Abbotsford

British Columbia's fifth largest city spreads across rolling farmland and hillside between the Fraser River and the US border, anchored by a growing university, a working airport and one of the country's biggest air shows.

Abbotsford's historic downtown along South Fraser Way and Essendene Avenue keeps a small city feel, with Mill Lake Park's walking loop just up the hill, while Clearbrook's shops and temples reflect one of Canada's largest South Asian communities. West Abbotsford's Highstreet Shopping Centre and the McCallum Road corridor give the city a modern retail core minutes from Highway 1.

The University of the Fraser Valley anchors a growing student population, and Abbotsford International Airport hosts both the long running Abbotsford International Airshow and the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks at the Abbotsford Centre. East Abbotsford's Sandy Hill and newer communities like Auguston, built around a golf course at the base of Sumas Mountain, add hillside family homes with valley views.

To the west, Bradner and Mount Lehman keep a genuinely rural character with hobby farms, wineries and the annual Bradner flower show, while Sumas Mountain offers acreages backing onto provincial parkland. For buyers priced out of Metro Vancouver, Abbotsford combines newer housing stock, more land and a fast growing job base with a manageable commute up the Fraser Valley.