Our housing costs are competitive with other municipalities across the country. The average cost of a detached house in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on a large 1,800 sq.m. (20,000 sq.ft.) lot is $260,000.00. Rental rates for a detached dwelling average $1200.00 and apartments rent for an average of $600.00 per month.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay has a competitive residential property tax rate of 10.5 mills. Property tax exemptions apply to couples of 65 years and older and low income families (less than $15,000.00, excepting Federal Family Allowance).

There are four fully equipped schools in the Town, with a student/teacher ratio of 14.6. The system includes programs in French Immersion and French First Language.

Post Secondary schools include the College of the North Atlantic and Labrador Institute of Memorial University. These facilities serve central and coastal Labrador.

The Happy Valley campus of the College of the North Atlantic accommodates approximately 200 full-time students and offers 14 certificate and diploma courses. Other programs are customized with industry, aboriginal and community groups, with an emphasis on flexibility and responsiveness to the marketplace. Emphasis is placed on graduate placement, with a full-time placement officer.

The Labrador Institute of Memorial University is responsible for maintaining communication between Labrador and the university campuses in St. John's and Corner Brook, for identifying research and education requirements in Labrador and the resources to meet them. Through Memorial University's Distance Education Program, residents can access a diverse continuing education program, including degree credit courses and certificate programs. Residents have access to a wide range of life long learning opportunities. There are currently several courses offered with World Wide Web components and 30 additional courses are currently being developed for this medium.

All post-secondary institutes have demonstrated the desire to work with local industry to meet their training needs. The range of training facilities available also underlines the ability of the Town to respond quickly to the needs of new employers who come to our community.

We have four distinct seasons, with cold, stable winters and pleasant warm summers. Environment Canada records show that mean temperatures between 1941 and 1990 were 15.5 degrees Celsius for July and -17.3 degrees Celsius for January. A special feature is the Northern Lights Aurora Borealis which perform their magic in our skies during much of the year.

The Labrador Grenfell Regional Health Authority administers the Labrador Health Center, a 30-bed district hospital providing secondary, in-patient care to central Labrador and coastal communities from Black Tickle to Nain. It is a teaching hospital affiliated with Memorial University of Newfoundland, School of Medicine family practice program. In addition, there are three Dental Clinics and an Optometrist, as well as three pharmacies in the Town.

Opened in 2000, a new $30 million, 9,000 sq.m. (100,000 sq. ft.) 30-bed regional hospital is a fully integrated community health facility and regional referral centre for secondary services. In addition to in-patient care, the centre provides a range of community health care and social services.

The Paddon Home in Happy Valley is a regional long-term care facility serving central and coastal Labrador. With a capacity for 49 residents, the home provides high-level nursing care to its clients. A new long term care facility, attached to the hospital, is now being built and should open in early 2010.

The Town is served by two radio stations - CBC & Big Land FM, cable television and a weekly newspaper - the Labradorian. In addition, Them Days is an award winning magazine dedicated to preserving and celebrating the cultural heritage of Labrador.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay has an above average penetration rate of household and business internet connections and the capacity for relatively high speed digital data transmission.

There are several faiths observed in the Town's churches, including Roman Catholic, Apostolic, Church of the Nazarene, United Church, Salvation Army, Pentecostal, Anglican, Baha'i Faith, Jehovah's Witness, Seventh Day Adventist and Moravian.