The Town of Comox borders Comox Bay and it sits across from Courtenay on the Comox Peninsula. People who live here refer to it as a “bedroom community” because if offers a charm, tranquilly, and quiet place to live. Residents are friendly and very welcoming to outsiders but most have one request – please come and enjoy what we have but do not change it.
An example is traffic in the local area. Yes, it is increasing as a result of home buyers coming to the area to relocate but local residents remain patient and, courteous. We all hope that people who run red lights, cut people off and are generally aggressive and discourteous while driving in the city do not bring those big city habits here to our little town. We like what we have and want to keep it as enjoyable as it is.
Everything is close by. Imagine wanting to go to dinner and being able to enjoy a terrific sunset and fabulous views from the restaurant only a short 5-minute drive from your home along unhurried streets? You can do that here. After such an enjoyable and relaxing dinner one of the last things we want is to drive home in a satisfied and fulfilled mood and be honked at, cut off in traffic and almost get T-boned in a local intersection while a city dweller visitor runs a red light. Having any of this happen 5 years ago was a very remote possibility. Unfortunately, it is starting to become a higher risk in our little town because of a few bad visitors from larger urban areas who come here to visit and vacation. Please leave those habits where you came from and convert to our way of life. Quality of Life is one of the important elements of what our quaint little town has to offer and it is one of the things that sets us apart from the hustle, bustle and impatience of larger urban areas.
An unhurried lifestyle is something residents have enjoyed since the first car arrived in the area in 1910. Most of the “roads” back then were nothing more than horse and buggy trails. In the early 1920s the area was marketed as a golf, boating, hunting, swimming, and fishing holiday destination spot. The town of Comox was incorporated as a village in 1946 and then as a town in 1967. At that time the community had grown to 2500 people, Today, there are more than 15000 people and the area continues to attract new residents.
New home construction took a large turn upwards in the fall of 2016 in this area as well as the nearby city of Courtenay. This trend continues as many new homes are built and sold. Finding a lot to build a home on has become much more difficult as developers, investors, and people planning to retire here have purchase much of what was available a few years ago. Time to get a builder and time to build have both increased and the number of new listings on the resale housing market have dropped.
As we look ahead to 2019 it remains to be seen whether or not the local real estate market will change from what we have experienced over the past couple of years – rising prices and less to choose from. What has not yet changed (and we hope it never does) is the beauty, tranquility and quality of life offered by the charm of this small (but growing) oceanside community.