So, what actually makes a good life?

Photo credit: Veronika Stewart
We’ve got (some) answers

It’s the kind of question philosophers have been chewing on for a couple of thousand years. We Rupertites won’t claim to have cracked it (not yet, anyway), but we’ve got a pretty solid working theory.

1. Scenery that does something to your nervous system

Coastal mountains, working harbour, deep-green rainforest, wide-open Pacific: the view from your kitchen window is the kind of thing people pay a lot of money to see on vacation. You get it for free with your morning coffee, every single day, and somehow it never quite gets old (we’ve checked, repeatedly).

Nature and Wildlife

2. People who actually look out for each other

Rupert is full of warm, sharp, funny, weirdly talented humans who are every bit as colourful as the rainbows over the harbour. They’ll wave at you on the street, invite you on a hike, hand you a Tupperware container of cookies, and remember your name the second time they meet you. You’ll arrive knowing no one and somehow end up with three dinner invitations, a borrowed rain jacket, and a man named Keith insisting you take home halibut.

Newcomer Support

3. A career you can be proud of

A growing, busy economy means real opportunities to build something you’re proud of, in a place where your work actually matters. And yes, it pays. Because as much as we love the ocean view, none of us has figured out how to survive on it alone.

Work

4. Time – the good stuff

This might be the one nobody talks about until they’ve lived here for a few months. In Rupert, nothing is far away. Will you ever have an hour-long commute? Sure, but only if you stop for a spot of fishing on the way home. Time stops being something you’re losing and starts being something you actually have. It’s a quiet luxury, and it changes everything. You will have so much more time that you may accidentally develop hobbies and a personality.

Things to Do

5. Colour

From the natural setting to the rich Indigenous heritage to the wildly diverse mix of people who call this place home, Rupert is served up in techni-colour. There is never a dull day. There is never a dull person. There is, on a regular basis, a literal rainbow over the harbour. We didn’t pick the City of Rainbows nickname by accident.

Community & Neighbourhood

6. The bottom line

Quality of life in Rupert isn’t about having the most of everything. It’s about having enough of the right things: time, space, beauty, community, a real career, the room to be exactly who you are. If that adds up to your version of a good life, you’re going to like it here. Honestly, the only real downside is that you’ll become insufferable about it. Sorry, not sorry.

Live

See how Rupert locals are living the good life