minimeeze

Does anyone live out that way? We currently live in Abbotsford, but are looking to move to the 'Wack this year (I know, most people do it the other way round...lol) as I'm setting up my own business there.
We are thinking Promontory / Sardis area.
Any insider info? Streets to avoid (and yes, we will be avoiding downtown Chilliwack, Fairfield Island and five corners )
I currently spend a fair bit of time working in and around Chilliwack, but don't know what it's like to live there. I've had people telling me to avoid Promontory, but it looks lovely. Our main objective is to have a house with a view

Portsmouthcouple

Hi, we live in Sardis, just moved over from the UK, been renting here since Nov 2010 and we really like it, nice and quiet, many schools (no, we dont have kids) but it`s still quiet, 5 mins away from Vedder River which we enjoy walking along. Just need to find work now!!

Rich_007

Chilliwack facts here

minimeeze

Good one!

airbornesapper

Brought the memories flooding back, a chance to reflect on our first 6+ years in Canada.

Note to self....thank the man upstairs that's over

ExKiwilass

SarahBC

Hi there,

We bought our house in Fairfield Island in June 2010. We purchased here as we didn't want to live at a higher elevation in the winter (e.g. Promontory) and I wanted an easy run to work in downtown Chilliwack.

But the main reason we chose our house is the view:

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Chilliwack is obviously a lot quieter than Abbotsford. We find it a friendly little town with enough shops and facilities to keep us occupied. The bigger centres are close enough that we can go elsewhere when we fancy.

It has a different character to other Fraser Valley towns - I suspect it has a more home-grown population (the people, not the bud) and there's a lot less visable minorities.

In the summer, we love going to Cultus Lake after work, but the traffic on Vedder Road is sometimes heavy as everyone has the same plan!

Hope this helps,

Sarah

airbornesapper

Nice picture....trouble is when you turn around your looking at "the Wack"....

minimeeze

Thanks Sarah - stunning view!

I've been advised to avoid Fairfield Island as I've been told there is a high crime rate and issues with drugs in that particular area. Have you had any issues?

SarahBC

Hi Minimeeze,

We have had no issues here. The place seems mostly populated with old folk intent on watching the neighbourhood, or families with kids as theres a school here.

The crime/drugs label came about due to the prevalence of grow-op houses at the end of the 90's. There were a lot here - and all around Sardis and Chilliwack I've heard. A lot were busted purely because the neighbours knew what they were looking for.

In my opinion, Fairfield Island is a lot quieter than our old neighbourhood in Nanaimo. People make a real effort with the gardens and the houses are on big lots. It is of it's era - more 1970s houses than anything else. There are 2 nice parks, and there's a lot of walking and jogging going on. It's suited us as we get the nice view from the back deck, and we can go walking here.

We also looked at Garrison Crossing. It's very nice and most of it is new (apart from the refurbished Army houses that have been done very well). They kept the trees from the Army base and really made it look like a traditional neighbourhood.

Hope this helps!

Sarah

Portsmouthcouple

We agree with SarahBC minimeeze, we live in the Sardis area and although we are new here and dont know much about the history of the place, many locals have said chilliwack has grown into a much better place than it use to be.Your always find bad elements about any area you live in, christ we moved from Pompey!!! We have found Chilliwack to be a very pleasent community orientated place. We love the place.

minimeeze

Thanks for the replies

Garrison Crossing is off our list as the houses don't have the view we want. We are also considering Chilliwack Mountain - does anyone have any idea what it's like up there?

Totally agree with the 'bad area' in any place - look at Abbotsford.... crime capital of Canada We live right around the corner from the notorious Bacon's, even though we live in a supposed 'nice' area!

SarahBC

There's a lot of nice properties on Chilliwack Mountain due to the fabulous views. They get a bit more snow the higher up you go - I have a colleague who lives fairly high up.

Here's one in an adult community:

http://www.ecorealtyinc.ca/listing?id=258252224

Here's a few more too:

http://www.realestatevalley.ca/chill...eal-estate.php

I'd live there, but I'd want a better vehicle for the winter.

Sarah

Molly Pitcher

Hello Everyone,

I joined a few days ago and was finally able to post today. I'm not an expat as I live in Canada (born and raised), but this was the only forum I could find that has a Chilliwack board. As someone who is planning to retire in 3 or 4 years, I (we) are looking at Chilliwack as a place we might like to live. I've already taken a virtual drive around town using google streetview. I checked out downtown, Sardis and Promontory. I plan on doing more areas. The entire area is very beautiful. Lots of farmland, I see. Next I started checking out some homes for sale. I came across several that were on leased land. Does anyone know where I can get more info about leasehold land in Chilliwack? eg: how much, how long is the lease, who owns the lease etc etc. I could contact a realtor for that info but I don't want to do that until I am ready to buy. If you know of any links that could help me or have firsthand knowledge, please post it here. Thanks.

I also heard people mention about the air quality of the area. How bad is it? Surely it can't be any worse than the smog they get in Toronto and surrounding communities. I lived in Barrie (1 hour north of TO) for several years and we would get their "extra" in the summer on a daily basis. It wasn't an issue for us and we survived it to tell the tale. :-)

I'm not too concerned about crime in the area as everywhere you live has crime to some extent. Currently I am living in Edmonton where people are getting murdered left, right and centre. The end of the year stats will probably list Edmonton with the most murders in 2011. I will be moving to Winnipeg in 2012 and some say I am going from the fat into the fire.

So to finish, a town doesn't have to be perfect it just has to be perfect for us.

Aviator

I retired to Ryder Lake and like the rural environment.

Not come across many houses here on leased land, other than on the reserves. You can get ownership info through your realtor and through BC Assessment. Air quality is an issue throughout the Lower Mainland, I really notice it flying back into the valley, it looks like a green smog from Hope out to Vancouver. When the wind is from the east (like the past 3 weeks) we have great air quality in the upper valley, clear and crisp, Vancouver has all the crap blowing their way!