Parksville is a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The city is a quick 30 minute drive north of Nanaimo in the heart of Oceanside, on the sheltered east coast of Vancouver Island. Parksville, a community of 13,000 people, is an active community of urban professionals, families with young children, and retirees.

Parkville’s Economy

Parksville’s economy relies on tourism, the service industry, the construction industry, and the business, financial, and administration industries.  Parksville Beach Festival, a big tourist attraction, features the Sand Sculpting Competition with a rich history dating back to 1982. A total of 100 people attended the first event, and it was reviewed as a “great success”. From the BC Open to its present day title “The Quality Foods Sand Sculpting Competition & Exhibition”, this event has evolved into a world-class Master Sculptor competition. This year’s competition is held from July 9 – August 16, 2020.

(Karen Jean Fralich)

Real Estate in Parksville

When it comes to real estate, the Parksville-Qualicum area saw its benchmark price of a single-family home drop slightly to $571,400 according to new statistics from the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board. Comparing that to Metro Vancouver’s benchmark price of a single-family home $1,431,200, makes Parksville look quite affordable.

When we spoke with Parksville Mayor Ed Mayne about moving and living in Parksville, he said, “We enjoy the best of urban and rural living in the Parksville-Qualicum Beach region.  Parksville offers an excellent combination of business and recreational opportunities, services, activities and retirement as well as a great place to raise a young family.  Surrounded by a stunning natural setting, spectacular beaches and mountains, the community values a relaxed lifestyle and quality of life in Parksville. Parksville is a thriving place to do business and a popular vacation destination.”

Mayor Mayne was a big proponent of creating the Parksville Waterfront Walkway or “boardwalk” as it is known back in 2010. In 2010, the City of Parksville completed a waterfront walkway from the Community Park to the foot of McMillan Street. The project was made possible by additional funding from the Province of British Columbia and a contribution from the Beach Club Resort. According to the city’s website, “the boardwalk is ideal for convenient access to the vast sandy beaches of Parksville Bay or for a beautiful sunset stroll on a summer evening. The boardwalk, which is 445 meters in length and 4.5 meters wide, accommodates pedestrians as well as wheelchairs and strollers. The multitude of dog-walkers, joggers, families, cyclists, skateboarders and people on rollerblades using the path each day illustrates the fact that the Community Park is truly a community meeting place for residents and visitors of all ages.”

For all of you Parksville residents, did you know you can have coffee with the Mayor? In a unique approach, Mayor Mayne has a standing offer on his website: “Residents are invited to join Mayor Ed Mayne for coffee and an informal chat on Thursday afternoons. No appointment is necessary; just drop by City Hall between 2 pm and 4 pm on Thursday afternoons.”

Getting to Parksville

There are a lot of ways you can travel to Parksville to visit the city.  BC Ferries offers multiple daily trips from Metro Vancouver to Nanaimo, Helijet and HarbourAir both offer scheduled flights to Nanaimo and if you are arriving without a car, BC Transit can get you there. If you are looking for some exercise, you can get on your bike and cycle over. Here are some off highway routes to consider. Lots of options.

Why is addy interested in Parksville?

One of the properties we have in due diligence is in the heart of Parksville. Want to see a sneak peek of which property it is?  Setup a free account on addyinvest.ca to see the properties we are exploring.

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