Nanaimo – Canada’s Best Little City
Had the Democrats lost this election, I was seriously considering moving to Canada. The concept is now moot, but I did do some travel research about the best cities in Canada which would be ideal for an extended stay for a recuperating ‘liberal-in-shock’.
After mulling over the options, I plumped down on Nanaimo, a harbor city on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Nanaimo is about 111 km from Victoria and just across the Georgia Strait from Vancouver, with car ferries plying the scenic routes from Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay, and Duke Point to Tsawwassen.
Nanaimo Harbor
Moderate weather all year long, a long coastal shoreline with a mountain backdrop, laid back vibe and friendly people, quaint culture and lots of entertainment and outdoorsy activities. But nothing very strenous. Nanaimo is a whole lot cheaper than Victoria or Vancouver, and is accesible by road, rail, sea and air. What’s not to like? If you want the American equivalent, think about Staten Island, NY or Wilmington, DE as compared to New York City.
The thing about Nanaimo is that its a town on the cusp of becoming a city. Meaning that on the one hand, it still retains a distinct small town feel with plenty of baby boomers about to retire, sleepy bookstores, quaint shops and cafes in the Old City Quarter, where you can just sit and watch the world go by. And they’re very proud of their Nanaimo Bars and the Silly Boat Regatta.
On the other hand, there’s also a lot of enthusiasm, new developments, young City Councillors and a very happening and revitalized downtown as the younger generation seeks to push Nanaimo out of its lethargy.
Departure Bay ferry
Obviously, its moving toward becoming a major city, but that’s still some way off, and right now Nanaimo offers the best of both worlds. The Go Nanaimo Blog calls it Canada’s ‘Best Little City’, a description which neatly brackets the past and the future of Nanaimo.
Tourist attractions and things to do include the Nananimo District Museum, a Heritage walking tour, Port Theater, Great Canadian Casino, boat charters, day trips to Gabriola Island, Victoria, Vancouver and the Cowichan Valley, and skiing and snowboarding on Mount Washington Alpine Resort in the winter.
Places to stay incude The Buccaneer Inn, Coast Bastion Inn, Best Western Dorchester Hotel, and The Grand hotel Nanaimo. The Coast Bastion and the Dorchester are waterfront hotels with excellent views of the harbor.
Photos by Kam’s_World and sillygwailo via flickr (creative commons).
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9 Responses
I’ve been to Victoria and Vancouver, but have yet to visit Nanaimo. It looks great. I can’t wait to go someday.
I agree that Nanaimo is a great place to live. It really is. However, city council is definitely not “young” and the downtown core has a long way to go to be considered revitalized. It also rains about 7 months of the year. Growing pains aside-new development is always a contentious issue- this is definitely a wonderful place to live. If you visit, be sure to check out Newcastle Island, one of the city’s jewels for walking and exploring the historic coal mines. Mountain biking, kayaking and diving are also veery popular.
@Jason – Does look great, doesn’t it?
@Thomas – Your suggestions and comments are duly noted, especially about the rain.
As for the city council, I was referring to Angela Negrin (age 33) and Simon Schachner (age 25), both of whom want to be on the City Council after the civic elections on Nov 15. From what I read, both are pretty decent people who want to do some good and have real plans to improve life in Nanaimo, and they bring some youth and energy to the Council. I just wanted to make the contrast between the past and the future of Nanaimo. Didn’t really have the scope to explain all this in the post, considering it was supposed to be a local guide for visitors.
I really need to find my birth certificate so I can get back and forth across the border. Victoria and Vancouver are beautiful cities. Will put Nanaimo on the list of places to check out.
Nice to see some attention on a Canadian destination.
Oh my goodness! This is great: my husband and I just moved to Nanaimo from Minnesota … last week! We’ve visited a few times but haven’t spent much time here, especially when the weather is rough. We can’t tell how we’ll end up feeling but so far we love it.
And heck, if anyone wants to contact me about Nanaimo, feel free to email me at: tctransplants@earthlink.net. To meet more people, I’m planning to start a branch of my non-profit social group that helps relocated professionals meet and build a circle of friends in their new city. (www.Imnotfromhere.com). If you come here, please let me know.
@Phil – I’m sure Tourism Nanaimo will be delighted to hear that.
@Mark – You’re about to see a lot more attention.
@Laurie – Nice coincidence, you moving to Nanaimo just when this post was published. Hope you enjoy it there.
Nanaimo is a beautiful place. There are many amazing cities in Canada it is amazing how big the country is. Most Canadians don’t even know about the best places in Canada to visit and would rather visit the Caribbean instead!
I’m a travel agent in Nanaimo and i’m starting to get phone calls from people wanting flights to here instead of the other way around that we usually book.
I’ve lived in Vancouver, Ontario and Victoria and Nanaimo is much better than all of them, free parking still hahahah. Nanaimo has good rent prices, great people and it’s getting a lot of revitalization downtown.