Prince George, (the city, not the cute seven-year old heir to the British throne) is not known as a beautiful city. This is very unfortunate, because we have great natural assets.
We have not one, but two major rivers coming through town. We have the Cutbanks and a natural citadel (Connaught Hill.) We have enough rain to make our short summers lush with greenery, trees that provide beautiful colour in autumn, and enough snow in the winter to create numerous possibilities for our city to become a beautiful tourist destination in all seasons. I will concede that early spring just when logging is finished is not pretty but it’s a good time to travel south to where it is green.
Driving onto Connaught Hill just a few days ago I wondered how nice it would be if we had a fancy restaurant with views of the city up there? Or even a simple hotdog and ice cream vendor in summer and hot drinks in winter? The bathrooms would need to look less like mini-bunkers, stay open later, and be cleaned more often, but can you imagine how nice that would be? The same could be said of Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park and Cottonwood Island Park, which have great views of the Fraser.
Northern Lights Winery is a great example of a recent development that builds on our natural environment. The first time we stepped through their round “Hobbit” door, it felt like we had stepped into an Okanagan winery. The splendid views of the river compliment the beautiful building and create a great place to have lunch or dinner on their patio. The owners used the natural environment to create a beautiful and viable business that provides a great place to take our friends and family from out of town.
How many other businesses could set up along the river to take advantage of the natural beauty and opportunities the rivers offer us?
Despite living in PG for nearly 30 years, it was only a few weeks ago that I found Ginter’s Park, and the ruins of the Ginter House. Looking at the concrete floor left behind, the beautiful, mostly intact stone works, and the fabulous city view, made me wonder why the spot doesn’t have a permanent restaurant and/or wedding chapel.
Prince George is a city of small beautiful spots, but little overall strategic vision to tie it all together to make it the truly beautiful and livable city it could be. I always have to convince out-of-town friends that it really is a nice city, because they don’t see it when passing through, because our main thoroughfares don’t make a great impression. They are rarely disappointed when I have the time to show them the beautiful spots.
Let’s not give up on our city as we wait for City Hall. Let’s not give up while waiting for a cleaner downtown and a strategic vision that will tie together and build on the beautiful surroundings we are blessed with. Let’s celebrate and share the beauty we find now, and begin to change our city’s reputation to #beautifulcityofPG. Next time you are out and about and find a pretty spot, post a photo of it on social media and give it the hashtag #beautifulcityofPG, as others have begun to do. It will help everyone find the beauty in Prince George.
