Beautiful, friendly and full of life

The city of Kimberley offers a life that's free of big-city hassle but far from remote

1 of 2Kevin Wilson, is the City of Kimberley's economic development officer.

2 of 2City of Kimberley

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Kimberley, B.C., is a city like no other. Its breathtaking location on the steps of the Rocky Mountains offers its citizens and visitors a vast piece of paradise. The city itself, with a population of almost 6,700 people, offers low-cost affordable living (the average cost of a single-family house was $255,000 in 2011), a wide array of festivals, world-class recreation and a very enviable climate with snow-filled mild winters and hot summers.

Kevin Wilson, economic development officer for the City of Kimberley, is proud of all these things and more about a city that continues to grow and develop.

"Kimberley is free of big-city hassle but far from remote," Wilson said. "We have modern amenities and infrastructure, and the community has a new aquatic centre and offers a full complement of sports, recreational and cultural programs for all ages."

Wilson can't stress enough how much there really is to do with Kimberley Alpine Resort, a Nordic skiing centre, an 800-hectare nature park and mountain bike trail system, three championship golf courses and a new Conference and Athlete Training Centre—all within city limits.

So how does Kimberley keep its citizens happy and the tourists coming in on busloads? Well, it's involved a lot of planning and lot of innovative ideas. Here's a look at what will Wilson said could be happening in Kimberley in 2012.

Alternative energy

Solar power

Kimberley has plans for a $6.125-million project to install two megawatts of solar electric generation on the former Teck industrial site. This will demonstrate the viability of large-scale solar electricity, will position Kimberley as a leader in green energy, and will foster the development of knowledge-based economic activity in Kimberley.

Bioenergy

The City plans to build a regional business case for using waste wood from wildfire control to generate energy, to utilize waste wood as an economic input, to position Kimberley as a leader in clean energy and to foster the development of knowledge-based economic activity in Kimberley.

Community branding

A major goal is to renew Kimberley’s brand to improve brand recognition among target audiences and appropriately reflect community identity—and ultimately reinforce community pride and culture, and increase tourism and amenity migration. The first of these planning sessions has already begun. On January 13, 2012, The Kimberley and District Chamber of Commerce held its annual general meeting. The entire community was invited to attend the AGM, at which they had a very special presentation on how to capture the essence of Kimberley and present it to the rest of the world.

Amenity migration

Another goal of the City of Kimberley is to increase the population by leveraging the city's and region’s amenities to encourage people to live, work and play there. The goal is also to support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by creating local demand for goods and services, as well as to increase the municipal tax base.

Top three benefits of having a business in Kimberley

• Work/life balance: The abundant recreational amenities within city limits allow people to work hard and play hard, because less time is spent travelling.
• Dynamic business environment: Competitive taxation rates, ample retail space, land for commercial and light industrial development, access to high-speed Internet, as well as a community that supports local small businesses. Similarly, Cranbrook, the regional hub for public and private sector activity, is only 30 kilometres south, offering access to a market of more than 20,000 people.
• Skilled labour force: Sixty-seven per cent of the labour force in Kimberley has some form of post-secondary education. The College of the Rockies, located 30 minutes south in Cranbrook with a satellite campus in Kimberley, provides a supply of highly skilled workers.