Anyone from Windsor? Some ?'s for you....

[Ham Ham]

I have happily lived in Windsor most of my life (44 years)!

Just last Saturday, the Publisher of The Windsor Star (our local paper) did a great "summary" of what Windsor is all about.

In it, he mentions all the great things here..... if you would like PM me your address and I would be happy to send it to you. Windsor often gets a "bad rap" but it is a great place to live!

PM me if you have more questions

Ooops quoted the wrong post.

Looking for link to article mentioned in above post.

 

[Saratoga Souris]

I cannot find a link to the article that I previously mentioned. It was in the Saturday Star but came as a separate piece of paper.

 

[TG4AKV]

I'm also from Windsor. You will have many job opportunities as a nurse so finding employment need not be a concern. In addition, it is a buyer's market right now in terms of housing. Currently, there are many beautiful homes on the market at very reasonable prices. Due to the economic downturn, a number of families are moving west to places like Calgary which is apparently booming. Good luck.

 

[drag n' fly]

I'm also from Windsor. You will have many job opportunities as a nurse so finding employment need not be a concern. In addition, it is a buyer's market right now in terms of housing. Currently, there are many beautiful homes on the market at very reasonable prices. Due to the economic downturn, a number of families are moving west to places like Calgary which is apparently booming. Good luck.

Well for those of you that already left for Calgary the boom is officially over. Turn around and go home cuz it isn't any better here

 

[ChisJo]

Well for those of you that already left for Calgary the boom is officially over. Turn around and go home cuz it isn't any better here

Agree - it was booming in Edmonton for the longest time and now it has come to a screeching halt. In a matter of 16 months, it went from an equal housing market, to a sellers market, now a buyers market. So many houses on the market....what a crazy year for real estate!

As for all the responses....all I can say is I'm more confused now than ever! I thank everyone for their PM's and the advice on these boards. I have some major things to contemplate. I have extreme concerns - mostly with the company not paying for the move, which, thanks to a special someone on these boards for the PM, could be well into the $20,000's. If the company paid for the move, and paid for us to go down there and take a look, I think I would be far more comfortable with the decision. But, with the financial responsibility of the move and the opening of the office, I don't feel very comfortable at all!

I have doubts and the feeling in my gut, heart, and head are all saying run the other way, but my husband really wants to go, so I have to take his feelings into account. I told him today I wanted to sit with the managers and talk to them about my concerns, and until I get to do that, the answer on my part is no. I only think that is fair. I need to provide them with what I believe will be some scholarly-like information on the economy down there and how it will affect his business. I don't want to go in there empty handed - I want to be prepared to fight the fight - and if they come back with information that sounds reasonable, then my husband and me can talk. At this point, my decision is no...we are not going....but, I still have to keep those lines of communication open.

Thanks again....and I appreciate so much my DIS home and the family!

 

[kg66]

How are you doing tonight with your gut feeling? I hope we here at The Dis are able to help you and answer some of your questions. Let me speak to you as someone who lives in Essex, it's a great town!! I've lived here for 15 years and love it. It really has most of what you'll need on a day to day basis. And almost everyone works or travels to the city for some reason or another that you can pick up what you need that Essex doesn't have.
I really don't see tractors driving down the streets as the OP stated but you will see farmers farming their fields. There are newer sub divisions all over town. Not sure of the exact population now, but a few years ago it was 6000. We're 20 minutes from Windsor and just a few extra minutes more to the US border. Windsor Regional Hospital in Windsor has the city's only Paediatric Unit. There are several paediatricians in Windsor. There is a Sick Children's Hospital in Detroit just minutes from the border. Not sure what it entails to write your State boards to work over there. Years ago when I was in Nursing, you had to write an English equivalency exam, and then your state boards.
Yes, it's true there is a lot of unrest in Windsor with the Auto Industry. But the unions are fighting hard to save their members jobs, even if they have to relocate them. I'm not sure what your husbands business entails, but there is some concern with most jobs right now anyway. Hopefully this helps.
Housing in Essex, I hope I get this right, $200-$500,000 in the newer subdivisions. I think these homes would be in the 2000-5000 sq.ft.I hope that's right. I'll check for sure with DH tomorrow.
You can PM me if you need to !
Kathy

 

[Jaymie]

I lived in Windsor all my life and moved to Essex 7 years ago when I got married. I resisted moving to Essex, wanted nothing to do with it and I can honestly say I love it here. I would never move back to Windsor. I can honestly say that I do not know everyone in Essex, nor do they know me, not even close. Essex has everything you need for day to day life, several grocery stores, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, 2 Tim Hortons, McD's. I usually have to go Windsor a couple times a week and it's only a 20 minute drive. The commute isn't that bad. I used to work in Windsor. Traffic in Windsor is a mess right now. They are doing some major construction on one of the main roads and it's backing everything up everywhere else. But I'm sure the traffic in Windsor and surrounding areas is still much much better than Toronto. I couldn't imagine a 60 commute to work each way, everyday.

You can also live in Tecumseh, it's only a few minutes from Windsor as is Lasalle and both areas have some really nice housing options. Windsor might not be the best place to live. A friend of mine was a nurse at Henry Ford hospital in Detroit and now she works at the NICU at Windsor Regional Hospital. I don't think you should worry too much about working at Tim Hortons.

If you have any questions about Essex or Windsor, just ask away.

 

[Saratoga Souris]

Housing in Essex, I hope I get this right, $200-$500,000 in the newer subdivisions. I think these homes would be in the 2000-5000 sq.ft.I hope that's right. I'll check for sure with DH tomorrow.

This seems really HIGH to me... I am a teacher and I don't know anyone who paid over $300,000 for their house. Most of my co-workers who have new homes paid in the $225,000 range for BIG, NEW houses.

Many paid less than $200,000. Your best bet would be to look on the MLS site and see what is out there. If you avoid the "new" in LaSalle or Lakeshore, (slightly "used" homes are a good deal), you can do very well in the City of Windsor.

 

[maggieb9975]

I have extreme concerns - mostly with the company not paying for the move, which, thanks to a special someone on these boards for the PM, could be well into the $20,000's. If the company paid for the move, and paid for us to go down there and take a look, I think I would be far more comfortable with the decision. But, with the financial responsibility of the move and the opening of the office, I don't feel very comfortable at all!

I have doubts and the feeling in my gut, heart, and head are all saying run the other way, but my husband really wants to go, so I have to take his feelings into account. I told him today I wanted to sit with the managers and talk to them about my concerns, and until I get to do that, the answer on my part is no. I only think that is fair. I need to provide them with what I believe will be some scholarly-like information on the economy down there and how it will affect his business. I don't want to go in there empty handed - I want to be prepared to fight the fight - and if they come back with information that sounds reasonable, then my husband and me can talk. At this point, my decision is no...we are not going....but, I still have to keep those lines of communication open.

Thanks again....and I appreciate so much my DIS home and the family!

Hi there, I too have had to move for work in the past and it can be gut wrenching! But it can also be a great opportunity and I really hope it does work out for you.

Having said that I agree that you do have some valid concerns. I agree that you should sit down with company and discuss...the thought of moving and they NOT pay for move is a BIG concern. Most companies let you go out and check things out at LEAST once plus pay for move...in this economy I don't really see how you can afford to move such a distance! They should pay..... I would be very firm about that. Remind your husband that this is a RE_NEGOTIATION! The original offer has changed as it is no longer TO...negotiate with company...lay your cards on table and say what you will do for them and what they must do for you.

Best of luck...and don't panic yet...discuss your concerns candidly with your husband..as one poster said, maybe , rather than moving, husband could look for new job...OR...as you said, have him rent a place and see how it goes for a while rather than spend all that money moving, selling and buying a house etc.

 

[CDNmouse]

Windsor is in Essex County. You can live in many communities that surround Windsor.

Your best bet would be to rent a place for 6 months or a year until you find a local community that you like.

Since there are many nice places to live it is much easier to list a few places to avoid:

West Windsor (West of Ambassador Bridge) tends to be a lower income neighbourhood.

Drouillard area from Wyandotte to Tecumseh. Including Cadillac, Albert, and St Luke. (low income, higher crime area)

Downtown Windsor area, homes north of Wyandotte for same reasons as above.

Nice communities include but are not limited to Essex, Tecumseh, LaSalle, and Kingsville (bit of a drive to Windsor).

One other thing, Windsor winters are not nearly as cold as you have in Edmonton. Often we do not get a lot of snow, and when it does snow it melts within a week. People from the north who move here laugh at us when we get 5 cm of snow as we panic and think we have had a major storm. 10 cm of snow, for get about it, we shut the city down.

Gary