Victoria Now #1 Place in Canada to Retire

Victoria has been a hot topic this month, creating national buzz this month as popular Canadian finance magazine Moneysense ranked it as the number one place to retire in 2017!

Well known for its beautiful landscapes, stunning ocean views, and warm weather, Vancouver Island draws people from across the country and around the world. While many people grow up here and raise a family, typically Victoria attracts two main demographics: students, and retirees.

With three major post-secondary schools and a variety of specialty institutions, Victoria has long been the Mecca of university students from across Canada and around the world, drawing in over 30,000 students in a school year.

Retirees are often drawn to Victoria for its slower pace of life, away from the hustle and bustle of major cities. Don’t let that fool you into thinking island life is boring though. Victoria is a thriving city, full of life of its own. A variety of natural attractions, parks, and beaches make Vancouver Island an outdoor paradise, drawing mountain bikers, skiers, kayakers, and nature enthusiasts of all sorts.

Offering more restaurants per-capita than any city in Canada, and second only to San Francisco in North America, Victoria’s ever-changing restaurant scene maintains a balance of traditional cuisine and high end fare from cultures including Asia, South America, and Europe.

While locals have long known Victoria to be the best place to live in Canada, for the most part the city has flown under the radar. After barely cracking the top 5 last year in popular Canadian finance magazine Moneysense’s top 25 places to retire in Canada, Victoria has climbed to the number one, beating out major cities like Vancouver, Ottawa, and Kingston.

Beautiful weather, low property tax, and a variety of transportation options ended up being some of the deciding factors that placed Victoria on top (for the full list click here). Cycling and walking in particular are far more common in Victoria than elsewhere, and while we have nowhere near the public transportation infrastructure of Toronto, 12.5% of the population in Victoria takes the bus as their main mode of transportation.

What do you think? Why did you move to Victoria, and do you think this is the best city in Canada to retire in? Let us know in the comments section below.

For the full list of top 25 places to live in Canada, click here, and to find great properties and attractions in Victoria visit our website here!