This blog is about real estate, and as I am a Realtor in Nanaimo, most of the content will have to do with buying and selling real estate in the area but there is also info on what it’s like living in Nanaimo.

Some people wind up here after searching about “Vancouver real estate” or “Victoria real estate” only to find that such places are way out of their price range. They may have found out that Nanaimo is close to both of those places, is big enough to offer a variety of amenities and has more affordable real estate. They may not have heard of the small city of Nanaimo that is situated just across the water from Vancouver and even if they have, they may not know a whole lot about it.

So, let’s start with the basics.

Nanaimo is a town nestled between ocean and mountain on the east side of Vancouver Island.  There are about 85,000 people living in city limits and the broader Nanaimo area is generally considered to have about 120,000 people. (Like anywhere, what the broader area is, is somewhat open to interpretation.) We’re just over a 90 minute drive north of Victoria, which is the capital of the province of British Columbia. We are a slightly longer travel time from Vancouver via ferry but only 20 minutes from there or Vancouver airport (YVR) by seaplane. Other places that are accessible directly by air include Calgary, Edmonton and Seattle. All of which are places where you can of course transfer to flights that connect all over the globe. There are a long list of communities within short driving distance of Nanaimo and they offer just about every kind of outdoor activity you can imagine in a picturesque setting that blends evergreen forests, mountain and ocean.

The climate of Nanaimo is that of a temperate rainforest. Basically, your choices for Canadian winters are between frigid cold for many months on end… and rain. At least with rain, it doesn’t happen every single day and going outside for long periods in the winter risks discomfort rather than freezing to death. And you don’t need to shovel it. Yes, I’m biased, but after four winters years in places like Nova Scotia and Alberta… I revel in my bias. The west cost is where the milder winters are and Nanaimo boasts a lower rainfall average than neighbouring towns in the area.

Here are some weather stats that may interest you: Weather Network Stats on Nanaimo

If you want to lose yourself in stats, tables and figures, be my guest: More info on Nanaimo than you probably need.
I however, generally see tables and figures as tools, and not absolutes. Real life for me has always been less cut and dried that measurements make it seem, although like any tool they have their place and are needed for certain applications.

I imagine many readers will want to see the latest market statistics for Nanaimo. A word of caution though, as I have written again and again on this blog, there is a lot more to real estate that things like statistics and market timing.

For further reading have a look at my description of what draws people to Nanaimo and the Nanaimo Profile section of this blog.

Ryan Coffey