Living in Upper Lantzville

Upper Lantzville is the hillside half of the district, above the highway and rising toward the forest behind. Parcels are larger, tree cover is heavier, and a good number of properties look east over the Strait toward the mainland.

Why People Choose the Upper Half

The upper half of Lantzville offers what the coastal side cannot: real acreage, heavy tree cover and elevation. A property here can have genuine separation from the neighbours and a long view over the water at the same time.

That combination is scarce this close to a city. Most Island acreage with a view of this quality sits an hour or more from a hospital, and this does not.

It is entirely rural in feel. No village, no walkable anything, and a household here drives for everything, though the distances are short.

The forest behind gives access to trails and back country directly from the residential ground, which is part of what draws people up the hill.

Parcels, Housing and the Outlook

Parcels here run from a couple of acres upward, generally treed, with housing that ranges widely in age and quality since much of it was built individually rather than as development.

The view is the biggest price variable, and on a treed hillside it is also the most changeable. What a property sees today depends on what has grown and what has been cleared, and both continue to move. Standing on the ground matters more here than anywhere else in the district.

Construction quality varies. Custom rural building spans a wide range and a thorough inspection is worth more here than a general impression of the house.

Set against the other areas:

• LantzvilleA separate district municipality north of the city that stayed rural on purpose.
• Brechin HillThe rising ground above the Departure Bay terminal, close to downtown.
• CedarRural acreage and farm ground south of the city, toward Yellow Point.
• Central NanaimoThe middle of the city, with older housing and the best transit coverage.
• Chase RiverSouth of the centre, around Colliery Dam Park and the older mill ground.
• Departure BayThe ferry terminal, the beach and the established streets above them.

Wells, Septic and Access

Up the hill it is private water and septic, since the district's pipes generally stop below. Yield and dry season reliability for the well, age and field condition for the septic.

Slope and trees change the weighting. Where the field sits, how water moves across the parcel and what shape the driveway is in all count for more than they would on level ground.

Power line runs are longer and interruptions take longer to restore. Backup heat and a generator are ordinary equipment for a household up here.

What a Hillside Acreage Costs

Rural running costs apply throughout. Well and septic servicing, driveway maintenance on a grade, tree work and clearance around the buildings, and a longer run for every trade.

Elevation adds to the heating and to the winter maintenance. Set against that, the land and the outlook cost a fraction of what a comparable view would in the city.

Who the Upper Half Suits, and Who It May Not

It suits a household that wants acreage, trees and a long view, is equipped for rural servicing, and wants a city minutes away rather than an hour.

It suits less well anyone who wants a beach at the end of the street, anyone concerned about a driveway on a grade in winter, or anyone who has not verified what a treed lot actually sees.

If the water matters more than the land, Lower Lantzville is below the highway. If the acreage matters but the hill does not, the Jingle Pot areas west of Nanaimo are flatter.