According to this article in CBC News, the population of Fort St. John is expected to double over the next 6 years — one reason the city has applied to expand its boundaries.

The anticipated growth is one reason Aman Brah, a Vancouver real estate agent, is looking at development opportunities in Fort St. John. Aman says, “Initially I was looking for clients and investors, but once you start hearing these numbers and all of the facts around the area, you want to be part of it yourself.”

Read the full article.

According to the Fort St. John website, “This is why it is the perfect time to invest in property in Fort St. John, especially since the Site C dam project got recently approved.”

The site goes on to say, “… developers are predicting that there will be an increase in demand for housing and there will be an increased opportunities with regards to real estate investments and growth.”

Read full article: http://fortstjohn.com/blog/real-estate-boom-in-fort-st-john-because-of-site-c-dam

According to BC Hydro spokesperson, “Construction on the project has only just started. We are about two-and-a-half months into an almost decade-long construction. Over the coming months and years of project construction, employment will continue to ramp up and local and Aboriginal workers will have many opportunities to work on (the dam).”

According to the Real Estate Insider, “British Columbia’s “Oil and Gas capital” is estimated to have one of the largest natural gas deposits in North America – most of it still largely untapped. With the fairly recent attention being focused on the region as a viable source of shale based natural gas, we will definitely see a boost to the economy as exploration and production in the area increases. As new drilling techniques for shale are discovered, the area may become even more lucrative to oil and gas companies. And according to the Conference Board of Canada (Natural Gas Report 2012) there is now more money being invested into the development of the Canadian Natural Gas Industry than is being invested into the development of the oil industry. The investment in both sectors will primarily affect North East BC and Alberta.”

Read the full article which is a wealth of information on population and income; residential construction activity; housing market activity; and much more. 

The City of Fort St. John is planning for further growth by working with industry to create a community that supports new energy projects and other resource projects.

Read about their investments in infrastructure such as the new state-of-the-art rural health car hospital that opened in summer of 2012; a new fire hall; development guidelines; community plan; and more. 

The future is bright and Fort St. John is braced for growth.

According to Canada’s more recent long-form census data, Tumbler Ridge grew 10.4% between 2006 and 2011, making it the fastest growing community in the Peace Region. Hot on its heels in terms of population growth is Fort St. John, which grew 6.9% for a population increase from 17,402 residents to 18,609.

Read Erica Fisher’s article for a good snapshot of growth in the Peace Region.

Fort St. John has been described as a ‘boom town’, but recent census data may give that a whole new meaning. According to this May 29, 2012 article by Erica Fisher Fort St. John — the energetic city — grew 6.9% between 2006 and 2011. Most of that growth came from residents between the age of 55 and 64, suggesting that residents are staying put.

So unlike ‘boom town’ days gone by, the ‘boomers’ are calling Fort St. John home for the long-haul.

Read the complete article.