Niagara is a hot real-estate market, according to many delighted new homeowners, and the Canadian Real Estate Association.
In January, 2017, the average price of a home sold in Canada was $470,253. In Toronto, the average was higher, at $770,745, while in Hamilton-Burlington, the average was $516,128. In Niagara, however, the average sale price for the same period was just $345,294. (Source, CREA stats)
Aside from awesome home prices, there are benefits to living in Niagara, where 12 communities come together to offer services, balanced government and beauty that can’t be measured. Let’s talk specifically about one of these: Pelham.
In 1970, the Town of Pelham unified five historical communities: Fonthill, Ridgeville, Effingham, North Pelham and Fenwick into a single town covering 126.42 square kilometres. This integration brought together a mix of farming (agriculture) and growing commercialism.
For families that love outdoor activities, Pelham and its surrounding area, where rural and residential living blend seamlessly, have much to offer.
From a blend of agricultural and specialty farms, to conservation lands, a provincial park and the unusual Fonthill Kame Delta (the highest protected point of land in Niagara), Pelham’s natural amenities offer a home to wildlife, Carolinian trees and more than 500 bog, meadow and plant species.
Neighbourhoods in and around the Town have been undergoing infrastructure improvements in the past couple of years, with some road widening, new traffic lights, sidewalk renovation, and implementation of programs and services to benefit all residents.
Now under construction is a new community centre, a place where “… residents of all ages can gather and enjoy a wide variety of recreational, social, health and community activities for many, many years,” said Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn in a recent press release.
Scheduled to open in 2018, the new Pelham Community Centre will be a fully accessible, 117,000 square-foot, two-storey multi-purpose facility. It will contain two gymnasiums; a twin-pad hockey arena; a large community multi-purpose space; indoor walking track; community meeting rooms and more.
Families are important to Pelham, and the Town offers many programs aimed at bringing residents together for fun and games. Festivals, farmer’s markets and open-air supper and craft markets bring locals together in a celebration of local fare and artistic talent.
Sports enthusiasts love the Town also - there’s no shortage of places to get out and get active. Particular favourites are cycling - the region’s topography offers long-distance cyclists the perfect roads for training. The Pelham Route of the Niagara Cycling Tourism Centre offers 34 kilometres of rolling hills and nature to be enjoyed while cycling and hiking.
Skateboarding is also popular - the Isaac Riehl Memorial Skate Park at Marlene Stewart Streit Park is one of the region’s finest skateboard facilities.
Let’s not forget those other amenities, so important to the Town’s residents: Superb health care; access to educational services; regional transportation; an approachable mayor and council who have their residents’ best interests at heart; a vibrant and successful restaurant scene; a haven for artists and musicians, and proximity by highway to the border, several airports, train and bus stations, world-class shopping and more.
It sounds like Pelham’s perfect - almost! The only thing missing, is you!
McGarr Realty Corp. agents know Niagara; they love Niagara, and they want you to come love it, too. If you are ready to start searching, give our office a call at 905-468-9229 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, or 905-687-9229 in St. Catharines. Reach us via the contact page on our website, HERE.
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