Nelson and Cranbrook ranked in Top 10 Best Places to Retire in Canada list

Earlier this year, MoneySense magazine ranked the Top 100 Best Places to Retire in Canada—two Kootenay towns made the Top 10.

by Keith Powell — November 29, 2017

The City of Nelson ranked #4 on MoneySense magazine's 'Top 100 Best Places to Retire in Canada'. — Photo credit: Kootenay Business/Keith Powell

Earlier this year, MoneySense magazine ranked the Top 100 Best Places to Retire in Canada. In the Top 10 of the list were four BC communities and two of the four were Kootenay towns, namely Nelson at #4 and Cranbrook at #10. Victoria was #1 and Saanich was ranked at #5.

A little insight on how the magazine made their selection, “Our (MoneySense) approach to determine where the best places to retire are in Canada includes the following factors. The place should have a thriving arts scene to ensure there is always plenty to do. A strong sense of community doesn’t hurt, either as it improves the odds that friendly helping hand is close by should you need it. It should have easy access to airports to make it simple to get away. It should also have pleasant weather (shorts in March would be nice, but that’s not happening because this is still Canada). Easy access to transit as well as plenty of walking and bike trails are important, and great health care is a must. Low taxes help, too, because anyone who nurtures their nest egg for 30 years wants to see it eroded by taxes.”

Here is how both Nelson and Cranbrook made it onto the Top 10 of the Best Places to Retire in Canada list, based on MoneySense's ranking criteria.

#4 — Nelson, B.C.

Population: 10,793
Average Value Of Primary Real Estate: $500,341
Average Rent: $830
Income Tax: $8,286
Sales Tax: 12%
Average Property Tax: $1,101
Travel To Work By Walking: 15.0%
Travel To Work By Bicycle: 2.0%
Travel To Work By Public Transit: 1.7%
Total Annual Rainfall (Mm): 564
Days With Precipitation Greater Than Or Equal To 0.2 Mm: 163
Days With Rainfall Greater Than Or Equal To 0.2 Mm: 128
Days With Daily Min Temperature Greater Than 0°C: 262
Days With Daily Max Temperature Greater Than 20°C: 115
Crime Rate Per 100,000: 9520
Crime Severity Index: 80
Violent Crime Severity Index: 71
Employed In Health Care: 5.2%
Offices Of Doctors Of Medicine Per '000: 3.06
Employed In Arts And Rec: 3.3%
Community: 106.5

#10 — Cranbrook, B.C.

Population: 20,626
Average Value Of Primary Real Estate: $391,617
Average Rent: $787
Income Tax: $8,286
Sales Tax: 12%
Average Property Tax: $1,592
Travel To Work By Walking: 6.4%
Travel To Work By Bicycle: 0.7%
Travel To Work By Public Transit: 2.0%
Total Annual Rainfall (Mm): 279
Days With Precipitation Greater Than Or Equal To 0.2 Mm: 122
Days With Rainfall Greater Than Or Equal To 0.2 Mm: 84
Days With Daily Min Temperature Greater Than 0°C: 191
Days With Daily Max Temperature Greater Than 20°C: 102
Crime Rate Per 100,000: 8963
Crime Severity Index: 76
Violent Crime Severity Index: 96
Employed In Health Care: 5.8%
Offices Of Doctors Of Medicine Per '000: 1.41
Employed In Arts And Rec: 1.2%
Community: 115.6