Natalie

With trails, parks, and splash pads, Natalie embraces everything Bow Island offers to raise her family and stay connected.

Natalie Dunlop and her husband have lived in Bow Island for nine years, and started raising their family in the town. 

When the duo arrived, they were welcomed by neighbours sharing stories about the history of their home, which helped them feel even more connected to the new place they moved to. 

Their careers as teachers brought them to Bow Island, after growing up in Ontario and living shortly in Medicine Hat. And Bow Island has everything their family needs to live a fulfilling life. 

“We spend a lot of time riding our bikes, walking the trails, going to the parks, and we live at the pool in the summer,” says Natalie. 

She is on various boards to stay connected and help build the community. She loves that there are always additions to the public spaces. Since they’ve moved, a new splash park has opened and trails have been added to Westvue Park and Centennial Park.

“Our family is big into staying active, so we love being outside and also partake in sporting activities like baseball and hockey,” says the mom of three. “When you have a young family, it’s nice to have so many things to do to keep everyone busy.”

Not only has she enjoyed raising her children in the community, but teaching students in a supportive school system has been exciting day to day. 

“There are amazing opportunities, because we’re in Bow Island. I took my grade 4 class on an overnight field trip to Drumheller, where they all fell asleep under the dinosaurs inside the museum,” says Natalie.

“We’re in a sweet spot here being close to places like Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and Calaway Park. We get the quiet living here, and then can explore nearby places to experience even more.”