This is the last of six articles about Canadian communities picked by readers as great places for retirement. Read earlier articles about Osoyoos, Chatham-Kent, Gimli, Port Stanley and Creston in this series. Please leave a comment giving your pick of a great place to retire.
Bill Artiss may not have been born in Rothesay, N.B., but for the past 35 years, it’s the place he’s called home.
A native of Petrolia, Ont., Mr. Artiss worked as a technician in the energy sector, moving to other Ontario locales such as Sarnia, Petawawa and Port Elgin, and as far as Romania and Rajasthan, India. But when Mr. Artiss took his pension 19 years ago, he knew that Rothesay was where he wanted to retire with his wife, Jeanann. The couple had moved to Rothesay in 1979 after a few years in Fredericton – brought to the area by a job at the Point Lepreau power project.
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“It really is a beautiful location,” says Mr. Artiss, 77. “There’s lots to do. Rothesay is right on the Kennebecasis River, so you can sail or power your boat forever up into the lakes and the dam of Fredericton. We’ve got an 18-hole professional golf course in town, two others within 15 minutes.”
Rothesay is a bedroom community for the neighbouring city of Saint John. Verdant, green and situated on the water, Rothesay has long been a desirable locale in Atlantic Canada. As early as the 1800s, Rothesay was the playground for wealthy New Brunswick families, drawn by the beaches and boating, and for years it has shown up on Canadian Business’s list of Canada’s wealthiest neighbourhoods.
Ice fishing anyone? Bill and Jeanann Artiss at Renforth Wharf with fishing shacks on Kennebecasis River. (Steve Nason)
Now, it’s also a hotspot for retirees looking for a quiet life near the water, but still close enough to the amenities of a larger city.
Rothesay is particularly attractive to boomers and retirees because of its proximity to Saint John, says Katherine Bacon, a real estate agent for the southern New Brunswick area.
“Some of the people that are coming here may still work part-time, and they love our short commutes,” she says. “You’re leaving at 5 p.m. and in your door at 5:15.”
Ms. Bacon says the type of person who enjoys Rothesay is interested in a relaxed, easy lifestyle and a slower pace. “I consider it one of the best-kept secrets in Canada. For us here it’s all about the quality of life.”
Bill Bishop, Rothesay’s mayor, who has spent his whole life in the area, says the community has one of the lowest tax rates in the province, and the quality of life is second to none.
“People who work in Saint John can work there and within 10 minutes be on the golf course or the tennis court. We have two sailing clubs, a rowing club or they can go fishing.” He points out that the municipality recently built a new library and is working on a native tree arboretum.
In 1998, the town of Rothesay was amalgamated with four other communities – East Riverside-Kingshurst, Fairvale, Renforth and Wells – which turned a town of 1,500 into a municipality of 12,000. While real estate in “old” Rothesay’s most exclusive neighbourhoods can be high-priced – Mr. Artiss notes that a house was recently built in town for $25-million – the average price of a home in the larger municipality of Rothesay is much more affordable.
According to Barry MacDonald, real estate broker for Exit Realty Specialists, the average selling price for a home in Rothesay in 2014 was $260,361, compared with an average selling price of $151,926 for Saint John (including single family homes and condominiums).
Ms. Bacon says she caters to the “higher end” when it comes to Rothesay real estate, with an average sale price of close to $500,000. But even in the most desirable areas, she says, what you can get for that price is very attractive for retiring baby boomers.
“For less than $500,000, they can get a two-four bedroom, two-three bathroom condo right on the water, or a 2,600-square-foot home on half an acre,” Ms. Bacon says. “About $750,000 would bring them a 3,000-square-foot home with a three-car garage, a pool, a community beach with a lifeguard. And for over a million, they can get all the bells and whistles, a new home on the water with their own private beach.”
For newcomers looking for a less expensive option, Mr. Artiss points to a condo complex near where he lives. “It’s about 100 [townhouse or row house] units. Very nice, about 1,400 or 1,500 square feet [each] and a one– or two-car garage, selling for about $320,000,” he says. “And they have a condo agreement, so the snow shovelling and lawn maintenance is done with a monthly fee you pay. It’s a great spot for seniors.”
Another popular hub for seniors is Rothesay Common, a public green space in the heart of “old” Rothesay, Mr. Artiss says. The Common is surrounded by Anglican, Catholic and United churches, and it’s a attractive spot for walkers and bikers.
“The town has been spending a fair bit of money on parks and recreation, more so than they have in the past,” he says. Over the years, Mr. Artiss has become quite involved in his adopted home – he even spent two terms as mayor in the 1990s and 2000s. (Though he jokes, “In the coffee shops, they still remind me that I’m an Upper Canadian.”)
Being in Rothesay also allows the couple to enjoy the recreational and entertainment opportunities of Saint John, Mr. Artiss says. There’s the historic Imperial Theatre, the Canada Games Aquatic Centre and Harbour Station, the home of the Sea Dogs, a Junior-A hockey team.
While Rothesay doesn’t have its own hospital, residents are 15 minutes away from Saint John Regional Hospital, which specializes in cardiac and trauma-care services. It’s also a teaching hospital for the faculty of medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax and the faculty of medicine at Memorial University in St. John’s.
Close proximity to Saint John’s airport also means residents can get to major metropolitan centres quickly, Ms. Bacon says. “We’re only a couple hours’ flight from Montreal or Toronto and a few hours from Boston and New York. So a lot of people who follow, say, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, or the ballet in Boston, they are taking long weekends there several times a year.
“People can get their fix of the fast-paced big city and world-class dining, and then come home to our slow pace again.”
