Want calm, natural beauty and community? Check out these 10 great small towns to live in Canada.
Elora, Ontario
Elora is easily considered one of the most beautiful villages in the entire province. It’s known for its incredible 19th-century limestone architecture and towering Elora Gorge.
Grand River runs through a valley carved out by 22-metre-high cliffs, and pretty much every home has some type of access to it.
Elora also has an extremely strong artistic vibe. There are tons of converted mills and shops filled with galleries, artists’ studios, and locally owned restaurants.
Canmore, Alberta
Although most tourists head to Banff National Park, some people skip the touristy town of Banff and choose to live in Canmore instead. It has all the mountain wonderment of Rocky Mountain views and epic hiking, but it’s a much more authentic, lived-in town.
It’s surrounded by majestic peaks (like the famous Triple Sisters) and arguably has the best trail network for hiking and mountain biking anywhere. For being a mountain town, there are all kinds of modern conveniences, including good schools and incredible food.
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
This quintessential East Coast fishing village is famous for the Three Churches that sit side-by-side along the waterfront. They line up to form one of the most photographed views in Canada.
Life revolves around the Atlantic Ocean; Mahone Bay has a gorgeous, protected harbour that’s great for sailing and kayaking.
There are lots of colourful wooden homes and the downtown area is packed with high-quality craft shops and antique stores. There’s a strong sense of community in town, so even during the winter months when it’s sleepy, it still feels cozy.
Nelson, British Columbia
Located in British Columbia’s Selkirk Mountains, Nelson has been nicknamed the “Queen City” for its many gorgeous wooden homes and historic brick buildings. It has managed to avoid big-box stores seen in many towns, so local bookstores, coffee shops, and bakeries are able to flourish.
Nelson draws an eclectic mix of people; outdoor enthusiasts, skiers, artists, and entrepreneurs all call it home. It sits high above Kootenay Lake, so there are lots of lakeside activities to enjoy in the summer. The nearby Whitewater Ski Resort boasts some of the best snow in Canada.
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is known for hosting a world-renowned theatre festival every summer, but is also an incredibly livable town all year long. It has a quaint, elegant feel that’s refined but never stuffy.
There’s a river called the Avon that runs right through town and is lined with huge parklands. Because of the theater industry, Stratford has incredible dining, shopping, and even public transit you’d never expect in a town of its size.
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville sits right in the middle of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. This charming town may be small, but its personality is huge. Acadia University helps keep this town young and bursting with culture and activity all year long.
The surrounding area is known for its rich soil, making it ideal for farming. As a result, their farmers’ markets are some of the best in Canada, full of fresh apples, pumpkins and even world-class local wine.
Living in Wolfville also gives you easy access to some of the dramatic scenery along the Bay of Fundy, where the tide rises and falls more than anywhere else on the planet.
Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec
Baie-Saint-Paul is one of Quebec’s oldest towns, founded over 400 years ago. It has a rich European vibe and is known as the birthplace of Cirque du Soleil.
Many famous painters have vacationed here for over a century and still flock to the area today. The town is filled with art galleries, quaint bistros, and old stone homes.
Baie-Saint-Paul is located in Quebec’s Charlevoix region, which is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. That means all the surrounding hills and forests are protected.
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Known as Canada’s “Prettiest Town”, Niagara-on-the-Lake is located at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario. It’s a National Historic Site filled with beautifully maintained gardens, horse-drawn carriages, and buildings that have been preserved since the early 1800s.
It’s an incredibly slow-paced town where lots of people visit local fruit orchards or take strolls on the scenic trails along Lake Ontario. If you like small towns that feel high-end and removed from reality, this is a good choice for you.
Fernie, British Columbia
Fernie is a charming mountain town that hasn’t been discovered by high-end tourism yet. It was originally a coal-mining town, which you can still see today in its sturdy brick buildings.
These days, Fernie attracts people who love the outdoors. It’s famous for skiing in the winter but also has some of the best fly-fishing and mountain biking in all of North America during the summer months.
It has a tight-knit community and very down-to-earth people. There’s a real sense of pride in Fernie’s heritage and natural beauty.
St. Andrews, New Brunswick
St. Andrews by-the-Sea is one of Canada’s oldest and most charming seaside towns. It’s a great place to live year-round and feels more like a hidden secret.
Founded by loyalists to the British Crown more than 200 years ago, you’ll still see the original clapboard homes on its tree-lined streets.
It’s also an exceptionally safe community; kids can still walk to the local candy shop or down to the wharf by themselves. Crisp ocean air, historic wooden buildings, and friendly locals make St. Andrews a uniquely old-fashioned community.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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