Seeking a culturally rich Canadian small town
Replies: 13 - Last Post: Nov 22, 2012 11:03 PM Last Post By: ianw6705
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Seeking a culturally rich Canadian small town
I currently live and study Chinese Medicine in Nelson BC. I love it here, but once I graduate, will need to move to a different community to open my acupuncture clinic (the market is far too saturated here).Places I've lived, loved yet don't wish to repeat:
- Nelson
- Vancouver
- Sunshine Coast (awesome!)
- BC West Coast: For various reasons, I choose not live on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands or the Lower Mainland (the pollution bottle necks and culminates in Hope).
I'm open to other provinces yet prefer to stay in BC or west-ish.
Things important to me in a town:
- strong and cohesive town core (the thing that usually collapses in on itself once Walmart moves in)
- live music and theatre
- farmers market and access to raw milk, fresh eggs etc.
- Prevalence of alternative thoughts & lifestyles (Witches, Queers, Hippies, nude beaches and happy assorted nuts & bolts)
- a healthy local economy (I'm going to be opening a business)
- clean air and water (i.e. low pollution)
- festivals
- alternative education for my child (such as Waldorf or Tyee etc.)
- Size would be between 10 and 25 000.
- I choose not to live in a densely populated area such as Nova Scotia (the proximity to New York and Toronto gives me the willies)
I need help finding a place to land! Suggestions and ideas?!
cheers
~Melifera
Bliss & Bless
2
I think Kelowna may be too redneck-sorry. And probably too big for what they are looking for.Sorrento, B.C. came to mind. Smithers, B.C. as well. I haven't spent much time in either though so you'll have to do your own research but the feel of the towns is much like Nelson, or more accurately, like Kaslo.
4
Merritt, Revelstoke, Rossland, Kimberly, Fernie, Castlegar .... Greenwood.Take your pick. In the end its up to you, moving to a new city, town or village is a major decision for someone to make, doesn't really make sense asking total strangers to help make the decision or do research for you, its an important decision YOU have to make.
Good luck.
5
What you're looking for is Nelson 15 years ago: somewhere you can go and have your expertise appreciated but where the market is not saturated. There are good folks in all of these places! Nakusp? Grand Forks? Creston? Vernon? Salmon Arm? Kamloops? Revelstoke? Kimberley? Williams Lake?Good luck!
6
Check out the Charlottes (Haida Gwaii).One half of Smithers would meet your needs. The other half is Dutch fundamentalists.
9
Seems to me they are seeking a whole lot of stuff that only bigger cities really supply over the long term, but wants it all in a small interesting place, with no city downside. Wouldn't we all? The danger of course is that they can all wind up selling soy candles and vegetarian pies to each other at the markets.11
Yeah well - her wishlist in the original OP is pretty long and unrealistic. Such towns do not really exist - with such a comprehensive list of goods with no bads (except in the minds of footloose hippies and also aspiring acupuncture business people).And PS - I knew a couple here in Australia from Smithers BC - she (an exchange schoolteacher) was okay albeit in a slightly weird way, but he was a complete frigging nutter - a latent backwoods axe murder I thought. Didn't warm me to up-country BC at all.
12
LOL #11:We do our best to make Australia extraordinarily attractive to that sort! We depend on you making them feel so welcome they never return.
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