Squamish

Squamish sits at the head of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway between Vancouver and Whistler, a former forestry and rail town reborn as a self-styled Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada.

The Stawamus Chief, a granite monolith rising straight from the highway, draws world class rock climbers, and the Sea to Sky Gondola climbs the opposite side of the valley to alpine viewpoints, suspension bridges and hiking trails high above the sound.

Howe Sound's steady winds have made the Squamish Spit one of North America's top windsurfing and kiteboarding spots, and the surrounding Garibaldi and Tantalus ranges give the town some of the province's best mountain biking, from valley bottom flow trails to high alpine singletrack.

Quest University and a growing tech and outdoor industry base have diversified an economy once built on forestry and rail, and Squamish's location roughly halfway between Vancouver and Whistler continues to draw buyers priced out of both, chasing mountains, water and a genuine four season outdoor life.