Considering a move to Nanaimo...Please Help

[novaviper]

Hey everyone!

I've been lurking on your board for sometime, so I thought it was time I post.
My wife and I are considering a move out west (from Ontario), and have been quite taken with your city. We have never been, and plan early next year to come for a visit. I was wondering however, if anyone could tell me what it's like to live there. It looks stunning, and a nice place to live but I'm totally judging that based on what I see or read. What are job prospects like? Or do most people end up going to the mainland to find work.
Anything you could tell me about what it's like to live in Nanaimo would be so so helpful. Thanks!

[ebusinesstutor]

Nanaimo is a great place to live. Here are the benefits:

• Nice size - large enough to have most big box stores but small enough to run into people you know
• vibrant music and arts community
• lots of great parks and beaches
• housing cheaper than Victoria or Vancouver
• car ferry service to mainland (Victoria is the only other Vancouver Island city to have this)
• major airline flies here (Air Canada)
• lots of great nature
• centrally located for Island exploring

Jobs are a problem here. No shortage of low paid retail and food industry jobs, but a real shortage of well paid higher level jobs. I think the trades are ok for work. The mainland is too far away to commute daily as the ferry ride is 1.5 to 2 hours and doesn't take you directly to downtown so you would have additional travel. Float plane service is fast and regular but about $75-$80 one way, so need a very well paying mainland job for that.

I was fortunate that I am an entrepreneur so I was able to live anywhere with a decent Internet connection. Great place to live if you want to start your own business.

[rcthink]

If you do quick search around this site and mine at http://islandadventurer.ca/blog/ you can see that Nanaimo is a very nice place for the outdoors minded if you're into that sort of thing.

[Geoff]

From someone who visits Nanaimo often from Victoria, Nanaimo has a lot going for it.

[RyanCoffey]

Hi there,

Well the first big change is the weather. Our winters are wet rather than cold. Some people will tell you about wet cold and dry cold. After three years in the maritimes I don't listen to such people any more. That was just damn cold to me.

I go over my perspective of Nanaimo on my website(s) at some length but the short of it is that it's easy access to wilderness and easy access to city. It's green all the time here and it's pretty. I've been all the way across this country and the most similar thing I've seen in certain parts of north Ontario. (But we don't have the bugs.)

I am under the opinion that it's hard to come here and get a job with a fat paycheque compared to some other places I have been but it's not that hard to find some kind of work either. It's a matter of being flexible and knowing what your priorities are. Most people are here mainly because of the lifestyle.

[All Ages Music Concerts]

Nanaimo is a great place to live. Here are the benefits:

• Nice size - large enough to have most big box stores but small enough to run into people you know
• vibrant music and arts community
• lots of great parks and beaches
• housing cheaper than Victoria or Vancouver
• car ferry service to mainland (Victoria is the only other Vancouver Island city to have this)
• major airline flies here (Air Canada)
• lots of great nature
• centrally located for Island exploring

Jobs are a problem here. No shortage of low paid retail and food industry jobs, but a real shortage of well paid higher level jobs. I think the trades are ok for work. The mainland is too far away to commute daily as the ferry ride is 1.5 to 2 hours and doesn't take you directly to downtown so you would have additional travel. Float plane service is fast and regular but about $75-$80 one way, so need a very well paying mainland job for that.

I was fortunate that I am an entrepreneur so I was able to live anywhere with a decent Internet connection. Great place to live if you want to start your own business.

I totally agree that being an entrepreneur is a must! I work under contract with really flex hours and do a few other entrepreneaur jobs and totally love the freedom of an island life.