I think answering the “where do I live” question is mostly about optimizing:
- Proximity to works/school: you want to be as close to the place you work (or where your kids go to school) as possible. One of the reasons I moved to Vernon is my office is downtown here, and I can walk. A long vehicle commute can significantly decrease your quality of life.
- Proximity to family/friends: when you have kids, it’s best to be as close to your support structure as possible.
- Safety: you want to live an neighbourhood where you feel reasonably safe.
- Proximity to amenities: when you have kids, it’s nice to be within walking distance to a park, and be close to a grocery store.
- What you can afford: this is the big challenge right now. When I moved to Vernon in 2012, I was able to buy a place in East Hill for $350,000! My guess is we’d list it around $700k now. The price of housing is a big problem.
There will be no "perfect" neighbourhood that matches everything perfectly, there are tradeoffs.
My favourite neighbourhoods in Vernon, BC
- East Hill: houses in East Hill have a lot going for them. They're within walking/biking distance to downtown. Walking to school is an option in most areas, and there are some interesting parks (like the Peanut Pool park).
"Should I live at Silverstar Ski Resort?"
There's a good FB group that has a lot of Silver Star residents:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1500851453542500
There are definitely folks who live up there year-round.
As a general rule:
- Winter is awesome (skiing right outside your door)
- Summer is fun too (mountain biking and hiking)
- The shoulder seasons (Fall and Spring) are, however, less fun. It can get muddy up there, and the bugs come out in Spring.
However, it is only ~25 mins to Vernon.
