Chilliwack attracts families seeking more affordable way of life

At Hillary Fortin's new home in Chilliwack, B.C., her two dachshundspitter-patter on the hardwood flooras she tidies up her son's storybooks.

After living in Metro Vancouver for 30 years, the chartered professional accountantsays she never thoughtshe and her husband would end up living in theFraser Valley city, about 100 kilometres east of Vancouver, known for its agricultural heritage and quaint, rural vibes.

"I always thought, oh, that's, you know, a small town, very little opportunity, " she said.

But after having their first child in 2023, priorities changed.

Fortin, 34, is among a surge of people who have traded the big city for a quieter, more affordable life in Chilliwack which,from 2016 to 2021, wasCanada's second fastest growing census metropolitan area after Kelowna, with12.1per cent growth,according to Statistics Canada.

Chilliwack's population is expected to grow to 132,000 by 2035, according to the city website an increase of more than40 per cent from the 2021 census figure of 93,000.

Experts say high costs of living, and unaffordable housing especially, are makingmid-sized cities like those in the Fraser Valley more desirable than urban centres like Vancouver.

A demographic profileby the City of Chilliwack showed people from within B.C. made up 25 per cent of the city's population growth prior to 2010. That proportion hadincreased to more than 50 per cent between 2019and 2022.

The same profilealso says two-thirds of the city's population growth since 2011 can be attributed to the age groups of 30-39 and 60-79.A simultaneous increase in residents under 19 suggests many younger incomers are bringing children with them.

Thatgrowth is causing local challenges, including higher property tax, increased traffic and land pressure as the demand for housing increases.

But many locals old and new say it's worth it for the affordable housing and revitalized attractionsthat are among key factors fuelling Chilliwack's boom.

WATCH | Chilliwack attracts families seeking a moreaffordable future:

Chilliwack attracts families seeking more affordable way of life

2 months ago

Duration 6:25

Some families are moving to Chilliwack for a more affordable life. Residents say the growth also comes with challenges, including dwindling land space and increased traffic leading to longer commutes.

As well as diverse housing there are new shops and easy access to outdoor recreation, says Sarah Toop, a Realtor and lifelong Chilliwack resident.

"The town is a lot more fun than when I grew up," said Toop, who says herfamily settled in the area as dairy farmers in 1873.

In her 13-yearreal estate career, she says she's conducted over 1,500 saleswith around 700 of those happening in the last three years.

"Chilliwack is exploding," Toop said.

'More square footage for your buck'

Fortin says she and her husband, a construction manager, initially considered buying a townhouse in Coquitlam or New Westminster.Ultimately, moving to Chilliwack allowed them to buy a five-bedroom home with a secondary suite and a backyard.

"You could get way more square footage for your buck," said Fortin.

In May 2024, the median list price of single-family homes was $945,940 in Chilliwack compared to $1,546,144 in Coquitlam, according to the Houseful real estate site.

With family support for their down payment, the couple is now building equity having previously rentedtwo- or three-bedroom apartments in Vancouversometimes with a roommate. Daycare costs are half what they saw in Vancouver, Fortin says,while gas is also cheaper in the Valley.

She says the move was a surprise to her family and friends considering her parents left the area in the 1990s to raise her in Metro Vancouverso she would have more opportunities.

But Fortin said,"there's opportunity for our age demographic here.We don't need to be in the city."

She says she's also found a larger sense of community in Chilliwack.

At the city's newly revitalized downtown neighbourhood, District 1881 which has a historic European village feel with restaurants, shops, offices and apartments Fortin connected with moms and entrepreneurs and eventually opened a pop-up store to sell locally made products.

"I really was craving that connection. I didn't necessarily have it in the city," she said.

Fortinconcedes the trade-off has been longer commutes. Her husband often works in Burnabyand when she returns to work she will be on a hybrid work schedule,meaning commutes to Vancouver.

Flexible work, shifting demographics

That wasn't the case for James and RaquelNarraway, who moved to Chilliwack from Maple Ridge with their two kids in 2020 after he began working from home permanently in his marketing job.

"We have more space, we are closer to family, we're close to nature. We just love being here," said Raquel, 39, who recently began working as a real estateagent.

The couple said they moved from a 1,300-square-foottownhouseinto a 3,300-square-footdetached home.

The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent move for many to work-from-home or hybrid work arrangements has played a large part in Chilliwack's growth, says Afia Raja, associate professor at the Department of Planning, Geography and Environmental Sciences at the University of the Fraser Valley.

After lookingfor trends in municipal data between 2016 and 2021 and interviewingaround 50 residents, Raja and her studentsfound online education, remote and hybrid work, and more living space were large factors for new residents.

Raja says demographic shifts also show Chilliwack becoming more multicultural, with the South Asian population doubling and large increases in Chinese, Black and Filipino residents.

However, Raja notes that as mid-size cities like Chilliwack grow, theirchallenges such as traffic, housing densityand busy schools become more pronounced.

"Do we have education available educational facilities? Do we have health care available? Do we have enough job opportunities in those medium- or small-sized cities? So these are very big questions which people make a tradeoff [on] when they are choosing the kind of housing they are going to go to," said Raja.

Growing pains

Sitting in his office with renderings of new developments covering his wall, Mayor Ken Popove says his city is booming from a new Red Bull headquarters, a wastewater treatment plant expansion, new additions to the mall,to more apartments springing up.

But he also notes several continuing challenges, including how 67 per cent of the city's land is part of B.C.'s Agricultural Land Reserve, limiting space for new homes and industry hence the construction of more apartments.

In light of recent provincewide legislation pushing for denser housing, Popove has complained that Chilliwack is no longerpermitted to hold public hearings for residential development rezoning applications that align with the city's 2040 Official Community Plan, andcriticized the province's "one-size-fits-all approach."

A statement earlier this month saidcouncil "reluctantly approved" bylaw amendments to allow three to four units on properties zoned for single-detached and duplex housing.

The city also says it needs more funding to expand transit, while increasing school capacity could become a future issue.

But while Chilliwack had a 7.32 per centproperty tax increase for 2024 its highest hike in decades, partly due to inflation and infrastructure projects it still hadthe lowest average property tax bill for a representativehome among 19 B.C. communities,according to provincial data.

"There's all kinds of construction going on. And it just bodes well with the long-term plan of what we have here in Chilliwack just to make it as affordable as can be," said Popove.

"At the end of the day, I think we've done a hell of a job here."

He concedes it can be "kind of a stinky townyou know, with all the farming. Guilty as charged.

"But turn north or turn south [off Highway 1] and see what it's got going on."