“You can get a horse!” my husband said after telling me that we were moving to Prince George for his work.
My husband and I were living in the small town of Sooke, BC, about half an hour from Victoria. In Sooke, we had a nice house, but very little property, and I was quarter leasing a horse – allowing me to ride once a week – so the prospect of having my own horse was very exciting.
Fast forward 11 years – I now have three horses. A Clydesdale (Magnum); Paint (Prince) and an Appaloosa (Buddy).
Although my husband’s work was what drove us to move to Prince George, and what got me excited was the prospect of owning horses, there is so much more about this wonderful city that made be fall in love.
Amenities
We live in Beaverly, about a 20-minute drive to downtown Prince George. Within a 10-minute drive, we can get to WalMart, Save-On-Foods, Canadian Tire and Costco. Downtown Prince George itself boasts a fabulous independent bookstore – Books & Company — and some really great restaurants, such as North 54 (upscale dining, extremely good lobster ravioli); the Twisted Cork (English-type pub, wonderful mixed drinks and their food is always good); and CrossRoads, a lovely brewery with very, very good pizza and even better beer. These are just a few of the dining highlights, and while many of these businesses are closed to or just starting to open up to walk-in trafficc due to COVID-19 restrictions, they are offering online orders, take-out, delivery, and even veggie box orders. You can find a list of open restaurants at supportpg.ca.
Wildlife
There is something about being able to sit on your deck and listen to the birds chirp, getting buzzed by a hummingbird, and hearing the clip-clop of horseback riders travel down your street. Wildlife is also common in Beaverly; we’ve had moose, deer, foxes, and rabbits just within a one-block radius of our home.
The lakes
My husband and I have taken up kayaking, and boy, there are so many local options for kayaking! There’s Berman Lake, about 20 minutes south of us, Circle Lake at Eskers Provincial Park in the Hart – we are definitely spoiled when it comes to the natural beauty that abounds here in central BC.
I absolutely love it here in Prince George. I honestly couldn’t see myself living elsewhere. The beauty is astounding; the closeness to amenities makes shopping a breeze … I love it more here every day.
