Stave Falls Real Estate & Homes For Sale
Stave Falls is a small rural community in northwestern Mission. The area is best known for the Stave Falls dual-dam power complex on the Stave River, now a National Historic Site of Canada owned by B.C. Hydro. The original dam was completed in 1912 for hydroelectric power production. The powerhouse was once BC's largest hydroelectric power source but was replaced in 2000 after a four-year upgrade. The old powerhouse is now a tourist attraction known as the Stave Falls Visitor Centre.
Stave Falls is a very quiet secluded community, with little traffic. Most homes are single detached houses — 2 and 3 bedroom — but there are a few duplexes. 95% of the homes in the Stave Falls are occupied by the homeowners. Approximately 40% of the homes were built in the 1960s and 1970s. The rest were built before 1960, in the 1980s, or quite recently.
The Stave Falls Community Association has given local residents a strong voice and helps foster a sense of community. Stave Falls Elementary School was closed in 2008. A hybrid proposal was submitted for a multi-purpose educational, recreational and community events centre, and the school will re-open September 2019. Even though it's a small, very quiet neighbourhood, a Neighborhood Block Watch program has been initiated. In July of 2018, the first Stave Falls Farmers Day was hosted Hottiesfoods Emporio, showcasing the local artisans and farmers of Stave Falls.
The area known as Stave West and the Stave River watershed offers a spectacular expanse of mountainous forested land. Stave West covers 5,000 hectares and borders the large Stave Reservoir. The area includes groves of second growth rainforest, waterfalls, lakes, streams, many trails and diverse wildlife. The Stave West Master Plan maps out the next ten years of development and management of this great resource, based on social, environmental and economic principles. The plan builds on Stave West’s potential for creating many new tourism and recreation opportunities within the framework of a sustainable working forest.
Mission has an unemployment rate of 5.6%, which is below that of the province of British Columbia (2016 census). The median household income is $65,411. The population is young, with a median age of 39. 23.5% of the residents are children 14 years and under, 20.8% are 15 - 34, and 5.2% are 75 years and older.
Stave Falls has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate type Cfb) with mild winters and warm summers. The average January temperature is 3°C, with a July average of 17°C. The average rainfall is 2,387 mm, with 130cm snowfall.
Stave Falls Homes For Sale
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- $100,000 - $200,000
- $200,000 - $300,000
- $300,000 - $400,000
- $800,000 - $900,000
- Over $1,000,000
Employment Opportunities
There are some farming and backyard business opportunities in Stave Lake, and forestry jobs nearby, but most of the residents travel 17 minutes (16.3 km) into Downtown Mission, or commute to one of the outlying cities for work. Roughly 60% of the population works in outlying locales. The median commute time is 26 minutes (2011 household survey). Most of Mission's workforce is involved in construction, manufacturing, retail, transportation, education and health care.
Historically, Mission's primary resource sectors were hydroelectricity and agriculture, and they provided the basis for local retail and service businesses.
For quite a few years sawmills and food processing were the Mission's primary industries, and forest and wood-related industries continue to dominate the manufacturing sector. With improved highway and rail access, manufacturing in the area has increased. Mission's leading employers include BC Frozen Foods and the trucking firm T-Lane. The largest single employer is School District #75, and the second largest is the municipality itself.
In Mission's Ferndale area, the federal government developed two large penitentiaries; one minimum security and the other medium security. Once a major industry, agriculture is now restricted to the Dewdney-Deroche district east of Mission and a fairly narrow belt along the Fraser River. Dairy is the primary agricultural enterprise, but there is also some hog, poultry, beef and vegetable farming. Mission holds the only municipal tree farming license in the province, and this provides some jobs.
Education
When the Stave Falls Elementary School closed in 2008, the school was put up for sale by the School Board, and students were routed to Albert McMahon Elementary School. Since the community of Stave Falls has no recreational or community events centre, a proposal was submitted outlining the multipurpose advantages of the building to the small community. The good news is that the school will be reopening in September of 2019. Stave Falls Elementary enrols students kindergarten through grade 6 and offers a curriculum with an outdoor, forestry and cultural program of choice focus.
École Heritage Park Middle School enrols about 670 students, grades 7 through 9. The school shares the site with the University of the Fraser Valley and the Clarke Theatre. The curriculum includes rigorous academics and a broad selection of electives in fine arts, applied skills, and languages. Heritage Park Middle also offers two district programs of choice: French Immersion and Intensive Core French.
École Des Deux-Rives enrols students kindergarten through grade 8 and is a Deux-Rives school committed to developing students' cultural identity and promoting the development of a Francophone community.
École Mission Senior Secondary School is a dual track school that offers Regular and French Immersion programs and enrols students grades 10 through 12. Mission Senior was established in 1952 and is the longest-serving secondary school in the District of Mission. The school's Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies (ADST) curriculum is an experiential, hands-on program of learning through design and creation that includes skills and concepts from traditional and First Peoples practice, and from the existing disciplines of Business Education, Home Economics and Culinary Arts, Information and Communications Technology, and Technology Education.
There are some private school options as well. Valley Christian School enrols students kindergarten through grade 12, and offers a Distributed Learning program, with an interdenominational Christian focus. Khalsa School is part of the oldest, largest and most reputable Sikh institutions of learning in BC.
Riverside College has an excellent apprenticeship trades program, designed to lead graduates directly into employment opportunities. There are currently over 150 apprenticeable trades in BC. University of the Fraser Valley Mission Campus, at Heritage Park Centre, offers high quality, career-focused education that takes learning outside the classroom. Summit Learning Centre operates across the province providing Home Education and Virtual Education to students in all grades including individual secondary school courses.
Shopping/Dining
Stave Lake has no retail businesses, but there is one restaurant. Hottiesfoods Emporio is a family-run Italian eatery that serves up fresh Neapolitan cuisine, decadent desserts, artisan coffee and ice cream, and an excellent selection of wine & beer. They cook with fresh locally sourced ingredients.
Just a few minutes away, Mission's downtown core has an abundance of locally owned restaurants, retail stores and services. In addition to the small shops dotting the core, there are several shopping centres. Shops at Mission plaza has 13 stores, including a Walmart Supercentre, Safeway and Shoppers Drug Mart. Heritage Park Marketplace plaza, at Stave Lake Street & 11th Avenue, is conveniently located across from the UFV Campus. Junction Shopping Centre is located at the corner of Highways 7 and 11 and offers 39 stores, including Staples, London Drugs, Save-On-Foods. There are well-known restaurants like Boston Pizza, Tim Hortons, Mr Mikes Steakhouse and White Spot, and a Cineplex Silvercity Cinema.
Mission has a great selection of fast food franchises, family restaurants, bars and fine dining. If you're looking for pub fare, or a quick bite, Black Sheep Pub or Character’s Pub & Grill or Kingfishers Waterfront Bar & Grill, might be just the place. For date night or a special occasion, Californios have a menu that changes with the seasons and focuses on purity of flavour and expression of the ingredients.
Transportation
The rural community of Stave Falls is only 17 minutes from Mission's downtown, but far enough that driving is almost essential for accessing most of its amenities. Mission's transportation infrastructure includes the Lougheed Highway 7, Abbotsford-Mission Highway 11 and West Coast Express commuter rail line.
118 km (93 mi) in length, Highway 7 follows the southern bank of the Fraser River, connecting Mission with Maple Ridge, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam and Vancouver, to the West, and with Highway 1 to the East, near Hope. Highway 11 is a flat 17 km (11 mi) expressway that literally slices Abbotsford down the middle, passing through Abbotsford, and connecting traffic with Washington State Route 9, by way of the Huntingdon Canada–US border crossing.
Vancouver is a 55 min (61.9 km) commute, from Stave Falls to Vancouver, via Dewdney Trunk Rd and the Trans-Canada Hwy 1. West Coast Express (WCE) has five trains running from Mission to Vancouver per day, during the morning peak hours, and returning to Mission in the evening. Each car is equipped with a washroom and every train has a coffee bar. A one-way trip takes roughly 75 minutes.
The 67.9 km bus trip from Vancouver-Mission is 1 hour and 21 minutes. Bus service is provided by the Central Fraser Valley Transit System, and it connects Mission with the City of Abbotsford, as well as TransLink, with service to the Coquitlam Central Station.
Arts and Entertainment
The Powerhouse at Stave Falls Visitor Centre is a National Historic Site of Canada that provides a walk back in time, from its construction in phases between 1909 and 1925 to its rehabilitation in 2001 as a public educational centre. The museum features interactive displays and demonstrations that tell the story about electricity and energy in BC. The Stave Falls Power House provided electrical power to the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley for most of the twentieth century. It contributed immensely to the area's ability to prosper during its early years of urbanization.
Because of its unique historic features, many television shows and movies have been filmed at the Powerhouse. The historic site includes a real-life movie set. As a side note, in 2014 the Vancouver Paranormal Society ranked the Powerhouse at Stave Falls as the most haunted place in British Columbia.
Mission Museum preserves a record of the district's history, educating its community and preserving its rich heritage. The museum offers historic walking tours, and exhibits dedicated to the Sto:Lo first inhabitants, the arrival of the Oblates in 1861, the Great Land Sale of 1891, the Billy Miner train robbery of 1904, and much more.
Located in the Mission Arts Centre, MAC Rock Family Gallery allows local emerging artists to display their work. Artists and artisans not represented by a professional gallery are welcome to submit 2D and 3D media and techniques. The Mission Arts Council has been nurturing and encouraging awareness, and a commitment to the arts and culture in Mission since 1972, with art classes, workshops, programs and special events throughout the year.
Owned and operated by the Mission School District No. 75, The Clarke Theatre is a multi-purpose facility that opened in 1996, for civic and touring events. The 702 seat venue has become the cultural hub of the community of Mission, offering hundreds of presentations. Each July the Mission Folk Music Festival Society hosts the annual Folk Music Festival, which showcases emerging local and BC musicians.
Sports and Recreation
Rolley Lake Provincial Park is a flat wilderness area near Stave Falls, with a small warm-water lake. The park offers hiking trail around the lake, amongst second-growth conifers, a sandy beach, swimming, fishing, and canoeing. There's fishing for rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, dolly varden, steelhead and kokanee.
Stave Lake was created in 1921 after the Stave Lake hydroelectric project was completed. A boat launch is available at Stave Falls. The lake is popular with 4x4 and dirt biking enthusiasts due to its extensive mud flats. Stave Lake Railway Trail is an easy hardpacked trail that runs along Stave Lake and the Hayward Reservoir. The Hayward Lake Reservoir recreation area has a 10 km trail that connects with the 6 km Railway Trail. There's canoeing and non-motorized boating in the Hayward Reservoir, but the water is cold enough to threaten your survival. Hayward Lake features old growth and second growth forest, picnic benches and tables.
Located nearby, Eighteen Pastures Golf Course is a challenging 9 or 18 holes, with tree-lined fairways and undulated greens, rated par 72, with a yardage of 6,697. The course offers some excellent views in a tranquil setting, and often wildlife can be seen crossing the fairways, or in the brush. Mission Golf & Country Club has been dubbed “Canada’s Finest Championship Length 9 Hole Course”. This course offers a unique change of tee decks for the back nine and has long been revered for its tight fairways, fast greens.
The District of Mission has 23 local parks and trails, and 8 regional parks. Its largest park, Fraser River Heritage Park, is an ideal location for gatherings, and a wonderful place to connect with Mission's rich history and natural beauty. Mission's Municipal Forest also offers many opportunities for recreation, like mountain biking, hiking horseback riding, swimming, boating and fishing; and there's snowmobiling in the winter.
Mission's proximity to the Fraser River makes it a launch point for many enjoyable water-based activities, great fishing for salmon and green sturgeon, and unspoiled green spaces. Mission Raceway Park offers spectators the thrill of motorsport, with drag racing, road racing, motorcycle road racing and motocross events. Located just under an hour from Mission, Sasquatch Mountain Resort has one of southwest British Columbia's most consistent snowfalls. The mountain offers 1 triple and 2 double chairlifts, with alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, tobogganing, snow-shoeing and snow-tubing.
The Mission Leisure Centre offers length swims, a leisure pool, water slide, swirl pool, steam room, and sauna. Lifeguard training and swimming lessons are available. The centre also has a strong health and wellness program, with youth fitness opportunities, spin, cross training, aquafit, trx, a weight room and personal training. There are soccer fields, and a drop-in gym, with basketball, floor hockey, racquet courts. The ice arena provides public skating, hockey, spring break camps and ringette.
Investing in Stave Falls
The ten-year master plan for Stave West, to capitalize on the area's potential for creating many new tourism and recreation opportunities, is expected to benefit Stave Falls. New business opportunities, jobs and improved amenities are anticipated. The school district's decision to re-open Stave Falls Elementary School demonstrates faith in a growing population and a brighter economic future for Stave Falls.
Mission is located in the heart of the Fraser Valley, about 1 hour East of Vancouver, and 18 minutes North of the Sumas US border crossing. Mission has all the amenities and convenience of larger surrounding municipalities and has seen a steady annual growth rate over the last 35 years, averaging over 3% annually. Housing prices on average have been lower than the rest of the Fraser Valley, making Mission one of the most affordable places to live. This makes it particularly attractive to first-time homeowners.
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