Located in southwestern British Columbia, the port city of Vancouver is consistently rated among the world’s most livable cities. Although traditionally a port town with an economy dependent on local resources (fishing, forestry, agriculture, etc.), Vancouver has developed into more technical economic sectors. After New York and Los Angeles, Vancouver has the third largest film industry in North America and is also undergoing a major expansion in the field of video game design. This has led not only to it being a highly livable city, but also a rapidly expanding one.

Adding to the economy of the region is the nearby resort town of Whistler, where the 2010 Winter Olympics are to be held. Whistler is famous the world over for its excellent downhill skiing. In fact, for the avid skier, it is a “must visit.” And, when you are planning your ski trip, you must find good accommodations. For this, one great place to look is the Vancouver section of Craigslist.

In case you are not familiar, Craigslist is a network of site for communities throughout the United States and around the globe. Initially, it was founded as a resource for the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995. By 2006, there was a Craigslist site representing each of 450 cities worldwide. With a few exceptions, advertising on Craigslist is free, and postings can be placed in myriad sections, all organized into major categories.

One such category is housing, where users can browse apartments, available real estate, temporary housing or sublets, shared housing, parking, office space, and vacation housing. One can even post a housing wanted ad or arrange a housing swap. This can be a major resource for places like Vancouver, where people visit on vacation and need resort accommodations.

A quick browse of this section reveals plenty of such accommodations for Whistler posted on Vancouver Craigslist (http://vancouver.craigslist.org). Listings can be found for condos to sleep four, six, even ten people. The rates tend to be reasonable and comparable to what one might pay for a hotel, but with additional amenities, such as kitchens, fireplaces and in-unit jacuzzi spas. Some ads are posted by condo owners looking to get some income out of their property, others are by commercial resort property managers. Some units are advertised to make them seem more homey. One, for instance, includes a stocked kitchen with espresso machine, DVDs for playing on the included DVD player, and plenty of books and games. Either way, Craigslist enables you to communicate directly with the poster and arrange your stay. This is the sort of personal touch that is common in postings on Craigslist, making it preferable to traditional newspaper ads which cost money by the word, forcing posters to cut corners.

It you ever get the chance to visit Vancouver, you will undoubtedly find a pleasant, expanding city full of history and natural beauty. If your plans include a skiing trip to nearby Whistler, be sure to check out Craigslist for vacation rentals before you go. It may just make your trip that much better.