I did some rough math about a few months ago, and I’m spending roughly the same on housing+transportation in Vancouver, than I would be in a couple smaller cities in BC.
Ultimately my situation isn’t everyone’s, but staying in the city made sense for me.
I looked at house prices in Gibsons, BC and holy crap are they expensive! 😱
Almost all desirable towns in BC are the same way. Revelstoke is another example of being a victim of its own success. Growing up I remember it basically being a truck stop off the highway. Now it’s an outdoor playground mecca with housing prices rivaling Kelowna and Victoria.
I didn’t realize Revelstoke’s prices had risen so much. Crazy.
But for a community to thrive and remain inclusive, it has to change—or the alternative, at least in Gibsons, is that we sprawl all the way up the mountainside and cut down all the trees.
And the decision has been sprawl. And that’s not really an alternative, because sprawl is not inclusive and inevitably kills the “thrive” part as well.