Living here in a Mountain Community has a lot of advantages. Traffic is less, Air is better, Views abound…you know…the great stuff they put in the advertisements. Although Canmore is a mountain town it still has some of the conveniences of an urban area. Yep we have a Canadian Tire, MacDonald’s, a DQ, Boston Pizza, Raddison Hotel and even a Safeway. It’s kind of a nice balance for most people.
You know the feeling, it’s a busy week. The phone and bombastic emails never seemed to quit. Deadlines, ultimatums have all been in your face all week. Now you must pack a bag, organize the kids, get the ski/bike equipment in the car and try to get on the road before traffic turns into gridlock. As you hit the outskirts of the city the magic starts to happen. Your grip on the steering wheel starts to relax, your teeth unclench, the kids start talking nice to each other. The transformation begins.
Thoughts turn to a nice fire, a nice glass of wine, and dinner with your family. It’s almost an instant transformation. Planning the next day becomes you focus. A bike ride in the morning, a family hike up Grassi Lakes in the afternoon. Friends for dinner on Saturday. POOF! The bombastic emails become a thing of the past.
There are others of us who look for more… or wish for more. It’s a very romantic idea. And some find the reality of being completely off grid a little too much. There are a few opportunities to have space from neighbour, to have a dark sky at night and look at the stars. You don’t have to be off grid to get those things. For individuals who look for this I often point them to some of the Hamlets that surround the Canmore area.
There are 4 I often point to, Lac Des Arcs, Harvie Heights, and Dead Man’s Flats and Exshaw. All offer some advantages and disadvantages but they all give you that feeling of mountain living without the neighbour pounding on the unit next door. Purchase opportunities are rare in the areas. Having lived in one of these areas for over 10 years, I know that there are lots of questions that one should ask when looking a property here to make sure it really fits your bucket list.
“More Bliss Per Square Foot” has always been my mantra living here in the Bow Valley.. why not make it yours.