Born and raised in Surrey, 40-year-old Coralie Nebone thought she would always live in the Lower Mainland.
But after friends invited her to visit "B.C.'s northern capital," the single mom saw first-hand the benefits of moving herself and her now-14-year-old daughter Kaitlyn to Prince George nearly two years ago.
It's a move Nebone has never regretted. She found it easy to get work and the housing costs were far cheaper.
Before she made the move, Nebone got a job as an operations supervisor with a plumbing wholesaler. After the move, she was able to buy a six-bed-room house.
"For what I paid for a six-bedroom house I could only have bought a two-bedroom apartment in Whalley," said Nebone.
"My ex-husband moved up here six months ago and now he's looking to buy a house too with acreage."
Nebone also has more time to spend with her daughter, since her commute to work went from three hours a day in the Lower Mainland to four minutes.
Nebone is one of many British Columbians moving north where jobs are plentiful.
Welcome Wagon has experienced a 30-per-cent increase in calls in 2011 compared to the previous year, said Welcome Wagon's northern representative Laurie Hooker, whose territory covers the province north of 100 Mile House.
"We constantly have people to visit," Hooker said.
Many of the newcomers are coming not only from southern B.C., but from the United States, Europe, Australia and South Africa "because of opportunities in mining and gas."
Business is so brisk she can't find enough people to take commission-paying, part-time work with Welcome Wagon when so many full-time jobs are available.
Prince George-based Royal LePage realtor David Black, who chairs the commercial council of the B.C. Northern Real Estate Board, said commodity-driven projects like mining, forestry and the mills are back, but most of the requests for commercial space are coming from industry, not retail or office space.
The commercial space is being used by businesses such as equipment dealers and supply and services shops that need warehouse space, he said. "There's no recession here. Every day there's a new (commercial) client or listing." However, he noted that recently there have been increased requests for office space in the 6,000 to 7,000 square foot range.
Black said of his nine-year career selling real estate in the North, 2011 was his best year yet. He believes it will just get better given the high demand for commercial space.
B.C. Northern Real Estate Board chair Joni Brown, also based in Prince George, agreed the commercial side has been "very, very busy" and believes that's beginning to "trickle down to an increase on the residential side."
"We do see a lot of people from the South come up because of affordability and the jobs are here," she said.
"Everyone says they move here with a two-year plan and end up staying for the long haul," she said. "We have great amenities, good education and sports facilities, but our best asset is our people. You have a very warm and welcoming people."
Brown said there is also a trend toward people retiring in the North, noting that they can sell a home in the south for $500,000 to $600,000 and buy a new home in the North for $250,000 to $350,000.
Prince George RCMP Cpl. Craig Douglass said while a younger population in particular is moving to the North to find work, there hasn't been an increase in crime in Prince George. In fact, he said, in 2011 there were 1,000 fewer files than the previous year.
"There's no doubt people are coming up or across [Canada] to northern B.C. There's a number of jobs here from Prince George up to Fort Nelson," he said.
Douglass said he notices there are quite a few people from Atlantic Canada in Prince George since the economy here is faring better than the east.
