wavetossed

BC doesn't have much that would be considered "rural" by British standards. You either live in town, on the edge of town, or in the wilderness. The Fraser Valley near Vancouver is about the only place you find a Canadian rural setting but even that might be a bit of a surprise to someone who has a British idea of "rural".

Rupert is a nice town, almost on an island, very much a working seaside town. The weather is very predictable, just flip a coin. If it lands heads or tails, then it will rain today. If it lands on the edge then it will be a sunny day. In the winter, you can enjoy frosty mornings with an inch or two of snow followed by afternoon rain that washes it all away, or a nice sunny morning, rain at noon turning to snow at nightfall.

If you want real snow it is just a short drive off the island onto the mainland where the mild moist North Pacific air doesn't reach.

I think you are fortunate in your choice of profession. Medical professionals are in demand in Canada in general, and the demand increases the further that you go from the big cities.

I would suggest that you might want to try for adventure for the first year or two and pick someplace that even Canadians consider remote, and then if you don't like it, look towards any of the towns that you mentioned.

I think that Kamloops and Prince George offer some not quite wilderness rural settings since they are on large rivers, and since BC major roads follow the rivers, the shorelines get a bit developed. It is a thin strip of rural but you can't escape from the fact that bears and cougars do wander into the small towns and even the edges of most large towns and deer can be a problem for gardeners.

printer

In the whole of BC? 5 times the size of UK and the only place to find a rural setting is The Fraser Valley.

dboy

I think he means comparable to British. Generally speaking, rural living in the UK is for the middle to upper classes while here it is very blue collar.

printer

I realized he was comparing to Britain i just cannot believe that there is only one place in the whole of BC that would be applicable and unless you have travelled extensively throughout BC how would anyone know?

mandymoochops

(read - redneck, one tooth and a love of squealing pigs)

wavetossed

Yes, in the whole of BC. Go to Google maps, zoom out to show the whole province, select satellite view, and then zoom in one step at a time. It should soon be obvious that 95% of BC is mountain wilderness, and the inhabited areas are thin ribbons following the major river valleys. The only place that those valleys are wide enough that you can't see the mountains is in part of the Fraser Valley. That's why Chilliwack BC is used for the flat plains of Kansas in the TV show Smallville.

Then there is climate which makes some areas distinctly unBritish even if there are "farms". And there are no country manor houses handed down from lords and ladies. And there is a class of country people who by British standards, have more in common with travellers than with the chavs who inhabit housing estates.

If all you want is scenery, then live in Vancouver and drive north down Knight Street towards downtown Vancouver and enjoy the marvellous mountain views. If you want nature, then anywhere away from a big town is filled with nature. But if you want narrow country roads with idyllic cottages inhabited by retired bankers, you won't find it. No New Forest, not even rural Essex. Maybe some areas are reminiscent of the big wheat fields along the M11 south of Cambridge, but there is no Saffron Walden among them.

Canada is a FOREIGN country, but some people like that.

Bigdrums

You should seriously check out the Salmon Arm area right on Shuswap lake.

It is a beautiful town and amazing location to live. There are many options for rural living here.

You have a small town (40,000 population I believe) with all the amenities and many options for entertainment. It is surrounded by farm land, mountains and the best lake in Canada. Great education including the best music programs in BC.

You are located about 45mins from Vernon, 1 hour and 45 mins from kelowna and 1.5 hours from kamloops.

And even better location to live and grow up would be the blindbay/cedar heights area about 20 mins west of salmon arm. The winters here are beautiful and the summers are amazing.

I have met a few British families that have moved to this area and love it.

Salmon arm has a nice size hospital and from the constant shortages of nursing staff I'm always hearing about in BC, it should not be hard o get a job here.

(my personal views of kelowna and kamloops)

Kelowna is very nice but to me it seems like a party town. It has a city feel to it and is a very nice place in the summer.

I personaly hate kamloops. If you like dead desert hillsides, the smell of a industrial park and boil water advisories then this place is for you.

I seriously recommend checking out the sorrento/salmon arm area. It is the nicest place in BC.

Ps.

I'm writing this on my iPhone so I alpologize now for any errors or redundancy in the text. I cant scroll up to proof read and edit anything.

Good luck on your journey.

AlexInBC

Great first post Bigdrums. I have to say, I ventured to Salmon Arm for the first time this Summer and it was somewhere that I could consider moving to if we ever decide that we need to go somewhere bigger/busier than where we live now.

R I C H

An arid climate means arid landscape, doesn't mean it's dead.

I assume you mean the pulp mill smell? If you don't live in that part of town it's a non issue, no different from industry in any city.

In 5+ years here I've never experienced a boil water advisory, in fact Kamloops has one of the most modern water treatment plants in North America.

ann m

Ditto - we holidayed in Blind Bay in the summer - gorgeous.

And I have to agree that, aesthetically, the landscape around Kamploops does not float my boat - more like a moonscape, but I have no opinion on water supplies or odours!! It appears to have everything that you need though.

(sorry R I C H )

R I C H

No need to apologise. I live in an irrigated valley of hay fields and pasture, so the arid hillsides are a nice contrast. It's so alien to most people's perception of what they imagine Canadian landscape is, I'm not surprised it's not to everyone's taste.

HalfFull23

People thank you so much for your candour, much appreciated. Like I said before, it sure has given us food for thought about our plans as well as opening our eyes to some of our expectations.

However to be honest with you all, we didn't really envision Canada's rural setting to be anything like the UK, we knew that it was remote but I don't think we ever imagined just how REMOTE.

I have been 'google-mapping' places we're interested in as well as suggestions made thus far. And it's nice to put a picture to a place and have a vague idea however that's all it is AN IDEA, nothing beats experience but that's where the reece will come in.

On another note, we never thought we'd leave the UK and buy a home immediately...NO we plan on renting for a while just to get into the swing of things and decide on where to settle before making such a huge commitment.

Lychee

I think part of what distinguishes Canadian rural living to English rural living - in addition to the landscape - is the culture and mindset of the locals.

Mass generalizations of course, but in Canada - BC, specifically - the further away you get away from the city life, the further you get away from choice (groceries, fashion, amenities, cultural events, etc.), convenience, and sophistication - both mentally and physically. You're swapping sophistication for practicality.

I'd even argue that you're in more for a culture shock in Canada by moving to remote and/or rural towns. I do sometimes wonder, especially when reading about people who move out into the middle of nowhere Canada - some rural town - and then complain about not being able to make any friends, or not being able to relate to the locals. It's not so much Canada that's the issue, it's that they chose an area where the locals don't share the same values.

BC is predominantly mountainous with exception to its slim river valleys and the north-eastern "Peace River" district (which is practically subarctic, not unlike northern Alberta). If you value open-mindedness, an appreciation for international cuisine, global issues, urban sophistication... one typically doesn't move to rural BC to find it. Or if one moves to rural BC, be sure to understand the community values and mindset of the locals. You may be in for a surprise!

Should also note, most of rural BC revolves around natural resources: mining, forestry, and fishing. The locals consist predominantly of workers in these fields. It is truly a hinterland.

dboy

good post and to the point. there is something of a pioneer mentality with rural living here.

printer

You seem to be very well informed for someone who according to his signature line doesn't even live in Canada, oh wait you said "go to Google maps and zoom in blah blah" Easy to be an expert on all things rural when you have the internet at hand eh!
I don't know what the OP wants and if it is twisty narrow roads and thatched cottages then they will be sorry but you seemed to imply that "rural living" only exists in Frazer Valley, well it doesn't!
There are many "rural" places around the Okanagan and Shuswap areas that are suitable for someone looking to be "out of the City" but not so far that they cannot get to work/shops. Armstrong, Coldstream, Lumby, Enderby are all rural places within striking distance of Vernon for example. Someone else mentioned Salmon Arm and surrounding area.
There are valleys in between the mountains and NOT just in the Chilliwack area