I have been living in the North Hastings Area going on 10 years. I moved up here in July of 1997 and I havent regretted it since. If I had stayed in Toronto I wouldn't have opened my own business in Coe Hill fixing, rebuilding and selling rebuilt bicycles. I now operate my Bike Shop at 2465 Hwy 620 in Coe Hill. If your bike is need of a tune up I offer reasonable prices.

Patrick Thompson
Owner of Thompson's Rebuilt Rides, Coe Hill, ON
Posted: Tue, 01 Nov 2005

Whether spring, summer, winter or fall, Bancroft is most certainly a four seasons playground. I was born and raised in Bancroft for almost 18 years and I can't think of a better place I would have wanted to grow up.
If it were up to me, I would move back to Bancroft and raise my family there, but due to different forks in the road along the way, my life lead me in a different direction. I attempt to visit my family as often as I can. I am fortunate enough to have family who live in the area, so going "home" is like a vacation for me. The ambiance of the little town clears your mind and cleanses the soul. Not to mention you get a better nights sleep because of the fresh, CLEAN air. You can almost pin-point the exact moment the quality of the air changes when travelling from the city. One day, when I'm done with this working for a living stuff I hope to return to Bancroft and live out the rest of my days in peace. No more city smoke/pollution for me!

Melissa Munro - Staff Coordinator
Former resident of Bancroft
Posted: Thu, 20 Oct 2005

When asked why I moved to North Hastings I tell people that I'm an "urban refugee"! I moved to the Bancroft area in January of 2000 after a 24 year career as a Producer/Director for CTV news in Toronto because I've always loved this area and wanted to get out of the city and be close to Algonquin Park.

Changing your life so radically is never easy but now I feel very at home here, have opened a business, met lots of incredible people and am very involved in several community projects as both an employee and a volunteer. It's an amazing time to be living near and working in The Most Talented Town in Ontario and I'm proud to have been part of the team that earned us that recognition from TVOntario.

Chris FitzSimons
Owner of Rural Roots Canadian Craft Gallery

I have visited during many summer holiday's and enjoyed tremendously. I decided to move to Bancroft in January 2004 because I wanted a change from the city. I had to get away from the people, traffic and general dislike for city living. I wanted my son to grow up in a natural environment, with trees and animals, not cement, big steel buildings and bad influences.

Living in Bancroft is close to the major cities, but far enough away from the traffic, and overcrowded everything. I enjoy the peacefulness, its natural beauty and friendly people. You would never find the courtesy and friendliness in a major city. If someone fell on the street here you would have 5 people stopping to help. In a major city you would be lucky if 1 of 5 people would even look at you.

I have only been here a short period of time, but I absolutely love it here. Employment opportunities are laying around each bend. The people are fabulous. The weather will do. All the way around I wouldn't change anything about this little town, it's wonderful.

I wouldn't go back to city living if you paid me a million dollars.

Charlene Skinkle

"I came here because it felt like home.
It's a lovely place, the people are very friendly and the air is clean and fresh."

Marcela Christiansen

"We moved to North Hastings because it is centrally located, not too far from major cities, but free from traffic congestion, air and water pollution and overcrowding. We enjoy its beautiful surroundings of lakes, hills and forests. Quality housing is plentiful at one third the cost of average city dwellings, and property taxes are modest. Roads are well  maintained, winter and summer. A wide range of services for both young and old are available."

Henry Westen
Retired Social Worker 
Former Toronto resident

"When we first moved here we met an elderly gentlemen who told us that moving here would add ten years to your life! Having now lived here for a few years, I agree."

Helen Mosbach
Retired Nurse
Former Toronto resident

"As former residents of Toronto, we used to bring our family to the North Hastings area for summer vacations. It wasn't long till we realized what a beautiful area we were in and how welcome the residents in the area made us feel.

It was then that we decided that this is where we wanted to live and locate our family business. We couldn't think of a better place for our children to experience "Personal Spiritual Learning".

The North Hastings area is not only naturally beautiful, but also has plenty to offer. There are a number of fabulous lakes for fishing, swimming, or just boating. To capture the true beauty of the area, I suggest contacting Compton Airlines and for a small fee you can fly over the area, and see for yourself. It's a truly wonderful experience.

Living here has also enabled us to find the time to do things for ourselves, as there are less distractions. We have been able to spend more time doing our hobbies, gardening, or just relaxing.

The area has everything we need, and you can park your car and walk where you need to go in the downtown core of Bancroft and find what it was you needed or wanted. The small town atmosphere gives a feeling of safety and comfort. We are completely satisfied with the area and we plan to stay here for the rest of our lives."

Dr. Singh & Mrs. Singh
Former Toronto residents

Before Mary and I decided to purchase property in Bancroft, we looked at many other areas including the Bruce Peninsula and other Eastern and Central Ontario locations. While all the places had their own attractions, none compared to Bancroft from our point of view as our future home.

Bancroft offers many of the things that one got used to coming from a large urban area and does not have many of the things one wanted to leave behind. It has an excellent community spirit and has retained that small town atmosphere and values...

Dennis and Mary LeFeuvre

I came to Bancroft from Toronto in l993. I had wanted to try country life for a long time. Finally, middle age and divorce hit. I’d already spent 2 years looking for a place to move. It was now or never. What sold me on Bancroft? It was only 3 hours from the city. Property prices were about half or less than in Muskoka and not likely to be crowded or polluted for a very long time. In Huntsville, a friend is losing half his trees slowly to acid rain, the water is tea coloured and the weekend traffic jams are like North York! Here everything is still relatively pristine, green and quiet.

So I left my urban life behind. My first day, I thought I was in heaven in my cabin near the waterfall, the yard astrew with wildflowers. The neighbours welcomed me with homemade muffins and jelly for breakfast and for dinner - fresh brook trout and wild strawberry pie. "You won't get that in the city!" My cats loved it too! That night I fell asleep to the Northern Lights, fireflies and a shower of stars like you never see in Toronto.

Karen Richardson

I found your site when looking for info about Canada. Very nice and informative. I have added a link on my site to it, so everybody can enjoy it. I hope adding this link isn't a problem.If so, just let me know, and i will remove it from my site.
My site can be found at:
http://jkersten.topcities.com

Greetings from Holland,

Jan Kersten