Hello, everyone I am thinking of moving up there from the Okanagan. Is Prince Rupert a good place to live and do business? I know this is a general question but I have only been up there once and it was it 1995. How is tourism this year. Has everything gotten back to normal after the sinking of the ferry? Is there really going to be a boom that will turn the town around? Any information and opinions would help.
Cheers!
Rupert has it’s good points and it’s bad points, to be honest with you. Having lived there for twenty years and then moved on, I realise that it’s a place that does have a lot to offer if you enjoy nature and don’t mind living an “eight hour drive before you can make a significant right turn”. (my husband’s phrase)
Do you mind getting wet? I know that we think of rain as a alternative to shovelling snow but with all that rain comes a lot of grey and gloomy skies…there is nothing prettier than Rupert when the sun is shining but a lot of people find the winter months oppressive. In Rupert you don’t tan, you rust. 
As for the economics of the town, it’s slowly coming back from a very,very hard blow when the mill went offline years ago. When I was there three years ago I found it a lot bleaker and looking very run-down but with the container port coming online there is a new sense of optimism growing amongst some of the residents. Compared to the recession times of the 8O’s, I think the town has a much bigger hole to work it’s way out of but at least there is some movement in getting industry back on it’s feet. I think it does need an influx of new and fresh faces but please bear in mind it’s a place that is not going to be all shiny and pretty overnight, there are a fair number of societal problems going on (theft,vandalism,etc) that could impact you and while there is hope for Rupert’s future, it’s going to take a lot of work on everyone’s part to get the place back as a truly great place to be.
As for me, we turned down the chance to return there permanently this spring. Why? As much as it would be a chance to reconnect with friends, we wanted to be someplace closer to good higher education for our kids and a longer season for outdoor recreation. Those were the two factors that made our decision fairly easy but I think you should talk to as many people as possible and preferably in person before you make any kind of decision yourself. Good luck!!
I have to agree with Saffron on this. I too lived in Rupert for 20 years or so. I am not sure what your situation is with family, kids etc. We moved away 4 years ago and should have done it sooner. If you have kids, especially teens, there is not much there for them. The opportunities are sparse with sports and schooling.
As for the container terminal making a huge impact on the economy - only time will tell. They have hurdles to overcome in the growing stages too. I hope that it does help the town but they will need more than that to really boost the town back up to where it should be.
I would also suggest that you talk to alot of people in regards to the move. I do not know if you actually own a home where you are but to sale and try to return will be hard. AS Saffron says it is a 8 hour drive until you have a choice of which direction you want to go! 16 hours to Vancouver…
Good Luck.
I’m getting real sick of hearing this one.
Yeah, there’s only two high schools, with varsity teams in a variety of sports and at every grade level; both also have good theatre clubs. And there’s a soccer league, basketball league, hockey, slo-pitch, flag football, swim club, karate, boxing, Tae Kwan Do, racquets centre, golf club, two dance studios, a community theatre club, skateboard park, city youth council, youth drop-in centre, canoeing, kayaking and hiking opportunities, a ski hill just over an hour away, huge musician community . . .
Yup. Nothing for kids to do.
There’s TONS for active kids to do. Not so much for the lazy asses to do except bitch about not having anything to do.
I agree with poolboy and smartass.
We moved to Rupert just over a year ago and its great.
As long as your kids aren’t druggie or alchoholics yet this is a great town town to raise them in.
OK there are big pros and cons to this town just like anywhere else, I suppose it depends on your outlook.
Pros:
Cons:
Overall for me the pros outweigh the cons, the grass is always greener somewhere else until you go there and find out that hour-long commutes and mortgage payments on a $500,000.00 condo are not the way you want to spend your life.
I as well am sick of people saying Rupert is all rain no sun… so to say I have lived here now for 20 years. I can say 20 years ago it was bad but times have changed . we do not get the weather we did then. and when it does rain hey it all goes down hill from here. we do not get the flood’s . a little snow does not knock our power out.
sure was nice when Vancouver was with out power last year we were still getting the sun here . threw out the years the weather I must say has got better .
also with the port there is alot of store’s opening up here , the down fall is the traffic is getting heavier . but no complaints here as its nice to see more people here again. the schools are not that bad. lets cross our fingers and hope they stay the way they are. were we don’t have to worry about sending our kids to school were there is gun’s.or gang’s . don’t have that either . all in all guys Rupert is only as bad as you want it to be. any were you move there will be problem’s . there is no perfect place in this world to live. just live your life to the fullest. bye for now
I’ve been here for 23 years and have heard the complaints about the rain ad nauseum. The sun comes out and I hear complaints that it is too hot. You just can’t please some people.