About Nanaimo Area, BC

GoNanaimo.com announces the creation of the Nanaimo 50-Kilometer Holiday with seven self-guided tours within a 50-kilometer radius of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. As gasoline prices unpredictably rise and fall, vacationing locally becomes more attractive and Vancouver Island has so much to offer. The 50-Kilometer Holiday includes two walking tours within Nanaimo and five driving/bicycling tours to nearby mid-island destinations. Each tour is carefully crafted with a printable version and map which website users are invited to use on their trips.

Nanaimo’s waterfront and downtown are explored on walking tours which combine historic sites with scenic beauty. Lots of inviting cafes, galleries, and shops are along the way. Cyclists and motorists will visit the city’s finest public parks on the North Nanaimo Driving Tour. South Nanaimo is largely rural with some enjoyable attractions and hiking trails. The region’s finest private art gallery is in Cedar and Canada’s best bungy jumping is at Cassidy.

Further afield, Ladysmith and Chemainus offer history, hiking, kayaking, and culture. The cruise to Thetis Island from Chemainus is a highlight. Gabriola Island has some of western Canada’s most spectacular coastal scenery, plus outstanding bicycling and the region’s top artist’s colony. To the north, Parksville and Qualicum Beach have outstanding museums, gardens, parks, and galleries. The view of the Strait of Georgia from Qualicum Beach is unsurpassed. Butterflies, parrots, and wildlife are featured at world class centres in Coombs and Errington.

With so much to see and do in and around Nanaimo, it’s almost a waste to spend thousands of dollars flying halfway across the world when you could have just as much fun at home. An island holiday is a hassle-free holiday with no borders to cross, no travel insurance to buy, no bookings to make, and no money to exchange. So do your part to save the planet this summer by having a 50-Kilometer Holiday.

About the 50-Kilometer Holiday

The 50-Kilometre Holiday is roughly modeled on the 100-Mile Diet, a lifestyle revolution reconnecting Canadians with their roots. By creating the tours, GoNanaimo.com hopes to encourage Nanaimo residents to conserve energy and strengthen their community by traveling locally. The travel website’s seven self-guided tours are now freely accessible online at http://www.gonanaimo.com/tours/

Boomtown Nanaimo, British Columbia, is currently one of the hottest housing markets in Canada. Baby boomers all across the country are casting their aging eyes west in their quest for a retirement haven, and the many advantages of Nanaimo, BC, are becoming known.

First off, there's the mild climate moderated by warm Pacific currents arriving from Japan. Nanaimo only gets a couple of weeks of snow a year, quite a contrast to central and eastern Canada which can be snowed in from December to April. There's enough rain to keep the city's gardens and parks lush and green, but plenty of clear, dry days for outdoor enthusiasts throughout the year.

Nanaimo isn't a big city - under 100,000 - so traffic jams are the exception, and there's still free parking downtown. As the main service center for the upper two-thirds of Vancouver Island, the City of Nanaimo has all the services you could ask for, from the big box stores of North Nanaimo to intimate boutiques and cafes downtown.

Nanaimo is well connected. BC Ferries runs large car ferries from Nanaimo to Vancouver every couple of hours, and seaplanes are constantly coming and going on their way to/from downtown Vancouver or Vancouver International Airport. Nanaimo also has a regular airport south of town and you can get a free extension to Nanaimo on many Air Canada tickets to Vancouver.

Another great attraction for snowbird retirees is the fact that Nanaimo real estate is still affordable. Housing prices have increased 50 percent in recent years, but you can still purchase real estate here for about half which comparable properties would cost in Vancouver or Victoria. Nanaimo Realty, Remax Nanaimo, and Coast Realty Nanaimo can tell you more.

However Nanaimo's greatest attraction is its friendly, outgoing people. Nanaimo still has a certain "small town" air lost in go-go places like Toronto, and it's easy for newcomers to plug into the local scene. There's always something happening in the Harbour City. It’s paradise found.

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David Stanley’s travel series “Unknown Sights of Canada” is exclusively available on http://www.gonanaimo.com

With the holiday season upon us, we wanted to share some of "island ideas" & showcase some island businesses, over the next couple of weeks, to help make your holiday shop easier....

New Society Publishers http://www.newsociety.com/
New Society Publishers, is now a 20 year old island company who's mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society. They employ approx. 12 island residents, including the two owners. They offer a wide variety of books & some fabulous green building books & cookbooks - that we have in our personal collection.

Greenbeans http://www.greenbeans.ca/
This relatively new island online company offers a healthier more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic water bottle & thermos bottles. They also offer hemp bags, everything from market bags to backpacks. We have had opportunity to use the klean kanteens that they offer for sale, and would highly recommend them!

Gabriola Coffee Company e. organiccoffeeongab@shaw.ca
Gabriola Coffee Co. features 100% Certified Organically grown coffee beans, custom roasted and blended to please the most discerning coffee lover. Their roasting process develops the coffee's peak aromatic characteristics resulting in the perfect cup, smooth and rich in flavour and aroma. Email Di for additional information on their variety of offerings - this is a great way to wake up on Christmas morning!

Happy Shopping!

The Parksville and Qualicum Beach market is settling in to its laid back fall season. One now has time on sunny weekend afternoons with no appointments or open houses scheduled, to drive up to Mount Arrowsmith to view the flood of fall colors and pick pine and chantrelle mushrooms while getting a much needed dose of mountain fresh air and the quiet tranquility that comes from foraging in the forest.

Nanaimo housing prices rose 8% betwwen August 2007 and August 2008. The median housing price was $364,645.00 in August.

Nanaimo Unit Sales

August 2008: 78 July 2008: 120 August 2007: 155

Average Sale Price

August 2008: $372,669 July 2008: $364,182 August 2007: $345,991