Moving to Canada – best places to live?

[GrtWtNorth]

I forgot to mention one other important factor -- many Canadian cities lack regular flights to Orlando.

Ottawa-Gatineau: There appears to be one daily non-stop flight. Most flights to Orlando connect through other cities (Toronto and Montreal are adjacent hubs for Canadian airlines). Despite being the capital, Ottawa isn't an airport hub.

Toronto: There are many flights between Canada's busiest airport and Orlando, as well as LA. Stiff competition means that flights are cheap relative to other Canadian airports. For cheapest flights, drive to Buffalo or Syracuse and then fly.

Montreal: While not as busy as Toronto, Montreal is the headquarters of Air Canada. There are several daily flights to Orlando. Cheaper flights are available from Plattsburg, Albany, or Montpellier.

Vancouver: Vancouver is a major airline hub for flights to asia. But flights to Orlando almost always have to connect somewhere else. There are countless flights to LA every day. However, flying out of Vancouver is expensive. (We would drive to Seattle to catch direct flights to Orlando or Anaheim.)

Calgary: Direct flights to Orlando are rare (once per week), but there are few more choices going to LA. To get to Orlando, you almost always have to connect. The good news is that there are lots of flights out of Calgary that connect with flights to Orlando (Seattle, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, Chicago, Toronto...). There is no major US airport within reasonable driving distance.

Edmonton: Like Ottawa, Edmonton is not a major airline hub. Canadian airlines route most Edmonton passengers through Calgary, Vancouver or Toronto en route to Orlando. Direct Orlando flights are rare. Direct flights to LA are more common. There is no major US airport within reasonable driving distance.

 

[GreatGranny]

If you like the idea of being near Toronto, but want to live in the suburbs, you might consider Oakville or Burlington, both to the west of Toronto along Lake Ontario. Both have a small town feel, very easy access to Toronto by highway or GO Train, 30-45 minutes from the US border (depending upon where you cross), easy access to Niagara Falls and Buffalo airport, each has a hospital and a Performing Arts Centre (new in Burlington). You may have to commute to Toronto for work.

 

[HeatherLassell]

Speaking of Winnipeg ... avoid it if you have a choice. The people are great, but picture a city with the wind of Chicago and the bitter coldness of the high arctic

HAHA I laugh cause it's true. We get highs of 30C in summer and our provincial bird is the MOSQUITO! j/k. Winnipeg can be rather windy. We also get LOWS of -30 all the way to -45C with the windchill in winter. *ps I don't think unless you are WAAAAAY up north you could experience year round snow*

You're also very likely to have your car stolen here since I think we hold some record for that. I don't know one person (including myself) who hasn't had their car either stolen or vandalised. How sad is that?

Winnipeg is also the murder capital of Canada. (PER CAPITA....it's not as big of a city as Toronto or Vancouver....so I'm sure based on murder #'s alone we wouldn't be #1)

I live 45 minutes out of Winnipeg and it's a nice little city of 15'000.

I would recommend Calgary. Alberta has nice weather. Lot's of fun things to do and it would DEFINATELY be less expensive than Vancouver (which is beautiful but more rain than sun) or Toronto (very BIG!).

Of course this is all just my opinion.

 

[drag n' fly]

You'll get a lot of Ontario responses because most of the Canadian members on this board are from Ontario so I'm bucking the trend and would recommend Alberta.

Unlike the other provinces, there is a massive worker shortage here in Alberta. Workers are being imported not from just around Canada, but from around the world. There's quite a growing high tech sector, if that's what you're looking for, but there's also lots of other jobs, particularly anything connected to the oil and natural gas and Alberta is on the cutting edge of technology when it comes to those. Other posters mentioned that there's been a recent housing boom here ... well, it has slowed down a bit, but it is still growing and that's because there's tons of jobs here.

Living near Edmonton, I'm no fan of Calgary (it's a sports rivalry thing), but Calgary does have a lot going for it. It's much closer to the US border and to the mountains. Winters are milder then Edmonton with chinooks blowing in frequently. It has fantastic flight connections, and it has a large number of corporate headquarters. Yes, its traffic sucks (for Canada) but it does have a few outlying communities that aren't so bad (Cochrane and Airdrie are great places).

Housing prices are more affordable in Cochrane and Airdrie, but even in Calgary you're looking at considerably less then Toronto or Vancouver (expect $1mil+ for Vancouver, and you won't get much). Kelowna is also quite expensive for home prices.

Alberta is also cheaper to live in. There's no provincial sales tax and there's much more of an entreprenurial spirit. The closest similarities to Albertans would be Texans and those from Colorado.

While I'd love to recommend Edmonton, we're farther from the mountains here (3-4 hours instead of Calgary's 45min), our winters are harsher, and our flight connections are poor (though that should improve with the newest terminal expansion). Edmonton is more blue collar while Calgary is white collar ... though Edmonton is the HQ for Bioware

As for Toronto or anywhere along the Great Lakes, the winters there can be much worse then here. Personally, I'd much rather face -30 out here then -15 in Toronto, the humidity there cuts right through you.

Vancouver, though much warmer, is very much like Seattle. It rains. A LOT.

Someone recommended Saskatoon, and it is a great city. However, it's even more remote then Edmonton in terms of flights to the US. It's even farther from mountains, though some of the lakes in the area are quite nice. There's a joke here on the prairies that it's so flat if you live in Saskatoon you can wave to your friend in Winnipeg.

Speaking of Winnipeg ... avoid it if you have a choice. The people are great, but picture a city with the wind of Chicago and the bitter coldness of the high arctic


In the end, you need to really decide what kind of job you'd like and what kind of lifestyle you'd like to live. If you're looking for something close to midwest US, then you'd likely have more in common with those in Alberta or Saskatchewan. If you want to do lots of skiing and boating, then British Columbia, Calgary or some parts of Ontario might be better suited.

If you're able to get a bit more specific in the type of job you're looking for, I'm sure we'll all be able to point you a little closer to a possible destination (or, more likely, several destinations lol)

Calgary. Never mind the fact I was born here and moved back here 11 years ago. Truly the land of milk and honey for those who work hard and network!
Hangs head in shame for the Labour Day classic stats lol

 

[SmilingGrump]

Hangs head in shame for the Labour Day classic stats lol

I'd rub in the Stampeder loss ... but that's the surest way to have a humiliating loss in 2 days


(sorry ... didn't mean to hijack the thread, just can't resist the Eskimo-Stampeder rivalry)

 

[Syzygy]

Everyone: Thank you for all of the detailed responses/details/opinions. I greatly appreciate each of the recommendations!

Davey-D-99, Ken_Breadbox, & Tower: Waterloo sounds quite nice.
ccudmore: Thank you for the visa & paper-work call-out & link.
GrtWtNorth: Thank you for the quote/recommendation and the detailed breakdowns.

Regardless of my motivations/preferences, should we take a final vote for favorites? To summarize, here are all the locations mentioned throughout the thread:

Airdrie
Alberta
Barrie
Brandon
Burlington
Calgary
Charlottetown
Cochrane
Edmonton
Guelph
Hamilton
Kelowna
Kingston
Montreal
Oakville
Ottawa-Gatineau
Saskatoon
Toronto
Vancouver
Victoria
Waterloo (Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge)
Winnipeg

 

[tigger2on]

I am from Toronto born & bred and therefore, we live in the suburbs (Etobicoke) however, if we had a chance to move we'd go to Burlington. Great smaller city with awesome recreation choices. It is 40 minutes to Toronto by car but they also have access to the GO train system which makes things easy for nights out for theatre etc. Plus it is right on the lake so lots of beach areas, parks, paths.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

Regardless of my motivations/preferences, should we take a final vote for favorites? To summarize, here are all the locations mentioned throughout the thread:

Here's my 2 cents.

Airdrie - nice booming city of ~40,000. Closer to Calgary International Airport than most of Calgary. Housing is $100k to $200k less than Calgary, but there are less services (limited public transit, hospital emergency room closes at 9 pm). School shortages are an issue. 8/10

Alberta - The province is too diverse to make any generalizations other than that the lowest sales taxes in Canada are a nice perk, and winters are relatively long compared to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Alberta winter = dry and cold. Ontario and Quebec winter = wet and cool. In Alberta, a typical winter storm will drop 10-15 cm/4-6 inches of dry, fluffy snow. In Ontario and Quebec, winter storms typically drop 15-30 cm/6-12 inches of wet, heavy snow, often mixed with freezing rain and/or sleet. Shoveling in Alberta is much easier.

Barrie

Brandon

Burlington

Calgary - Great city with a booming economy. Lots of job opportunities. 9/10

Charlottetown

Cochrane - Another Calgary bedroom community, about half the size of Airdrie. It's also closer to the mountains than either Calgary or Airdrie. With the mountain views, the housing prices are very similar to Calgary. Like Airdrie, there are limited services (no public transit or hospital). School shortages are an issue. 8/10

Edmonton - A fine city with great community spirit and festivals. Not as affluent as Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto or Ottawa. Economic acitivity is relatively dispersed, with only governments, crown corporations and a couple token head offices in the downtown core. There's a lot of research and engineering work in the suburbs of the city. 7/10

Guelph

Hamilton - connected to Toronto by commuter rail systems and highways. Also closer to the Niagara wine region and US border than Toronto. Flying out of Buffalo is often faster and cheaper than flying out of Toronto. 7/10

Kelowna - A small city with big city traffic. Rich people live here, but they tend to be retired or work elsewhere. (Economy is heavily based in services and tourism.) Housing is less expensive than Vancouver, but more expensive than Calgary. Great skiing, wineries, and power-boating on Lake Okonogan. Most flights connect through Vancouver, Seattle or Calgary. Airport has only one runway, which can close for 2-3 days in severe winter storms. 8/10

Kingston - A small city, nestled at the east end of the Thousand Islands region. Great boating in the Thousand Islands, plus nice beaches on Lake Ontario. Kingston is a college town (Queens University plus Royal Canadian Military College), which means that there is a good selection of bars and pubs and all the trouble that goes with them. The local economy is primarily universities and prisons. No meaningful airport - locals use Syracuse, Ottawa, Montreal or Toronto (each 2-3 hours away). 6/10

Montreal - A diverse city with the craziest driving of any city in North America. (Yes, the drivers are crazier than anything experienced in New York, Washington, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis, Vancouver, Seattle, Los Angeles...) A nice place to live, if you can embrace the fact that most public services are offered only in French (drivers license, taxes, hospital care, etc.) 7/10

Oakville

Ottawa-Gatineau - A great place to live. Relatively affluent. Limited job opportunities for people who are not fluently bilingual. 8/10

Saskatoon - compared to most other cities, housing is relatively cheap. It is a booming oil city, but with a population of ~230,000, you won't find the same services as Calgary. 7/10

Toronto - cultural center of Canada. Only place to watch live NBA and MLB in Canada. Like Vancouver, housing costs decrease as you move further from the downtown core. 9/10

Vancouver - Awesome city with very mild climate. Housing costs are very high, but renting is reasonable. Salaries do not reflect the high cost of living. 9/10

Victoria - a government town with an economy also supporting a naval base, university and a large retiree population. Better weather than Vancouver. Housing is a bit cheaper than Vancouver, but still high compared to the rest of Canada. A bit isolated. Flying anywhere requires connecting in Seattle or Vancouver. 7/10

Waterloo (Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge)

Winnipeg

 

[Ted in Halifax]

The 5 Best Cities for Families ... might not apply to you. In fact they may be the opposite to what you want.

http://www.todaysparent.com/lifeasparent/article.jsp?content=3304


Top Cities

Quebec City
Ottawa-Hull
Halifax
Winnipeg
Calgary

The Runners-Up

St.John's
Saskatoon
Edmonton
Victoria

The Also-Rans

Toronto
Vancouver
Montreal

 

[cpbjgc]

Winnipeg has gotten short shrift so I figure I should plug my home town.

I wanted to start by saying I have never had any car vandalized or stolen, nor have most of the people I know.

We have a 5.7% unemployment rate unlike many of the areas mentioned.

There are several universities in Winnipeg.

We have fantastic beaches and cottage areas 1 hour from the city to the north and east.

We have an international airport with good connections into the US and direct flights to Iceland.

We have cross border shopping.

We are getting an Ikea (if that matters)

It takes me 20 minutes to cycle to work - 8 minutes by car door to door.

I can cycle to work without getting killed or injured.

We have lots of great green spaces in the city and our zoo is undergoing redevelopment.

We have some of the most affordable housing in Canada and our cost of living is very reasonable.

We have actual seasons with hot summers and cold winters (but its a dry heat/cold, and very bearable).

There is no smog and we do not have air quality warnings.

We have a bison herd within city limits (not at the zoo).

We have lots of cultural opportunities (long standing Symphony, Ballet Company, Opera) and professional sports teams.

Winnie the Pooh was named after the city.

It is a great place to live.

And pictures to prove it!

From our city park:

From our zoo

From a lake in Riding Mountain National Park (2 1/2 hours from Winnipeg)

That's why we live in beautiful Manitoba.

Good luck, whatever you choose.

 

[tgropp]

I may as well get my 2 cents worth in this thread. Waterloo Region describes to a "T" what you are looking for. 25 miles away is a geougous city called Stratford, (32,000 people) famous for its live Theater. Its park system is the largest in Canada/per population and it is rapidly becoming the retirement capital of Ontario due to its theaters, restaurants etc. It is a tourist city year round with a spin off university (Waterloo) coming soon. I would suggest that you Google Stratford and read what it is all about. I worked in Waterloo for 36 years before retiring but I lived in Stratford and commuted back and forth. I just loved the city.

 

[dsneygirl]

I agree with Granny above -- you'd be crazy not to choose either Burlington or Oakville ON. You're American so you'll want to be close to the border but still in a progressive, livable city. If you're on these boards you probably are a Disney World fan -- it's only a 2.5 hour flight from Buffalo. The winters are pretty moderate compared to much of Canada. You saw that Burlington is at the top of the list for places to live in Canada. You're close to Toronto too. Burlington and Oakville have it all.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Winnipeg has gotten short shrift so I figure I should plug my home town.

I wanted to start by saying I have never had any car vandalized or stolen, nor have most of the people I know.

We have a 5.7% unemployment rate unlike many of the areas mentioned.

There are several universities in Winnipeg.

We have fantastic beaches and cottage areas 1 hour from the city to the north and east.

We have an international airport with good connections into the US and direct flights to Iceland.

We have cross border shopping.

We are getting an Ikea (if that matters)

It takes me 20 minutes to cycle to work - 8 minutes by car door to door.

I can cycle to work without getting killed or injured.

We have lots of great green spaces in the city and our zoo is undergoing redevelopment.

We have some of the most affordable housing in Canada and our cost of living is very reasonable.

We have actual seasons with hot summers and cold winters (but its a dry heat/cold, and very bearable).

There is no smog and we do not have air quality warnings.

We have a bison herd within city limits (not at the zoo).

We have lots of cultural opportunities (long standing Symphony, Ballet Company, Opera) and professional sports teams.

Winnie the Pooh was named after the city.

It is a great place to live.

And pictures to prove it!

From our city park:

From our zoo

From a lake in Riding Mountain National Park (2 1/2 hours from Winnipeg)

That's why we live in beautiful Manitoba.

Good luck, whatever you choose.

Thank you for sticking up for our city. Hard enough when outsiders bash us but to have another Manitoban do it really hurts.

 

[damo]

Part of deciding where to relocate depends on what type of employment you will be looking for. Certain cities will have more opportunities in different areas.

 

[MrsDanielle]

I think it's fair to say that most people who say negative things about Winnipeg have never even visited, let alone spent any significant amount of time here. The good news is that although in the past Winnipeggers were almost apologetic about about the city, they're beginning to express their love for this forgotten/mocked city in the middle of the prairies. In recent years, and in years to come I really do believe that our (former?) slogan "One Great City" will become a reality. I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel really encouraged by all the new construction/revitalization projects throughout the city. There's so much occurring now, that as a young person, it gives me more hope for the future of this city, and of course province. Of course there's still plenty of work do be done, but at least it's beginning!

I am fortunate enough to have lived in a few different regions of Canada. Four years of my life were living it out in Ontario while completing my undergrad. I grew up (and now have returned to the prairies) and I find our frigid temperatures in the winter to be much more hospitable than those experienced in S.O. I felt like I could never warm up! You could really feel that cold moist air in your bones! The worst though was that awful wet snow (slush?)....So yes it may come to no surprise that I much prefer a cold dry climate to a moist one.

Thanks for allowing me to ramble on and on and on. My point was simply to make it clear that a Manitoba winter (in the south at least, no experience in the north) ain't as bad as others think!

Time to head up to Albert Beach now!

 

[ccudmore]

Proposed new slogan for Manitoba license plates "...but it's dry cold"

 

[mbb]

Nova Scotia!!!!

And not just Halifax (although that would probably be the metro area/amenities you're looking for), but try Cape Breton on for size!

We're as high techy as the rest of the "Mainland", and can't beat us for the cost of living, either.

And commutes?
Traffic?
What are those??
We get excited enough over traffic jams at Disney to take pictures of them! LOL!

And can't leave out my native New Brunswick
Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton - our "Golden Triangle" might have some really great options for you as well

Have fun deciding, and Welcome Home!!!

 

[HeatherLassell]

Proposed new slogan for Manitoba license plates "...but it's dry cold"

lol

 

[MrsDanielle]

Proposed new slogan for Manitoba license plates "...but it's dry cold"

Clever.

 

[MrsDanielle]

lol

You had an account on WeddingBells didn't you in about 07?




My apologies for hijacking this thread. Now let's continue to discuss which part of Ontario is the best to live in.