Take the leap and discover your new home in Bruce County
For Sana Naqvi and her husband, the move to Bruce County was risky. They’d never visited the region. They didn’t know anything about it. Would they like it? Would they fit in? What was it like?
They were living in Fort McMurray, Alberta and relocating back to Ontario, where Sana grew up, was appealing. They’d be much closer to Sana’s family and the career opportunities looked good. So, like a couple of modern-day explorers, they took the risk.
The Pakistani couple didn’t have kids at the time, but they were planning on it. And to be close to grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins would be a great way to raise children. After relocating and spending time exploring Bruce County, the couple was pleasantly surprised, not only by the epic natural world available to them, but by the town itself.
Taking the Leap: Moving to Bruce County
“The community is very friendly,” says Sana. “It’s not cliquey. It’s easy to make friends and I know every other person on my street. It’s a friendly atmosphere. It’s such a different vibe. … We settled down very easily. It’s a really nice balance between city life and small-town life.”
Ask anyone that’s visited or lives in Bruce County and they’ll tell you it’s a special place. Provincial parks dot the shoreline, and a growing culinary scene features a farm to table ethos where food is grown just a country block away from where it’s served. From the tip of the majestic Bruce Peninsula, to the surf breaks of Kincardine, Bruce County offers up a lifetime of exploration all within driving distance. And you never have to get on a 400-series highway.
Now with two beautiful children, the community of Port Elgin has become home. Hiking along the Beiner trails near their house, the whole family is kitted out with winter boots, snowpants and toboggans. Sana and her husband playfully sled with their kids, exploring the streams and trees of the forest. They run into another similarly attired family and realize they all went to kinder gym together. It’s that kind of place.
But their friends and family in the GTA remain close. “We visit nearly every other weekend, at least once a month,” she says. “It’s really good, because we can go to the hustle and bustle when we want -it’s not too far-and come back to our quiet home.”
Sana and her husband are also grateful for the amount of space they can afford. While many of their city friends are living in townhomes and apartment buildings, the couple built their own home with lots of privacy and a large yard.
“We can afford a lot more space,” Sana says. “A lot of my friends in the city have talked to me about moving out here.”
Sana’s parents wish they would move back to the GTA, but the couple has no plans on doing that. Plus, Sana’s siblings love the house in Port Elgin.
“In the summer months my siblings are here all the time,” she laughs. “It’s great. Our place is basically their cottage. The beach, and all the things the city folk miss, we have it within walking distance.”
They continue to explore the Bruce and overall, their risk has paid off. Their sense of adventure has led them to a place they’ll be exploring for the rest of their lives.
“We would never have thought to move here” says Sana. “I probably didn’t think that you could even live up here.'”
And when it comes to moving to Bruce County, does Sana have any regrets?
“Not at all,” she says. “We’re happy here.”
Becoming an Everyday Explorer
