Kaitlynn McLellan and her two kids would still be in Kelowna, if only they could afford a house here.
“Definitely, I would have stayed,” said McLellan, who moved to Calgary in April.
“I tried to buy in Kelowna for five years, but it just kept on getting harder and harder. Eventually, I gave up and left.”
While renting in Kelowna, McLellan saw the benchmark selling price of a typical single-family home skyrocket to $1.13 million, a townhouse to $829,000 and a condominium to $557,000.
She now has her eye on a nice, four-bedroom, two-bathroom half-duplex in Calgary for $386,000.
McLellan, who works in health care, admits living in Calgary has been an “adjustment.”
“We miss the lake. We’re the family that used to go to the beach and swim every night after work,” she said.
“We also miss the hot weather. Calgary’s weather is weird and unpredictable. And I miss my family. But overall, I’m happy we moved to Calgary. My boyfriend lives in Calgary and that was part of the reason for the move, too .”
Brad Parry is the CEO of Calgary Economic Development, which touts what a city of opportunity Calgary is.” class=”img-responsive” data-src=”https://www.kelownanow.com/files/files/images/Brad%20Parry .jpg” style=”margin: 5px;”/>
Such attributes led the Economist Intelligence Unit to rank Calgary the third most livable city in the world behind Vienna and Copenhagen and tied with Zurich.
Vancouver, a previous no. 1, is still in the top 10, as is Toronto.
Kelowna was recently ranked the second best small city in Canada, behind Victoria, by global consulting firm Resonance.
These rankings show all kinds of cities have allure.
Kelowna’s are generally long, hot summers, mild winters, stunning scenery, recreational lifestyle, wine and diverse, vibrant economy.
Calgary certainly has four seasons, with a cold winter, but still has all that quality of life and business acumen Parry mentioned.
Calgary boasts quality of life, affordable housing and a booming economy.” class=”img-responsive” data-src=”https://www.kelownanow.com/files/files/images/Calgary%20from%20Jim.jpeg” style= “margin: 5px;”/>
When KelownaNow put out the call for people who had moved from Kelowna to Calgary in order to do this story, we heard from a man who wanted to remain anonymous.
“Can’t afford it here no more,” he said.
“Had to sell and move to Calgary. Businesses here don’t wanna pay, but whine about how no one wants to work. Well, maybe the should look at wages and compare what it takes to live here. So long Kelowna. Can work nine months in Calgary and take July and August off to come to Kelowna and enjoy.”
Kelowna-based rental property investor Edison Reis hasn’t moved to Calgary, but wanted to add his two cents.
“Lots of people are moving to Calgary (Alberta in general) to take advantage of the lower property and rental prices,” he said.
“Yes, Kelowna is great, but if people can’t afford it, there’s no point in sticking around struggling.”
Paul Jarycki didn’t see the point in Kelowna Now doing this story.
“People move from all over the country. Why cherry pick Calgary?” he asked.
“Nobody cares. You move there, they move here. It’s called moving.”
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