Aw, thanks! We are hoping she will be all better in a month or two.
Thank you! :-)
This is a good idea. NH or ME would be less expensive than where she's coming from.
That's amazing that it could be an option. Many Americans are not aware of just how difficult it is for an American to move to Canada.
Young educated Americans can move to Canada fairly easily. My daughter is now a permanent resident and expects to become a citizen within the next couple years. She jokes that once she's a citizen she could sponsor us if we want.
What's her profession? I was under the impression that they were only allowing certain professions (IE, need) in.
Permanent residency IS still based on a point system. My friend who is a nurse anesthiologist is eligible. His wife, a professional mountain biker, is still annoyed he didn't want to look up there.
When you stay there it seems like that too. It definitely doesn't have a mountain town feel and skiing is an hour away.
Anthony Lakes is a classic tiny mom & pop resort. Does proximity to 1 small ski area make it count?
Yeah, I don't think Canada would be quick to turn away honors students who want to study genetics. UBC would put her fairly close to family in Seattle.
If your SO company has an office here it's actually pretty easy to get a work permit. Look up the CUSMA (previously NAFTA) intra-company transfer program. That's how I came here almost 8 years ago (live in Banff) and now I'm a citizen. That permit doesn't require an LMIA and after one year it's very easy to have enough points to get invited to apply for permanent residency.
As someone looking for east coast options, I'm now adding some of these to my list of potential locations for a winter condo/home.Outside Magazine recently published its list of the 7 most affordable mountain towns in the US. Here's what they have to say:
7 of the Most Affordable Mountain Towns in America
Mountain living is sweet—but it often comes with a hefty price tag. These towns are a little easier on the wallet.
Heather Hansman Dec 15, 2023
La Grande, Oregon
Population: 13,158
Median home price (*all prices listed according to Zillow): $264,539
When you’re passing through on I-84, La Grande looks like just another eastern Oregon ag town. But the wild and scenic Grand Ronde River drops out of the Blue Mountains to the northeast, and Anthony Lakes Ski Area, which claims to have the driest powder in the state, is 45 miles southwest. La Grande is home to Eastern Oregon University, and it has a thriving local art scene, supported in part by the nonprofit Art Center East. Road biking abounds, and there’s a growing network of mountain-biking trails, including those in the Mount Emily Recreation Area.
Rangeley, Maine
The Saddleback February Festival in Rangeley (Photo: Andy Gagne)
Population: 1,045
Median home price: $396,890
Saddleback Ski Area reopened in 2020, after five years of closure due to tumultuous ownership, and the change reinvigorated the outdoor scene in northern Maine. Fishermen have been pulling trophy fish out of the streams and small ponds around Rangeley since the 1860s, moose and loons abound, and the Appalachian Trail is nearby. There’s been a recent state-sponsored push for sustainable forestry, so the town’s economy isn’t tied solely to seasonal recreation.
Thomas and Davis, West Virginia
The Timberline Ski Resort in Canaan Valley, near Davis (Photo: Harrison Shull/Getty)
Population: 1,218
Median home price: $95,243
In the Bible, Canaan is the promised land, and the Canaan Valley of West Virginia, home to the neighboring towns of David and Thomas, might be just that. Nearly 70 percent of the valley is encompassed by the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and the parts that aren’t protected offer more than 100 miles of bike trails, three ski areas, rivers, an excellent nordic center with over 15 miles of trails, and possibly the best bluegrass bar in the country, the Purple Fiddle in downtown Thomas.
Reno, Nevada
Population: 268,815
Median home price: $541,423
Reno hasn’t exactly been affordable for a while. Property values have been rising—and outdoor opportunities increasing—since 2012, with an influx of Californians. But if you want to live in a mountain city instead of a mountain town, the Biggest Little City in the World is your best bet. The tech- and pandemic-induced boom is slowing, and prices are cooling off. Reno has all the upside of a lot of smaller mountain burgs, like a whitewater park and the nearby ski resorts of Lake Tahoe, with the amenities of a larger city.
Anaconda, Montana
Downtown Anaconda (Photo: Lightguard/iStock/Getty)
Population: 9,491
Median home price: $229,488
Anaconda was a copper-mining community for more than a century until the early 1980s; its still standing smelter stack, just to the south and taller than the Washington Monument, is a testament to that longtime industry. But the town is capitalizing on recreation in the greater area to distance itself from its extractive past. And there’s a lot to work with, like the 2,200-acre Discovery Ski Area, to the west; the nearby Continental Divide Trail; and fishing in the Big Hole River, to the south. The town itself is home to a new wine store and bike shop, not to mention a growing number of young families.
Boone, North Carolina
A kayaker shoots the falls in Pisgah National Forest, near Boone. (Photo: Tommy Penick/Cavan)
Population: 18,036
Median home price: $446,781
Pick your season and Boone, the biggest town in the North Carolina high country, will have something for you. Spring runoff on the New and Watuga Rivers; arguably the best skiing in the Southeast, with three resorts within 45 minutes; and a range of multi-season mountain-biking trails, including those at Rocky Knob Bike Park. Bonus: it doesn’t have the crowds or the price tag of other outdoor meccas in the region, like Asheville.
Saranac Lake, New York
Population: 4,825
Median home price: $275,022
There are a handful of Adirondack communities that could be considered dream towns, but Saranac Lake rises to the top for its charm and trail access, notably a network that feeds into six mountains surrounding the lake. In the summer, the water is full of boats, and in the winter you can ski Mount Pisgah or take a short drive to Whiteface. Saranac Lake is blissfully mellow, and you’re only ten minutes from Lake Placid if you want a splashier mountain town with more going on.
Interesting that Davis/Thomas, WV and Boone, NC are on the list. Definitely 4-season mountain towns. Hard for me to think of them as "ski towns" in comparison to places like Bend, Steamboat Springs, Aspen, or Stowe though. The ski season is from mid-Dec to mid-Mar, assuming Mother Nature cooperates. While it does snow a bit, 100% snowmaking on the cut trails is what has allowed the ski resorts to stay in business for 50+ years near Boone. Not sure when Canaan Valley and Timberline opened for skiing.
Very enlightening. My best friend's hub was desperately wanting to retire to Nelson and dug deeply into the program. They settled on McCall, ID instead. It doesn't help that his cousin lived part time in Rossland, overstayed the rules and has been kicked out/banned from re-entry.
Average home price $275,000! I could actually afford to buy...Outside Magazine recently published its list of the 7 most affordable mountain towns in the US. Here's what they have to say:
7 of the Most Affordable Mountain Towns in America
Mountain living is sweet—but it often comes with a hefty price tag. These towns are a little easier on the wallet.
Heather Hansman Dec 15, 2023
La Grande, Oregon
Population: 13,158
Median home price (*all prices listed according to Zillow): $264,539
When you’re passing through on I-84, La Grande looks like just another eastern Oregon ag town. But the wild and scenic Grand Ronde River drops out of the Blue Mountains to the northeast, and Anthony Lakes Ski Area, which claims to have the driest powder in the state, is 45 miles southwest. La Grande is home to Eastern Oregon University, and it has a thriving local art scene, supported in part by the nonprofit Art Center East. Road biking abounds, and there’s a growing network of mountain-biking trails, including those in the Mount Emily Recreation Area.
Rangeley, Maine
The Saddleback February Festival in Rangeley (Photo: Andy Gagne)
Population: 1,045
Median home price: $396,890
Saddleback Ski Area reopened in 2020, after five years of closure due to tumultuous ownership, and the change reinvigorated the outdoor scene in northern Maine. Fishermen have been pulling trophy fish out of the streams and small ponds around Rangeley since the 1860s, moose and loons abound, and the Appalachian Trail is nearby. There’s been a recent state-sponsored push for sustainable forestry, so the town’s economy isn’t tied solely to seasonal recreation.
Thomas and Davis, West Virginia
The Timberline Ski Resort in Canaan Valley, near Davis (Photo: Harrison Shull/Getty)
Population: 1,218
Median home price: $95,243
In the Bible, Canaan is the promised land, and the Canaan Valley of West Virginia, home to the neighboring towns of David and Thomas, might be just that. Nearly 70 percent of the valley is encompassed by the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and the parts that aren’t protected offer more than 100 miles of bike trails, three ski areas, rivers, an excellent nordic center with over 15 miles of trails, and possibly the best bluegrass bar in the country, the Purple Fiddle in downtown Thomas.
Reno, Nevada
Population: 268,815
Median home price: $541,423
Reno hasn’t exactly been affordable for a while. Property values have been rising—and outdoor opportunities increasing—since 2012, with an influx of Californians. But if you want to live in a mountain city instead of a mountain town, the Biggest Little City in the World is your best bet. The tech- and pandemic-induced boom is slowing, and prices are cooling off. Reno has all the upside of a lot of smaller mountain burgs, like a whitewater park and the nearby ski resorts of Lake Tahoe, with the amenities of a larger city.
Anaconda, Montana
Downtown Anaconda (Photo: Lightguard/iStock/Getty)
Population: 9,491
Median home price: $229,488
Anaconda was a copper-mining community for more than a century until the early 1980s; its still standing smelter stack, just to the south and taller than the Washington Monument, is a testament to that longtime industry. But the town is capitalizing on recreation in the greater area to distance itself from its extractive past. And there’s a lot to work with, like the 2,200-acre Discovery Ski Area, to the west; the nearby Continental Divide Trail; and fishing in the Big Hole River, to the south. The town itself is home to a new wine store and bike shop, not to mention a growing number of young families.
Boone, North Carolina
A kayaker shoots the falls in Pisgah National Forest, near Boone. (Photo: Tommy Penick/Cavan)
Population: 18,036
Median home price: $446,781
Pick your season and Boone, the biggest town in the North Carolina high country, will have something for you. Spring runoff on the New and Watuga Rivers; arguably the best skiing in the Southeast, with three resorts within 45 minutes; and a range of multi-season mountain-biking trails, including those at Rocky Knob Bike Park. Bonus: it doesn’t have the crowds or the price tag of other outdoor meccas in the region, like Asheville.
Saranac Lake, New York
Population: 4,825
Median home price: $275,022
There are a handful of Adirondack communities that could be considered dream towns, but Saranac Lake rises to the top for its charm and trail access, notably a network that feeds into six mountains surrounding the lake. In the summer, the water is full of boats, and in the winter you can ski Mount Pisgah or take a short drive to Whiteface. Saranac Lake is blissfully mellow, and you’re only ten minutes from Lake Placid if you want a splashier mountain town with more going on.
