On March 20 Moneysense magazine released its list of the best places in Canada to live and Prince Rupert ranked 179 out of 190.
That rank is down from last year’s rank of 163 out of 180, making Prince Rupert the 12th worst place in Canada to live as opposed to the 17th worst in 2011.
According to the report, Prince Rupert leads the country in the number of days of rain with 239.7, and the unemployment rate is second worst in the country at 15.8 per cent. The crime severity index is also among the worst, ranked 182 out of 190 and the violent crime rate is 187 out of 190 with 4,943 violent crimes.
The average household income reported in the magazine is $71,225 of which 27.38 per cent is discretionary. The average house price is $196,700, which puts Prince Rupert 49th in terms of affordable housing in the country.
In terms of health care, the number of doctors per 1,000 people has fallen from 1.81 to 1.53. The report indicates that 9.65 per cent of vehicles on the road are new cars, which is ranked 164th out of the 190 communities.
Terrace was ranked 169 out of 190, while Squamish, Campbell River, Port Alberni and Williams Lake were ranked below Prince Rupert among BC communities.
New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, was ranked last for the second year.
Look for more on this story in next Wednesday’s issue of the Prince Rupert Northern View.
