The best university town in BC is right here in Prince George.
That’s according to the online platform Preply, placing the Northern capital as the fourth-best in Canada, only behind, London, Ontario, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Regina Saskatchewan, which took the top spot.
The news is music to the ears of UNBC President, Dr. Geoff Payne who is pleased to see the city scored the highest in the economic opportunity category.
“It’s not just coming and then leaving. It’s coming and staying and making a life here. I always joke that I have been here 18 years now and I think it just goes to show there is something here for the full go so to speak.”
“They (the students) are the future citizens of the north and there are lots of opportunities post-university life to get involved and stay involved.”
Payne added PG has no shortage of amenities, which is key for students.
“For a town of our size, it’s got something for everyone. Whether it’s the outdoors or the dining – there are opportunities across the board.”
“We’ve got the theatre and the sports teams, there are so many things for so many different people. I think those opportunities really push us to the top as to why we would be a great university town.”
Preply considered 18 different variables of cities with university students across three categories: wallet friendliness, social environment, and economic opportunities.
Each town has a total score using data points, with the best score being 100, representing the quality of the university town for students to live and work after graduation.
Here are Canada’s 10 best university towns of 2022, according to Preply:
- Regina, Saskatchewan
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
- London, Ontario
- Prince George, British Columbia
- Rouyn-Noranda, Québec
- Mississauga, Ontario
- Abbotsford, British Columbia
- Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
- Laval, Quebec
- Brantford, Ontario
Prince George, ranked 4th overall with a total score of 67.2 (with 100 as the best score). With a population of 74,004 in the metropolitan area, called the province’s “northern capital” or sometimes the “spruce capital” because it is the hub city for Northern BC.
According to the survey, a student looking to rent a one-bedroom apartment in Prince George will pay $1,267.86.
For those looking to start a career here, earning potential is good, with an average salary of $3,643.57 and an employment rate of 65.20%.
A night out is fairly light on the wallet – a meal will cost $20.50 and a beer $5.38.
PG also scored highest in the “economic opportunity” category with 79.67 out of 100 points. This category looked at average monthly salary, GDP, employment rate, buy apartment price, and mortgage interest rates.
The worst university town overall was Squamish in British Columbia.
Squamish came in the last spot out of 94 university towns, with a score of 32.2 out of 100. Squamish scores particularly low in all three categories with a score of under 40 for social, affordability, and economic opportunity.
Although great for mountain biking and hiking, it isn’t the most affordable place to live and offers little opportunity. Rent is exceptionally high for a one-bedroom apartment at $1724.88 and a beer at $7.25 ($1.25 more than Regina). Earning potential is also relatively low, with the average monthly salary after tax at $2,461.43.
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