A BC town was just named one of the best places to live in Canada, but it’s a town you probably weren’t thinking of.
Oak Bay is the town in question, located right on the coast of Vancouver Island.
According to World Population Review, Oak Bay has a population of around 18,000.
So, what makes this small BC town one of Canada’s best places to live?
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MovingWaldo recently listed the 10 best places to live in Canada, using three criteria: safety, affordability, and quality of life, and it called Oak Bay a “unique municipality.”
While some may argue Oak Bay is suburb of Victoria, the BC government specifies Oak Bay is a municipality and municipalities can be classified as either a town, village, district or city.
We featured Oak Bay in this story that highlighted all the spots that made the list across Canada, but Oak Bay deserved the spotlight on its own.
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Some local attractions in greenspace-filled Oak Bay include Willow Beach, the Oak Bay Islands Ecological Reserve, hiking at Cattle Point, and playing golf at the Victoria Golf Club. MovingWaldo says that Oak Bay is renowned for its Edwardian architecture.
Compared to Vancouver, you could call Oak Bay inexpensive when it comes to purchasing property, although the average rent isn’t much more affordable.
MovingWaldo says an average one-bedroom apartment costs around $2,108 per month. The average cost to buy a condo property is $685,542, so it’s no wonder this BC town is one of the best places to live in Canada, especially if owning property is your priority.
It’s also apparently a great city to explore on foot.
“It offers a serene natural beauty setting with a walkability score of 67.”
Wellington County in Ontario beat out Oak Bay as the best place to live in Canada based on MovingWaldo’s metrics.
If you’re interested in visiting Oak Bay, it’s as simple as getting to Victoria and taking a short drive.