Nelson

Mountain adventure and lifestyle

A population of 10,000 living in a rural mountain paradise. World-class skiing less than half an hour from town. More restaurants per capita than Manhattan.

Nelson is understandably an increasingly popular destination for people from all walks of life. Whether escaping the city bustle, pursuing a love of the outdoors, or simply enjoying an idyllic quality of life, all ages and lifestyles are catered for.

Main Areas of Nelson

Downtown is best characterized by bustling Baker Street with its heritage buildings and mix of tourists and locals, and crammed with boutique shops and famous coffee houses.
Uphill is the area south of Baker Street, up the mountainside. Quick access to downtown and characterful heritage homes make this a popular choice for those who don’t mind the somewhat steeper roads in places.
Mountain Station is further up again than Uphill, nestled up against (and amongst) the trees of the mountain, and providing quick access to the walk- and bike-friendly rail trail.
Rosemont is to the southwest of downtown, over the highway. For anyone connected with Selkirk College, or desiring other perks such as the golf course and the best-in-class outdoor skate park, this area has much to offer.
Fairview is to the east of Nelson, on a more gradual mountain slope, and near to the famous Big Orange Bridge (BOB, which is surprisingly pink in places). Old grand homes are in this desirable area, as well as easy access to the high school and the popular Lakeside park and beach.

Access and Practicalities

The nearest airports are:

Castlegar’s West Kootenay Regional Airport is 35 minutes’ drive from Nelson. It primarily provides Air Canada Jazz services to Vancouver and Calgary;
Trail Regional Airport is about an hour from Nelson, and primarily provides Pacific Coastal flights to Vancouver and other regional destinations.

The nearest major city is—perhaps surprisingly—Spokane, in Washington state in the USA. It’s about three hours’ drive from Nelson, and excellent for shopping excursions and connecting to the US flight network. Kelowna (4.5 hours) and Cranbrook (3 hours) are also relatively nearby.

The area is well served by buses (see the BC Transit website), and taxi services are readily available. Shuttle services are also available to the Castlegar and Spokane airports.

The Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism website has a wealth of additional information on the area, the activities, the practicalities… explore to your heart’s content.

Accomodation:

The Adventure Hotel – http://www.newgrandhotel.ca/
Alpine Inn – http://www.alpine-motel.com/
Best Western Baker Street Inn – http://www.bwbakerstreetinn.com/
Hume Hotel – http://www.humehotel.com/
Mountain Hound Inn – http://www.mountainhound.com/
Prestige Lakeside Resort – http://www.prestigehotelsandresorts.com/
Villa Motel – http://www.thevillamotel.com/
North Shore Inn – http://www.nshoreinn.com/
Kokanee Glacier Resort – http://kokaneeglacierresort.com/
Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort – http://www.hotnaturally.com/
Ainsworth Motel – http://www.ainsworthmotel.com/

Government:

City of Nelson – http://www.nelson.ca/
Regional District of Central Kootenay – http://www.rdck.bc.ca/

Services and Utilities:

Nelson Hydro 250-352-8206
Fortis 1-866-436-7847
Fortis Gas 1-888-224-2710
Shaw Cable 250-352-3322
Telus Residential 1-888-811-2323, Internet 250 310-4638, Mobility 1-866-558-2273

Local Resource and Activities:

Discover Nelson – http://www.discovernelson.com/htdocs/main.html

Transportation:

Kootenay Lake Ferry Schedule – http://www.balfourcanada.ca/the-area/ferry-schedule
Castlegar Regional Airport – http://www.castlegar.ca/airport.php
Trail Regional Airport – http://www.trailairport.ca/
Selkirk Driving Loop – http://www.selkirkloop.org/

Sports:

Nelson Community Recreation – http://www.rdck.ca/EN/main/services/recreation.html
Nelson Youth Soccer – http://www.nys.ca/
Nelson Curling Club – http://www.nelsoncurling.ca/
Whitewater Ski Resort – http://www.skiwhitewater.com/
Granite Pointe Golf Course at Nelson – http://www.granitepointe.ca/
Castlegar Golf Course – http://www.golfcastlegar.com/
Balfour Golf Course – http://www.golfbalfour.com/
Kokanee Springs Golf Course – http://www.kokaneesprings.com/
Kokanee Provincial Park – http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/kokanee_crk/
Kootenay Lake Parks – http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/kootenay_lk/

Education:

Education – http://www.selkirk.ca/
School District 8 – http://www.sd8.bc.ca/
Nelson Waldorf School – http://www.nelsonwaldorf.org/
Academy of Classical Oriental Sciences – http://www.acos.org/

Insurance:

RHC Insurance Brokers – www.rhcinsurance.com

Mortgage Lenders:

Derek Diener, Dominion Lending Centres 250 229-5711 http://derekdiener.com/
Paul Grunbaum, Dominion Lending Centres 250 868-2662 http://paulgrunbaum.ca/
Jaylene Holder, Kootenay Home Mortgage 250 254-4663 http://www.kootenayhomemortgage.ca/
Bank of Montreal 250 352-5321
CIBC 250 352-8700
Scotia Bank 250 354-5590
RBC 250 354-4111
Nelson & District Credit Union 250 352-7207 https://www.nelsoncu.com/Personal/

Appraisers:

Strand & Godfrey Appraisals 250 352-5171 strandandgodfreyappraisals.wordpress.com
GW Marken Appraisals 250-304-4558
Keystone Appraisals 250 368-6855

Lawyers:

Nasmyth Morrow & Bogusz 250 352-3171
Alan Burch Law Corp 250 352-6676
Stuart Layfield 250 354-4004
Watson & Company 250 352-6580 http://www.nelsonlawyers.com/
Troy Trillo 250 352-3125 http://www.staceytrilloyates.com/
Deanne Monroe, Notary Public 250 551-4711 http://www.nelsonnotary.com/
Pigott & Co. 250 352-9380 http://www.pigottandco.com/

Home Inspectors:

Kootenay Home Inspections http://www.kootenay-home-inspector.ca/
Pillar to Post 250 505-5566 westkootenays.pillartopost.com/home
All Pro Home Inspection Inc 1-877-996-7465 http://allprohomeinspectors.com/
Lynch Building Inspection Services 250 352-2300 http://www.lynchinspections.com/
Assured Home Inspections 250 352-6233 http://www.kootenayhomeinspections.ca/

Home Security:

DHC Communications 250 352-0861 http://www.dhc.bc.ca/
Bigfoot Security 250 354-1211 http://www.bigfootsecuritysystems.com/

Accountants:

Berg Lehman 250 352-3165 http://www.berglehmann.ca/
Carmichael Toews Irving 250 354-4451 http://cti-cga.com/
C. Comishin & Associates Inc. 250 352-7667 http://nelsonaccountant.com/

And if you have specific questions about the area and its practicalities, please contact Luke—as a born and bred Nelsonite, he can answer any questions you may have.