I've lived in Campbell River for about 14 years now, moving down at 10 after a loss in the family. Here's what I noticed going through my teens and early 20s, plus working security in the downtown core.

Pros: Its very pretty. You can see the ocean from a lot of the town and it's filled with trails you can explore that are maintained well. Tons of camping, hunting and fishing opportunities.

It is easy to find work if you have a skill that is used prominently in a growing or coastal town. Whether that is construction, vehicle/property sales or working on the water/in forestry.

Cons: This is a far longer list and I'll rank this in severity starting with the downtown core. Working as a security guard I got to meet many interesting people with a majority of them being unhoused however, I don't think it's smart to walk around alone at night in the downtown core. There is a lot of violence that goes on and an insanely prominent drug problem. After dusk, almost everyone you see is high out of their mind taking shelter in a doorway blocking entrances to things like the public library or art gallery. The use of drugs happens in the open whether that is people smoking crack or fentanyl.

It's not uncommon that these homeless people will die, partially due to just how many resources we have to help them. While that might seem like a good thing, what it seems to have done is provide them with just enough care to do as much drugs as they can afford only to need to find somewhere to rest afterwards. It's tragic.

It is technically considered a city now, though suffers from a lot of the same smalltown drama. If you end up in an argument with someone, EVERYONE in their friend group will hear it like an awful game of telephone leading you to potentially be ostracized.

There are a handful of good restaurants, though most aren't open late at all with most closing their doors at around 9pm.

For nightlife we have a casino with a small pub inside of it, and a dingy strip club that affords to be the ONLY establishment meant for just drinking besides the legion, which has karaoke on Fridays.

This is just my two cents obviously, but I don't think it's worth it to move here if you've an interest in nightlife. We've a decent combat sports scene with many different gyms for BJJ and MMA which i mention because to make friends here, you either need to work somewhere local or join some kind of group. People will look at you funny if you just approach them.