6 Reasons Abbotsford is Cool

I have noticed a lot of negative talk about our fair city in the papers and on the news lately.

We have a rising gang problem, a lot of grow-ops, a new sex trade, a $2 million video board for our new really expensive arena, and a park (Albert Dyck) built around a manmade lake with lots of goose droppings and beer cans (OK, nobody is writing about that last one, but I still have yet to see the merit in that particular park just yet). So, I thought I would try to counterbalance all the negative with some positive.

Here are six reasons why Abbotsford is cool…

6. Vireneke and Farmers Sausage – where else (other than Steinbach, Manitoba) are you going to be able to choose from a number of places to get these Mennonnite delicacies. I am partial to Rempel’s sausages myself. In fact, I have considered going on an all Rempel’s diet, but my doctor advised against it.

5. Mount Baker – I know, I know – it really isn’t Abbotsford’s mountain, but we see it better than anyone else does. I consider Bellingham my adopted hometown and you can barely even see the mountain peaking over the hills around there. The view is a bit better the closer you get to the Canadian/U.S. Border, but nothing compares to the majesty of the sun shimmering off the slopes of that 10,000 foot volcano. Gorgeous. And we get to see it all the time from all sorts of roads. Sometimes I nearly run into the other drivers just because it is so magnificent (and because I don’t like the other drivers, but that’s a topic for another day…).

4. Mullets – For the unaware, the mullet is a hairstyle that was popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. A person who has short hair in the front of their head and long hair out the back is wearing a “mullet.” It is perhaps the greatest hairstyle ever, but it is largely out of vogue in most cities (except in Europe where it is making a comeback). In Abbotsford, it never really went out of style and whether you think so or not – it’s cool.

3. Generous People – They did studies last year about which communities in Canada gave the most money to non-profit organizations every year and Abbotsford was the “per-capita” winner. And to be honest, I am not surprised a bit. A lot of the people I know around here give as much as they are able and then give some more when they are faced with a need. It’s pretty great to know that most of your neighbors have a genuine concern for the world around them that moves beyond mere sentiment to some form of social action. Cool.

2. It’s Not Chilliwack – Enough said.

1. Lots of Different Cultures Living in One Place – For the five years prior to moving here, my family and I lived in a community full of white people from the same social background and standing (and probably the same family, but I never wanted to investigate the DNA for fear of what I would find). It was a nice, safe, but largely uniform sort of life. Here, I live on a street with families who are Dutch, African, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, American, and Canadian. My kids play with friends from all sorts of cultural backgrounds every day. The street smells like all different kinds of ethnic foods every evening (mixed with obvious evidence of Abbotsford’s dairy farms nearby). It’s always interesting and challenging. And I count it a privilege to be in a place like this.

So, there you have it. You might not like my choices, so feel free to add your own…