What makes Revelstoke home?

What makes Revelstoke your home? Is it staff at your favorite coffee shop knowing your order the moment you walk in the door? Maybe it’s every time you experience the Revy Honk – a quick tap on the horn as someone you know passes by and gives an eager wave.

Or is it stopping at the grocery store and running into someone you know there, heading over to the community centre and chatting with someone at the entrance or bumping into friends while taking the dogs for a walk?

Maybe Revelstoke has been home for your family since back when it was known as Farwell, while the Canadian Pacific Railway was setting up shop in the region. Maybe your relations go further still, before colonization. Or maybe Revelstoke became home six months ago.

Many folks will refer to the Revelstoke spirit when explaining why they chose to make this city home. It’s an attitude built from needing to quickly adapt to changing circumstances, as well as a willingness to help each other out.

“I feel safe here like I’ve never felt anywhere else,” Lane Seabrock told the Revelstoke Mountaineer. “I’ve been to other places, I’ve stayed in other towns. This feels safe, this feels like home. People look out for you.”

Walter Bough moved to Revelstoke for a job. That was well over 40 years ago and he’s found no reason to leave.

“I was fortunate, I had an opportunity to purchase land and had a job that allowed me to build a house here for my family,” Bough said. “I have everything I need here. Why leave this beautiful place?”

Revelstoke is home for Rob Nobel for the ways the community seems driven to work together.

“There are other companies in town that do the same property work I do,” Nobel said. “If they don’t think they’re a fit for the project, they’ll tell the customer to reach out to me. I do the same. If I have too much work on my plate, I’ll send folks to them.”

Working with those who would be considered competition in other municipalities keeps Revelstoke’s businesses adapting with a fluctuating workforce and seasonal demand.

“Everyone is really looking out for one another here,” Nobel said.

Brittany McCabe only intended to stay in Revelstoke for a ski season over seven years ago before making the trip back to Ontario. Meeting the person who would become her partner hours after arriving helped keep McCabe in place longer than planned.

“That didn’t immediately change things but it prolonged how long I stayed.” McCabe connected with her future partner at the River City Pub through a mutual friend. The two quickly bonded over the various winter activities that call many to Revelstoke; sledding, snowboarding and exploring the region’s natural charm.

It was joining the team at Revelstoke Credit Union that made Revelstoke feel truly like home, McCabe explained. Connecting with coworkers and clients who were born and raised here helped her learn all the things that make Revelstoke the city it is.

“I think being in a position at an organization that’s been rooted into the community for 71 years and gives back to the community solidified why this is one of the most amazing places to call home,” McCabe said.

Finding connections through Revelstoke’s beloved businesses and organizations helps many people find their place in the community. Martina So said working as a cashier at Le Marché, Revelstoke’s gourmet specialty market, helped her find her place.

“When I got here, I didn’t know how long I would like to stay,” So said. She ended up staying for the last five years, and last year something in particular assured her Revelstoke was home.

“I got married here, so now I am going to stay. I have friends in this community.”

Cale Miller admitted it’s connections on the hill at Revelstoke Mountain Resort that make him feel at home.

“It’s cliche, I get it, the resort town story,” Miller said. “But I run into at least one person I know every time I’m at the hill, and then you either end up riding the Stoke chair together or you meet up for drinks after a run.”

Revelstoke’s nack for lending a helping hand has given Miller a chance to give back to the community, offering a quick ski tip for newcomers and visitors on the hill or offering help in exchange for a couple cans of Mount Begbie Brewery beer.

That community spirit, especially the generosity of strangers is what stands out for Bel Bartles who recently started calling Revelstoke home. She planned to stay for only one winter, but found a place in Revelstoke’s community choir and made quick connections.

“I stayed in town for the community, which felt strong and like a home I never had before.”

One particular RevyStuck story, the term used to explain the cases of either planning to stay in Revelstoke for a season and then staying much longer or being stuck in Revelstoke due to the highways closing, helped solidify things for Bartles.

During a winter storm, a delivery of adoptable cats and dogs was stranded in Revelstoke.

“People were knocking on doors in our street to go and help clean cages, feed and walk animals,” Bartles shared, explaining this was a stark contrast to the large city she grew up in.

Moving away from Revelstoke confirmed it was home for Aleshia Byers, who spent time in Kelowna at Okanagan College before moving back.

“This is home,” Byers said, who works at the Revelstoke Starbucks location. “The team here at Starbucks, people in town, just the whole community. This is home because of that, I’m glad to be back.”

This story was originally featured in the April print edition of Revelstoke Mountaineer.