Summerland is BC's 6th fastest shrinking municipality

[Glacier]

[DblDwn11]

Is anyone shocked by this? What's the average age in Summerland...90? Due respect to our friends there, it is a sleepy place. Can't see that improving anytime soon.

[fluffy]

I wonder if that indicates that people are moving away or if the population is dropping by "attrition" ?

[Tony]

You think that's bad - Merritt and Hope are number 1 !!!!!!

[bipdl]

WOOHOOO!!

WE'RE NUMBER 6! WE'RE NUMBER 6!

Probably has to do with the fact that the place has an identity crisis and doesn't know what it wants to be when (if) it grows up.

That's the problem when decision makers don't understand the difference between "image" and "identity", are oblivious to the value of the town's naturally inherent assets, and fall all over themselves whenever anybody shows up promising "jobs" if their whatever-it-is hair-brained development scheme is approved. Absolutely no sense of direction and even less idea how to get there.

"Baseball Hall of Fame" was last year's buzz... at the location formerly proposed for the defunct Summerhills Golf Resort! What's next? Actually, forget I asked, I really don't want to know. But guaranteed... whatever it is, it'll be short-sighted, lack character, and be poorly planned and executed.

I call Summerland "The 3/4 Town". Everything there is only three quarters adequate, from the size of their traffic circles, to their industrial parks, to their OCP, to their spending priorities, to their planning and zoning, to their retail sector, to their... well you get the picture.

[fluffy]

I'd have to go with "It's the economy" for the biggest problem. The two major industrial areas, Jones Flat and James Lake are a mix of going concerns and failed/failing shells of former business, with the latter taking up way too much space. The local demographic of "newly wed and nearly dead" is not far from reality, and does little to support local business outside the retail sector. Add to that a vocal and significant split between the growth and no-growth camps and you have a recipe for stagnation. It's a pretty town, and council of late is doing their best to keep that end up, but it's just a smaller scale issue of our provincial picture. Without a vibrant private sector to keep the local economy going then it will remain a bedroom community, with most of the workers commuting outside of town for their paycheques. With the steadily increasing cost of transportation it starts to make sense to live closer to your work.

[Glacier]

It should be noted that most municipalities in the Thompson-Okanagan are shrinking (even though the overall population is increasing). Same goes for most of the province.

[GEW]

It is just a one year population decrease after many years of increases for many municipalities . I wouldn't put too much stock in to it- yet.
I also don't believe population fluctuations is always correlated to economic well being. For example; Kamloops, Merritt and Princeton have all received new mines in the last two years as well as other things (interior to lower mainland transmission line in Merritt for example. ) people and business are busy. But populations do plateau and older people die sometimes. BC has a higher amount of older people so we should expect a few years like this. If it becomes a long term problem that is a concern.
I might also add population growth is not always good if you aren't getting the right kind of people- eg) crackheads infiltrating Vancouver and Surrey.

[Thinktank]

most of those places have something wrong with them

Merritt's far from everywhere
Hope is just weird - in between two places
Port Alberni smells like a pulp mill
Smithers probably smells even worse ( never been there)
Revelstoke gets a lot of snow in winter

[Crazy Horse]

most of those places have something wrong with them

Merritt's far from everywhere
Hope is just weird - in between two places
Port Alberni smells like a pulp mill
Smithers probably smells even worse ( never been there)
Revelstoke gets a lot of snow in winter

This is a post based on ignorance.

Hope is not a weird place.
Smithers does not smell.

I've spent a little time in both those places and they are scenic, beautiful settings with rich local culture.

[matai]

If the population is shrinking, why is the cost of housing increasing? Demand vs offer?

[bipdl]

Maybe it has to do with age vs. wealth demographics.

Young, growing families find it difficult to live here given the work and wage situation, so move away to find more affordable regions in the country to raise their families, while retiring wealthy boomer couples with their stuffed bank accounts and their generous pensions are moving in, resulting in a downward shift in population coupled with an upward shift in demand for fancier, more expensive homes.

[fluffy]

Summerland real estate has always been a little pricey compared with surrounding areas. It's one of the few towns in the Okanangan where the highway doesn't blast right through the middle of town so it has been able to hang on to a "sleepy" quality that many find worth paying a few extra bucks for. All the hotel/motel/fast food has stayed out of the downtown core.

[RandyDandy]

Only number 6 ? Obviously we are not trying hard enough. Another ovalabout should get us to at least number 5. Eh? Eh?

[Thinktank]

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