In our attempt to help you move to Canada and choose the perfect place to settle in Canada, we love talking about big cities, bringing you places like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver. We also talked a lot about Quebec for our French speaking friends.
All these places are undoubtedly appealing. However, a new analysis of happiness surveys across Canada shows that people who live in small towns are much happier. Thus we decided to introduce you to some of Canada’s most charming and appealing small towns. You may not even know these places exist, and you really should. So welcome to our series about the best places to live in Canada: its smaller towns.
This time I’d like to introduce you to my personal favorite:
The town named BANFF!
OK, first Banff fact: it has a very cool name. One syllable that takes all the air out of your lungs. Due to its special regulations, it’s one of the tougher places to move to, but much like most things in life – the tougher it is to do, the greater the value.
You can find Banff nestled up in the Rockies in Alberta, as a part of Banff National Park. It was settled in 1880, as the transcontinental railway was built through the Bow Valley. In 1883 several railway workers found the hot springs located on the side of Sulphur Mountain, and soon after – in 1885 – Canada began to promote the town as an international resort and spa. In 1887 the town and surrounding area were named “Rocky Mountain Park”. This was the start of Canada’s National Park system.
The town is named after Banff, Scotland – birthplace of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1884. The name of the town was lent to a crater on Mars in 1976. In 1985 Banff National Park – which includes the town – was declared a World Heritage site by the UN. Currently, the town’s population comes in at just under 9000 people, and a little over 2000 households. The town’s economy is based heavily on tourism, so if you’re looking for a job in Canada and have tourism experience – imagine the joy of living and working in a picturesque resort town on a charming mountain.
Tell your friends! Banff is an amazing place!
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The town as a whole is a resort town and one of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations. You can walk from it’s southern edge to it’s northern edge in about an hour, and an east-west route would take 30-40 minutes to walk across. Banff is known for incorporating both the spectacular Majesty of the mountains with the comfort of hot springs. The town hosted the 2014 Olympic winter games and living in this town would keep one very fit. The town offers the coolest types of sports activities such as biking, hiking and scrambling. What’s scrambling? Go to Banff and find out (but seriously, it’s a kind of wall climbing technique that looks a little like Spiderman).
Maybe not EXACTLY like Spiderman…
The town is surrounded by 3 ski resorts, if scrambling doesn’t do it for you. You can also walk on water on Banff lakes. In the winter, after they freeze…
The town doesn’t just love fitness, it also loves its entertainment. Banff hosts 4 major festivals per year – the Banff World Television Festival, the Banff Mountain Film Festival, Rocky Mountain Music Festival and Bike fest. The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity hosts many outdoor concerts, musical shows, dance, opera and theatre.
The town’s great charm is magnified by the various kinds of wildlife one can see living a carefree life with their very respectful human neighbors.
Now, it’s important to be clear about this: living here isn’t for everyone.
It can be perfect if you like a serene feeling year round. If you enjoy meeting people from all over the world. If you love the friendly sunny way only people in tiny places relate with each other. It’s a country-mouse paradise. You don’t have to believe us. Search for Banff on Twitter, and you can find thousands of gorgeous photos that were taken at all seasons – some are of the incredibly beautiful park, some of the unique and fascinating wildlife, and many are of the picturesque peaceful town among the mountains.
Just a small sample
LAKE MORAINE (CANADA) Moraine Lake is a mountain lake located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada…🌷🍀👌👌 pic.twitter.com/TBdALZM0i3
— Vandevelde Solange (@solavandevelde1) July 15, 2018
What do you think? Are you charmed? Is this the place for you?
Tell us in the comments what you think about this gorgeous place.
Not your cup of national park? Tell us about your favorite place in Canada.
