New Series: In My 'Hood | DesignDreams by Anne from Kimberley, British Columbia

Today I'm excited to share a new series I'm calling In My 'Hood! A few months ago I was thinking of some posts I wanted to write and one of them was to write a post about my cool neighbourhood Mimico which is located along Lake Ontario in the west end of Toronto. As I was thinking about the post, I suddenly wanted to get a glimpse into other neighbourhoods around the country, so I asked a few other bloggers to share their 'hoods with me! 

Up first is a very sweet neighbourhood in Kimberley, BC via Anne Davies from DesignDreams by Anne.  I'll have another few posts to share over the coming weeks including one about my 'hood so check back to read more. 

Take it away Anne!

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Welcome to Kimberley, British Columbia!  

My name is Anne and I blog at DesignDreams by Anne where I share my adventures of fixing up my 1930s bungalow.  Today, however, I am sharing where I live and it is one of the most beautiful areas of Canada. Kimberley is located in the southeastern corner of British Columbia, near the Alberta and Montana borders.  It is in a valley between the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the Purcell Mountain Range.  We have views like this to enjoy:

and a super cute downtown shopping district known as "the Platzl."  

We have great restaurants and quaint coffee shops:

Over 100 kilometres (62 miles) of trails through old growth forests in town:

A huge creek that flows right through the heart of town:

Lots of local lakes and rivers - fly fishing is very popular out here.  So is whitewater rafting.

We have a nature park fully contained within city limits that covers over 800 hectares (1800 acres).

These are all the reasons why I particularly love living here!  That together with an extremely low crime rate, friendly people and pretty neighbourhoods, Kimberley feels a lot like Mayberry, USA (from the Andy Griffith Show).

This is my neighbourhood (from last fall)

We also have a ski hill inside city limits that is family oriented and has a vertical rise of 2465 ft (751m).  From the end of December to the middle of February, we generally get A LOT OF SNOW.  That's not my favourite thing... Most of the trails around here are used for cross-country skiing during the winter months, so I can literally pack my skis for one block, strap them on and ski to my heart's content for free.  The longest trail in town is plowed on a regular basis, so walking it is possible, too.  We also have a huge Nordic ski area at the ski hill that is groomed and lit for night-time skiing. If you want to ski two hills in the same weekend, you can spend one day at the Kimberley Alpine Resort and head over to the Fernie Alpine Resort which is an hour away and a completely different ski experience.

There's an aquatic centre in the heart of town, two arenas and a beautiful local garden covering 5 hectares that is free to the public.   

Our local campground is a huge draw - the Kimberley Riverside Campground is located on the banks of the St Mary River and is only a few years old.  It has a pool, an 18 hole putting course, loads of campsites for tents and RVs with either full or partial services.  It gets rave reviews from anyone who uses it and people come back year after year.  

Photo by Jarret Bell, Campground Manager

There's a cute little pioneer town about 45 minutes away called Fort Steele Heritage Town that has been around since the Gold Rush days.  It has been maintained in its original state.  There are demonstrations of old time skills as well as hayrides and gold-panning. 

There's an annual rodeo held just south of Kimberley every summer and one of the warmest lakes in British Columbia can be found half an hour away at Wasa.  It's located in a provincial park with camping available. 

There are hot springs an hour and a half north of us in Radium Hot Springs.  Golf courses are all over the place out here.  If you're a golfer, you might recognize the name Les Furber - the designer of several of the local courses.

We're only 3 hours from Banff and Lake Louise, Alberta.  Here are some views from that area:

Hauntingly beautiful, isn't it?  

I hope you've enjoyed this tour of my part of Canada.

Cheers!

PS - Want to feature your neighbourhood? Contact me at lealoulemonade (at) gmail.com.

With a small budget, big dreams and a love of a challenge, Anne blogs about renovating and decorating her tiny 1930s bungalow. A self-taught artist and professed power tool lover,  she enjoys writing, gardening, photography, nature and diy'ing. And she's never met a dumpster she didn’t want to root through! Come along for the ride!!

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