The pandemic has brought out the best – and unfortunately worst – in some of us, but it has brought us more people to Chatham-Kent.
As we’ve seen the May 16th Miracle, The Gift and other incredible acts of kindness, we residents of Chatham-Kent have been reminded of a huge reason why we love to live here – the giving nature of the people who live here.
If there’s a cause, an issue, or a family in need, chances are, the people of C-K will rally around it.
We also happen to live in great climate (just ignore this week’s brief cold snap), are close to two Great Lakes, have ready access to a bounty of delicious fruits and vegetables in season.
Remember (and it seems like a loooong time ago) we live close to the border for visits into Michigan for sporting and entertainment events, without having the hassle of actually living in the U.S.
In other words, many of us here know how lucky we are. And that secret’s getting out.
Between 2016 and 2020, our population rose an estimate 4.5 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.
That growth has continued, and likely at an increased pace, given the housing boom that continues here.
This, despite of, or possibly because of, the pandemic.
People living in congested cities had to endure some lockdown issues many of us took largely for granted, due to our ready access to open spaces here.
As a result, those city folks realized that if they could work from home, or migrate their small business with them and still be successful, it was time to get out of the large urban centres of Ontario.
If you can plug into decent Internet, there’s a great deal one can still accomplish, regardless of where they live.
On top of that, our housing prices are still significantly lower than the cost of real estate in larger urban parts of Ontario.
While we have our share of crime, few people would think of Chatham-Kent as a haven for violent crime. Our problems are largely property crime.
It’s not just retirees who are moving to C-K these days. We’re growing; growing with families and professionals.
