Name: Bowen Island, BC
Rating: 0.0

( 4 Ratings )

Living in Bowen Island, BC

Ranks better than 61% of areas Follow

Population

4,211

Median Age

49.6 Years

Bowen Island Area Facts

Bowen Island has a Livability Score of 61_/100, which is considered average
Bowen Island crime rates are 66% lower than the British Columbia average
Cost of living in Bowen Island is 1% lower than the British Columbia average

What do the locals think about Bowen Island?

67%

Family friendly

33%

Public transit is accessible

0%

Walkable to grocery stores

0%

Yards are well-kept

0%

Lots of parks

0%

Walkable to restaurants

Friendly neighbors

Safe at night

Pet friendly

Streets have sidewalks

100%

A quiet area

67%

Sense of community

Based on 3 votes from AreaVibes users. Take the poll

Bowen Island Reviews

Write a review about Bowen Island Tell people what you like or don't like about Bowen Island…

Nice In Theory 2 rating By Anonymous ( Mar 12, 2023) We moved to Bowen in 2018, and left in 2020. The prevalent Bowen statistic during our stay was that most people chose to leave the island within two years of moving there. We moved with the intention of eventually buying a property, and spending some time renting as a trial fit. ...Read More I'm just so happy that we chose this path in hindsight, as it wasn't a pleasant experience living on Bowen. Having previously lived in a condo downtown, the prospect of moving to Bowen seemed like manna from heaven by contrast, and indeed, the first year on the island was spectacular. However, once you're out of the honeymoon phase, you're left feeling empty by the experience. Anyone can live with the positives, so they're largely irrelevant, as it's ultimately the negatives that dictate the conditions, so I'll start on the cons. The commute does get tiresome very quickly. You have to arrive at Snug Cove at least an hour before the next sailing in order to secure a place for your vehicle on the ferry. The worst place to be waiting for the ferry is on the hill into the village, as you'll quickly discover. Getting back to the island at a timely hour at the end of a long day is always a crap shoot, so you do get used to spending a lot of time in Horseshoe Bay. In the summer during peak tourist season, it's almost impossible to get on/off the island. The ferry sometimes breaks down, and then BC ferries relies on the local water taxi to get everyone on/off the island. It happened to me twice, and both times were on the winter. The island is very densely forested, so this means that many parts of the island get little to no direct sunlight. We lived on Tunstall Boulevard, and the sun only hit the house for a couple of hours per day. The lack of sunlight really became a huge issue. We also lived on Senator Road on the east side of the island, and found that location to be preferable, as you could just walk to the village/ferry from there. There are two grocery stores, and both are incredibly expensive places to rely on for your shopping. The restaurants are all perfectly acceptable, with some being quite good. The locals weren't so great. In fact, they were awful. The population consists of those who've been there forever, and feel that they're above the law, and look upon newcomers with utter disdain. There is another element of the population that are extremely wealthy, have property there, but are rarely present. Most of the population resides in a very top tier income bracket, and you'll quickly discover where you reside on that diving line. We did encounter a few nice people, but overall, we found the locals to be entitled, catty, and pretty venomous. We certainly weren't sad when we left, and we met more than a few people afterwards who were harried off the island by the locals. Like I said, the honeymoon phase was fantastic, particularly coming from Vancouver. I'll never forget the feeling of peace and contentment on our first night as we watched the last ferry sailing off to Vancouver. However, a year later, I felt like Papillon trapped on Devils Island, and Bowen was clearly a non starter. Oh yeah, you will be harassed by the workers at the recycling centre, and gas is insanely expensive. The good bits were John at Sushi to Go, the beer and wine store, dining at the Tuscany, and walks at the Pebbly Beach. Read Less

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