Drumheller's bargain prices, slower pace, entrepreneurial spirit draw influx of new residents
CBC
Canadians no longer consider Drumheller, Alta., just a summer holiday destination for exploring dinosaur fossils and the hoodoos.
In recent years, people across Canada dealing with rising house prices, pandemic-induced existential crises or transformative "work from anywhere" capabilities, have been eyeing the tourist town's potential as a permanent home.
As a result, house sales are up and vacancy rates are down. And some say the town's become more lively — even eclectic.
"We heard from a lot of people who have lived here for a long time that Drumheller was sort of dying in a way. It was very quiet downtown," said Deana Hannem, who moved to Drumheller from Calgary in 2018.
"So in the last three years, we've really seen the uptick too, and it's definitely a much more vibrant place to live these days."
Hannam says she and her husband struggled for years to buy a home in Calgary.
Being self-employed — she's a massage therapist, her husband's a drywaller by trade — Hannem says the couple only qualified for a $100,000 mortgage in Calgary.
"They had approved us for a laughable amount and I'm pretty sure they thought I'd go away," said Hannem.
Determined to find a home, the couple started broadening their search and stumbled across Drumheller, a town of about 8,000 that offered homes in their price range.
"To look out here and find that you had not just a few options, but like over 20 options and they weren't just tear down houses, they were perfectly livable, maybe needed some upkeep, maybe needed some love, but there were some that they really didn't need anything."
Drumheller realtor Joe Castonguay says he's hearing from prospective buyers in Saskatchewan, B.C., Ontario and across Alberta.
Since the start of 2022, 37 single family detached homes have sold ranging in price from $80,000 to $482,000, according to MLS listings.
"It's a pretty incredible start to the year," said Castonguay.
In 2018, 98 Drumheller homes were sold. That number has increased every year since, with 166 sales in 2021.
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WARNING: This story contains details of abuse and intimate partner violence: