Moving to Nova Scotia?

Moving to Nova Scotia? Part 2

Now that North America is still digging itself out of the latest recession, it’s time to reflect on what we found here and what keeps us from going back to Alberta. Is it the scenery…?    Is it the people? Just ask the customers at my husband’s Quest Coffee roastery.    They’d likely say “BOTH”.
We considered British Columbia 14 years ago, and made a few buying trips even. Little did we know that the Whistler cafe we decided against pursuing would be the site of the 2010 Olympics!! However, the other opportunities on Vancouver Island seemed also ‘not quite right’. It felt like the active Lifestyle went 24/7 — because it did! Not much of an escape from the rat race of Calgary.

Then while looking on the Internet (way back in 1996) a chance link from a mountain biking site in BC, to a cycling site in the Maritimes, caught my eye. The scenery was stunning. The tourism descriptions were envious. And the real estate was either gorgeous or so affordable my jaw dropped.
So taking the plunge cold turkey, we came to stay. “It was a cold and stormy night” when we rolled into Dartmouth and almost turned around.  Having never seen a downtown developed over 300 years, it was chaotic. However living in a B&B in Halifax for 3 months while searching for ‘home’ was almost like a mini-vacation. The Valley , which had caught our attention online with it’s Victorian mansions and cheap land ended up feeling too isolated.

The South Shore of Nova Scotia however, had less heat & humidity and more mix of old and new. The tourist favoured areas were quiet, since it was winter. The beaches were heavenly… solitude and sand dunes. Even in the summers they are unspoilt by vendors or fees! There’s also more lakes here than people — almost. So many waterviews, so little time. Well, actually though, time ticks slower in NS. It’s pretentious to quote, so i’ll just summarize this saying, that belongs to someone else: “We’re so far behind here, we’re ahead”.
Think about that. A sluggish but stable economy… little crime… also some stores that still close on Sundays. Even  REALTOR(R)’s have a Life, despite what those Canadian commercials say. So if you find this appealing, feel free to contact me about moving here, even part of the year. Lunenburg County prices only went backwards 6% according to Canada Mortgage and Housing . If you can be even further from the airport, the deals increase. Check out my other blogs for more photos, and talk to you soon!
PS>  to get to: Moving to Nova Scotia? A Followup,  click the link below, or copy and paste it into your browser
http://bgouthrogrunwald.wordpress.com
~Bettina

Bettina {Gouthro} Grunwald