Living in Crofton
The Salt Spring ferry leaves from the middle of town, and Duncan is 15 minutes away.
Living in Crofton means a small waterfront town on the Stuart Channel with the ferry to Salt Spring Island leaving from the middle of it, a seawalk along the shore, and Duncan approximately 15 minutes away. I live at Cowichan Lake and I know this coast as well as I know my own end of the valley.
This video offers a quick look at Crofton, a small seaside community on Vancouver Island.
Across from Salt Spring
Crofton sits on the Stuart Channel northeast of Duncan, inside the Municipality of North Cowichan. It is not a municipality of its own. Chemainus, Maple Bay and a large rural area sit inside the same jurisdiction and share the same council.
The town was built around the mill and the mill is still the defining feature of the place, both as an employer and as something you can see and sometimes smell depending on the wind. That is worth being straight about rather than leaving for someone to discover.
The other defining feature is the ferry. BC Ferries runs from Crofton to Vesuvius Bay on Salt Spring Island, and the terminal is in the town. That makes Crofton a working transport point and it is the main reason people outside the island town come here.
It also has a seawalk along the waterfront and some of the most affordable ocean frontage in the Cowichan Valley.
Figures are from the 2021 Census of Population profiles for the Municipality of North Cowichan and the City of Duncan, published by Statistics Canada.
Crofton has no census figure of its own. It sits inside the Municipality of North Cowichan along with Chemainus, Maple Bay and a large rural area, so those numbers describe 31,990 people across 195.41 square kilometres rather than this town.
The municipality grew by 7.7 percent between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, well ahead of the 6.3 percent recorded across the Cowichan Valley, and it is now the largest jurisdiction in the region by a wide margin. Median age was 51.2, 28.7 percent of residents were 65 or over, median household income was $78,500 in 2020 and average household size was 2.3 people.
Treat those figures with care, because the municipal average hides enormous variation. Chemainus, which sits inside the same municipality approximately 10 minutes north of here, had a median age of 62.4 and 44.2 percent of residents over 65. The municipal number tells you about North Cowichan as a whole and almost nothing about any particular island town inside it.
On housing, of approximately 13,740 occupied dwellings across the municipality, approximately 8,590 were single detached houses, which is 62.5 percent. The remainder was approximately 1,740 apartments in small buildings, 1,005 semi detached homes, 955 row houses, 765 duplex units and 610 movable dwellings. Of those households approximately 10,575 own and 3,185 rent.
Pros and Cons of Living in Crofton
Pros
- The BC Ferries terminal to Salt Spring Island is in the town, so the Gulf Islands are a short crossing rather than a drive and a wait.
- Approximately 15 minutes to Cowichan District Hospital3 in Duncan.
- Some of the most affordable oceanfront and ocean view property in the Cowichan Valley.
- A seawalk along the waterfront and a compact townsite that is genuinely walkable on the flat.
- A real working town rather than a visitor one, so it does not empty out in winter.
Cons
- The mill is here, and depending on wind and weather that is something you notice.
- It sits inside North Cowichan rather than being its own municipality, so decisions are made by a council covering much more than this town.
- Limited commercial services in the town itself, with most shopping in Duncan or Chemainus.
- Ferry traffic runs through the town on a schedule, which is a fixed feature of the address.
What Is Here and What Is a Drive
In Crofton, on foot
A small commercial strip, the seawalk, the waterfront, the ferry terminal and the community facilities. The flat part of the townsite is genuinely walkable.
Approximately 10 minutes north, in Chemainus
A larger town centre, the theatre and Chemainus Health Care Centre.
Approximately 15 minutes southwest, in Duncan
The hospital, family doctors, pharmacies, grocery stores, hardware, the large retailers and the BC Transit hub.
Across the water
Salt Spring Island by ferry from the town.
Being 15 minutes from Duncan and 10 from Chemainus means Crofton does not need to carry everything itself, and it does not.
Can You Earn a Living Here
The mill is the largest employer in the town and it is what Crofton was built for. Beyond that the town runs on the ferry, small commercial businesses and trades.
Most working residents commute to Duncan approximately 15 minutes away, or north to Chemainus and beyond toward Nanaimo.
Internet and cell service through the townsite are reliable and thin on the rural roads inland.
The Year in a Working Town
This is the coastal side of the Cowichan Valley, which records the warmest annual average temperatures in Canada. Summers here are warm and slightly cooler and cloudier than the inland valley on the same day.
Summer brings ferry traffic through the town and fills the seawalk. It is busy without being a visitor town, because most people passing through are going to Salt Spring rather than stopping.
Winter is where Crofton differs from the tourist island towns on this coast. The mill runs, the ferry runs, and the town keeps working. It does not empty out in October the way a resort village does, and for anyone who wants a year round island town that is a genuine advantage.
Where the Money Goes Further in the Cowichan Valley, Updated Every Month
The Most Expensive Island Towns in the Cowichan Valley, Ranked Monthly
The 15 Minutes to the Hospital
Cowichan District Hospital in Duncan is approximately 15 minutes southwest and it is the only hospital in the Cowichan Valley.
Chemainus Health Care Centre is approximately 10 minutes north, and it is one of four facilities funded by the Cowichan Valley Regional Hospital District along with the hospital, Cairnsmore Place and Ladysmith Community Health.
Having a health centre 10 minutes away and a hospital 15 minutes away is a strong position by the standards of this valley.
Specialist care means Victoria or Nanaimo, both approximately an hour away.
On Municipal Water and Sewer
The townsite is on municipal water and sewer through North Cowichan. Property outside the serviced area is on wells and septic, so the usual questions apply there.
Power is reasonably reliable in the townsite because this is a denser service area. Winter storms cause outages across the Island and rural properties on longer runs wait longer.
Internet and cell service are solid through the town.
Getting Family Here
The ferry to Vesuvius Bay on Salt Spring Island leaves from the town, which makes the Gulf Islands genuinely accessible rather than a project.
Nanaimo is approximately 40 minutes north with the airport and both mainland ferry terminals at Duke Point and Departure Bay. Victoria International is approximately an hour and a quarter south.
Day to day, a compact townsite means people run into each other, which is not true of the rural parts of this valley.
The Flat Part of Town
Crofton is better than most island towns its size and the reason is the layout.
The flat part of the townsite near the water is compact, and the small commercial strip, the seawalk and the ferry are within it. That is a walkable core, and walkable cores are what keep a island town working when people stop driving.
What is not in that core is a full grocery store, a pharmacy or a doctor. Those mean Chemainus at approximately 10 minutes or Duncan at approximately 15.
The residential ground rising behind the town is a different proposition, and the slope is worth walking before buying if you are planning long term.
Public transit5 runs from here. BC Transit connects Crofton toward Duncan and Chemainus.
Housing You Can Age Into
Crofton has a mix of older townsite housing, some attached stock and detached homes on lots, with the ground rising behind the town.
It is not a large supply of anything, but a compact old townsite tends to produce more small and single level housing than a rural area does, and the flat ground near the water is the part worth wanting.
Seniors housing sits above that and runs in three levels. Independent living is an apartment with meals and some services. Assisted living adds daily personal care. Residential care is the level above both. None of the three operates in Crofton, and what exists at each level nearby, along with what the wait looks like, is worth asking directly rather than reading off a dwelling count.
The realistic backstop is that Chemainus is 10 minutes away and Duncan is 15, both with considerably more attached and seniors housing. So a downsize out of Crofton does not have to mean leaving the area you know.
Who Taxes You Here
Crofton has no council and no tax rate of its own. It sits inside the Municipality of North Cowichan, the same jurisdiction as Chemainus and Maple Bay, so decisions about this town are made by a council covering a much wider area.
Crofton does at least have its own MLS submarket, which the municipality itself does not. North Cowichan's ground is split across four tags, East Duncan, West Duncan, Chemainus and Crofton, and the two Duncan tags are shared with the City of Duncan next door. A Crofton listing tells you where the property is. An East Duncan one does not.
| Municipality | Municipality of North Cowichan |
| Regional District | Cowichan Valley Regional District (RD 10) |
| Regional Hospital District | Cowichan Valley Regional Hospital District (RHD 10), funding Cowichan District Hospital, Cairnsmore Place, Ladysmith Community Health and Chemainus Health Care Centre via Island Health |
| School District | Cowichan Valley School District 79 |
| BC Assessment Area | Area 04, "District of North Cowichan", jurisdiction 315 |
| Region | Part of the Cowichan Valley, on the Stuart Channel |
BC Assessment sets your property's assessed value4. Your local government sets the tax rate. Property taxes are the two multiplied together, not the same number.
What the rate is, and how well assessments have tracked real sales here, is on the real estate page, because a number like that means nothing without a price beside it.
How Crofton Compares
- The BC Ferries terminal to Salt Spring Island is in the town, so the Gulf Islands are a short crossing away.
- Approximately 15 minutes to the only hospital in the Cowichan Valley, and approximately 10 minutes to Chemainus Health Care Centre.
- Some of the most affordable ocean frontage and ocean views in the valley.
- A compact flat townsite with a seawalk, which is walkable in a way most island towns this size are not.
- A working town that does not empty out in winter, which the visitor island towns on this coast do.
Questions People Ask Before Moving Here
Where does the ferry go?
Is this its own municipality?
Is the mill a problem?
How far is it from the hospital?
Sources
- Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021. Population, age profile and dwelling counts.
- Island Health. Hospitals, health centres and residential care.
- Island Health, Cowichan District Hospital replacement. The 2027 move to Bell McKinnon Road and the bed count.
- BC Assessment. Valuation dates and the assessment roll.
- BC Transit, Cowichan Valley. Routes and frequency.
- Cowichan Valley Regional District. Electoral areas and services.
The census figures here describe Crofton as it was counted, with the year shown. Current values are a separate question. For what Crofton is worth right now, the real estate page is the one with prices on it.
Explore More of Crofton
Useful places to read further: Cowichan Valley Regional District, Tourism Cowichan, Island Health, and BC Transit Cowichan Valley.
Thinking of Moving to Crofton?
Crofton is one of the better value propositions in this valley for anyone who wants to be on the water. Affordable ocean frontage, a flat walkable townsite, a ferry to the Gulf Islands and 15 minutes to a hospital is a combination that costs a great deal more almost anywhere else on this coast.
The right price comes from where the market is this month, not from what it did twelve months ago.
And if you are leaving rather than arriving. More buyers came from elsewhere on this Island than from anywhere else, 27.4 percent of them. A sale here and a purchase there are one problem, not two, and they are easier with the same person reading both sides. When local detail matters more than method, I work with a REALTOR who lives it.
The mill is the reason it is priced the way it is, and that is a fair trade for some people and not for others. What I would want you to do is spend time here on more than one day before deciding which you are. If you are working through whether this town suits what comes next, I am happy to talk it through with no expectation attached.
Where the Crofton market is actually moving
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Island Towns in South Vancouver Island
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Discover Vancouver Island Regions
Crofton sits on the Stuart Channel northeast of Duncan, with Salt Spring Island across the water and the Gulf Islands beyond it. Every region of this Island runs on its own weather, its own distances and its own shape of year, and comparing them honestly against each other is the whole point of this series.