Gulf Island Lifestyle
The gulf islands and Vancouver Island have always appealed to those who seek a quieter, slower, naturally beautiful lifestyle. Artists and artisans, naturalists, healers, shamans, singer/songwriters, visionaries and comedians, schoolteachers, tradespeople, writers of every kind and people with hobby farms - these are examples of whom you might sit beside on BC Ferries.
Nanaimo's population is diluted and varied, primarily urban - so you won't see an intense concentration of what I'm choosing to call "gulf island lifestyle" - what you might find on Lasqueti Island or Hornby or Saltspring. But if you can't see its presence in Nanaimo, you must be blind. The Nanaimo Farmers' Market (Saturdays downtown), the Gabriola Ferry Terminal, Protection Island, parts of Jinglepot Rd and Harewood, the college, the campus radio station, the boutique shops downtown, and the art in the galleries all resonate with westcoast laidback feeling. There are drum circles in downtown Nanaimo all summer, along with dancing, stilt-walking, fire-dancing, and music jams. If you're looking for this kind of thing, you should really check out the waterfront, and look for notices at the Gabriola Island ferry terminal!