Vancouver is one of the world’s most prized locations to visit and live in, but BC has an assortment of underlooked and livable areas that offer the same natural wonders at a fraction of the cost.
While these BC cities don’t necessarily have the same downtown buzz that Vancouver offers, there’s plenty to love about other parts of the province.
A recent Reddit post on the BC subreddit asked a simple question: what’s the favourite place Redditors lived in, in BC?
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The answers were quite varied, but a few BC cities stood out. Redditors helped to compile and analyze some of the answers to gauge which BC cities were most popular.
If seeing the stars is essential to you, these locations will give you a better opportunity than Vancouver:
Comox Valley
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Comox Valley was the area that had the most positive mentions about it. The Town of Comox has a population of approximately 15,000 people.
The Comox Valley tourism website suggests that “adventure begins here.”
Mountain biking, hiking, paddling in glacier-fed lakes and similar activities are famous here. Best of all, the cost of housing is, dare we say, affordable. While there are homes over $1 million, a quick google search suggests it’s not hard to find a lovely family-sized home for around or under $750,000.
Kamloops
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Kamloops followed closely behind the Comox Valley for the second most positive mentions. As of 2016, Kamloops had a population of around 90,000 people.
The Tourism Kamloops website says, “what we may lack in style, we make up for in authentic people and adventures.”
Mountain biking, hiking, fishing, golf, paddling and climbing are just some of the activities you can take part in, but, of course, Kamloops also has plenty of beautiful beaches to explore.
Regarding affordability, home prices in Kamloops are similar to the Comox Valley. Rent prices are also reasonable, at least compared to Vancouver.
Prince George
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The next place that Redditors had a lot of good things to say about is Prince George. Like the other locales in this story, there are plenty of outdoor and indoor activities to take part in.
Prince George’s tourism website celebrates two prized attractions: Black Diamond Bowl & Billiards and Overhang Climbing Gym. Prince George also has a historic curling club, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Property in Prince George is the cheapest of all the locales mentioned so far. You can find houses for less than $400,000. Rent in Prince George is a bit of a mixed bag, but you should be able to find something more affordable than the bigger cities in BC.
Campbell River
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Campbell River is located on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island and has a population of approximately 35,000 people.
“Welcome to the wild” is the motto for Campbell River, and one of the biggest attractions in this area is cold water diving. Divers can see things like sea sponges and other sea creatures.
Campbell River is a popular hiking and camping destination, but the area also has some great dining and cafe spots.
When it comes to affordability, you can get rent an apartment downtown for really cheap. If you wanted to purchase property, there’s arguably nowhere better in BC to do it when it comes to price, as finding a home to own can be done for under $350,000.
One interesting point of data is that since the mentions of Campbell River in the initial Reddit post, the Campbell River subreddit saw 388% growth.
Campbell River is definitely one of the most underlooked but livable areas in BC.
Okanagan
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Last but not least is the Okanagan.
The Okanagan area has a population of around 362,000 people, and while you might know it as BC’s wine source, there’s a lot more about the Okanagan that’s worthy of attention.
Okanagan’s principal cities are Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, and West Kelowna.
Biking and boating on Okanagan Lake are well-liked activities, and camping is quite popular in the area.
If you live in a major city, which of these underlooked and livable BC areas would you consider moving to? Let us know in the comments.
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