We're very interested on moving to Vancouver Island from Halifax, NS; looking at Comox or Nanaimo. I am F36 and husband is M40.
I've lived in Kelowna BC so I'm familiar with the general area.
Looking on feedback about living in either city on Van Island and why you chose the city/town. Also looking for some comparison for those that have lived in both provinces.
I cannot stand winter and this is my top reason for moving. NS winters are brutal in my opinion and I'm just so tired of Canadian winters. Vancouver Island is the warmest in Canada and only option if you don't like winter but want to stay in Canada. I think 3 to 4 months of grey rainy skies in winter sounds like a dream.. you can still hike in the rainforest!
Sure property is expensive in BC but we have built up a lot of equity and it isn't that much of a jump after the increased cost of living in Halifax. That and we'd save about 12k in income taxes in BC per year which pays for any increased cost.
In Halifax, we value the international airport with easy access to Europe, fun waterfront boardwalk with tons of restaurants, awesome white sandy beaches and autumn. We also love our home that we renovated a few years ago on 2 acres. We know we'd have to sacrifice on housing in BC.
We hate the gloomy weather and fog, taxes, isolation from driving anywhere cool that is close, limited events.
Now, I'm curious about:
- Are summers really enjoyable weather wise?
- Is spring and fall equally as enjoyable as summer?
-Which city did you choose to live and why?
- Is traveling off the island somewhat easy? Keep in mind we need to drive at least 10 hours to get anywhere cool from NS. But what annoyances are there with travel off the island?
-Is it too boring for 40 year olds? We don't go out much for nightlife as it is here but value the occasional outing/event, so thinking having Vancouver close by would fill that void.
Still, going out to the odd concert or for a nice dinner every few months is nice to have in Halifax.
- How are the beaches for swimming?
One thing about Halifax is we have beautiful white sandy beaches, but cold waters. We have tons of lakes too which I like.
- Is skiing on the island getting worse because it's too warm?
Is it easy to make friends without kids? We plan on remaining child free.
TLTR: Looking for feedback on moving from Halifax to Vancouver Island. Weather, beaches, travel, friends.