Island girl meets northern living

Big decisions

Making a big life change can be scary. Moving from Vancouver Island, 850 kilometres away, to a city I’d never been to before came as a shock to our friends and family to say the least. Like many fellow Prince Georgians who move to the city, my husband was offered a great job with only a short window to decide. Being a stay at home mom and running my graphic design business, I’m pretty mobile — I can live wherever there’s a strong internet connection! Once I stopped fearing change and looked at the positives and opportunities the city had to offer — I knew we could happily make Prince George our home.

First impressions

Look closely to spot the squirrel!

• Moving here in the fall, the colours were absolutely beautiful. Tones of yellow, red and orange filled the hillsides and parks. It didn’t take long before I was exploring parks and trails with my little ones, always being met with a friendly hello by fellow nature seekers.
• The people. Everyone is so friendly here! I’ve lived in a few cities and Prince George is by far the friendliest place I have ever lived.
• Is it the sunshine? Coming from the West Coast I’ve seen my fair share of 20+ days of straight rain! Not in Prince George. There are so many sunny days here.
• The ample green-spaces, parks and trails throughout the city, and surrounding areas. There are so many places I’m yet to explore.
• The serious absence of rush hour traffic. Everything is in close, fast proximity. Hitting multiple red lights or waiting 5 minutes in traffic is about as serious as it gets here. I used to waste multiple hours a day commuting for work. It’s nice having those 600+ hours a year back in my life.

Whatever it is, people here are nice, sunsets are pretty, and I like it.

Finding a home

A major draw for many moving to Prince George is the affordable real estate market. Even those looking to invest in a property for future resale, or a rental property — the market is on a definite incline. We vouched to rent, however, given our timeline to move and never having even been to the city! Kijiji rentals was a great resource, as well as a couple of Facebook rental sites. With no idea of neighbourhoods and the layout of the city, I found the Move Up Prince George breakdown of neighbourhoods, complete with interactive map, very helpful.

Experiences so far

I am always reading or hearing about upcoming family-friendly activities throughout the city. We have had a busy few months living here, with no complaints of a lack of things to see or do.

A few highlights of family places we’ve been to so far are:

• Exploration Place: Great indoor resource for little humans to play, learn and explore.
• Playgrounds Cafe: The yummiest fresh baked goods, snacks for kiddos, and an indoor play area (so you can actually drink your coffee while it’s still hot, and watch them play!).
• Strong Start: There are a few schools in the district that offer this free, early education program for little ones. It is a great place to meet other parents/caregivers and let your small humans play, craft, make friends and experience what the program has to offer.
• The Prince George Public Library: So stroller accessible, cute pirate ship in the kid’s area, and tons of kid’s books and DVD’s to choose from.
• Cottonwood Island Nature Park: We have been to many parks in our short time here but this is by far my favourite. Search for hidden painted stones and be sure to bring along bird seed for the friendly chickadees that will land in your hand.
• Four Seasons Leisure Pool or the Aquatic Centre: Both are great. My daughter likes the Four Seasons for the slide and the Aquatic Centre for the wave pool.

A few things on my radar in the next month or two include; throwing on my snowshoes to explore some trails, (attempt!) skating at the Ice Oval, and attending WinterFest. I look forward to what 2019 has in store for our family, and to continue enjoying and experiencing what Prince George has to offer.