Relocating to Rocky Mountain House

[GraceandGrit]

My daughters and I are thinking of relocating to Rocky Mountain House, we want to move to a nice area, quiet, safe and that is community focused. Somewhere that is a great place to raise my girls.

I am just curious if there are any locals on this forum that could give me a little bit more than a 'snapshot' of what life is really like there?
Is it a good place to raise a family? Job security? Crime? Activities for teenagers? I suppose the Pros/Cons from your perspective.

I just don't want to be swallowed up by a city and want to make sure our next move is a good one for my family. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks! GraceandGrit

[ESOXangler]

If you want a clicky town with a high rate of teenage pregnancy then Rocky is the place. But the views are amazing!

Edit: I am being slightly sarcastic, most of my family still lives around the area and you’ll never be able to argue the locations beauty and the amenities. Lots of work and every few years the outdoors store goes under and you get fire sales.

[Sundancefisher]

I know lots of people from my company that live there or have lived there and love it.

Everywhere can be clicky.

[GraceandGrit]

ESOXangler,
Lol.... so pretty much like where we are now. I’m not worried too much about cliques, there’s always going to be good people around and growlers... as for the pregnancy bit, enough of our friends and neighbours are raising their grand babies that my girls are pretty level in the real reality of how surprises can impact everything
Is it poor that I’m stoked about the fire sales? What is there to do for entertainment (aside from making me a grandma before I’m forty? Lol) is there a social setting for adults there too? ( Lol, this part is funny since I don’t have a social life outside of my daughters activities and work). What the heck, I will throw it out there though

Sundance,
That’s wonderful to hear! The people you are referencing, did/are they raising their families there as well? What is the most consistently positive aspect you hear of and the most negative around the water cooler?
Thanks again for taking the time to be forthcoming and taking the time to answer 😁

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by GraceandGrit

ESOXangler,
Lol.... so pretty much like where we are now. I’m not worried too much about cliques, there’s always going to be good people around and growlers... as for the pregnancy bit, enough of our friends and neighbours are raising their grand babies that my girls are pretty level in the real reality of how surprises can impact everything
Is it poor that I’m stoked about the fire sales? What is there to do for entertainment (aside from making me a grandma before I’m forty? Lol) is there a social setting for adults there too? ( Lol, this part is funny since I don’t have a social life outside of my daughters activities and work). What the heck, I will throw it out there though

Sundance,
That’s wonderful to hear! The people you are referencing, did/are they raising their families there as well? What is the most consistently positive aspect you hear of and the most negative around the water cooler?
Thanks again for taking the time to be forthcoming and taking the time to answer 😁

It small town versus big city. If you like smaller...more friendly communities then good place.

Draw backs in small towns mostly consist of school cliques and if the age group of the kids are into no good it is either be a part or be ostracized.

Rocky is large enough that there are more than one type of friend group to join.

Being where it is people seem more outdoorsy.

[Skytop B]

Yup, clicky town for sure. Been here 8 years and love it. Who need friends when you have the best gun range in the province to hang out at...

[troutbug]

Iv never been to Rocky but Hinton is nice to.

[omega50]

Ahh. A fresh start.

Witness relocation program-Been there done that.

Seems like a nice place if only I could stop calling it Rotten Monkey House

[Joe Black]

If you ever hear banjo music, run

[GraceandGrit]

Thanks, Sundancefisher I appreciate your insight! I'm glad that it's big enough that there is diversity Hahaha, thanks, everyone Absolutely a fresh start, it's a brand new day, with a brand new adventure... closing chapters are bittersweet, but, it's going to be great no matter where we go, because we will be together. My main concern is my girls' safety, and that they never lose the feeling of community and helping out your neighbour.
Darn, I was hoping someone could help me tune my banjo hehehe jk, super stoked for the gun range!
Omega hahaaha... well, I have two monkeys so it might be a fit. Hinton? What's Hinton like?

[70fastback]

Moved here in 1998 the nice thing about Rocky is the location 2 hours to Calgary 2 hours to Edmonton less than an hour to Red deer hour from the mountains massive amount of back country camping spots quading every where you get the same problems of every other smaller area people complaining no where to shop nothing for the kids to do theft but each to his own

[Slicktricker]

Rocky has beautiful range lived there 5 years won't miss it though, wouldn't live there again.

[GraceandGrit]

Sounds perfect 70’s!! Right now we’re 4 hours to civilization, they put curling together for the kids... 4H is pretty much my girls extracurricular & music out here. Some of the kids get into stuff out here, it’s actually kind of shocking what they do for ‘fun’... I’m pretty positive they know if they get offside in any town... well... let’s just say I’m a pretty invested single mom, and I keep my girls in line. ( it doesn’t hurt that they are pretty amazeballs naturally though &#128521. Before I forget, is there any roller derby out there?
Are there any sketchy parts of the town that I should avoid looking to buy a house in? Like... crazy cat lady with random shot gun incidents or known for parties and junk? 😆
I just want a place with a garage so I can play with my truck and build furniture on my down time. I have to buy a new quad though and then hit trails and wake up smiling everyday. Bahaha I sound like a grandpa 👴 (no offence to grandpas &#128522. In your opinion, is Rocky the kind of town that I can do that without concerns?
Slick why wouldn’t you go back?

[Slicktricker]

Used to be beautiful areas nothing but quad tracks everywhere, you won't find many spots walking into hunting without running into quite a few wanna be hunters on quads, never seen an area as bad as rocky area for road warrior hunters as well some days it was beyond ridiculous with them and decent fishing though theft is really high as with vandalism, I had an acreage out in Strachen didn't have much problems where I was st but can't remember a week that something wasn't stole there,

[GraceandGrit]

Dang, that’s disheartening .... What about violent crimes?

[denied access]

When we lived there 7 years ago it had about 7000 people and 7 liquor stores. That should tell you all you need to know. Every weekend it fills up with the crowd from the cities. Break ins and theft are the new norm according to my friends that still live there which has changed Im guessing when oil tanked.

It does have a few redeeming qualities such as location (proximity to Edm Cal and RD). And there is some fantastic fishing in the area. Great gun range. The people are pretty good for the most part. Hunting spots can get pretty crowded especially if they are accesible.

Didn't seem to be a tonne of stuff for kids to do there but we came from a very family/youth oriented place. It was a bit cliquy for sure. If you can afford an acreage and better yet a quarter I'm sure you would not regret it over a house in town. Actually we just sold our acreage there a couple months ago.

I don't feel i would move back although it certainly has its good points and I still go there to visit friends. North of town is too crowded. South your sucking fumes from Keyera Strachan and Husky Ram. West not a lot available. East is flat ass farmland and crowded. Weather is very erratic there to say the least. I never knew a younger person who died of cancer till Rocky but in the 3 years I lived in Rocky I went to 3 funerals of guys in there 40s, all lived and worked south of town. Could be coincidence but it kinda got me thinking.

That being said I'm not able to recomend anywhere in Alberta that is any better if you need to work as well as live. Of the places that have a fair amount of industry going on I guess its probably the best.

I guess my suggestion would be to possibly rent an acreage or place for 6 or 7 months or even a year before buying. I feel that the next time I move I will do this. I hate renting but at least that way you have a bit of freedom. And with Rocky it is very very different which direction from town and even which road you take that it takes a few months to even figure out where you might want to live.

If you are going to live in town i see no advantage to Rocky over Red Deer and even a tonne of disadvantages. Town living is town living and Red Deer kinda has everything for recreation and activities but still small enough to get around in easily.

[GraceandGrit]

That is awesome information! Actually, I was looking into Sylvan Lake and Red Deer as well (a little bit), I'm very lucky as I work in healthcare and administration... So, with three of my jobs, I work from home essentially and I just go to the call centre for my other one (I'm a 9-1-1 dispatcher, but, I'm okay with investigating closing this chapter in my life as well).
I just need trees, water, mountains, and nature accessible haha...in a perfect world I would move to Creston, B.C. but, my daughter is going to be going to University next year... Jesus is Lord! How did that happen?!! Christ, I'm not even 40....anyways, I digress.
So, essentially it's my little minion and myself that are going to be trekking on a new adventure. She's excited to have access to extracurricular activities, a library, a swimming pool, skate park and hockey rink lol. She's also informed me that we are going mountain biking this summer... She'll be golden no matter where we end up.
I currently own 10 acres (bought my ex out), and I have one more exam but then I am completely done my post-secondary THANK GOD! (between work, my girls, the acreage and being in school full time that's why moving into a town sounds appealing over an acreage). I want to have some time to just.... be... if that makes any sense?
I didn't put into consideration Keyera and Husky... and I'm assuming Red Deer has roller derby for my daughter... I suppose you're right, becoming a townie is going to be the same in any town... It's just the idea of a city that scares the hell out of me hahaha....

[mac1983]

My 2 cents. Take a drive from Grande Prairie to Pincher Creek. Take your time and talk to the locals. Stay close to the mountains and enjoy.

[Eagle Trapper]

My goodness what bunch of doom and gloom. I don't live in rocky, I live on this " crowded flat ass farmland" to the east. Rocky puts you on the doorstep of the backcountry. No shortage of places to explore out there. And the difference of 7,000 in rocky compared to 93,000 in red deer is enough to make any outdoor enthusiasts quiver. As for going to school in the area, sports were pretty big. These days most of my life extra time is spent fishing. Can certainly point you in the right direction if you happen to make it down.

[MK2750]

I lived in the Rocky area for 10 or more years and even ran a little business there. There are some awesome people there but the chances of getting in with the "right" crowd is slim and will take time.

Why is that? Rocky is kind of your last kick at the can if you are of the shady type. After you have burned your bridges in the big cites you try your luck in Red Deer. After you have proven you are worthless in RD you shuffle over to RMH. The locals have seen more than enough transients over the years and many have been stung when offering up a warm greeting. Standoffish to new comers would be the understatement of the day.

Everything costs more in RMH. There are two good sized reservations and a third not too far away. They support the local grocery stores, liquor stores, car dealerships etc. and these businesses have no reason to lower prices. I actually have friends that work at the dealerships that told me outright to drive to Red Deer to buy a vehicle. "Our stuff will sell in time for full price". As a retailer I observed prices generally 10-25% higher than Red Deer.

The majority of the restaurants, lounges and bars are geared up to make money from hard playing oilfield workers and the natives. They can be a lot of fun but very rough by times. You are best travelling with a group of friends and keeping a lower profile. You can get in a lot of trouble very quickly with very little effort.

Yes RMH does have a great range, beautiful scenery, awesome hunting and fishing not to mention a world class golf course but it would not make my top 10 places to raise children in Alberta. I know you can get in trouble anywhere but it is nearly impossible to avoid in RMH.

As mentioned, the Rocky forest area gets traffic from the 3 biggest cites in the Provence every weekend. Even many of the locals go north or even east to get away from the crowds and find some private land without the traffic. Near every cutline has a regular village of campers on any given weekend and on the long weekends it is literally a zoo.

When we decided to have kids we packed up and headed to Sylvan Lake. We still go hunting, fishing and camping around RMH but I don't regret moving as it is a short drive. The wife met more people here in a month than she did the entire time in RMH. Both kids graduated with awesome marks and enjoyed their education. They hung out with great kids and hopefully made friends for a lifetime.

I know there is every bit as bad an element here as in Rocky but there is so much more here and in Red Deer to keep them entertained. They just never had time for BS. Red Deer has awesome shopping and entertainment and if that is not enough the big cites are only 90 minutes away on a good high way. The RD River has world class fishing and the hunting is actually better around here and east especially for waterfowl and upland.

Over the years that I lived in Rocky I have seen many like yourself come and go. Many from the eastern part of the country and many from just around. There was far more failures than success stories especially when it comes to young people. Many of the success stories include a share of survival and the failures are often tragic not just going home with your tail between your legs.

Anyway, Rocky is not how it looks from outside and nearly everyone that moves there agrees with that. Maybe you will fit right in and have a glorious time there, maybe not. I have many friends in the area and they raised awesome hard working children. They love Rocky and have no intentions of ever leaving.

Good luck with what ever you decide.

[denied access]

Originally Posted by MK2750

I lived in the Rocky area for 10 or more years and even ran a little business there. There are some awesome people there but the chances of getting in with the "right" crowd is slim and will take time.

Why is that? Rocky is kind of your last kick at the can if you are of the shady type. After you have burned your bridges in the big cites you try your luck in Red Deer. After you have proven you are worthless in RD you shuffle over to RMH. The locals have seen more than enough transients over the years and many have been stung when offering up a warm greeting. Standoffish to new comers would be the understatement of the day.

Everything costs more in RMH. There are two good sized reservations and a third not too far away. They support the local grocery stores, liquor stores, car dealerships etc. and these businesses have no reason to lower prices. I actually have friends that work at the dealerships that told me outright to drive to Red Deer to buy a vehicle. "Our stuff will sell in time for full price". As a retailer I observed prices generally 10-25% higher than Red Deer.

The majority of the restaurants, lounges and bars are geared up to make money from hard playing oilfield workers and the natives. They can be a lot of fun but very rough by times. You are best travelling with a group of friends and keeping a lower profile. You can get in a lot of trouble very quickly with very little effort.

Yes RMH does have a great range, beautiful scenery, awesome hunting and fishing not to mention a world class golf course but it would not make my top 10 places to raise children in Alberta. I know you can get in trouble anywhere but it is nearly impossible to avoid in RMH.

As mentioned, the Rocky forest area gets traffic from the 3 biggest cites in the Provence every weekend. Even many of the locals go north or even east to get away from the crowds and find some private land without the traffic. Near every cutline has a regular village of campers on any given weekend and on the long weekends it is literally a zoo.

When we decided to have kids we packed up and headed to Sylvan Lake. We still go hunting, fishing and camping around RMH but I don't regret moving as it is a short drive. The wife met more people here in a month than she did the entire time in RMH. Both kids graduated with awesome marks and enjoyed their education. They hung out with great kids and hopefully made friends for a lifetime.

I know there is every bit as bad an element here as in Rocky but there is so much more here and in Red Deer to keep them entertained. They just never had time for BS. Red Deer has awesome shopping and entertainment and if that is not enough the big cites are only 90 minutes away on a good high way. The RD River has world class fishing and the hunting is actually better around here and east especially for waterfowl and upland.

Over the years that I lived in Rocky I have seen many like yourself come and go. Many from the eastern part of the country and many from just around. There was far more failures than success stories especially when it comes to young people. Many of the success stories include a share of survival and the failures are often tragic not just going home with your tail between your legs.

Anyway, Rocky is not how it looks from outside and nearly everyone that moves there agrees with that. Maybe you will fit right in and have a glorious time there, maybe not. I have many friends in the area and they raised awesome hard working children. They love Rocky and have no intentions of ever leaving.

Good luck with what ever you decide.

That was pretty much the way we saw it as well. Check Sylvan out. Always seemed pretty decent to me. Might be a great choice if you are going to live in town.

Best of Luck

[J_Impact]

Originally Posted by GraceandGrit

That is awesome information! Actually, I was looking into Sylvan Lake and Red Deer as well (a little bit), I'm very lucky as I work in healthcare and administration... So, with three of my jobs, I work from home essentially and I just go to the call centre for my other one (I'm a 9-1-1 dispatcher, but, I'm okay with investigating closing this chapter in my life as well).
I just need trees, water, mountains, and nature accessible haha...in a perfect world I would move to Creston, B.C. but, my daughter is going to be going to University next year... Jesus is Lord! How did that happen?!! Christ, I'm not even 40....anyways, I digress.
So, essentially it's my little minion and myself that are going to be trekking on a new adventure. She's excited to have access to extracurricular activities, a library, a swimming pool, skate park and hockey rink lol. She's also informed me that we are going mountain biking this summer... She'll be golden no matter where we end up.
I currently own 10 acres (bought my ex out), and I have one more exam but then I am completely done my post-secondary THANK GOD! (between work, my girls, the acreage and being in school full time that's why moving into a town sounds appealing over an acreage). I want to have some time to just.... be... if that makes any sense?
I didn't put into consideration Keyera and Husky... and I'm assuming Red Deer has roller derby for my daughter... I suppose you're right, becoming a townie is going to be the same in any town... It's just the idea of a city that scares the hell out of me hahaha....

Creston Valley is a beautiful area... I would go back in heart beat. Unfortunately there isn't much for work or schooling in Creston. You can't go wrong though with anywhere in the Kootenay area... unfortunately they all have the same issue.

[chasingtail]

I would put Olds on the list of one of the better towns to live and raise a family in Alberta.

[kal.b.]

HOLY CRAP!!!! you make rocky seem like the wild west!! its no different than any other town. ive lived here my entire life and have never felt unsafe or that people arent friendly in any way. it does cost more here and theres less to do for the younger folks, but, red deer is less than an hour away for shopping and other entertainment. there is a certain element that likes to come to town and steal our stuff but thats a policing issue.

[fatboyz]

Originally Posted by kal.b.

HOLY CRAP!!!! you make rocky seem like the wild west!! its no different than any other town. ive lived here my entire life and have never felt unsafe or that people arent friendly in any way. it does cost more here and theres less to do for the younger folks, but, red deer is less than an hour away for shopping and other entertainment. there is a certain element that likes to come to town and steal our stuff but thats a policing issue.

I hear ya buddy what a bunch of crap. Rocky is Great, and they think Sylvan is a gem!! Lots of crime there. We raised both our girls here and love the small town life!

[Sloughsharkjigger]

13 years in Rocky... teachers and support staff are a committed bunch of folks... our son graduated from the public school system and is a model citizen. As mentioned in previous posts... all you will need is within an hours drive.

When you want to rub shoulders, Sylvan Lake, Red Deer and for sure Edmonton & Calgary area a short drive away, although hwy11 east of Rocky is busy... twin the dam thing and more people will come... rant.

Warning... If buying property in town limits be prepared for a property tax shock... easily 20% more than most centers. Property appraised at 400k pays $4600 per year... equals to north of $300 per month... but hey we got a new Main-Street which is controlled by the the town fathers.

[GraceandGrit]

I appreciate everyone helping out with getting to know the terrain! I love the small town life! It's just there isn't much for my girls this far away from the cities, and with postsecondary coming down the pipe for my oldest it makes me want to get her away from having her core subjects taught via video conferencing, and her other classes via correspondence. Her grad class will have 7 kids including her! I figured it would be a good time to move into town since the acreage is too much to handle on my own. It's one of those somethings gotta give situations... not a run from your life and circumstances situations... I love it here, just time to close a chapter. I can't see myself slowing down with work, my girls are my main priority and looking to making their futures as amazing as possible, that's all I care about.

Lol the idea of us finding trouble is funny... the Amish are wilder than my girls and I. I just know that if I don't do this now...I never will, if that makes sense. The list of Pros/Cons of staying here is getting fairly one-sided.

I didn't mean to offend anyone with asking about the crime rates or anything. I'm just trying to make the best choice for my girls, it would be different if I still had my Beasty... he had a way of deterring any mischief around our acreage (97lb boxer x drooling hound=mutt lol). Hence, yet another reason it's time to sell out.

I guess I don't mind the adventure of starting over, its just the fear of walking into something blind, that's why I asked, not to imply anything negative about the community. . I sincerely appreciate your help in this... I just miss the backcountry, mountains, TREES!, lakes, etc... I took a right instead of a left twenty years ago and ended up hitched to a prairie lover hehe.
Now it's time to take a leap of faith and have a bit of His grace and a crapload of grit... Thanks again, I really do appreciate the help with making a well-rounded decision. The beauty is, wherever we end up, it will be groovy because that's the only real available option. I just wanted to make sure that it would be a good fit and the best opportunity for all three of us it having a kick butt gun range doesn't hurt a girl's feelings either though

[MK2750]

Originally Posted by fatboyz

I hear ya buddy what a bunch of crap. Rocky is Great, and they think Sylvan is a gem!! Lots of crime there. We raised both our girls here and love the small town life!

Wasn't trying to start a contest. What I like about Sylvan is I am on the high way heading west without dealing with Red Deer traffic. What the wife likes about it is being in the city in 15 minutes or on the high way to visit relatives in Calgary.

Lots of great people in RMH and beautiful country. The alcohol and drug abuse is the worst I have ever seen and I have seen some very bad places.

[fatboyz]

Originally Posted by MK2750

Wasn't trying to start a contest. What I like about Sylvan is I am on the high way heading west without dealing with Red Deer traffic. What the wife likes about it is being in the city in 15 minutes or on the high way to visit relatives in Calgary.

Lots of great people in RMH and beautiful country. The alcohol and drug abuse is the worst I have ever seen and I have seen some very bad places.

Take a walk down Ross street in Red Deer on any weekday mid day then tell me Rocky is the worse you've seen. More low end folks there than I've seen anywhere!

[Don Andersen]

Lived in Rocky for nearly 50 years. It is a standoffish kind of place however it takes an extra hour shopping @ the Coop due to the people stopping to chat.
Raised two kids here, both bave two degrees now.
I retired here although there are lots of places we could have moved to.
Highway #11 is the busiest two lane road in Alberta.
Long weekends are crazy. The locals hide till it's over.
Rocky has the busiest Stars site in Alberta mostly hauling weekend warriors to larger hospitals.
Lots of recreation facilities which include indoor pool, two arenas, tennis courts, kids fish pond, skate board park, skating ovals plus neighborhood rinks, hockey leagues, swim club, 4H, pony club, gun range, walking trails, scoccer pitches, running tracks, football field, ball diamonds.
Outdoor recreation is available - others have covered that side.
There are clubs for teens, men, women, couples, Senior Centre.
Taxes are somewhat higher but I get my street snow cleaned
about twice each winter. Intersections are sanded including alleys.
Others have touched on the crime issue. Our garage was broke into once. They got a flashlight and some change.

Don