| Boomtown Nanaimo, British Columbia, is | | | | the services you could ask for, from the big |
| currently one of the hottest housing markets | | | | box stores of North Nanaimo to intimate |
| in Canada. Baby boomers all across the | | | | boutiques and cafes downtown. |
| country are casting their aging eyes west in | | | | |
| their quest for a retirement haven, and the | | | | Nanaimo is well connected. BC Ferries runs |
| many advantages of Nanaimo, BC, are becoming | | | | large car ferries from Nanaimo to Vancouver |
| known. | | | | every couple of hours, and seaplanes are |
| | | | constantly coming and going on their way to |
| First off, there's the mild climate moderated | | | | from downtown Vancouver or Vancouver |
| by warm Pacific currents arriving from Japan. | | | | International Airport. Nanaimo also has a |
| Nanaimo only gets a couple of weeks of snow a | | | | regular airport south of town and you can get |
| year, quite a contrast to central and eastern | | | | a free extension to Nanaimo on many Air |
| Canada which can be snowed in from December | | | | Canada tickets to Vancouver. |
| to April. There's enough rain to keep the | | | | |
| city's gardens and parks lush and green, but | | | | Another great attraction for snowbird |
| plenty of clear, dry days for outdoor | | | | retirees is the fact that Nanaimo real estate |
| enthusiasts throughout the year. | | | | is still affordable. Housing prices have |
| | | | increased 50 percent in recent years, but you |
| Nanaimo isn't a big city - under 100,000 - so | | | | can still purchase real estate here for about |
| traffic jams are the exception, and there's | | | | half which comparable properties would cost |
| still free parking downtown. As the main | | | | in Vancouver. Nanaimo Realty, Remax Nanaimo, |
| service center for the upper two-thirds of | | | | and Coast Realty Nanaimo can tell you more. |
| Vancouver Island, the City of Nanaimo has all | | | | |