It’s funny how sometimes the important things in life become crystal clear.

For Greg and Josée Bailey, its family, a healthy lifestyle and acommunity that provides what theyneed to succeed. But finding theanswers wasn’t straightforward…like most young couples, Greg andJosée had a world of options open tothem, and they were not afraid ofexploring those options beforechoosing to settle down in Cornwall.Both Greg and Josée are teachers.Greg teaches grades 7-8 at SacredHeart Elementary School inCornwall, and Josée teaches thesame grade levels at St. AndrewsSchool. Together they have a beautiful young daughter, Cloe.They live in the east end ofCornwall, although Greg is always on the lookout for the next“perfect” house.

“There are a number of great neighbourhoods in Cornwall,” he notes. “We haven’t set a timelineto move, but if the right housecomes along, we could use a littlemore space.”

Greg grew up in Cornwall, the sonof a school teacher and an industrialinsulator. The call to carry on in hismother’s footsteps was a strong one.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED For young families like the Baileys, Cornwall gets a passing grade as a city to live in and raise a family

“The waterfronttrail along the

St. Lawrence isawesome.”

When he finished his undergraduate studies at theUniversity of Ottawa, he pursuedhis education degree at theUniversity of Sydney in Australia. A year “down under” gave him agreat taste of how big our worldreally is, but rather than sparking a desire to do more travelling, he felt an urge to return home.

“I had an opportunity to stay inNew South Wales, but a year is along time to be away from familyand friends,” he says. “I missed Cornwall, so I came back to consider my options.”

Josée was making some similar decisions at the same time. Her family moved from Vankleek Hill to Hawkesbury when she wasyoung, and after graduating fromteacher’s college at Brock Universityin St. Catharines, she returned toOttawa to look for work.

“Ottawa was a good choice becauseit was large enough to offer

employment opportunities, and had some great amenities. I was comfortable there after havingcompleted my undergraduate studies at University of Ottawa.”

Both young teachers quickly foundwork at Mother Theresa School inRussell, a fast growing satellite community about 25 minutes fromOttawa. The two became friends and

eventually car pooled during thecommute back and forth fromOttawa. They married in 2003.“We loved living in Ottawa, but simply could not afford to buy ahouse,” remembers Greg.

The pair looked at buying a home inRussell, or in the nearby countryside. But even in Russell the house prices were staggeringly high.

“We did not want to give up the coffee shops and amenities of a bigcity,” said Greg. “We needed to findanother solution, and on a trip backto visit family in Cornwall, we tooksome time to take another look atthe city.”

The very first discovery Greg andJosée made was that living inCornwall was a lot more affordablethan the Ottawa area. They attended an open house for anew subdivision and were amazedto discover that the model homecould be built for $160,000.

“We love living in

Cornwall. It has

everything we need.”

__________________________________________________________________________________________ 2010 ♦ Cornwall LIVING 47

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Josée and Greg Bailey

“A similar home in Ottawa wouldeasily have cost over $250,000,”notes Greg.

The couple was also impressed atthe changes occurring in Cornwall.New restaurants and coffee shopswere opening up, the city had justbuilt the Aquatic Centre and thelocal public library was vibrant.

“A date night for us is dinner and amovie,” said Greg. “We have thesame choices as Kanata or Orleanswhen it comes to restaurants, andthe top movies are always playingat Galaxy Cinemas.”

The couple made the decision tomove in 2005 and quickly immersedthemselves in the community. Gregand Josée discovered that whileCornwall has the amenities of a bigcity, it still very much retains theatmosphere and attitude of a smalltown.

“People are very friendly here. Youquickly form acquaintances with thepeople you meet, whether it is atTim Hortons or even the gas

station,” says Greg.“Living in Ottawa teaches you toadapt to the fast-paced life in a bigcity”, notes Josée. “It’s a goodlifestyle, but you do not connectwith your neighbours as easily. I am still quietly amazed every time somebody holds the dooropen for me in Cornwall. There is always a sense of welcome here.”

With Cloe in day care in Cornwall,the two were finding the commute to their school in Russell to be very tiresome. They each applied to transfer toschools in Cornwall and soon bothwere happily ensconced in new positions locally.

Working in Cornwall meant moretime to enjoy family time and the community’s amenities. “We are both very active and love torun outdoors,” explains Josée. “The waterfront trail along the St. Lawrence is awesome.”

“When the weather isn’t great wehave the choice of two excellentgyms,” adds Greg.

The couple ventures frequentlydown to Lake Placid and theAdirondacks to hike many of the 46peaks in the region. They love to skiat Whiteface and in the summerGreg is willing to chase a golf ballaround at the local golf courses.

“Where else can you have the choicebetween so many excellent golfcourses within a few minutes drive – and where a full membership is only about $2000?”

In 2007, Josée was putting awayfruits and vegetables from the localgrocery store when she had an idea.She was currently teaching her students about environmental stewardship and the little plasticbags used for produce didn’t seem tomake much sense. After a year ofresearch, and she came up with theidea of a reusable bag made up oforganic cotton netting.

“It takes a lot of work to get a smallbusiness off the ground,” says Josée.“We had a lot of support from ourfriends, family and local businesses.Cornwall is a good place to grow abusiness. ”

Steward Bags started small, butsales of their unique produce bagshave grown every year. The bagshave made their way to consumersfrom Nova Scotia to BritishColumbia and as far away asEngland and Australia. They arereceiving interest from retailers viatheir website (www.stewardbags.ca)and the future of their small business seems bright.

“We never would have been able tostart our business if we lived in abig city like Ottawa,” says Greg.

“When we hear friends voice theirfrustrations about the high cost ofliving in a big city or the pains ofcommuting, we raise our eyebrowsand smile, knowing that we’ve chosen the best location for our family’s lifestyle,” adds Josée.

“We have a growing list of friends who have discovered thesame secret – Cornwall is a greatplace to live!”

Cornwall $154,434

Canada $339,177

Ontario $345,932

Ottawa $328,359

Toronto $431,131

Montreal $281,829

Average Housing Prices

Average sale price as of April 2010CL

48 Cornwall LIVING ♦ 2010 __________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Thisarticlehasbeenreprintedfromthe2010editionoftheCornwallLivingmagazine.ThemagazineispublishedannuallybytheSeawayNews.

YoucanorderyourfreecopyofthecurrentversionofthemagazineviatheChooseCornwall.cawebsite.