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THIS IS LIVING THE DREAM — Why I Left Vancouver for Small-Town Life

189 views · Published 10 April 2017 · 5:46 · Indexed 26 October 2026

Channel: Mike Martins · 2017 · Howto & Style

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“This is all I’ve ever wanted — just living this dream.”
— Mike Martins

April 9, 2017 — Merritt, British Columbia.
It’s Sunday morning. I’m sitting outside my house drinking a coffee. The kids are playing in the background. Somebody is mowing their lawn. Somebody else is working on their garage. I can smell a barbecue somewhere in the neighborhood.
And I'm sitting here thinking: this is all I ever wanted.
I spent years living in major cities, especially Vancouver, believing that being close to a massive metropolitan area was somehow necessary to get ahead. But eventually I realized I wasn't making the kind of headway I wanted. Housing had become incredibly expensive, and I couldn't justify paying an enormous amount of money for something I didn't believe was worth the price.
So I left.
Now I'm in Merritt. I've got a house to work on. I've got a backyard and a garden. I've got a garage I can fix up. The kids have room. I've got neighbors I actually know. There are parks nearby, lakes, dirt bikes, RC airplanes and helicopters, and there's a feeling of community that I wasn't getting in the city.
This isn't about bragging about owning a house.
It's about finally putting down roots.
I wanted somewhere I could raise my family, pay my bills, contribute to the community, work on my property and actually feel like I was building something for the future.
People told me owning a house was overrated.
Sitting here this Sunday morning, drinking my coffee and listening to the neighborhood around me, I don't agree.
You don't necessarily need the biggest city. If you can find a smaller, self-sufficient community with groceries, hardware, basic shopping, services and the things your family needs, maybe there's another way of living.
That's what this entire Living the Dream series is about. From deciding to leave Vancouver, buying the house and moving the family, to renovations, gardening, fixing the garage and discovering what small-town life actually feels like.
For the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm not simply existing.
I'm living.

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