South Kootenay New Resident Survey

SUMMARY

The South Kootenay New Resident Survey represents a cross section of new citizens in the Greater Trail area. The purpose of the survey is to discover why new residents have relocated and gauge their satisfaction levels. The survey was initiated by the Recruitment Committee of the Lower Columbia Community Development Team (LCCDT) and is sponsored and produced by Community Futures of Greater Trail. Surveys are conducted by Welcome Wagon in the communities of Trail, Rossland, Warfield, Fruitvale, Montrose, and areas A and B of the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary. Results are compiled on a yearly basis by Community Futures for distribution to local agencies and Municipal & Regional governments.

The following report is based on 135 household surveys representing 352 new residents conducted over the past 12 months ending March 31, 2006. Anyone wishing to share information about relocating to our area with friends and family in far places should suggest that they check out www.southkootenay.com. Those wishing to welcome new residents to the South Kootenay region can call our area Welcome Wagon hostess, Nicole Fitzmaurice at (250)368-5827 to schedule a visit, or email her at: nicole.welcomewagon(at)gmail.com.

Survey Highlights

• Over 95% of new residents come from other parts of Canada
• 63% of new residents are from BC
• 2.6 persons is the average new resident family size
• 24% of new residents moved for lifestyle reasons
• 21% of new residents moved to be near family
• 20% of new residents moved for a job opportunity or transfer
• 12% of new residents are from Vancouver and 10% from Calgary
• 87.4% stated the South Kootenay has lived up to their expectations, 11.9% are undecided, and 0.7% say it has not
• 31.1% have seen promotional material before visiting/moving, with the Internet being the most common source of promotional material
• When asked how to make the region a better place to live and work, 25.5% of the responses focused on increased economic development and attracting more business and industry to the region. More jobs and apprenticeships was #2 at 19.1%, and better transit #3 at 17.0%
• When asked what kind of retail or business service they would like to see in the area, 47.4% of respondents suggested more variety in restaurants and fast food outlets. More department stores and specialty stores tied for second place at 11.8% each, and more kids' activities came in at 9.2%

Highlight Graphs -Click to enlarge