realtylinkonline

Community Information: Sunshine Coast

Are you thinking of buying a home on the Sunshine Coast ? Here is community information to help you.

The Sunshine Coast is located on the mainland of British Columbia, roughly 30 kilometres from the City of Vancouver. The area is accessible only by boat or by air. The mild climate, natural beauty, and friendly rural atmosphere continuously attract new residents, especially artists and seniors.

In addition to the Town of Gibsons and the District of Sechelt, there are many small communities along the coast. The area is home to Canada's first self-governing First Nations people, the Sechelt Indian band. The Sunshine Coast Regional District encompasses five unincorporated rural areas: Pender Harbour, Halfmoon Bay, Roberts Creek, Elphinstone, and West Howe Sound.

The population is growing rapidly, especially the proportion of older persons. Population statistics are available at the BC Stats Web site .

[top of page]

Housing and Zoning

On the Sunshine Coast you can get all kinds of real estate, including undeveloped lots, waterfront homes, rural parcels, and private island hideaways. The housing stock consists almost exclusively of single-family detached houses.

For current house prices see our Market Tracker.

[top of page]

Shopping, Dining and Entertainment

Relative to the size of the communities, the Sunshine Coast has exceptionally good dining and shopping. Here you can find all types of cuisine in all types of settings — fish and chips, a full array of international cuisine, four-star restaurants. The main shopping and dining areas are in Gibsons and Sechelt but stores and gourmet hideaways can be found throughout the Coast, in Roberts Creek, Ruby Lake, or in the Pender Harbour area.

[top of page]

Parks and Recreation

The area is a recreational paradise with its numerous parks, waterways, and sandy beaches. It offers swimming, fishing, boating, kayaking, scuba diving, hiking, mountain biking, golfing, windsurfing, horseback riding, cross-country skiing and skateboarding.

There is also the Sechelt Arena, swimming pools, golf courses, bowling lanes, and much more.

[top of page]

Transportation

The Sunshine Coast can be reached by taking the Trans-Canada Highway to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, then boarding the BC Ferry to Langdale. The ride takes approximately 40 minutes. The area is also accessible from Powell River by a 45-minutes ferry ride from Saltery Bay to Earl's Cove.

Highway 101 connects communities along the coast. There are regular buses to Vancouver and to Powell River several times a day. The Minibus Service, operated by the Sunshine Coast Community Services Society, provides transportation within the area. ParaTransit service offers transportation on demand for those with special needs.

There are daily scheduled flights and charter services from Gibsons/Sechelt Airport to Vancouver Airport, Vancouver Harbour, Nanaimo, Victoria, Pender Harbour, Powell River, Jervis Inlet and Sechelt Inlet.

[top of page]

Education

School District 46 operates elementary and secondary schools in the region.

A list of schools and additional information can be found at the District's Web site.
For school rankings, visit the B.C. Ministry of Education site or contact the School District for detailed school profiles.

Capilano College has two satellite campuses in Sechelt. For information on programs visit the Capilano College Web site.

[top of page]

Community Services

The area has good health care services including St. Mary Hospital in Sechelt, medical and dental clinics, home care programs, and the Mental Health Centre.

[top of page]

Gibsons

The beautiful harbour of Gibsons became famous around the world because of the TV show "The Beachcombers". Today, it is a busy logging and fishing community with over 3,000 residents.

Located only five kilometres from the Langdale ferry terminal, the community attracts many new residents who use public transit for daily commuting to Vancouver.

Gibsons has two modern shopping malls, two shopping plazas, boutiques, and many fine restaurants. There is a museum, three art galleries, an antique store, Molly's Lane Market, a pottery gallery and a variety of fine small shops.

There are also numerous recreational facilities, a public library, a museum, archives, various churches and clubs.

With its many waterways and beautiful ocean side beaches, the town is a paradise for sports fishers, wind-surfers and scuba divers .

[top of page]

Sechelt

The District Municipality of Sechelt is located near the centre of the Coast on a narrow isthmus of land. With a population of over 6,000, this is the largest community in the area. It is also the seat of the Sunshine Coast Regional District and of the Sechelt Indian Government.

With the Rockwood Centre and the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre, numerous galleries and two college campuses, Sechelt is a strong cultural and educational centre of the region.

[top of page]

Other Web Sites

[top of page]