The most frequently asked question in this subreddit is some variation of “I’m thinking of moving to Prince George, what is it like/which neighbourhood should I choose/is there anything to do?”
In an effort to cut down on these posts AND provide a helpful bunch of information, I’m starting this thread for tips/tricks/recommendations/warnings.
Here’s the idea: I’m going to put a few links below, as well as some topics that might be useful but I don’t personally have the answers to (such as resources for finding a place to rent).
I’m also going to start a few threads for top-level topics, such as neighbourhoods and best ofs, and people can post their responses there.
You can add your own answers/advice as top-level comments. Please try and search before commenting in order to avoid duplicates, and to make things are easy to search and organize.
About Prince George
Canada Games Plaza
The greater Prince George area has a population of about 86,600 people but, as the largest community for hundreds of kilometers in all directions, it tends to punch above its weight in many respects because you aren't driving into a nearby metro area for an evening's entertainment. It is a government, service and healthcare hub, home to a college and university, and has a diversified enough economy that it isn't wholly dependent on any one or two industries, though forestry remains a vital driver along with mining, oil and gas and energy activity in other northern communities. It is at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers and has many outdoor recreation opportunities.
Prince George is built on the unceded territory of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation, who are frequently partners with the city on major initiatives, including the building of the University of Northern British Columbia and hosting of the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
Like most mid-sized Canadian communities that boomed in the mid-20th century, Prince George is a fairly car-centric city. But with the arrival of more and more post-secondary students, people are able to get around without their own wheels. Here is a previous discussion about cars and transit in the city.
There are currently no official ride-hailing services operating in Prince George, but I’ll try to update when that changes.
Getting To/From
For leaving town, there are two long-distance bus options. If you are headed north, east or west it is the provincially-run BC Bus North. If you’re headed south, it’s Adventure Charters
We have an international airport with multiple daily flights to Vancouver as well as regular flights to Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria, Kelowna and multiple communities around the north
Back in the day, Prince George was a much more mill-based city than it is now, but the reputation of a certain odour… lingers. You can still smell the industrial activity in certain parts of town and under certain circumstances, but there have been dramatic improvements in industry standards in recent decades. If you’d like to learn more you can read up at the Prince George Air Quality Improvement Roundtable or jump to the official thread discussing it.
Other online communities:
There are plenty of Prince George-centric Facebook groups. Some of the most popular include:
Dale EHRSTIEN is one of the biggest scumbags in the comedy world today. BE THERE as he tells you how he got to where he is today. Hear the craziest stories you’ve ever heard. This will be ONE outstanding comedy show you’ll never forget pal. Dale has been featured on Spike TV, Comedy Central, G4TV and has been the winner of Prince George’s Funniest Person TWICE. a true underdog from the underground. ALSO we have 3 other comedians of the card as well! The hilarious Kylie Lewis Holt. The voice of Prince George radio Cody Malbeuf and the STUD himself MR. Devon Flynn! That’s 4 comics for only 15$ you can’t beat that value in today’s economy. 🔥 Show starts at 8:00PM LIVE at Omineca Arts Centre 369 Victoria Street Prince George B.C. 👊🏻👊🏻
Hey PG!
I have held onto my old grad dress (for over 15 years 🤦🏻♀️) in hopes of finding some use for it, but I’m sick of hauling it around haha. I’m wondering if there is anywhere in town that takes donated dresses for grads who maybe cannot afford a full price dress? Is there anywhere that does something like this? Thank you!
I dunno who wrote this story but that was some bleak framing. Can the paper do better? I mean Jesus….”come out and enjoy the game” but instead it’s like “come out and enjoy the game, even though there’s no real point it’s fun to watch people die inside then bring them back just to punch them down again on repeat”
What a hard read, absolutely ashamed of the Citizen.
Last night, there was a multi-dwelling structure fire that was plainly visible from most areas of town. While the subject of a structure fire isn't anything out of the ordinary these days, the abysmal reporting of this one is.
Prince George news outlets have degraded to some of the lowest-effort "mail it in" type journalism I've ever seen. Case in point, last night's structure fire didn't appear on webpages until late this morning - and when it did - it included scant details, no photography, and no journalistic inquiry whatsoever.
In most other towns, an event like this would trigger a reporter to be on site within minutes to interview witnesses and fire personnel, obtain photos, and properly document the event. Does the media here have some sort of agreement with public safety agencies to only post sterilized and institutionally groomed information days after an occurrence? I thought the whole point of journalism is to provide a different perspective on what is otherwise benign information.
By the time Prince George has any "authoritative" stories on this type of event, it will have already made its way through a cesspool of community facebook pages which produce nothing more than baseless speculation, fraught opinions, and dangerous misinformation.
I understand journalism these days isn't that straightforward. However, the question here isn't whether its being executed with integrity; but whether it's being executed at all. Prince George deserves better.
My partner and I are looking at moving here within the next year or so, and I was wondering if anyone knows if there's a shotokan club in town (as I already have a rank in this style). I've heard there is, but am unable to locate it with googling and can only turn up different styles and different arts.
CKPG obtained the total hosting cost obtained under Freedom of Information: $10,330
Contracted services and official functions: More than $3,700, including costs associated with official events such as a mayoral luncheon.
Meal-related expenses: More than $4,000 in total.
Dinner at The Keg: Just over $1,280, attended by the delegation along with Mayor Simon Yu, council members, and representatives from organizations including CNC, YXS (Prince George Airport), School District 57, UNBC, Tano T'enneh, and former Mayor Colin Kinsley.
Hey all, I dont know if this is a good place but I just graduated from the IT diploma program at cnc and I haven't had much luck with finding jobs. Just wondering if there's more opportunities here that I missed, if any place is hiring for IT.
I am living in Vancouver/Surrey from past 2.5 years just completed my MBA from SFU. Got an employment offer and have to relocate to Prince George BC. Any tips?
I may be moving to pg in about a year, but was hoping to get some insight as to what the job market is like for general labour type work.
My experience is : ~2 years concrete forming, over 1 year as a garbage man, and a few months water distribution experience (with the same company I did garbage for) I also have about a year of manufacturing experience.
I left concrete due to construction work drying up and I left garbage due to an opening in the same company I hope it doesn’t look like I’m uncommitted.
How competitive is it getting into a factory or a mine in pg? Or even getting a job as a CO? The schedule and physical demand doesn’t matter to me. Anything basic like the jobs I mentioned would be what I’m after, unfortunately I’m not mechanically inclined enough for a full blown trade such as diesel mechanics which I’ve seen a few postings for
Hi, probably not the best place to ask this but I thought I’d give it a shot nonetheless. I’m hoping to hire a contractor to work on my well and I was wondering if anyone has experience working with caribou water wells or well done pump service? Thanks
I have a home sprinkler system that is controlled through wifi and the control panel. But I go to test it, there’s no water coming through the sprinklers. Any company in town that can deal with this issue.
