My family has been on the hunt for our forever home since 2014—that’s the year my husband and I welcomed our first child.
We started our journey in Fort St. John, made our way to West Kelowna, ventured out to Alberta—where we settled for five years—and then trekked back to B.C., landing in Kamloops. Between, what felt like, every move we also welcomed a new baby! By 2020, we completed our family: two proud parents, four hilariously beautiful kids and one old dog.
While we thought Kamloops might be where we’d finally get some rest for the long haul, the sudden upending and quickly soaring real estate market had us re-evaluating our plans.
That’s when I stumbled on Prince George. It checked off all the boxes:
- An attainable housing market
We bought an affordable, single family detached home; with room for all the running, and space to make all the noise. - A good mix of local and chained restaurants
I love food. We lived in a tiny, rural town for five years, so being able to grab *insert: literally anything to eat* at 8 p.m. was on my list of must-haves. - Trees
My husband loves the outdoors, and almost every neighbourhood is surrounded by mature trees. Being close to nature was on my husband’s list of must-haves. - Kids Activities
Seeing as the city’s second largest age demographic is made up of those 14 years and under, there’s plenty of opportunity for extra-curricular activities as my kids get older. Also, having a local toy store was on my kids’ list of must-haves.
- An up-and-coming arts and culture scene.
I truly believe a strong foundation to a thriving community is found in arts and culture. To me, that’s where passion, inclusion, diversity and acceptance lives. As I took a closer look at Prince George, I discovered the vibrancy here. - Close amenities
Over the last 10 years I’ve learned to appreciate the small things in life, like being able to drive to a grocery store—or really, any store—in under seven minutes, or to my office in five minutes. Plus, having a university, college, sport centre, aquatic centre, museum and more within city limits can’t be beat. - Opportunity
Landing a job with Tourism Prince George was the proverbial icing on the cake during our move. As for my husband, a new small-business owner, he has already felt the support of the community. That being said, wherever your specialty lies, there’s a good chance you can put it to use here! Check out recent job openings in and around Prince George.
Given the above, it was an easy decision to dig roots into Prince George. It has its small-town feel, with a big-city appetite, and room to grow.
So, while I don’t know what the future holds, what I do know for certain is that we finally feel like we’ve made it home.
Thanks, Prince George.
