As a world-renowned alpine skiing and mountain biking destination and site of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Whistler is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. It’s a tourism hotspot, to be sure, but nearly 10,000 people call the resort municipality home all year long.
Whistler offers a range of real estate options, including investment hotel units and fractional ownership offerings. For year-round residents, the benchmark price for a Whistler condo is $351,000, while it’s $1,226,600 for a single-family detached home. If you're looking at the high end, it’s easy to spend well over $10 million for a stylish chalet.
Regardless of the kind of real estate purchased, buyers can count on a West Coast resort experience complete with top-ranked restaurants including Araxi and Bearfoot Bistro, major sporting events throughout the year and the annual Cornucopia festival of food and wine. There are plenty of community-focussed events, too, like the Whistler Farmers’ Market, the annual Father’s Day Fishing Derby and family-friendly programs at the Whistler Public Library.
View Whistler homes for sale and upcoming open houses.
Whistler Amenities
Shopping
Whistler offers plenty of shopping, with more than 200 shops including a major grocer and other staples distributed throughout Whistler Village and Creekside. The Whistler Farmers’ Market runs on Sundays in the Upper Village form early summer through Thanksgiving weekend.
Cafés and Restaurants
Whistler has been known for its dining scene ever since Gordon Ramsay declared Araxi the best restaurant in Canada in 2009. Cornucopia, an 11-day festival held each November, attracts 15,000 visitors to the area to explore gourmet food and drink. But it’s not all about the fine-dining experience. There are plenty of casual après-ski spots and pub grub to keep busy skiers and families happy, too.
Arts and Culture
The Audain Art Museum, recently opened in Whistler Village, offers a permanent collection including works by Emily Carr and an extensive collection of 19th century Northwest Coast masks. The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre offers a chance to explore the culture of local First Nations peoples, and the Maury Young Arts Centre offers a gallery, classes, and an annual performance series.
Whistler festivals bring cultural experiences to town throughout the year, including the Whistler Children’s Festival, the Summer Concert Series and the Whistler Film Festival.
Sports and Recreation
As a site of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Whistler has a number of Olympic legacy venues, including the Whistler Sliding Centre, which offers sliding sport programs for the public, and Whistler Olympic Park, with 130 kilometres of ski and snowshoe trails. Whistler Blackcomb, with more than 8,000 acres of terrain, is North America’s largest ski area.
Of course, summers are active too, with world-class mountain biking, hiking, fishing and golfing.
Whistler hosts sports events for professionals and weekend warriors throughout the year.
Transportation
BC Transit’s Whistler Transit System runs from Function Junction and Cheakamus Crossing to Alpine Meadows and Rainbow and Emerald Estates, connecting all of these areas with Whistler Village. Travelling to Vancouver takes about 90 minutes along the recently upgraded Sea-to-Sky Highway, which offers a picturesque journey along Howe Sound.
Schools and Education in Whistler
Elementary schools
· Myrtle Philip Community School
· Spring Creek Community School (French immersion)
Secondary schools
· Whistler Secondary: A Community School
Whistler Property Statistics
Average home price1: $669,700
Rental information2
Average monthly shelter cost for rental dwellings
$1,463
Makeup of dwellings3
Total occupied private dwellings
3,900
Single detached house
21.8%
Semi-detached and row houses
30.5%
Duplexes
22.3%
Apartments, fewer than five storeys
25.1%
Apartments, five or more storeys
0.1%
Whistler Demographics3
Population 9,825
Age
80+
0.4%
60 to 79
8.8%
40 to 59
26.8%
20 to 39
47.5%
5 to 19
12.2%
0 to 4
4.3%
Neighbourhoods Surrounding Whistler
· Squamish
1Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. Statistics Package, May 2016. Released June 2, 2016.
2Statistics Canada. Whistler, DM, British Columbia (Code 5931020) (table). National Household Survey (NHS) Profile.2011 National Household Survey. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 99-004-XWE. Ottawa. Released September 11, 2013. The figure Includes all shelter expenses paid by households that rent their dwellings, such as the monthly rent and the costs of electricity, heat and municipal services.
3Statistics Canada. Whistler, British Columbia (Code 5931020) and Canada (Code 01) (table). Census Profile. 2011 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-XWE. Ottawa. Released October 24, 2012.
