Don't move to Clearwater, BC and area

[fergy]

Warning about Clearwater!!

My family and I are writing this to advise those wishing to move to BC CANADA on why NOT to relocate to the town of Clearwater and area. We are newer to the community and have lived all over but this place is really not what BC is all about. Property is cheap, the town can be a resume builder, but at a high price.

Why you don't want to live in Clearwater,BC and area:

1. outsiders are not welcome - everybody is cliquey and paranoid about anyone new.
2. wasps - they almost look like bees, but they are aggressive and bite over and over for no reason. They swarm your car and then chase you in droves when you get out, only to sting over and over.
3. mosquitos - a cloud of mosquitos follows you everywhere outdoors between April and October.
4. headaches - a high pressure zone for weather changes, you can expect migraines regularly.
5. radiation - the BC centre for disease control rates it as one of the highest naturally radiated zones in BC, if not Canada. There has been discussion about building a cancer institute/hospital close to Clearwater to deal with all of the leukaemia and brain tumours.
6. snow - buy a 4 x 4 vehicle with lots of clearance and studded tires or forget driving. The roads are not maintained, you live in the mountains and will slide all over the place-some people slide right off cliffs into the Thompson River and drown.
7. recreation (lack of) - we moved here because we like the outdoors. Forget hiking - the trails are not maintained and the wasps will prevent you from getting out of your vehicle. In the winter you better own a snowmobile and a hefty truck to move the thing or there is nothing to do. No dirt bike trails. Largest park in north america with some of the worst access roads and poorly maintained trails - some of the supposed trails don't even have a trail head to find the place.
8. tourism - drives the economy through summer. Don't know why anyone comes here-most people end up disappointed with their holidays! The place falls asleep outside of June through August and even the bakery closes. The campers that go 30km/h one after the other through the park are impossible to pass and make driving frustrating.
9. dental/medical - very spotty coverage. Move somewhere with a better set up if you have a chronic disease.
10. real estate - cheap but you get what you pay for. most properties are dilapidated and if yours isn't, your neighbour's place is.
11. rentals - get ready to live in a mobile home that doesn't stay warm, with pipes that freeze in the winter- who needs water anyway? You can survive without water in the winter, right? This is renting in Clearwater - shabby building codes and no one to reinforce the rules. No one cares!
12. groceries/shopping - prepare to drive 1.5h to Kamloops if you want meat that doesn't smell rotten, fruit that isn't mushy/bruised, a haircut that is even, or clothes that aren't used 3x over from the second hand thrift store. There is no proper shopping in this town.
13. Gasoline- there is something seriously wrong with the gas in this place. Both my vehicles suddenly need fuel filters. Do they dilute the gas with mud?
14. general ignorance- people here aren't educated, it's like they haven't even completed high school basic science classes. many people here haven't been anywhere else and they will argue about things that anyone else in the world who has been somewhere or gone to school would know is untrue. They shoot dogs in their backyards, drown/torture cats, run animals over on the roads without blinking, starve their horses, and generally think that they are right about everything when a basic google search will find the facts and prove them wrong. BUT be careful not to prove them wrong or you will be an outcast for knowing more.


I hope this helps understand why not to move here. We are getting out of here as soon as possible as it is ignorant hickville suffrage living in this place. Go anywhere else in BC!!!!

You sound like a bit of a wimp...

 

[MHz]

I could have told you that-all of rural Canada is uninhabitable.

The list is longer for the bigger cities. I would be tempted to wear a bee keepers hat, seriously. Tire chains are better than studded tires. Welcome to Canada would have how many wishing for a ride back to their native countries to reside in the 'safe zones' so some good could come out of it. What is the natural enemy of wasps and skeeters, bats?? Bats are cool and they hide during 'business hours' so you won't be getting chased around.

 

[damngrumpy]

First of all I can't remember the last time I used the red negative button
I try my utmost to listen to a comment in fairness before passing a red
judgement negative. Having said that I suspect there is a lot more going
on here than is stated. I could go to any community and find a 1000
negative attributes. Finding the positives that out weigh that is the answer.
Suggesting one will end up in a mobile home renting suggests to me that
no homework was done prior to moving there perhaps, Smaller communities
have different views of the world in general lived in many of them.
Thirty five years ago I moved to a community I couldn't stand under some
different circumstances. I moved before I made bad friends and neighbors.
Looking back on it it was more about me than it was about them.
This is a case of where everyone one and everything else is wrong. I would
have a better listening ear had the writer explained how they might have
contributed to the problem. I know a number of ranchers up that way and yes
they can be opinionated but they are damn nice folk all in all.
How much research was done prior to moving, shopping, schools accommodation
and healthcare by the sound of the complaint I would say little to none and the
people that live there might have similar complaints. Perhaps instead of complaining
you might have started a movement for changes getting others to join in making
improvements, instead of alienating them the old saying still holds "You get more
flies with honey than you do with vinegar"

 

[JLM]

I could have told you that-all of rural Canada is uninhabitable.

And you only have half a clue how much until you move there.

 

[taxslave]

You sound like a bit of a wimp...

AKA citiot.

 

[bill barilko]

AKA citiot.

Speaking of ignorant anti-social hillbillies Vancouver Island is replete with them the further north you go on the Rock the more there are....

 

[Dixie Cup]

I think there's a little "uneasiness" (for lack of a better word) when someone new moves into a small community. I grew up in a small town in N. Alberta and whenever a new kid started school, I found I was the only one to actually "welcome" them to our school. I guess I knew what it felt like to be "outside" of the cliques - I lived there and wasn't necessarily welcomed into the "in" crowd. I made some really good friends by putting myself out there. My mom and dad split (a real scandal for a small town) and we moved to Edmonton.


Several years later, after mom had remarried, she and her hubby and the two youngest moved to Winfield, BC where they had bought an orchard. Mom said that they were not welcomed there at all. But mom was always a force of nature and simply carried on doing what she did best; worked hard, got involved in the community. But even after many years, she still felt she was an "outsider". She worked in a packing house for years and made some friends there, but even at that she still didn't really feel like she belonged. That is until my sister was caught in a fire at her school in Kelowna. She was severely burnt and was medevacked to Vancouver where she was in critical condition. The community rallied around my mom and my sister, raising funds so that mom could be with my sister in Vancouver. It would be months of grafts, and painful therapy for my sister and mom needed to be there for her so the loss of wages from her work was substantial. The raised funds helped them throughout this whole ordeal. Mom finally felt that she was part of the community and was so appreciative of the support her and her husband received.


So I guess my point is, things aren't always what they seem. You have to give a little (and sometimes a lot) to get a little back and, with time, things will turn around. My husband and I would like to retire to a small community and have one in mind. I don't know how accepting they'll be but with our outgoing personalities hopefully they'll grow to love us LOL! We plan on getting "scooters" (they're soooo much fun) so if we "scoot" around town and introduce ourselves, maybe things will turn out ok. (fingers crossed). I guess we'll see what happens when the time comes.


JMO

 

[JLM]

I think there's a little "uneasiness" (for lack of a better word) when someone new moves into a small community. I grew up in a small town in N. Alberta and whenever a new kid started school, I found I was the only one to actually "welcome" them to our school. I guess I knew what it felt like to be "outside" of the cliques - I lived there and wasn't necessarily welcomed into the "in" crowd. I made some really good friends by putting myself out there. My mom and dad split (a real scandal for a small town) and we moved to Edmonton.


Several years later, after mom had remarried, she and her hubby and the two youngest moved to Winfield, BC where they had bought an orchard. Mom said that they were not welcomed there at all. But mom was always a force of nature and simply carried on doing what she did best; worked hard, got involved in the community. But even after many years, she still felt she was an "outsider". She worked in a packing house for years and made some friends there, but even at that she still didn't really feel like she belonged. That is until my sister was caught in a fire at her school in Kelowna. She was severely burnt and was medevacked to Vancouver where she was in critical condition. The community rallied around my mom and my sister, raising funds so that mom could be with my sister in Vancouver. It would be months of grafts, and painful therapy for my sister and mom needed to be there for her so the loss of wages from her work was substantial. The raised funds helped them throughout this whole ordeal. Mom finally felt that she was part of the community and was so appreciative of the support her and her husband received.


So I guess my point is, things aren't always what they seem. You have to give a little (and sometimes a lot) to get a little back and, with time, things will turn around. My husband and I would like to retire to a small community and have one in mind. I don't know how accepting they'll be but with our outgoing personalities hopefully they'll grow to love us LOL! We plan on getting "scooters" (they're soooo much fun) so if we "scoot" around town and introduce ourselves, maybe things will turn out ok. (fingers crossed). I guess we'll see what happens when the time comes.


JMO

An interesting account for sure based on real life experience. Your future looks bright!

 

[NanaRocks]

marigold321

What you believe becomes your reality! I feel sorry for you actually because I don't think you'll be happy anywhere. I read your entire rant perhaps you had a run in with someone and you are painting the whole town with the same brush. Very little of what you said is true. Twisted and grossly exaggerated!!! I feel you made up your mind and never gave Clearwater the slightest chance. Time to take your head out of that dark place and get some counselling. Be happy life is short and being miserable is no way to live.

 

[taxslave]

Speaking of ignorant anti-social hillbillies Vancouver Island is replete with them the further north you go on the Rock the more there are....

Those look like they came from Saltspring or Lasquiti.

 

[bill barilko]

Those look like they came from Saltspring or Lasquiti.

I guess you haven't visited Saltspring for 20 years or more-because that's how long it's been since hippies could afford the place.

 

[JLM]

Those look like they came from Saltspring or Lasquiti.

I've spent time on both Saltspring and Lasqueti Islands and my impression of them is as different as night and day. My first time on Saltspring was 1954 when my old man had a job hauling logs from the top of Mt. Maxwell to the salt chuck at Ganges. I worked on Lasqueti in the '80s. That was entertaining.

I spent a lot of time working near Port Hardy and Port MacNeill in the 70s and 80s and I met very few Hill billies. Actually mostly hard working down to earth folks I thought.

 

[ClayJ]

Totally agree. I lived there for a few summers and I visited/lived there briefly last summer. Only thing you didn't mention is the extreme level of addiction. Probably because of your #7 and #8. There's nothing to do here but drink and use.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

This thread seems to have a lot of 1 or 2 post posters in it that post in this thread only. Seems to keep an otherwise dead and uninteresting topic near the top.

 

[JLM]

This thread seems to have a lot of 1 or 2 post posters in it that post in this thread only. Seems to keep an otherwise dead and uninteresting topic near the top.

There's not actually much wrong with Clearwater - some people like the dopers just need someone else to provide entertainment for them. Probably more to do there than there is in Kamloops. I can think of over a dozen things including hunting, fishing, hiking, gardening, exploring, bird watching etc. etc. etc.

 

[B00Mer]

[youtube]WRzc_q-GSnA[/youtube]

A short video highlighting the magic of the North Thompson Valley! After the video you might want to ask yourself, what's not to love? If you are going to raise a family you will find no better place to do so.

Sound like a really nice place to live..

 

[ClayJ]

This thread seems to have a lot of 1 or 2 post posters in it that post in this thread only. Seems to keep an otherwise dead and uninteresting topic near the top.

That's because this post shows up when you google the town. And it's a relief to find other people to share with what a nightmare it was. Nasty little village of about 2000 and the people are all so deranged you have to actively remind yourself how normal people behave & treat others & speak or else you'll go nuts too as an unconscious survival strategy. Picture a bunch of internet trolls come to life and you being stuck living there instead of having the freedom to shut your computer off. That's Clearwater, BC. It's crazy but true.

 

[JLM]

That's because this post shows up when you google the town. And it's a relief to find other people to share with what a nightmare it was. Nasty little village of about 2000 and the people are all so deranged you have to actively remind yourself how normal people behave & treat others & speak or else you'll go nuts too as an unconscious survival strategy. Picture a bunch of internet trolls come to life and you being stuck living there instead of having the freedom to shut your computer off. That's Clearwater, BC. It's crazy but true.

How many people do you KNOW in Clearwater?