Ladysmith ~ "Heritage By the Sea"

Ladysmith has perfected the art of "community". It is town wherein generations of families play on the same softball team, pitch horseshoes on Saturdays, and gather for picnics at Transfer Beach to enjoy music at the amphitheatre or a night of fireworks. Ladysmith embodies what is most important to Canadians - family.

On the 49th parallel, Ladysmith was established by James Dunsmuir as a bedroom community for coalminers labouring at his mines to the north, it also served as an ideal seaport to transport mined coal. What had once been known as "Oyster Harbour" was renamed "Ladysmith" by Mr. Dunsmuir in honour of Britain regaining Ladysmith, South Africa during the Boer War; he also named the ten main streets after British Generals who fought during the conflict. Many of Ladysmith's heritage buildings were moved from town sites at the Extension and Wellington Mines at the turn of the last century. These hundred-year-old monuments now host flourishing businesses which, in turn, have created a boutique community that continues to transform through decades of change. The town was incorporated in 1904 and has since grown into a community of families, retirees, and young professionals.

Once reliant on coal, then timber, and fishing Ladysmith has matured into a town of custom businesses, tourism, and lifestyle participation. Ocean channels are active with boating enthusiasts; kayakers, sailors, and pleasure-crafters ply the salt chuck rain or shine. There is a surplus of nearby golf courses, hiking trails, and accessible beaches. One of BC's few purple martin nesting sites is found on the dock near the Ladysmith Maritime Society. The Artifact Heritage Walk presents a walking timeline of regional history, the Ladysmith Arts Centre Gallery offers artisans a venue to showcase their work, and federal and provincial municipalities have presented several awards to Ladysmith for environmental stewardship.

The town celebrates its character during the Marine Festival, Sweet Pea Quilting Show, the Brits on the Beach, and Arts on the Avenue. However, no festival is as world-renown as Ladysmith's annual Festival of Lights - each November the entire town unites in a volunteer effort to create a wonderland of seasonal lights that triples the town's population on "light-up night". For six weeks thereafter travellers come from near and far to witness the electric tribute of town spirit. Ladysmith is also a perfect place to invest in real estate.

It is close to Nanaimo and Duncan, only 90 km to Victoria, near the Nanaimo Airport and Duke Point Ferry Terminal; live in a small town, but work in an urban centre. It is one of the fastest growing communities in BC and maintains a population of 8,000. Citizens who earn a higher income than the provincial average and insist upon an environmentally progressive lifestyle; Ladysmith exemplifies a contemporary hometown for traditional values. Ladysmith, like Coast Realty Group, puts People. Above all.