrounded by mountains, no congestion, lots of room, like small town living, easy access to mountains such as Hemlock and Manning, which are far less congested than the Vancouver and Whistler mountains. One downside, cultus is nice in the winter, but was too crowded in the summer with all those city slickers coming out. Pollution is an issue, however with all the easterlies we've had this winter, Vancouver has kept most of the pollution, hence the heavy fog that engulfed the city for 10 days earlier in the year. Pollution is a problem throughout the valley. Vancouverites are under the illusion that they pump it out and it all blows down the valley, which it does, but they are still breathing it while it is being pumped out, its a continuous cycle, at least when there is an outflow the valley is realtivley clean.

Crime can effect everyone, but it occurs everywhere, gang violence in Vancouver could well spill out to the cities such as PM & New West as the VPD clamp down. Thirty minutes to the US border and shorter lineups than the Vancouver crossings.

Housing lower cost than the big cities, hate shopping so that is not a concern, Costco only 30 mins away and can do most shopping I need online.

Victoria has come out as high crime for a few years now. The island is great if you like island living and don't need to travel to the mainland often. There are lots of nice areas outside of Victoria. When I go to the island I always fly over, take me about 40 minutes each way, that I can live with and never tire of the view. With the ferry you have to arrive at least an hour before the sailing, then 90 mins on the boat and 20 mins to get off if you're at the back.

Although I work mostly out of Vancouver, nothing would get me to live there. I'm in Abby right now, up on the mountain, thinking about making the move out to Chilliwack. It is only 90 mins to YVR, once a week, can handle that.

snoopster

Had we decided to live in BC, I think Chilliwack would have been ideal for us too. Not too far from the city, but far enough away to feel away from the hustle and bustle. We felt very safe walking around there too. It has a nice small town feel to it and the locals were very friendly and welcoming too. We chose Alberta in the end for job prospect reasons, but may make the move west in a few years time....

Mary louise

Does anyone have an opinion on Unsworth Elementary or Cultus Lake Elementary ?

Gerry.E

I work the Chilliwack area and Promintory is the best for families. Many young families move to this area and commute to other parts of the valley. Abbotsford is another option, as it is closer to Vancouver and you don't have to cross the Sumas prairie which can be nasty in the winter. House prices are decent in the Promintory area.

Aviator

Very subjective and personal choice, always visit before deciding. Promontory is not an area I would choose to live, way too densely populated, I guess if you like sub divisions it is OK. One should also take account of it being on the north side of the mountains, so in winter gets much less sun than other areas, some parts only getting late afternoon sun. None of it gets early morning sun.

dingbat

What are you talking about? My house is streaming with sun pretty much all day!! Right now I have the blinds drawn because I can't see the computer screen with the bright sunlight. It gets hotter up here than most places in the summer, admittedly icy to get down in the winter, but they're salting a bit faster now. Chilliwack Mountain doesn't get much sun, and is on the North side of town. I think you may have the two confused.

Aviator

Not in the least, navigation was always a strong point. Chilliwack Mountain is on the north part of the city, of which the south side gets AM sun and the north side get the PM sun. As you get higher it gets cooler, 2 degrees per 1000 feet give or take. The ashpalt and concrete in suburbun areas will cause these locations to heat faster and stay warm longer in summer though, so to some degree defeat adiabatic cooling.

Anywhere on the north side of a mountain get less sun. Was not particularly talking about your house, but in general. Most of the houses we looked at had significantly more shade than Fairfield Island for example. Marble hill has parts that get only one hou sun r in the winter.

We are also near the spring equinox, so the sun is much higher than it was 3 months ago.

PaulandNikki

Always be a little careful about taking newspapers reports of crime stats as the gospel, they rarely give you sufficient details to make an informed conclusion.

"In Maclean's magazine's rankings based on 2006 per capita crime rates, Regina is No. 1, followed by Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Prince George, Edmonton, New Westminster, Chilliwack, Victoria, Vancouver and Halifax."

So there you go, Chilliwack is more of a hotbed of crime than Victoria

scrubbedexpat091

Proprty crime seems the biggest issue in Chilliwack, been here 4 years now and never seen a ton of violent crime but there are known gangs out here but so far haven't seen the metro Vancouver style shootings but eventually we will I am sure.

I live on the downtown side simply because I lack the wealth for the nicer areas, but have never had issues here and there are families all over the city.

You have a business so that's good, as I have found the local job market pretty stale, been looking over 2 months now and haven't had so much as an interview. I've started to apply in fast food now.

I dislike the lack of modern shopping as compared to most ares citys we dont have the selection of stores and the stores tend to be older and smaller.

Abbotsford offers much the same as Chilliwack and still has areas of land and openness just not as much, but is closer to the border and city and offer more amenities.

Mary louise

Anyone know what Sardis is like ? ( we are particularly interested in McLaren Drive, Websters Landing - the new builds on the river side of the street)