After several years of living in Vancouver Erin McMillan ‘took the plunge’ and moved to the Valley with her boyfriend.

With a desire for a garage, a yard and eventually a family, the chosen town was Langley, where the two have friends and family.

“My friends in Vancouver thought I was crazy. I thought I was crazy. I’m a city girl,” she says in her blog myurbansurburban.com.

The Valley, it turns out, isn’t all belt buckles, jacked up trucks, horses and hay.

It’s full of funky shops and retail with the trendiest styles along with a great social scene and restaurants that can match the high-priced dining in Vancouver.

“I was skeptical at first and I believed my city-dwelling friends who told me there was nothing going on beyond the bridge and tunnel,” says McMillan.

Thanks to her strong curiosity for the community, coupled with her love of eating, shopping and socializing, she quickly set out to prove people wrong. 

“I was overwhelmed by what I discovered. I found fashionable clothes, bags and shoes; shops selling products I thought I could only find in Yaletown.

“Restaurants serving delicious cuisine, and amazing community events,” she said. 

Inspired, she began writing about her experiences and thus, My Urban Suburban was born.

On her blog, visitors can read about Erin’s experiences, or simply look within the categories for names and locations of featured stores and eateries.

Thanks to its fun and positive tone, My Urban Suburban has quickly become a popular online source of information. 

“I am amazed at the response and incredibly grateful that the site has been so well received by readers.

“It’s clear by the number of e-mails I receive with tips about places I should visit, that this is a valued service for the Valley,” she says.

“There are so many people doing amazing things out here and it’s awesome to see that the community wants to support them.”

Her goal is to turn My Urban Suburban into the source for all that’s happening in the Valley.

It isn’t meant to be a money making venture, but an online space to share information about great people, places and events, she told The Times.

Check out myurbansuburban.com.