Awesome PG

My family and I moved up from the Lower Mainland to Prince George  3 years ago for the growth potential, affordability, the slower pace and more time with our kids. I was POSITIVE we were only going to stay 2 years…

Now 3 years later,  if you follow my blog… you will read about my mini love affair with the city and the great people who call Prince George home.

When asked, “So why the heck would you live in Prince George?”
…PG-ers will almost always answer, “It’s the people!”.

Everyone has one of those amazing stories where some stranger has helped you or some friend has gone above and beyond your friendship to support your family. We are a city where it doesn’t seem to matter your social status, what you’re wearing or who you know… it is what is in your heart. This page is to collect all of those stories… those amazing “oh ya, that is SO PG!” stories that warm us through the REALLY cold winter days.

Hopefully this page and these stories will be where you turn to (on your smartphone) when you are in the line up at the grocery store and you see that … ONCE AGAIN…

Once again, Maclean’s voted us the most dangerous city in Canada. (What is that all about?)

ICBC also held a poll on the worst roads in the province, and the most number of votes were for Ospika Boulevard. (On the bright side, we’re number one.)

If the rest of the world only knew how wonderful this place was…

But it isn’t about the rest of the world, but about us here…

…it is about our stories that need to be recorded and shared so our kids and kids of our kids are proud of where they have come from.

So please share your AwesomePG. story below. If you include your name, you just might be rewarded with a prize should some of those come up in the future :)

PS. If you want one of these free “AwesomePG.” tokens, find me at the Winter Solstice this year on Dec 21 4-9pm OR come by Two Rivers Business at 1272 Third Ave. Let’s spread the love.

  • http://twitter.com/Strange_Trip Strange Trip Studios

    8 years ago, beaten down from alcohol and drug abuse, I had decided to “stop and start where I was”. Prince George was as good as any other place to get well. After a week in Detox, a further 8 weeks in St. Pats during which time I planned my escape from what I thought was a violent dump of a place. What began to happen was a change in how I saw where I lived and how I viewed the people that I share this lovely, vibrant city with. I began to get healthy and the healthier I became the more enticing PG looked. I am now a working artist, I have been at my current position for 6 years and love it. I have even been able to buy a house in one of the greenest parts of the city where I am free to walk trails at any time of day or night without fear of being molested in any way. There were many people that held out a hand to me, a hand up that helped me along my way. All these people were either long time residents or those that came and saw something worth staying for. I see much worth hanging about for; a vibrant arts community, a feeling of closeness and community, good people willing to help one another and much more. All one need do is open one’s eyes to see the goodness all around.

    • http://www.about.me/shaunaharper Shauna Harper

      Thx so much for sharing your touching story Michael… Sounds like PG was exactly where you need to stop and start again. We love how vibrant the arts community is here too. And you’re right, you just have to open up your eyes to see all the goodness!

    • Anonymous

      The recovery community here is known for being tight, and very supportive…..some of the best recovery support BC has to offer. The community has a lot of that friendly, down to earth, pay it forward types that help….and fundraising for those without is unreal here. People are willing to care, and show it.

  • http://twitter.com/RandomActPG Jon Campbell

    I can’t really say I have anything to compare with the previous store but here goes:

    I moved here several years ago from Lethbridge AB, a town supposedly incredibly friendly, although I found it to be lacking. One day in Lethbridge I blew I tire on a busy street and pulled over. I then spent a good 30 minutes changing a tire on the side of a highway whilst people flew past me honking. Nobody stopped to help.
    Fast forward 3 years.
    Again, There’s me on the side of a busy road on the way to work in the Hart. I’ve pulled over because of a flat. It’s winter. The next FIVE cars all pull over to check to see if I’m ok, if I have a spare, and if I have a cell phone. We practically have a tire changing party on the side of the road in -25 temperatures and at 7am.

    Why do I <3 Prince George? The people who live here. The sense of togetherness and community. The fact that we band together every winter to make it through, and most of us do it with a smile.

    • http://www.about.me/shaunaharper Shauna Harper

      Thanks for sharing Jon! I can’t agree more…we had to change our car battery one day (in -20C) in the parking lot of Shoppers wholesale foods. We didn’t have any tools. A man actually stopped to help us… Once he realized we didn’t have tools and he drove back home to get his tools and came back to help us replace our battery! It truly is the people.

  • Dorothy Friesen

    In 1986 when I took a job here, I was not certain that I would last more than 6 months in this place where the smell of pulp mills was overwhelming (the smell of money, they told me). My first grocery shopping trip convinced me I had moved to the right place. People stopped to chat, smiled and made me feel right at home. Now when I travel back to the Lower Mainland and I try my PG smile, they look at me like I am slow-witted. That is only one of the reasons I love Prince George.

    It is so easy to get involved – every group welcomes newcomers like they are special people, not outsiders.

    And of course there are our famous rush minutes when people go home for lunch and are home after work in a few minutes giving them so much more family time.

    Now that I am retired I am often asked “where are you moving to?” I’m already here – my favourite place PRINCE GEORGE.

    Dorothy Friesen

  • Sharon

    Well I came here in 1973 for a long weekend and I’ve been here ever since. Its now been 38 years. Thats one heck of a long weekend : )

  • Tim Bennett

    Prince George is such an amazing place to live and work. For most of my professional life I have worked in the non profit field and am amazed at how how often local companies, organizations and individuals step up again and again to make a positive change in our community. Everyone is quick to donate time, money, goods and/or services and even when they are struggling they still find a way to help. One of the organizations i work with is Volunteer Prince George and am not shocked when I see reports that Prince George is near the top when it comes to local volunteerism. We live in one of the most caring communities.

    I have so many examples of someone stepping up but would be here all winter break. All I can say is I Heart PG and the reason is simple…The People!

  • Greg Jonuk

    I first came to Prince George on a Greyhound Bus from Winnipeg to plant trees in the late 80’s. I remember the town being gritty but enjoyed the services it offered, especially the restaurants and the wonderful stilted library. When I was offered a chance to return for permanent work a few years later I gladly accepted and still remember the feeling of adventure that infused me as I cresting the bowl on Hwy 16 and gazed at my new city.

    In the 17 years I’ve called PG home, I’ve noticed many changes. UNBC has given the town a softer fragrance and the town has also strengthened with the maturity of the plethora of community organizations that give our community it’s spine.

    Affordable housing, 15 minute commutes, accessible nature, 4 wonderful seasons, education centric, these are just some of the reasons why I love this town and am proud to call it my home.

  • Kelly

    Shauna, so glad you are doing this! My son came up from Vancouver and locked the door when we left the house even though there were still people inside! “Why on earth did you do that?” I asked. “Well Mom you are living in one of the most dangerous cities” Really! Good lord that rating should so be banned from the public. He said he felt safer walking around Vancouver late at night than he does here. Unbelievable the power the media has over people.

    The people here are amazing, over the past few weeks I did several shifts for the Salvation Army collecting food and ringing the bell at various locations. People were so generous; always with a smile. There was a truck broke down at the intersection of Massey & Ospika, busy place to be sticking out in the middle of the intersection. Did everyone just drive by? No three big burly young guys (really scary looking fellows!) pulled over and pushed the truck to a safer place. I met a lady in the line up at the post office and she was having one of those bad pre-stress Christmas days. I just gave her hug and she lit right up and started talking about all her grandchildren and how much joy they bring to her life. Do you ever notice how people always hold the doors open for others, no matter where you go in PG. Oh and I watched a young teenage boy grab hold of an elderly lady as she tried to navigate the icy parking lot a the mall. He helped her all the way to her car!

    The effect of that dangerous city label is so unreal, a good reason why I don’t watch the news and I wish more people didn’t especially when they choose to judge and believe everything they see and hear.

  • Patricia

    My husband, daughter and I moved here almost a year ago to date. We had previously lived in San Francisco and prior to that lived in Victoria. I found Victoria a tough place to make friends as it seemed everyone kept to themselves. While spending 10 years in San Fran, I also felt the people were quite superficial and didn’t really have too many people in my life I would consider a “good friend”…until we moved here to Prince George!

    We had come back to Canada and were planning to settle down in Victoria since we have some family there. With the lack of jobs in my husbands field of work he started to apply elsewhere. That’s when he got a job in Prince George and we made the move. It was a little nerve wracking since everyone we told in Victoria said, “Oh, Prince George…You’re not going to like it there”.

    I wasn’t sure what to expect. We moved in the heart of winter (one of the worst ones, supposedly) Besides all the snow and the cold, my first impression was how pleasant the people were. Everywhere I went, either the grocery store or my daughters school, everyone said Hello or smiled!
    Even my daughter who was 16 when we moved here, found the kids at school more easy going.

    Here we are almost a year later and we have made more great friends in Prince George and I can finally say, I’ve come home!

  • Patricia

    My husband, daughter and I moved here almost a year ago to date. We had previously lived in San Francisco and prior to that lived in Victoria. I found Victoria a tough place to make friends as it seemed everyone kept to themselves. While spending 10 years in San Fran, I also felt the people were quite superficial and didn’t really have too many people in my life I would consider a “good friend”…until we moved here to Prince George!

    We had come back to Canada and were planning to settle down in Victoria since we have some family there. With the lack of jobs in my husbands field of work he started to apply elsewhere. That’s when he got a job in Prince George and we made the move. It was a little nerve wracking since everyone we told in Victoria said, “Oh, Prince George…You’re not going to like it there”.

    I wasn’t sure what to expect. We moved in the heart of winter (one of the worst ones, supposedly) Besides all the snow and the cold, my first impression was how pleasant the people were. Everywhere I went, either the grocery store or my daughters school, everyone said Hello or smiled!
    Even my daughter who was 16 when we moved here, found the kids at school more easy going.

    Here we are almost a year later and we have made more great friends in Prince George and I can finally say, I’ve come home!

  • Jennifer

    With all the great stories below on living in Prince George, I’d like to share why I love working in Prince George.

    This is particularly important for those reading these postings from outside PG who are thinking of moving here. We want you to come. The fact you are even reading these posts shows that you value independent research rather than accepting the stories fed to you by media/writers/statisticians who have never stepped foot on Prince George soil.

    I grew up in a beautiful city called Victoria. There are a lot of people transplanted from Victoria to Prince George so I’m not alone.

    I moved here 7 years ago because I wanted more out of life than a mortgage. I went from living in my parents-in-law’s basement in Victoria to owning my own house on 5 acres in Prince George with all the luxuries of life: boat, snowmobile, travel trailer, trips, lattes everyday should I want them (yes, we have Starbucks here too-4 of them in fact). Life is good in Prince George, not just because of the disposable cash but because there are opportunities paired with great people everywhere you look.

    So, about those opportunities…if you have skills, a trade, education, personality, you will not only find a job you love in Prince George, you will love the people you work with. I’ve found a job that I would certainly would not have the opportunity to do in Victoria: 1) because the competition would be much steeper 2) because the only house I could afford to buy in Victoria would be so far outside of the city that the commute to my job would make life unbearable. My commute in PG by the way is 15 minutes door to door with no traffic.

    I work with fun-loving talented people. The little old lady who lives down the street brings our staff cookies every Christmas. Our team looks forward to socializing with each other outside of work hours and nobody punches the clock. We laugh more than we complain. Gossip is not part of our vocabulary.

    Come to Prince George to work as well as to live and I’m convinced you will not regret your decision. I haven’t.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrea-Simmons/1228744409 Andrea Simmons

    andrea simmons ……………..i call pg my second home , but i love it as much as my first home.i moved to pg in 1983 from germany and i am still here.i have many good stories to tell about our town, but at the end of the day it’s always about the people who live here . pg folks love to help and there are a few times i would come outside my driveway to shovel the snow, when neighbors came to help me or it was already done. times when i had to stop driving due to problems with my car and people would stop all the time and ask me if i needed some help. i love the 4 seasons we get , i love the short drive from a to b and the no stress driving , i love that people smile and take time to say hi and stop for a talk, i love all the lakes /parks and trails we have , i love the way downtown is stating to look ( yes it does need a lot of work , but it is happening) , but most of all, i like the people who picked pg as there town and make it such a amazing place to live. thank you people of pg for making me feel so good living in this town and be a proud of pg.

  • Dorothy Friesen

    I attended the UNBC Business Students dinner last night. Another example of the benefits we have here as they showcased some of the alumni and the great careers they have as a result of attending UNBC, becoming an intern with the Northern Development Investment Trust and being part of the JDC West competition. Good job, students. It was an outstanding and inspiring event. I know you will all discover your passion and be the best you can be! Dorothy Friesen

  • Uta Marshall

    I love Prince George!!! As a long time resident, I find the people are what make PG the best place to live. It is large enough that one meets new people all the time, but small enough that we are all connected (for sure you will know someone in common). College, University, Shopping, Theatre, Art Gallery, Museum… we have it all!

    If you like solitude one can live on acreage outside the city, but still only have a 25 minute drive to the heart of downtown. There are lots of clubs and activities one can join, many parks and lots of nature. Heck, we even have a ski hill located in a neighbourhood! (what other city can claim that?)