Retire to Canada, the Great White North? While you would probably not think immediately about Canada as a place to retire, it has a number of great cities that offer culture, entertainment, sports, and friendly people-and are the best places to retire in Canada.
Isn’t it too cold to retire in Canada? You may be surprised. Yes there are some areas that have very cold winters and the average high is just above freezing but that may be a welcome change if you have been enduring very hot Texas summers for the past 20 years.
The cost of living may not be much cheaper in Canada than the US but we said “best” not “cheapest” places to retire…
So now let us take a look at some of the best places to retire in Canada
Kelowna
Kelowna has one of the highest proportions of retired people in Canada. It offers sensational scenery, golf courses (about 35 of them), the weather is mild and there are even 13 wineries. Plus, housing prices are reasonable.
The city has hot summers and temperate winters. During July and August, the average daytime high is 80o F. In December through January, the average daytime high is 32 o F. Kelowna has more than 2000 hours of sunshine a year. Its population is 96,000 and it offers all the amenities of a big city-unique shops, good dining and a vibrant cultural life.
Kelowna is the largest city in the Okanagan Valley and offers great opportunities for swimming, boating and fishing. There are also mountains nearby for hikers, skiers and outdoor lovers. Three major ski hills within a one-hour drive of the city. They are Big White, Silver Star and Apex. Its general hospital is the largest and most comprehensive in the southern interior of British Colombia and even has a full treatment cancer clinic. The average cost of a house in Kelowna in 2002 was $170,000.
Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia is without question one of the most attractive cities in Canada. It gets a good deal of rain but is close to the Coast Mountains. Its climate is not quite as mild as Victoria’s as its temperatures average 37° F. in January.
If you don’t want to ski at nearby Whistler or hike through Vancouver’s nearly 200 parks, the city is very cosmopolitan with upscale stores, the Vancouver Museum, Vancouver Opera, Ballet and the British Colombia and Vancouver Film School. The Vancouver Canuks play at GM Place and nearly everyone goes to watch.
Vancouver is home to seven hospitals and has approximately 900 doctors. It also boasts seven community health centers that provide a number of services including long-term care, mental health services and home support for the elderly. Its major drawback is that the average house price in Vancouver in 2002 was about $300,000.
Calgary
This city lies in southern Alberta on the Bow River where the prairie gives way to the Rocky Mountains. Its foothills are still home to some rope-slinging, steer-wrestling cowboys, but the city has a population of 1 million and is home to the second highest number of corporate headquarters in all of Canada.
Calgary boasts the lowest city tax rates in the country. But it is cold there. Temperatures range from 3° to 40 F. in January. The average annual snowfall is 53 inches.
The city inherited some first-class athletic facilities when it hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics. It hosts the famous Calgary Stampede, which is the world’s largest outdoor rodeo. The NHL’s Calgary Flames and the CFL’s Stampeders keep sports fans happy. The city also offers a wide choice of art galleries.
Edmonton
Edmonton’s West Edmonton Mall promotes itself as the world’s largest shopping center and entertainment complex. It has 800 stores and services, 19 theaters, an amusement park, 110 eateries, a casino and a five-acre wave pool. This mall literally offers the ability to shop till you drop.
Some 2000 doctors call Edmonton home and it has 11 hospitals. The average cost of a two-story house in Calgary is $227,389 and that of the bungalow is $212,688.
Kingston
Kingston is located where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario – midway between Toronto and Montreal. It is home to many artists who work in media arts, literature, visual arts and a growing number who work in time-based disciples such as performance art. It hosts several festivals during the year, including the Limestone City Blues Festival, the Kingston Canadian Film Festival and the Kingston Jazz Festival.
Kingston has two universities, Queens University and the Royal Military College of Canada. There is also a community college, St. Lawrence College.
According to Canada’s 2006 census, the population of the Kingston Metropolitan area was 152,358. In 2001, 14.1% of the population were of retirement age.
As you might imagine, the city’s major sport is hockey. In fact, Kingston is the home of the International Hockey Hall of Fame. It is also a well-known destination for freshwater wreck diving. The city has eight off courses, all of which are public, and three Curling Clubs.
Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario
This city is Canada’s national capital. It encompasses 1820 mi.² and straddles the Ottawa River, which serves as a boundary between the provinces of Québec and Ontario.
Ottawa and Gatineau have a number of national museums. The most prominent ones are the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Canadian War Museum, Canada Science and Technology Museum, the National Art Gallery and the Canadian Museum of Nature. It boasts two universities, Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. It has many sports teams, including the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League and the Ottawa 67ers, a successful Ontario hockey league club.
Gatineau is situated immediately across from Ottawa on the northern banks of the Ottawa River. It contains a campus of the University of Québec, and is the home of two provincial junior colleges.
The two cities play home to an annual Bluesfest Festival, the world renowned winter festival, Winterlude, the Canadian Tulip Festival, the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival and the biggest Canada Day Festival in the nation.
Ottawa’s population is 812,000 and Gatineau’s is 242,124.
Now you have an idea of some of the choices that await you if you choose to retire to Canada. You’ve learned about 7 of the best places to retire in Canada. You can plan a mini vacation to see several of the cities up-close and decide if you want to spend the rest of your life in Canada.
Learn more about traveling, living and possibly retiring in Canada:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Canada
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html