Rockland

Between the city centre and the south-end beaches, the Island Highway hugs the shore and the homes above it angle for the view. On a clear day you can see across the passage to Quadra Island, with the Coast Mountains behind it. Cruise ships and tugs pass close enough to wave at. In summer, people stop on the seawalk to watch humpbacks blow offshore.

The seawalk is the neighbourhood's living room. It runs the length of the shoreline: benches every few hundred metres, beach access at the side streets, and a steady stream of joggers, cyclists and people walking dogs that seem to know each other. Mornings are quiet. Evenings are when everyone comes out to watch the sun drop behind the mountains of the island.

Inland, the scene turns practical. Campbell River Common, Merecroft Village and the Ironwood area hold the supermarkets, big-box stores and car dealerships that serve much of the North Island. A short drive west, the Beaver Lodge Lands offer a large protected forest with an easy network of trails, an early reforestation site that's now a favourite for runners and mountain bikers.

Housing ranges from 1960s ranchers to new oceanview builds, plus a few low-rise condos for downsizers who want the view without the yard. It's a good fit if you want to be central: about five minutes from downtown, five from Willow Point and close to the hospital.