LADYSMITH OVERVIEW

Growing up on Vancouver Island, I drove by Ladysmith dozens upon dozens of times over the years, yet honestly never really paid it much attention. At the time it just seemed like a sleepy little community of mostly retirees, and apart from their annual Christmas lights display, didn’t really have much of a claim to fame. How wrong I was though, as over the past couple years Ladysmith has quickly become perhaps my favorite small town on all of Vancouver Island and if I had the opportunity to, I’d live there in a heartbeat. 

Ladysmith as a community is largely defined by its geography, being perched on a steep and narrow strip of land between the Strait of Juan De Fuca and the rolling hills of the island’s interior, it’s defined as much by its verticality as it is by its people. This means a great many of the homes in Ladysmith feature some absolutely breathtaking views, and as someone who can contentedly soak in a scenic vista for literally hours upon hours, the views Ladysmith offers are tremendously appealing. 

The heart of Ladysmith is undoubtedly its charming “Main street” called 1st Avenue, that while only a few short blocks long, is a huge part of the local community. 1st Avenue features some charming local shops, a fantastic bakery and a number of well loved restaurants and cafes and is an excellent place to while away a sunny afternoon. I’ve spent a few such afternoons on 1st Avenue hanging out and shooting pictures, and watched time and time again as locals out for their daily shopping or just out for an afternoon stroll stopped to greet one another with a friendly smile for a passing chat, and I came away from these experiences with a strong sense of how close-knit the Ladysmith community is. 

LADYSMITH'S FUTURE

Like many communities on Vancouver Island, Ladysmith has been experiencing a substantial amount of development and growth over the past decade, but despite this growth has managed to maintain much of its original character and charm. Despite all the growth and change, there are still many neighborhoods in Ladysmith that feature an assortment of very charming and well maintained heritage homes, many of which feature the kind of staggering ocean views I personally covet so much. Ladysmith experienced its first true real estate boom in the 80s and 90s, with a number of condo and townhouse developments being built in proximity to the Island Highway, and saw steady and consistent growth during the early 2000s, but it’s mostly been since the early 2010s that the pace of development has increased, with much of the development happening to the South and North of the existing town core, with hundreds upon hundreds of new townhomes and condos being built in those areas. Recently there’s been a substantial uptick in the redevelopment of existing residential properties as well, with many older homes being converted into multi-unit residences or being upgraded to look and feel more modern.  

LADYSMITH'S AMENITIES

Ladysmith has pretty much everything needed for daily life within the town’s boundaries, with both a Save-On-Foods at Coronation Mall and Country Grocer located within the town core, along with liquor stores, pharmacies, a dollar store, a great local butchers shop, a fantastic craft brewery in the Bayview Brewing Company, and some excellent local bakeries with my personal favorite being the venerable Old Town Bakery, who’s cinnamon buns are absolutely out of this world good, and come in almost a dozen different flavours. I’ve long been a fan of the cinnamon buns from the Doghouse Restaurant here in Duncan, but after trying the cinnamon buns at Old Town, I’m definitely a convert. 

Ladysmith also has a great selection of mostly mid-tier family friendly restaurants and dining options centered around it’s 1st Avenue “Main Street” like Appetit Food For Thought, The Wild Poppy Market, and Rita’s Apron and their amazing chicken pot pies (My partner’s are still the best I’ve ever eaten, but she only makes me them once or twice a year if I’m lucky!) but Mexican restaurant Maya Norte and Roberts Street Pizza both on Roberts St just off 1st avenue have become two personal favorites of mine. The Bayview Brewery also has a fantastic patio and offers some great bistro style food along with their selection of excellent craft beers. 

For families with children, Ladysmith has three well regarded public schools, Ladysmith Primary School, Ladysmith Secondary School and Ladysmith Intermediate School for children in grades 4-7 with learning difficulties. There’s also French immersion school École North Oyster just up the highway for families who want their kids to learn Canada’s second language. 

As for health services Ladysmith has a number of family practice clinics, though as with most other communities across Canada, wait times to be accepted as a patient can be two plus years and they do not accept walk-in patients. The Ladysmith Community Health Centre is really the only walk-in option available, though there are additional walk-in clinics a short drive away in Chemainus or South Nanaimo. Ladysmith has a number of dentists, who like all dentists everywhere are always accepting new patients (Why is it dentists are always accepting new patients but doctors never are btw!?) and a broad assortment of pharmacies, physiotherapists and massage therapists. 

THE LADYSMITH LIFESTYLE

Ladysmith, like most of the smaller communities on the island is somewhat lacking in terms of “Indoor” recreation options for families, and doesn’t have much of a “Nightlife” to speak of, so is yet another place where the majority of the amazing recreation options available are to be found outdoors. That’s not to say there aren’t any options, as the Frank Jameson Community Centre right next to the town’s elementary and secondary schools has a pool, fitness centre, and after-school activities for kids, and many of the pubs and restaurants in town have live music or trivia nights for the adults. For those with an interest in the performing arts, Ladysmith also features a small but charming community theater in the Ladysmith Little Theatre, and is only a short drive away from the (at least regionally) famous Chemainus Theatre Festival that is home to varied stage productions all year round.

While Ladysmith might be somewhat lacking in indoor recreation options, it has outdoor recreation options in abundance. Transfer Beach Park across the highway from Ladysmith might be one of my favorite “Family friendly” parks andwhere on the island, and is perhaps only rivaled by Beacon Hill Park in Victoria. Transfer Beach park has a playground and waterpark for the kids, a swimmable (at least in the summer!) beach, along with shelters and barbecue areas for family gatherings and special events. Last time I visited Transfer Beach Park I was fortunate enough to witness a lovely young couple’s outdoor wedding in one of the outdoor pavilions and it seemed an absolutely delightful venue. There are also some absolutely fabulous hikes available right in town, with the Holland Creek Trail offering 26ish KMs of scenic hiking, and some spectacular vistas along the way. There’s also Upper Bannon Creek Falls and Lower Bannon Creek Falls nearby, both of which are some of the most spectacular waterfalls on the south island, though both require a bit of logging road driving and a reasonably difficult hike to access. The Stocking Creek Trail to the Stocking Creek Waterfall is also only a short drive to the south and is a much easier hike. For those that like walks on the beach there are numerous nearby beach access parks along the coast Like Davis Lagoon, Raven Park, Elliot Beach Park, and Blue Heron Park that are all within a less than 15 minute drive from town. 

Sailors, boaters, fishers and stand up paddle boarders will also find plenty of great options nearby, as Transfer Beach Park offers a public boat launch and the nearby Ladysmith Marina and Raven Point Inn all offer great jumping off points for aquatic adventures. Come summer time, the Nanaimo river to the north and Chemainus River to the south both offer many nice swimming holes to help beat the summer heat and Transfer Beach Park has one of the nicest swimming beaches on the island. 

Mountain Bikers, ATVers, dirt bikers and 4X4ers will also find a lot to love about Ladysmith with the areas behind the town around Mount Hayes, Arbutus Hill and Stanton Peak offering literally dozens and dozens of well kept mountain bike trails, and the forest service roads offering ATVers, dirt bikers and 4X4ers hundreds of KMs of terrain to explore. Ladysmith’s central location between the Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo also means you’re only a short drive away from the hundreds more trails available around Mt. Benson in Nanaimo and Mt. Prevost and Mt. Tzouhalem near Duncan. I know a couple of mountain bike enthusiasts who live in Ladysmith and they absolutely rave about it as a homebase for mountain biking as there’s literally hundred of KMs of trails within a 30 minute drive of their front doors, much of which is the kind of world class terrain people spend good money to travel to. 

Lastly, golfers will also find Ladysmith appealing as while there’s only one golf course in town, it’s the very charming, non-profit Ladysmith Golf Club that offers one of the most inexpensive places to get in 9-holes anywhere on the island. For those looking for a more upscale 18 hole experience, there’s Cottonwood Golf Course to the North, and Duncan Meadows, The Cowichan Golf Club and Arbutus Ridge to the south all within a 30 or so minute drive.    

WORKING IN LADYSMITH

Ladysmith, like many of our Vancouver Island communities lacks a core “Industry” that employs a substantial portion of the towns population, though it does at least have the Saltair Sawmill and shipping facility that provides a baseline of a hundred and fourty or so reasonably well paid jobs. Forestry, once the cornerstone of many of the island’s communities, is now only a minor employer in the region, and like many of the island’s other communities, the majority of local jobs in Ladysmith are in the retail / food services industry, health services, construction or government. As Ladysmith has been experiencing a housing boom the last decade or so, there’s a solid demand for trades people, so if you’re a carpenter, framer, drywaller, electrician or plumber, you’ll likely have no issue finding solid, well paid work in Ladysmith. Health services is another area where there’s likely to be no shortage of well paid jobs, as Ladysmith’s population, while getting younger by the day, does tend to skew somewhat older, meaning there’s a constant demand for healthcare professionals. With the recent construction boom attracting many young families to the region, there’s also a decent demand for teachers, educators and childcare providers, so anyone with a background in any of those disciplines should also be able to find a decent job in Ladysmith. 

Ladysmith is widely served by reliable high speed internet, so it would be yet another great location for remote workers, as the peace and quiet and great views can be highly conducive to getting work done (or a distraction if you’re a daydreamer like me!). Ladysmith’s location offers a lot of benefits though, as it’s only a 22 minute drive up island to Nanaimo and only a 26 minute drive down island to Duncan, so there’s two larger communities totalling a combined population of over 250K offering far greater job opportunities nearby, with either being a substantially shorter commute than many folks moving from larger cities would be used to. 

SHOULD I LIVE IN LADYSMITH?

Ladysmith is perhaps my favorite community in the south Vancouver Island region, and so it’s hard for me to say that there’s any group of folks that wouldn’t be a good fit to live in Ladysmith. It honestly has something for everyone, from young single folks or young couples, to families to retirees, I reckon anyone could build a rewarding and enjoyable life in Ladysmith. It’s obviously not a hotbed for nightlife or arts and culture, but this is Vancouver Island we’re talking about after all, so I doubt anyone considering moving to Ladysmith would really be expecting to find those things in abundance. 

The cost of owning a home and local employment prospects will definitely inform the decision as to whether or not Ladysmith is the right fit for you and your family to some extent, as while Ladysmith due to its proximity to Nanaimo offers greater employment opportunities than many other small towns in south Vancouver Island, due to it being one of the nicest communities on the island housing is also somewhat more expensive than in other places like say Duncan or Nanaimo on average with prices for single family detached homes tending to fall in the $750K-$950K+ range. That’s not to say there aren’t some great and relatively affordable housing options in Ladysmith, with many new condo and townhome developments being built where you can find a nice 2+ bedroom home in the $550K-$650K, but for folks looking for more space, an acreage or greater seclusion, the cost of buying in Ladysmith may be somewhat preventative. 

As I see things, the two groups that are likely the best fit for a new life in Ladysmith are younger couples or families where one or both partners either works a remote job or has a well paying job in Nanaimo, who are looking to get into the market by buying their first home and want to build a long-term future in a great, family-friendly community, or retirees who are selling their home in a more expensive market like Victoria or Vancouver and are looking to downsize into a condo or townhome with some money in their pockets from the sale of their old home. 

I’ve really come to fall in love with Ladysmtih over the last couple years, and I reckon you could too, so if you’re interested in learning more about Ladysmith and viewing any properties for sale in town, I’d love to show you around so please reach out to me via the contact form below!