The Gulf Islands swim alluringly in Georgia Strait (its historic name was the Salish Sea), tucked into the "rain shadow" of Vancouver Island.
In 1974, the B.C. Provincial Government created a body known as the Islands Trust, with a mandate to "preserve & protect", for the benefit of all B.C. residents, the environmentally pristine nature of these wonderful islands. Growth is controlled by severe zoning/density restrictions, and there will always be a limited inventory of properties for sale, on any Gulf Island, because of this nongrowth policy.
Salt Spring Island is the largest and best serviced of the Southern Gulf Islands, with all amenities & services "on island" (including a hospital), and so one does not have to travel off island to some other nearby community.
Salt Spring is serviced by three different ferries (one from Vancouver, one from Victoria, and one from mid-Vancouver Island), plus three different floatplane companies (to Vancouver's downtown or to Vancouver International Airport), with regular/year round schedules,and in the "season", there's a direct floatplane flight from Seattle.
Close to everything, then, and with all services & amenities required for a great lifestyle in the 21st Century, and yet with a wonderful sense of being "apart", Salt Spring is the island with the year round lifestyle.
With a rural/pastoral ambiance on all the Southern Gulf Islands, and with all of them in the heart of the best protected boating waters in the world, and all with a "cool Mediterranean" microclimate, that allows for vineyards, olive groves, and succulent plants that are also found in California, all thriving here, this entire area is truly a paradise!
Before the internet erased geography and time, however, this gem of an area, on the Pacific Northwest Coast, was totally undiscovered. With the Trust controlling development, and prohibiting growth, we've got a protected investment area -- the inventory will always be low, here, no matter what kind of market trend is in play.
Beauty, ease of access, a yesteryear feel with all the conveniences of the "now" moment...it doesn't get any better! Check out my main website for more info/photos -- www.liread.com -- on all the Southern Gulf Islands and on Salt Spring Island.
Look forward to welcoming you to "my island treasures"!
Li Read, Managing Broker, Sea to Sky Premier Properties (Salt Spring)
# 4 - 105 Rainbow Road, Salt Spring Island, B.C., V8K 2V5
phone: 250-537-8763
toll free: 1-866-405-9229
www.liread.com
How may I help you to discover special Salt Spring Island & the Southern Gulf Islands? Call me!
