Canada... where to move?

[HellHound]

I'm going to stick to Ontario for this, mostly, since most of my experience is in Ontario & Quebec, and you don't speak French (whereas I am quite fluent).

If you are looking at a tech-based program to go into, then the best bets are Toronto and Waterloo. Kitchener-Waterloo is an interesting city to live in, and isn't the huge urban environment that Toronto is. I happen to not like urban sprawl, that's why I live on 200 acres of land *near* a town of 1,800 persons. (see image, below).

Toronto approaches the size of a 'real' city, if that is what you like.

Personally, I'm also partial to Ottawa, but the tech programs aren't as solid in the two universities as in Toronto / Waterloo.

If you don't plan on getting a job, I really recommend also checking out the Maritimes. There are some beautiful cities and people there, as long as you don't exepct open minds towards sexuality for instance. However, the job market there is the most depressed you will find.

 

[CarlZog]

If you don't plan on getting a job, I really recommend also checking out the Maritimes. There are some beautiful cities and people there, as long as you don't exepct open minds towards sexuality for instance. However, the job market there is the most depressed you will find.

Having spent some time in Nova Scotia, I'll second this. Gorgeous country great towns, friendly people. Most of my time there was working on boats that were visiting, so I had never had to look for a local job there.

I spent a summer in Toronto too. It's a very nice city, but something about it didn't sit right with me. The place was too generic.

Most cities have a very distinct personality -- a heartbeat, if you will. If you're in Boston, you KNOW it. Same with New York, Miami, LA. But in Toronto, I felt like I'd been dropped into a comic book city. It had all the standard elements of any big city, but they all seemed as if they'd been manufactured intentionally to meet somebody's idea of a "typical big city"; there was nothing that was uniquely "Toronto". Most of the people I met were very bland too. (No offense to locals on this list whom I didn't meet.) Mind you, they were all nice enough, there just wasn't anything particularly interesting or comelling about them. And I'm pretty good at finding something interesting in just about everybody.

Carl

 

[mojo1701]

I spent a summer in Toronto too. It's a very nice city, but something about it didn't sit right with me. The place was too generic.

Most cities have a very distinct personality -- a heartbeat, if you will. If you're in Boston, you KNOW it. Same with New York, Miami, LA. But in Toronto, I felt like I'd been dropped into a comic book city. It had all the standard elements of any big city, but they all seemed as if they'd been manufactured intentionally to meet somebody's idea of a "typical big city"; there was nothing that was uniquely "Toronto". Most of the people I met were very bland too. (No offense to locals on this list whom I didn't meet.) Mind you, they were all nice enough, there just wasn't anything particularly interesting or comelling about them. And I'm pretty good at finding something interesting in just about everybody.

Carl

The city was manufactured to be Anytown, USA.

 

[CarlZog]

The city was manufactured to be Anytown, USA.

I would actually believe that. It's definitely the feeling I got from the place. It even started to creep me out after a while.

Carl

 

[mojo1701]

I would actually believe that. It's definitely the feeling I got from the place. It even started to creep me out after a while.

Carl

They've used the place as New York, Chicago, and a variety of other places I can't even begin to think of.

My dad's from Toronto, and lived there for most of his life (well, he moved there when he was two, and we moved to Brantford when he was... hmm... 13 years ago), so whenever we watch a movie, he'll point out if he can recognize a shot that is filmed somewhere in Toronto.

 

[A'koss]

2. Vancouver is only more expensive when it comes to housing. Restaurant food is about the best value for money you're going to find anywhere on this continent north of the Rio Grande. Ditto for public utilities, transit and auto insurance. Groceries are cheaper too, unless you really like cheese. If you could somehow avoid paying rent, Vancouver would be the cheapest place in the country but once you factor rent in, it's the most expensive.

I'm really glad I bought my house before the market took off like a rocket. I think the value of my house has gone up at least 1/3 in the last two years (which means my property tax is happily following suit...). However, I don't get the impression that rental prices have gone up that much. I still think you can find fairly affordable apartments in Vancouver so long as you're not smack dab in the middle of Yaletown or Kits. There are some nice places in East Van and South Van (Marpole) which are quite affordable still.

I also want to touch upon how great the food is in Vancouver - especially over the last 10 years. So many good places out there now...

03. In terms of cost of living, Vancouver, Ontario and Southern Alberta are probably the most expensive. However, the usual rule here is that cost of living varies inversely with the unemployment rate -- except in Vancouver where unemployment is fairly high and so is cost of living.

Actually, unemployement in BC is at something like a 20 year low right now.

Cheers!

 

[Steel_Wind]

Toronto is the Centre of the Universe. There is Toronto and then there is the rest of the country.

They hate us for this attitude - but they hate it even more because deep down inside, they know we're right.

Our largest university, UofT is the best and most prestigious in the country and we fund Masters students extremely well.

Kitchener-Waterloo nearby has an excellent Computer Sci program.

In the wonderfully trendy Centre of the Universe, rednecks are not allowed. Republicans? Please stay south of the border (or choose Alberta, if you must).

[end]

 

[ssampier]

I don't live in Canada, but I just wanted to say "Hi" anyway.

I'd love to visit B.C. since my aunt went there two summers ago and loved it (they said the tax was high, however). Toronto I've heard is nice as well, like an American city, but cleaner.

Eh?*

*hope I got that right.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Speaking as someone south of the border, [political comments removed].

Give us Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire, and you've got a deal.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

I heard that the area around Brock University in St. Catharines and Hamilton/Ontario is quite famous for their vineyards. That's not too far from Niagara Falls or from Toronto, and if they grow vine, the climate can't be too gross .

Not too bad. The two lakes Ontario and Erie buffer the weather somewhat. But the Niagara region is known for its ice wine...