Grande Prairie has again taken a major hit in the rankings of Canada’s Best Places to Live. It fell from 107th last year to 176th in 2016 MoneySense survey. Just two years ago it was 51st.
The magazine complies the list every year, measuring how great a city is to live in by stats like weather, wealth, and crime severity. Everything from unemployment rates, property tax, and participation in arts and culture are put together.
The City’s crime rate likely played a big part in the drop, as it’s seen a nearly 25 per cent increase over the past five years and has a crime severity index of 72.7. However, the area’s high median household income of $108,534 is noted as a positive.
Also released this week was Alberta Venture’s rankings of the province’s best communities for business. Back in 2013 the Swan City was in second place in the Alberta Venture Magazine rankings, but this year it sits in the fourth spot.
It’s placed so high due to the community’s natural placement as a hub for industries ranging from oil and gas to agriculture and forestry. The magazine also points out that the city’s unemployment rate has gone down and nods to the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum as evidence of the community’s thriving economy. That building is actually in the County of Grande Prairie, which is ranked 19th in this year’s list.