If you live in small town, rural B.C. you might have noticed some new faces around town. That may be because more and more British Columbians are opting out of the “Big Smoke” in favour of smaller, quieter towns.

Those are the findings of a new study conducted by researchers at the Community Development Institute (CDI) out of the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).

Marleen Morris is the co-director of the Community Development Institute at UNBC and according to her new study Ready or Not: Metro Migration to Smaller Communities, although growing migratory patterns within B.C. from major centres to smaller communities brings with it many new opportunities, there are serious challenges especially in available housing.

“The impacts of metro-migration already felt by the communities represented in the session included some opportunities and positive developments, such as new housing development, a more diverse demographic, and diversification of local businesses. However, most impacts discussed by session participants pose challenges to their communities,” according to the new study.

The study examined 39 non-metropolitan communities in B.C. to explore housing patterns, populations patterns and migratory patterns to see if housing stock is equipped to meet rural B.C.’s housing needs. But in many communities it’s not just the availability, but the condition of that housing stock.

“One thing that just leaps out at you from our research is that housing in non-metropolitan British Columbia is old,” Morris said.

“As a matter of fact, about 60 per cent of it was built before 1980 and so that means that the housing stock is, first of all, not energy efficient…. So it means that in winter you’re paying a lot to heat your home. It also means that houses built before 1980 are in need of major repair, so the older that housing stock is in a community the more major repairs are needed.”

Morris said the work is ongoing to better understand how to overcome housing challenges in rural B.C. to ensure communities adapt to increases in populations and housing requirements.

Listen to the full interview below.