After a recent list of the best places in Canada snubbed our Beautiful BC, we’ve decided to create our own list.
Re/Max partnered with Montreal-based data analytics firm Local Logic1 to determine the top neighbourhoods in major, growing real estate markets, and the prairies shone overwhelmingly.
The list named Downtown West End, Calgary, Winnipeg’s Daniel McIntyre, Oliver/Wîhkwêntôwin in Edmonton, and Regina’s Heritage Park among the top picks due to several factors, including affordability and access to amenities.
Ramon Cliff/Shutterstock
“Livability refers to the qualities that give each homeowner the true satisfaction of living in their neighbourhood, such as access to affordable homes, green space, restaurants, entertainment or other amenities,” Re/Max explained in a recently published report.
“Livability is largely related to lifestyle preferences and is entirely subjective.”
Subjective is right. While there’s little we can do to make Vancouver affordable, we have to argue that plenty of less expensive spots still have a liveability that surpasses our friends to the east.
College Heights, Prince George
6ix sigma/Tourism Prince George
While Prince George has several up-and-coming areas, we are highlighting College Heights because of its proximity to retail spots, downtown, restaurants, parks, the Fraser River, and the airport. Plus, as the name suggests, it’s on the doorstep of the University of Northern BC and therefore boasts a younger demographic. Rents vary between $1,300 and $2,000 a month, and according to Facebook Marketplace, the chance of getting a two-bedroom or large space is significantly higher than if you compared your search to other BC cities.
Willoughby, Langley Township
Langley Events Centre/Aristotle
This neighbourhood is booming, and there are many good reasons why. While Willoughby isn’t in downtown Langley, this northwest neighbourhood has all the amenities of an urban city with its Langley Events Centre, restaurants, and bars. However, it maintains a more suburban attitude with many residential areas and parks and is close to the historic Fort Langley. Homes average about $943,000 each, according to Zolo, and looking at rentals, it seems to average about $1,700 for a one-bedroom right now, and there’s way more available than if you’re looking in, say, Walnut Grove or Fort Langley. If you want to head to a concert in Vancouver, it’s not too far away, and if you commute, that 555 bus connects to the SkyTrain for convenience.
Mill Lake, Abbotsford
Kyle Hislop/Shutterstock
When it comes to where locals would recommend someone look in Abbotsford for housing, this spot came up overwhelmingly in a local forum. So we dug deeper and found that not only does Mill Lake boast the beautiful urban park behind its name, but it is also close to several other attractions, the recreation centre, the highway and the U.S. border. Rentals.ca recently named Abbotsford the “most affordable BC market,” with an average asking rent of $1,830 monthly for a one-bedroom unit. Plus, the area boasts some incredible culinary offerings, which we’ve included in our roundup, the ultimate guide to the Abbotsford food scene.
Which neighbourhood did you want to make the list? Let us know in the comments below!