These 25 smaller cities were named the best in Canada

The British Columbia Legislature is reflected in the waters of Victoria harbour in the early morning in Victoria, B.C. Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

If you’re tired of living in big and crowded cities and want to move to a new place, a new list might help you decide where to go.

Resonance Consultancy, a marketing consultancy based in B.C., released its recent ranking of best small cities in Canada.

Called Best Cities, the list names 25 as best in 2022, starting with Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, at the top.

The list of best small cities, limited to those with a population of less than 200,000, included cities from six provinces all over the country.

The Best Cities ranking was determined by analyzing factors like weather, employment rate, outdoor space, safety, income equality and institutions.

Outdoor spaces, art, culture, entertainment, culinary scene and parks were the factors that made Victoria the best small city in Canada.

Following Victoria, the B.C. city of Kelowna was ranked second, with high marks for its parks, restaurants, shopping culture, lifestyle and (relative) post-pandemic affordability.

Kingston, Ont., came in at Number 3 for its sights and landmarks, like the Fort Henry National Historic Site, programing and parks, like the "fabled Thousand Islands National Park," Best Cities said.

Also in Ontario, Niagara Falls ranked Number 4 on the list with its culture and civic investment, life affordability, tourist destination, family-friendly activities, theatre, sights and landmarks.

"Canada's Silicon Valley," its university and educational attainment, and employment were the reasons for Waterloo was ranked Number 5 in the list.

Following Waterloo are: North Vancouver, B.C.; the Ontario cities of Burlington and Guelph; Fredericton; and Lethbridge, Alta.

Milton, Ont., was just shy of ranking in the top 10 followed by: Lévis, Que.; St. John’s; St. Albert, Alta.; Moncton, N.B.; Sherbrooke, Que.; Barrie, Ont.; Kamloops,B.C.; Trois-Rivières, Que.; Nanaimo, B.C.; Thunder Bay, Ont.; Airdrie, Alta.; Saanich, B.C.; Aurora, Ont.; and St. Catharines, Ont.

Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.