Like South Nanaimo and the Old City, the University District is distinguished by its greater concentration of students, young families, and artsy types. It's a very convenient place to live, being close to downtown yet close to the mountain - and also close to the Parkway expressway and VIU.

Note: While the University Village shopping mall is only a few blocks from the university, the Real Estate Board calls that area "South Nanaimo". Homes in that area are listed on my South Nanaimo page.

Condos & Townhomes in University District

Homes for Sale in the University District

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New
145 Garner Cres, Nanaimo

$885,000

145 Garner Cres, Nanaimo

4 Beds 3 Baths 1,970 SqFt 15,246 SqFt Lot Single Family Detached MLS® # 979903

RE/MAX of Nanaimo

455 Watfield Ave, Nanaimo

$439,900

455 Watfield Ave, Nanaimo

0 Beds 0 Baths 0 SqFt 5,228 SqFt Lot Land MLS® # 979586

RE/MAX of Nanaimo

New
438 Gail Pl 3, Nanaimo

$385,000

438 Gail Pl 3, Nanaimo

2 Beds 2 Baths 969 SqFt 872 SqFt Lot Row/Townhouse MLS® # 979797

RE/MAX of Nanaimo

95 Kennedy St S, Nanaimo

$1,195,000

95 Kennedy St S, Nanaimo

8 Beds 5 Baths 4,775 SqFt 9,148 SqFt Lot Single Family Detached MLS® # 973803

Sutton Group-West Coast Realty (Nan)

New
266 Harwell Rd 17, Nanaimo

$355,000

266 Harwell Rd 17, Nanaimo

2 Beds 1 Bath 905 SqFt 0 SqFt Lot Row/Townhouse MLS® # 980204

eXp Realty

1853 Valley Oak Dr, Nanaimo

$275,000

1853 Valley Oak Dr, Nanaimo

2 Beds 1 Bath 924 SqFt 872 SqFt Lot Manufactured Home MLS® # 976904

RE/MAX of Nanaimo

New
1936 Coal Tyee Trail, Nanaimo

$769,000

1936 Coal Tyee Trail, Nanaimo

3 Beds 3 Baths 1,844 SqFt 7,406 SqFt Lot Single Family Detached MLS® # 980001

Royal LePage Parksville-Qualicum Beach Realty (PK)

New
1865 Valley Oak Dr, Nanaimo

$349,900

1865 Valley Oak Dr, Nanaimo

2 Beds 2 Baths 1,162 SqFt 0 SqFt Lot Manufactured Home MLS® # 980037

RE/MAX of Nanaimo

2127 Wren Pl, Nanaimo

$1,159,000

2127 Wren Pl, Nanaimo

6 Beds 4 Baths 3,170 SqFt 7,406 SqFt Lot Single Family Detached MLS® # 963992

eXp Realty

New Open House
600 Ravenswood Dr, Nanaimo

$998,900

600 Ravenswood Dr, Nanaimo

5 Beds 3 Baths 2,017 SqFt 6,099 SqFt Lot Single Family Detached MLS® # 979838

460 Realty Inc. (NA)

545 Poets Trail Dr, Nanaimo

$928,000

545 Poets Trail Dr, Nanaimo

6 Beds 4 Baths 2,904 SqFt 6,534 SqFt Lot Single Family Detached MLS® # 968774

eXp Realty

525 Third St 202, Nanaimo

$399,999

525 Third St 202, Nanaimo

1 Bed 1 Bath 685 SqFt 0 SqFt Lot Condo Apartment MLS® # 977547

Royal LePage Nanaimo Realty (NanIsHwyN)

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University District Areas

There are a few distinct neighbourhoods in the University District, as shown in the image below. Scroll past the image for more info about the areas:

Showing aerial view of University District with borders and landmarks and neighbourhood names

College Heights

This neighbourhood of about 400 homes is perched on a knoll above the university and the Parkway. Many of the homes are large and have incredible views toward downtown and across to the coastal mountain range and Vancouver.

Oceanview College Heights homes

Buttertubs: Beside the marsh there are some larger, well-kept 1970s-80s homes around Bird Sanctuary Dr and Wildlife Pl, as seen below. It's a proud neighbourhood and most of the homes are renovated, though some fixer-uppers are still to be found.

Homes near Buttertubs Marsh


HawthorneHawthorne neighbourhood, University District, Nanaimo

Very desirable for families, this subdivision near the university includes mostly mid-2000s detached homes, as well as a European/loft-style cluster of townhomes at the corner of Wakesiah and 2nd St. Another phase is under construction in 2020/21.

Fairview: An old neighbourhood on the outskirts of downtown Nanaimo - between Wakesiah Ave and Pine Street. These are solid old homes, similar to what is found in Harewood. This area is only slightly less sought-after in comparison with the Old City.

Northwest Harewood (this is not a name that is used): The real estate board's "University District" boundaries happen to include the northwest parts of Harewood, closest to VIU, reaching down to Harewood Road as far as the Colliery Dams. This area has a lot of ageing houses, though many are very nicely renovated, and beautiful gardens are common. This is a popular area for investors to purchase homes for renting to university students, as the neighbourhood rests directly between VIU and shopping.

Recreation and Amenities

The malls of North Nanaimo are easily accessed via the Parkway. But the lakes and ocean and mountain are even closer:

  • Hiking trails (easy to alpine) - 6 minute drive
  • Dog off leash areas - 5 minute drive
  • Rocky beaches - 8 minute drive
  • Lake swimming - 6 minute drive
  • Nanaimo River swimming - 20 minute drive

Nearby Schools

  • Fairview Elementary ; 205 Howard Ave.
  • Georgia Avenue Elementary ; 625 Georgia Ave.
  • Nanaimo District Secondary School (NDSS) ; 355 Wakesiah Ave.
  • John Barsby Secondary ; 550 7th St.

New Developments in the University District

Fourth and Howard townhomes

560 Fourth St & 361 Howard Ave
Locals will recognize this large vacant property on Fourth St in Harewood, just a couple blocks from VIU. It was owned by the school board for decades, with a daycare and a karate studio operating out of a small schoolhouse before it was demolished in the 1990s. The property has sat vacant since, and is often the site of fires from homeless encampments. Now, there are plans to redevelop the property, as well as the 2-acre property next door (currently has a beautiful 1945 house and orchard) into a townhome complex with 18 buildings and a total of 219 units, at least half of which will have 3+ bedrooms in order to accommodate the municipality's call for family dwellings.

Image with two parts: Above, a satellite image showing the location of a proposed townhouse project near Fourth St at Howard Ave, Nanaimo BC; in the bottom of the image there is a rendering showing the style of townhomes proposed

The Village on Third (Phase 4)

The first buildings in this development were built in 2019-2020 at 525 3rd St & 308 Hillcrest Ave. (See a full breakdown of those here) You may know the "Bee's Knees" café which is in one of those buildings.

This newer phase involves a 31-unit apartment building east of the Bee's Knees, closer toward Howard Ave. It will also have a commercial space. In the image below you'll notice the location of 521 Third St (orange circle).

I don't know anything else about this new phase yet, but you can contact me for updates.

Drone photo showing a development site with two existing buildings and a mountain scene in the background

254 Adderly Rd: View Townhomes

This will be the first condo development at College Heights, and only the second condo development EVER west of the Parkway (the other is the 1990-built townhome complex at Harwell Place near the Jingle Pot Pub).

The views are going to be phenomenal from these Westcoast-style rowhomes. The plan is for 14 buildings with a total of 79 units, all of which appear to have garages and multiple balconies.

Drone photo showing location of proposed Nanaimo townhomes at 254 Adderly Rd

In May 2024 this development application was approved by the City - the permit expires if they don't start construction by May 2026.

Menzies Ridge Estates (townhomes)

Rendering by Raymond de Beeld Architect Inc. showing proposed Menzies Ridge townhomesLocated in the desirable Hawthorne neighbourhood near VIU, this development will include 7 buildings with a total of 22 townhome units (and a kids playground!). The City approved the development in early 2022 and there has been a lot of anticipation. The developer is signalling they expect to complete in summer of 2025, with presales coming soon (winter 2024/2025), starting at $589,000.

The rendering you see here was submitted along with the application and gives a sense of the layout and types of buildings.

Below is the location in relation to Buttertubs Marsh and the other homes in the area.

photo showing location of proposed townhomes at Menzies Ridge Place, Nanaimo

New cul-de-sac off Jingle Pot

Image showing approximate location of the 13-lot subdivision proposed for 2186 Jingle Pot Rd in Nanaimo(Still in approval application stage)
There's an application for redevelopment of this 4-acre property at 2186 Jingle Pot Rd. It would become a little cul-de-sac area with 13 new lots. This is very near to the location of the Jingle Pot mine from the first decades of the 20th century (a geo-technical assessment is likely a part of the re-development application process). This will be a very convenient location, and probably surrounded on all sides by trees. However, noise from the Parkway will certainly be a factor.

Hawthorne Estates (second buildout)

Aerial image showing the newest phase of Hawthorne Estates in Nanaimo's University DistrictCurrent/Ongoing
In the mid-2000s there was an initial phase of homes built near Buttertubs Marsh in the University District. Almost twenty years later, Hawthorne is still recognized as a very desirable neighbourhood. About half of the land was left undeveloped until recently.

This newer phase appears to be characterized by larger homes than the first phase, with more secondary suites. And while the first phase was characterized by a lot of tree-planting (and those trees have matured very well), such trees are noticeably missing in this newer phase. However, there are great mountain views, and the homes are looking good.

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