Five Up-and-Coming Canadian Cities

Gatineau Quebec

If major cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal are giving you a headache and even underdogs like Calgary or Halifax don’t thrill you, you might consider relocating to one of the other metropolises blossoming in our great nation. Here are five Canadian cities on the up and up.
Gatineau, Q.C.
Topping best-of list after best-of-list Ottawa’s twin may be the greatest city the rest of the world’s never heard of, until now. Boasting the lush and central Lac Beauchamp Park and sheltered by the scenic southern tip of the Canadian Shield, Gatineau is one of the coziest cities Canada has to offer. With an expanding economy and prospering housing market, it looks like Gatineau’s becoming more than just a drinking excursion for Ottawa’s underage undergrads.
Okotoks, A.B.
If your conscience is as troubled as your carbon footprint is high, there may be salvation for you yet. Okotoks has one hell of an ambitious and green experiment underway. The Drake Landing Solar Community, is a project unlike any other in Canada, or North America for that matter. The unique endeavour takes full advantage of Okotok’s abundant exposure to the sun, reducing heating energy by 80 per cent through solar power alone. A good place for environmentalists and tanning buffs alike.
Yellowknife, N.W.T.
You’re Canadian. You’re already used to proudly proclaiming your northern nature, so why not truly boast those chops by relocating to the capital of one of Canada’s most northern locations. With its rising economy and its status as one of MoneySense’s top places to live, there’s little reason to give Yellowknife the cold shoulder. And speaking of the cold, if the heating bill has you nervous, fear not, as a new geothermal energy plan is expected to warm up thousands of homes in this far-north frontier.
Abbotsford, B.C.
With the third most diverse population in Canada behind Toronto and nearby Vancouver, Abbotsford is very close to rolling with Canada’s other famous metropolises. Enjoying the fruits of a healthy economy even during the worst of times, and still benefiting from the publicity of the last Winter Olympics, Abbotsford may soon find itself becoming as renowned as the rest of them.
Peterborough, O.N.
If you ask the multitudes of touring Canadian bands which urban hubs have surprised them the most along the road, Peterborough is likely to come up consistently. The city has in fact grown to become its own uncanny, modest basin of culture. Home to a folk festival, Trent University, a multitude of galleries and recent audio gem The Burning Hell, Peterborough would certainly make an easy, relaxing escape for those feeling stuffy on Toronto’s congested scene.