laddo73

Was hoping to find someone who'd actually moved there, I've been to Calgary and Vernon and don't feel that I could live in those places. Horses for courses I suppose.

Cchris

Kimberley is great, I've been running a business nearby for the last year. The area is great to explore in the summer and winter. I moved to Cranbrook, and wish I was in Marysville which is down the mountain from Kimberley.

Stinkypup

Absolutely, it takes all sorts to make a world. I'm not sure how directly comparable Calgary, Vernon and Kimberley are.. Large city- population more than a million, large town - population about 50k and Kimberley... Population of 7k. I don't like cities but I just think Kimberley aside from skiing and golf has little to offer. I don't think that one has to live there to work this out.


They describe Marysville as an amalgamated village with Kimberley- even smaller. Maybe some people have more 'hermit character' in their blood
You did ask for our thoughts.. Cchris seems to be the nearest you will get with regard to local knowledge so your question has finally been answered by someone who lives reasonably nearby.

When we came over for a reccie, we had Rock Creek/Midway on our list but saw the size and thought our kids would commit justifiable homicide if we made them live in such a small community... Just good to think of how a place will seem for kids as they grow up in, what are in essence fairly isolated communities with not a lot of facilities. Winters are harsh in the Kootenays and travelling due to snow/ice can be restricted

Cchris

The place is dead because everyone is enjoying the outdoors instead of hanging out in town. The east and west Kootenay regions are astounding, the Rocky Mountain trench is an amazing place, lots for young families to do. That being said, I feel like I need to venture more west soon and explore the interior.

scilly

My niece lived in Kimberley and Marysville for several years. She had a teaching position in Cranbrook, met someone from Kimberley and got married there.

She liked the area at first, especially as she had always been a great outdoors person and a competitive skier when in high school.

Being at home with a baby while husband's work took him away for days at a time nearly drove her crazy, and almost caused the end of her marriage.

The only time I have stayed in Kimberley was for her wedding in August, which happened 1 day before our 40th anniversary. I found it deadly dull .......

....... a tourist town in summer with everyone ooh'ing and aah'ing about the "Bavarian" look to the place

Even wikipedia describes it as "mainly a tourist destination".

I think there was 1 place that showed movies

If schools are, or might be, important to you, do be careful ........... check them out very carefully. Cutbacks by the provincial government are leading to a number of small schools across the province being closed and students bused to other communities. I have no idea whether any of the schools in Kimberley are affected, but you do need to check that out.

laddo73

You should see where we live now!!!!

laddo73

I hear what you're saying about it being dead, it still has more to offer than where I live now. Climbing, hiking, I also ski everyday through the winter, last winter I took 4 days off from skiing to go ski somewhere else!
Thats interesting, my wife is a teacher. She'll look into it, thanks.

laddo73

I didn't think it was that dead when I was there, maybe because where I live now is more dead.
If I walk around town here at 10pm on a saturday night I can't hear a thing and everyones lights are switched off in their houses. There's only one bar and thats on the edge of town.
I'm from the peak district area originally and spent the last 18 months in the Ottawa valley. I'm used to having hiking and climbing on my doorstep. Thats what I want back but without the rain and the high cost of property!

Stinkypup

I love the Peak District!

I think my worry is that you may be going from the frying pan into the fire. I think that there is a risk that you would get similar isolation moving to Kimberly. There are so many other places in BC which have more going on, not solely directed at tourists and therefore less seasonal but have amazing things to do around them, seemingly exactly what you would be after.

laddo73

"I don't think that one has to live there to work this out"

Not sure I agree with that....

I stayed in Golden and came away thinking that it had nothing going for it, since then I have met people that have lived there and say that its a great place to bring up a family and a great community.

Not comparing Calgary or Vernon to Kimberley just stating the fact that I couldn't live in those places. I live near to Ottawa, I hear that its a great city but I wouldn't want to live there for any money. Thats just me, I'm not a city person.

On my travels I met Brits living in Kelowna, they loved it but one thing I'm sure of is that its not for me.

My impression of Kimberley was that it had as much going on as nearby Invermere and was a lot closer to Cranbrook (without having to live in Cranbrook)

I quite liked Nelson but it seemed to be a bit hectic. Maybe living in this town has changed me! I used to live in London now I find Nelson a bit hectic!

laddo73

Where would you recommend?

The problem is that wherever we go needs to have enough schools to keep my wife busy with supply teaching. Also needs to be affordable enough that I can ski for the winters as I do now.

scilly

Well, there are other small towns in BC which are close to skiing, and where you won't be inundated (and fighting for space on the ski hills) than Kimberley! I talked to a couple of people who owned condos in Kimberley when we were there ......... and they all said that most of the condos and some houses were owned by Albertans who come most weekends for the skiing.

Smithers, for example ...........

This is a small town of about 5,000 people in northern BC on Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert. It is also the business and service centre for ranchers and farmers in the surrounding valleys, so there are more shops, services etc that you would expect for a place that size. There may also be more jobs available, as there are some mine developments on the horizon.

Main Street was done up in Bavarian style ca 30-40 years ago, when it was all the fashion for small towns to do so (they also got redevelopment grants from the provincial government to help "attract tourist" )

There is a ski hill, and you can be skiing within about 20 minutes of the centre of town ............... and it will not be inundated by Calgarians, and other Albertans. Hudson Bay Mountain has ca 35 runs

Hudson Bay Mountain. It's Always Been The Powder.

There are several schools, but I have no idea what the situation is re supply teachers .......... rather depends on subjects offered. The same comment re schools being closed applies, though.

There are, or were, several good small restaurants there .... one excellent Japanese in particular.

I've been there many times since 1970 ........... my sis-i-l lived there, and raised 3 children, 1 of whom still lives in the town, raising her own children.

I'm not a skier, and not that interested in climbing, hiking etc, although I loved camping ............ I'm much more of a city girl. So I couldn't have lived in Smithers, but it always seemed to have lots to offer.

The winter is long (but that equates to a long skiing season!), mosquitoes and black flies can be bad in season. The growing season is short, but intense (long growing days), and it is amazing what people grow in their veggie gardens.


There are other similar small towns in several areas!

Stinkypup

I knew you were going to ask that!- it is a good question. It would need a reasonable number of schools for your wife ... You didn't like Vernon, Thought about other areas in the Okanagan, Kamloops, Penticton??
The Island is a great place to live, not sure about schooling- good skiing but you would need to plan whereto live in relation to Mount Washington resort. Great outdoors stuff to do, the ocean, certainly worth a thought and good sized communities- search threads on VI - it is a popular destination

scilly

..... oh, yes

the local hospital is EXCELLENT. It is a regional hospital, so has services over and above a hospital in such a small town.

We had to use their Emergency Department twice on our last visit there (2 years ago), and I was really impressed with the nurses, the doctors and the surgeons that were involved with the very different emergencies involving my daughter and my husband.

My sis-i-l received all her chemo treatments at the hospital, though she had to travel to P Rupert or P George for certain scans, and once to Vancouver. The hospital is designated as a "regional treatment centre" under the direction of the Cancer Agency .............. I think that is the correct term. Stinkypup can correct me if I'm wrong!

scilly

One problem with living on the island is that it costs so much to travel to the mainland!

Check the BC ferry fares, and frequency of sailings.