Imagine that you live where you love to visit and instead of a five-hour drive to hike, fish, kayak, snowmobile, and explore nature, you just walk out your front door. For the folks who live in the City of Temiskaming Shores in Northern Ontario, that is exactly what life is like.
James Franks, Economic Development Officer for the City of Temiskaming Shores, has lived in the community for over 4 decades and still loves it. “Our community has everything that people enjoy living in a larger centre, just on a smaller scale,” he says.
Whether you are looking for outdoor adventure, municipal services, affordable housing, or a dependable job, the City of Temiskaming Shores has a lot to offer.
The Beauty of Northern Ontario
Located along the shores of Lake Temiskaming between Ontario and Quebec, the small city is surrounded by natural beauty and a huge variety of outdoor adventures. Boating, fishing, hiking, and golfing keep visitors coming back in the summer. Winter is full of opportunities for downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.
“You can do anything here that you can do anywhere else, but with fewer people around you while you do it. You can enjoy hiking trails or go kayaking where you see only one or two other people. Or if you are nervous and want other people around, there are busier places to go as well,” James explains.
“The lake is huge at 70 miles long and five miles wide. I might only see two or three other boats when I’m on the lake. But when you come back to the marina with its full-service gasoline, it’s the same services as any other place.”
Living in Temiskaming Shores
Temiskaming Shores is a regional hub between North Bay, Sudbury, and Timmins in northeastern Ontario. People travel into Temiskaming Shores to access all of the services they need, including hospitals, dentists, doctors, optometrists, accountants, lawyers, shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. It has the small town feel but all the services of a larger community.
For James, one of the best aspects of living in Temiskaming Shores are the people. “It is a friendly place to live. When you walk down the street, people know you. In larger cities, people walk with their heads down, but it is a different experience in our small community. You say hi to people on the street.”
In recent years, the welcoming nature of the community has been expanding to include newcomers from many different countries. Temiskaming Shores now is home to the One Light Diversity Centre which hosts monthly events that are aimed at connecting community members from different cultural and religious backgrounds.
“We are welcoming more and more diverse communities to Temiskaming Shores, which is wonderful. We’re seeing families from various parts of the world move here so now we have a settlement services program available,” says James.
Affordable Housing, Plenty of School Choice, and Good Jobs
A big draw for many new residents to the area is the choice of affordable housing. With an average price of homes around $265,000 and enough homes on the market for choice, owning a home is much more realistic here than it is in the GTA.
“There is plenty of good housing to go around. The rental market is a little snug right now, but we have a decent sales market with homes turning over reasonably quickly. We just had a brand new long-term care facility open so that freed up some homes,” says James. “We also have beautiful waterfront homes around $700,000, which is a lot less than you’d pay in southern Ontario.”
On top of an affordable home, families have a wide choice of schools. Temiskaming Shores is home to all four school boards: Public and Catholic in both French and English.
And since Temiskaming Shores is a regional hub, there are many jobs available. Opportunities range from retail and service jobs to a wide variety of skilled labour positions in the mining, forestry, and agricultural industries.
“People are choosing where they want to live and then finding a job to suit their lifestyles. It is a really good time to take a look at Temiskaming Shores,” says James.
The best way to learn more about living and working in Temiskaming Shores is by talking to James. Give him a call at (705) 672-3363 ext. 4137 or email him at [email protected].
He is happy to chat and answer any questions you might have about living, working, and visiting Temiskaming Shores in northeast Ontario.