Chilliwack, British Columbia

I remember being stuck there one night due to no public transportation after a Max Webster show at a local western bar if that tells you anything.

It used to be farmers, grow-ops, and bible thumpers. Nowadays it's basically a single-family suburb way outside of Vancouver (100km outside). And it's possibly about to flood as the snow melts and the Fraser river rises.

its about an hour from vancouver with traffic

its about 15 mins to abbotsford which is the biggest closest city and about 20 minutes or so to mission where you catch the west coast express - commuter train into downtown vancouver weekdays

its fairly big, undergoing a lot of development as people continue to move further into the valley

its got a lot of summer recreation, cultus lake is popular with people from all over the mainland, there are waterslides and such

its got a lot of services and shopping, a downtown, its a little laid back, gets reallly warm in the summer - much warmer than Vancouver - often it will be 20 in vancouver and 30 in the "Valley"

its really quite lush and green, close to the US border

people will live in chilliwack and work in vancouver or greater vancouver - chilliwack is part of what they call the Fraser Valley Regional District - not part of the GVRD so gas is cheaper

i like going there - its a nice place, small town feel close to the big city

It's got access to good outdoor activities, is almost at the foot of the mountains, has some neat events in the summer but generally bad night life and it has an excellent used book store.

The place reeks like pig shit. I gag everytime I drive through the area.

It sucks. Of course you mention you are moving from southern Alberta, so I guess it's all relative. You might find it to be quite an improvement.

They did produce a semi-famous band of the same name back in the 70's or 80's.

I've always liked Chilliwack. Beautiful valley setting , nestled in the mountains. Close to Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake / River which are great for boating, swimming, fishing, kayaking, etc. Lots of places to hike, cycle, walk. Yes, there are lots of farms so that gives it a more laid back, "country" quality than other places. You like that or you don't. I spent a lot of my teen years there because my grandparents lived there so I may be prejudiced. These days there are all the usual chain stores and fast food joints. As mentioned you are only 15 minutes to Abbotsford with its mega mall and only an hour to Vancouver for all that offers. If I had a job there I'd consider it to be pretty much an ideal place to live.

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<hr>its about an hour from vancouver with traffic <hr></blockquote>
Get real. As the previous poster noted, it's 100 km from Vancouver, and the drive must take at least 2 hours during rush hours these days.

BTW I think the band "Chilliwack" was really from Vancouver - they just liked the name.

Its a bustling, growing town, a city actually. I knew it better when it had a drive-in theatre, so you know my oppinion can't be trusted, but I can tell you that I don't like to drive through town anymore, at least during the day, too busy with lots of traffic. I never lived there, but have a certain affinity for it. You will like it once you meet some friends. Good luck!

Thanks so much for the info guys!!! It's funny cause a lot of the things you are saying are very much like where I live now...