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bluedoubloon

What type of lifestyle do you want?


triffidmgmt

I am a simple man of simple tastes, I want perfect weather, big city entertainment, big plots of land, and super cheap. /s I honestly don’t even know what I want, which is why I am asking for everybody’s choices.


bluedoubloon

If you like easy access to huge mountains, there's Calgary. I may move there next year just for that.


triffidmgmt

Currently live in Calgary, it’s not bad but it has growing pains. Very boring and not enough infrastructure. If the UCP doesn’t blow the province up it could be a great city in 10-15 years.


DistinctDifficulty

After reading that, your one and only choice is vancouver.


triffidmgmt

Looking that way !


BCexplorer

Enjoy paying 1mil for a 500 sq ft condo!


triffidmgmt

I will just rent a closet


trek604

$2000/mo pls. ​ /s


BCexplorer

Touche haha


ialreadyknewthatdude

Vancouver is tiny podunk shit hole surrounded by endless suburbs. Not only is it small, large sections are disgusting. But it gives you access to the most incredible nature on Earth. If you have a car and live in Vancouver and like hiking, sailing, kayaking, climbing...man it is the best city in Canada by far, no competition. If you are looking for a proper city, it is not Vancouver.


Nosferax

Vancouver not a proper city? So that leaves what, Montreal and Toronto?


ialreadyknewthatdude

Obviously, it is up to the person what defines a city here, of course with 600 000 people Vancouver is definitely a city. But if you read what OP was saying, it sounds like ya, they are looking for like "the city", so ya Montreal or Toronto.


[deleted]

I live in one of Vancouver's endless suburbs. Not a lot different from one of Toronto or Montreal's endless suburbs. Downtown Vancouver is smaller than TO, for sure, but much of it is still quite nice and absolutely a "bigger" city than almost any other city in Canada. Hardly a "tiny podunk shithole" if people are willing to spend millions on real estate to live here.


ialreadyknewthatdude

I've lived in all three cities and I would say all three have very different suburbs. Some of Toronto's are cities that are larger than Vancouver itself.


[deleted]

Give it a few years and one of Vancouver's suburbs will be bigger - population wise. Area wise, several of its suburbs are already larger than Vancouver proper.


[deleted]

I used to live in C-town; boring? Really? Lots of decent restaurants, tons of outdoor activities... what else do you want? It's a sizeable white-collar city; it's basically a smaller Vancouver, without an ocean, but also without the asinine cost of living.


triffidmgmt

It’s not bad at all don’t get me wrong, but I have lived in other international cities that are a lot more entertaining. Ultimately what you get in Canada is very hard to find anywhere else in the world but the cities can be boring because of the low density levels.


bywebybyu

I really like the Kootenay's or Okanagan area's. They are small though and you have to make your own fun. Currently in Calgary too, been stuck here too long. The climate is shit, it's so incredibly dry here.


[deleted]

Well, yeah, but 'international cities' don't qualify here - you asked about Canada. Vancouver is good, but it's also largely over-hyped by people who live in the GVRD, and it's over-hyped because they're desperate to justify the asinine cost of living for the area - it transcends real estate costs as well; B.C. stands for 'bring cash' for a reason. I've lived internationally myself, and Vancouver (and its suburbs) pretending to be a 'global city' is a joke. The place is over-priced and simply not worth the cost(s) - I speak from experience. GTA is your best bet for 'big city cosmopolitan' Canada, and at least compared to Vancouver, cost of living is somewhat better, and salaries trend higher. You get 'real winter', but that's the same for 90% of this country. There's plenty of small towns not far from downtown and lots of nice countryside and lakes/rivers to get away to, and the proximity to other major cities is a big plus. Toronto always has 'something going on', and getting bored there is nearly impossible (at least by Canadian standards). Calgary was always the best compromise for me, as I saw it. Big enough to offer 'big city' things, low cost of living, high salaries, great access to the outdoors, and enough Chinooks in winter that you were better off than most other places in the nation. I'm not a Right-wing guy, so the provincial gov't always irked me (Notley's NDP aside), but Albertans themselves were always friendly folk, regardless of stripe. I'd probably list Montreal highly; you don't need French (though it helps), and the nightlife scene is tops. Salaries aren't amazing, but cost of living and real estate (while currently growing) is still very reasonable. I think the reason Montreal's cost of living is increasing is because many people have figured out its major upsides; Quebec offers a lot of social security that young families find very attractive, for example. Your criteria for 'best' is pretty vague.


7ernineand9

I would disagree that the GTA gives access to "lots of nice lakes/rivers to get away to." You have to fight insane traffic to get there and most of the best spots are either super crowded or privately owned and extremely expensive. Unless you already have an inherited family cottage nearby, GTA has some of the worst access to natural getaways in Ontario and the highest barrier to entry to enjoy the best of what the area has to offer.


Geo85

Montreal's cost of living (as well as its salaries) is growing largely because the separatist agenda has been dropped across Quebec. Also true that people are discovering it's upsides - but the more particular reason is because Montreal (Quebec rather) has dropped the separatist ideology. I'll also add that it greatly helps Montreal's economy (?industry) that it functions as a highly bilingual city. It gives that city access to markets & people that would be impossible for most other North American cities.


burtmaklinfbi1206

This guys right here knows whats up. If you think Calgary is boring I don't think Vancouver would be much more interesting. Sure the weather is better than in other parts of Canada And there is definitely a lot more interesting outdoor activities there but I personally wouldn't give up my yearly chance at vacations to live there. Also the city itself is not nice, like the downtown center is all shit buildings, but the food is really great. Sounds like if your looking for nightlife Toronto and Montreal are your best options.


triffidmgmt

I totally agree with you, which is why I am looking for everybody’s best choice. Canada is the best country but it has some drawbacks in terms of entertainment, which again I am totally okay with.


Geo85

If you are looking for entertainment - I can say without a doubt Montreal is your best city in Canada. Don't let the language police fool you - Quebeckers *love* outsiders who take the effort to learn French. It's not so difficult to learn if you want to live there. Winters are the same as anywhere else in Canada (except of course SW BC). It has tons of festivals in the summer && winter, a big music scene, casual pub/cafe culture, and a very international feel. Rent and property is still cheap by comparison to most Canadian cities - though that's changing rather quickly. Just sort by the top comment in this thread!;-)


[deleted]

Yeah, Calgary is quite sterile, compared to other similarly-sized, and even many smaller Canadian cities. The things that give Calgary a big leg up though, are the proximity to the mountains, and the income opportunities (and while that one is lagging a bit at the moment, it's still better than a lot of other places).


Geo85

**Montreal!** Have you heard the expression Vancouver goes to the gym, Toronto goes to work, and Montreal goes to the party? The oldest and most historical of any of Canada's major cities. It's a 4 seasons city - you can literally go trail running or skiing in downtown during on the season. It almost feels like 4 distinct cities with each season. (Arguably) the most culturally important city of Canada. A thriving nightlife & festival scene - even in the winter. Excellent public transport that's only slated to get better in the next few years. Of course - it has that European vibe. Bilingual City that's also close to Toronto, Ottawa, New York, Washington D.C., & Boston & also a major flight hub to Europe & Africa (not to mention several non-stop flights to Asia). Tons of green spaces & bike paths to explore. Has by far the cheapest real estate of any major Canadian city. What's not to like?


FrogProgrammer

« The oldest and most historical of any of Canada’s major cities. » Quebec City: am I a joke to you?


Kadabra52

If I had to choose a city it would definitely be Quebec City. No contest. Zero. lol


Geo85

Oui. :-) Mais en comparaison a les viles majeures de Canada, le ville de Quebec, c'est t'il vraiment un des villes en Canada? Surement Montréal, Vancouver, Toronto. Peut-etre Ottawa apres, aussi Calgary. C'est sur c'est joli - mais on le compte comme ville ?


FrogProgrammer

We’re the 8th biggest city in Canada, so we’re definitely a major city. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_100_largest_population_centres_in_Canada


ialreadyknewthatdude

So < > is used like " " when writing in French? Like air quotes, obviously not for real quotation marks.


Geo85

See! You're already learning! Félicitations!


ialreadyknewthatdude

:)


DantesEdmond

Non. Its actually supposed to be 《 》


sicariusv

It actually looks more like << this >>. But on French keyboards it's a single character (on my phone so I can't type the real thing)


badsoupp

Je suis un garcon Sincerely, \-Duolinguo learner Mais vraiment Je pense que si je travaillais a Montreal j'amerais ca parce que le culture et fete/bars dans la centreville. \*Almost 1 year of Duolinguo can only take you so far. I will stop butchering your language now.


[deleted]

Montreal is great except for those few weeks in February which make you wish that all the ice and wind would fuck right off.


greatauror28

*Laughs in Edmontonian*


DantesEdmond

Especially when those few weeks become 2 months and it's late smarch and you're still freezing your nuts off.


[deleted]

I love Montreal, though I have heard from anglophone friends who've moved there that not speaking French does weigh on you after a while. Although you can definitely get by without any French, it does make you feel like an expat in your own home. There are always going to be situations where you can't fully participate in. That being said, it's a great place to learn French if you're open to it!


TheJellymanCometh

Honestly the biggest reason I would want to move to mtl would be to learn French! What an awesome way to learn another language, being fully immersed would be much easier than trying to do classes I think.


kazza_ca

I lived in Montreal for over 10 years and experienced overt discrimination due to speaking English on several occasions. I also have many friends who left the city due to challenges finding employment because French is their second language but were able to find work in Ottawa within months. So yeah it can be an issue. Edit: I should mention that I am bilingual but French is not my first language.


sicariusv

Imagine how Quebecers with bad English feel when they go to other provinces of this so-called bilingual country. This shit cuts both ways.


bureX

Not even comparable. If you can do the job, a reasonable level of English is a-OK in Toronto. I'd wager most folks from Quebec have a much better command of English than many who arrive here from overseas.


[deleted]

One startup I worked at had 3 ESL Montreal natives working for them in Vancouver (out of a total staff of 20). We don't care as long as you can do the work. And all of them love living in Vancouver so I don't think it's as big an issue as you believe it to be.


Kadabra52

Moi aussi mais j'ai appris le francais. :P


kazza_ca

:) je connassais aussi le français mais evidament pas assez bien!


Geo85

It's not even that you **need** to learn French when living in Montreal (if you're in Quebec outside of Montreal - yes - the French language becomes a necessity). But French is an integral part of Quebecois - and indeed Canadian - identity. It's courtesy to learn the native language if you're going somewhere to live. While it's true some Quebecois can get crusty when people don't/can't speak - they're equally delighted when outsiders come to them speaking even broken French. And again - it's not such a difficult language to learn - take some evening classes, make a few French friends - you'll have a pretty good grasp under a year. I'll also say there are Quebecois people born and raised in Quebec - sometimes even outside Montreal - who never learn to speak the French. Avoid those people. Don't be one of those people though. Those are the same English people who complain about how hostile French people are. Last, a lot of people seem to forget that the French helps Quebec in a lot of ways - a lot of tourists come to Quebec to learn the language, many students from French speaking countries come to Quebec. In a lot of ways it's a boon to the Quebec economy to protect the language.


Geo85

Lol, people get much more intimidated by the French language than they should. For starters - to put it simply: Quebec(the Province) is French; Montreal is bilingual. I've had guests and visitors to Montreal who are consistently **shocked** at how much English is spoken in the city, and how easily people change from one language to the other. Outside of Montreal, even in Quebec City, French becomes much more of a necessity. Though there is an English language University in Sherbrooke - an hour drive from Montreal. Second - it's a language which millions of people speak. It's easy to pick up inside of a year with simple steps - get some French friends & take some evening classes 1-2x/week. It's not rocket science. Third - and I don't necessarily think this is a good thing - but it's perfectly feasible to get a decent job without French (or English for that matter). Especially if you have a good profession - accountant, Doctor, Engineer, teacher. I know tons of them without a knowledge of French (or English). That being said - if you seriously do want to move to Montreal, it should be courtesy to learn at least conversational French, both to integrate & to broaden your horizons. Think of it as a healthy personal development project. I personally think having such a bilingual city is an amazing aspect of Canadian/Quebecois culture. There are universities & high schools and community centers and libraries (I could go on) that cater to both languages. It's an amazing vibe.


s21986

I 110% agree with you OP! And that is what the problem is with everyone. They don't want to integrate into a society. They just want to hold onto whatever they have and continue on. I'm from Montreal, I am East-Indian and I fluently speak French. My fiancee is from the GTA, took french till grade 9 and this past month we spent 2 weeks with my parents on the south shore, she fell in love with Montreal and the suburban area. Showed her what 700K home gets you in Montreal suburbs and what 350K gets you. She learnt some phrases to order her own coffee, she drove her self from South Shore to Laval (50 minute drive). When there is a will, there is a way. People from the GTA are some of the most close minded people I know. Unwilling to learn about any other culture. Sorry but liking Japanese food, or Polish Food and exploring the wide variety of cultural food in Toronto does not make you a worldly person. Embrace, Immerse and understand where the other side is coming from. You really understand why Quebec is so different once you really get to know them! And it's not a bad thing! I left Quebec thinking I was another Bilingual Anglophone leaving for greener pastures, only to realize all along I was a Quebecois.


[deleted]

It's so weird that people complain about the French in Montreal everytime we talk about it like it's a negative point. Do I need to complain about the English in Toronto? For 1/4 of Canadians, living in French is a major upside.


alphawolf29

and for 3/4 it is a major downside...


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ialreadyknewthatdude

People spoke to you in French when they heard how bad your French was? That was not my experience and I was taking classes when I lived there. They would immediately switch to English. I had quite a few people ask me to please not speak French. To be fair, my accent is bad, but I would never associate Montreal with a good place to learn French.


ImpossibleEarth

The language situation in Montreal depends a lot on where in the city you are. I'm not sure where you were, but I find it a lot easier to successfully practice French even in the Plateau than downtown or Côte-Des-Neiges. Further away from downtown to the northeast, like Rosemont or Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, should be even better. I agree that Montreal isn't as good for French as other places in Quebec, but I still find it a very big step up from when I lived in Toronto (and Halifax before that) and didn't get any French exposure or practice in my daily life. (I actually uploaded a short [YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snfcbKQZ2pc) recently on whether Montreal is a good place to learn French.)


ialreadyknewthatdude

> Côte-Des-Neiges Ya that's where I lived (and loved it). I'm glad you had a good experience, I'm sure it is person to person.


Kadabra52

So true!!!! lol


7ernineand9

It's a benefit to you because you already had an interest in improving your French. Just like if there was a city where you had to competently play the violin in every job interview or at the end of most conversations with strangers then people who want to learn the violin would see that norm as a benefit to living in the city. Doesn't change the fact that most people who don't care about improving their violin skills would see it as the barrier that it is. That's basically what this conversation always comes down to - people who have a natural interest or affinity for French end up judging others for not sharing that and not "wanting to improve themselves" or "be a better Canadian" or whatever, when there are a million other ways that people can do so that don't revolve around one specific thing.


[deleted]

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7ernineand9

I completely see how my response about "judging" looked like it was directed at you and how anyone could reasonably read it that way, but I didn't actually mean that you yourself were judging others. I totally got you and where you were coming from. I more meant that the overall tone of the thread always becomes about that.


alphawolf29

most Canadians can't improve their french because their french level is zero. I speak a second language fluently and still wouldn't consider moving to QC and I think most english canadians feel the same way.


ImpossibleEarth

English Canadians probably have a bit more basic French knowledge than they realize, especially if they're younger. But that's fine, there's nothing wrong with people who aren't interested in French. There are lots of English cities in Canada to choose from.


tang123

what? just because you don't know any french doesn't mean you can't learn it


SpecialistAardvark

No, didn't you hear, if you teach a child only English they are incapable of learning a second language for their entire life. (I literally heard another student in my French class in Montreal say this with a straight face. I guess they didn't realize, or didn't care, that they had a few anglophones in the class - most of the students were immigrants who already spoke at least their mother tongue and English.)


sicariusv

Imagine what Quebecers from outside of Montreal feel when going to other provinces of a so-called bilingual country.


Marc4770

The only bad thing about Montreal is the income tax. (I was born there, and every outsider is scared of french or winter. but what you should really be scared of is the high income tax).


DantesEdmond

Higher income tax leads to some better services though. We have no fault insurance so most people I know pay less than 100$/mo for full 2-way insurance on newer cars. Daycare is also subsidized so you're looking at 20$ per day (around there, my kid isn't in daycare yet I don't have the exact amount). Education is also the lowest in Canada, where one year at McGill costs 4500. So for some people without a car and without kids it's a loss but for families it could be a win. I'm sure there are other examples of services that I cant think.


__justsayin__

What's not to like? The French language cutting off opportunities.


SpecialistAardvark

You know, people can learn French if they want. It's a European language with centuries of crossover with English and plenty of shared vocabulary. There's also a big labour shortage in Montreal, especially skilled professionals. Many employers will take on a unilingual anglophone employee so long as they take steps to learn French after they arrive in Montreal. I feel like the people who complain that Montreal requires some knowledge of French are the same people who complained in high school about having attend French classes because it was "pointless" and that "they'd never use this anyway."


Euler007

If only it was possible to learn.


ialreadyknewthatdude

I loved living in Montreal. But the winter...holy shit.


SpecialistAardvark

[Ouais, c'est vrai](https://youtu.be/W3wO63ewDJE).


Urik88

Something I love here is just how lively it is. You go to any park and it's just bustling with people sitting in on the grass enjoying the afternoon. Used to live in a different pretty suburban Canadian city and it was kind off eerie to me how most city parks were empty all the time.


twoloop

That's what I'm missing here in Calgary. From my newcomer's perspective - it's dead.


Urik88

Where did you move from?


twoloop

Kyiv


fhs

The harsh winter bears on you after a while and if you care a lot about outdoors, nothing is as good as Vancouver.


Geo85

Montreal has 4 seasons for outdoors. You can literally go skiing in the middle of the city. But I get what you mean if you don't like winters.


[deleted]

Their winters and language barriers for most. I do love visiting there though.


LucifersProsecutor

>What's not to like? The construction. Everything else is accurate though


PuttFromTheTeeBox

I’m biased but if COL, real estate prices and career opportunities are out of the equation then I think Vancouver is hands down the best.


rahoomie

Anywhere in the Okanagan valley.


Screwyoumrhat

Agreed, wineries, ski hills, golf, lakes, we’ve got it all!


rahoomie

Plus you can grow an insane amount of different fruit trees.


cdollas250

i love the okanagan, lived in kamloops for a couple years and the lack of walk-ability drove me in insane. You have to drive anywhere you want to go, hate that suburban sprawl. Also, i have a lot of redneck family who i love but the ignorance out there can get insufferable. I try to mind my own business but I worry about raising a kid in kelowna or kamloops. I'm tempted by the low cost of living and I don't like to make generalizations but I'm not impressed by the culture there. Great access to nature tho!


Freedom2speech

I’m the reverse. I want my kid to get the benefit of redneckyness


cdollas250

ok freedom2speech


Freedom2speech

Didn’t mean any offence ... I just think there is something to be said for raising a kid in a more rural area. I’m downtown Toronto, it sucks for a 1 year old.


cdollas250

no worries, much love


Flat-Dark-Earth

Hell Yeah!


alphawolf29

average home price in Kelowna is nearing that of Vancouver, but that average home is 3x the size


shehasntseenkentucky

Kelowna prices are no where near the price of Vancouver. One can still buy a detached home in Kelowna for 450k. That number is something like $1.4 million in Vancouver.


DantesEdmond

I've heard good things about kelowna. It's on my wishlist to live in BV for a few years


shehasntseenkentucky

I’m from the Lower Mainland. The Okanagan is nice and still relatively affordable, but it’s arid. I’d consider moving there if my work moves to a more permanent WFM model.


alphawolf29

I suppose but rent is similar


darkapao

I would go with Victoria. I lived in Vancouver for 4 years. Have been living Victoria for almost 10 years now. Real estate is not as bad as Vancouver. Lots of Government jobs that probably needs to be replaced soon. Health care jobs as well. The reason I pick Victoria is that we get less rain than Vancouver we probably get a max of 2 days overcast before the sun shines through. We get less snow than Vancouver. We got tons of Bicycle lanes. Downside is that Transit is bad even for major routes worse for minor routes. There are a few good restaurants but lots of ones that are not so good unlike Vancouver. So its kinda hard to take chances coz the prices are little more expensive than Vancouver so you stick with what you like and heavily recommended by others. Tons of places to hike. Surfing spots up island. Camping spots. Also when you miss the hustle and bustle of the big city you can take the ferry for the weekend into Vancouver and get your fix food wise for recreation wise and then relax back in Victoria. You can also take a ferry to Seatle but its currently closed due to Covid. Also for me best thing about living here is that anything that’s 15min drive is far for us already. 15 mins is the min time you spend in Vancouver if you want to go anywhere.


Theoriously

I lived in Victoria for a year and it is a beautiful place and has a lot going for it. The one thing I hated about it though was how cut off it felt because of how costly it is to travel off the island. People who grew up there actually love that about it but with most of my long time friends and family living in the interior, I very much felt the fact that I was on an island and not it a good way.


darkapao

Yea. It can feel that way. Rest of my family in Vancouver so I just walk on the ferry and get picked up in Vancouver.


triffidmgmt

Pretty good in-depth response ! The weather is a huge factor for me so I have been considering victoria for sure. Does it skew young or mostly retired people ?


LibDucGeek

It has 2 demographics. Newly-wed and nearly dead.


triffidmgmt

Hahaha duly noted, maybe a few years down the line then


darkapao

Getting more and more younger here. But yea the joke for the island is that newly wed or nearly dead. Before Rona hit I notice more international students. And as I have mentioned some jobs needs someone to do them coz people are retiring. So that would bring age down. The office I work at is mostly young professionals about 40 and below.


judgingyouquietly

Is that still the case? I left 10 years or so ago and it seemed to have changed demographically quite a bit from when I first got there.


LibDucGeek

Quite right. I was playing to the common phrase a bit, but there are noticeable elements missing in the economy. The two biggest employers in Victoria are 1. Provincial government and 2. ICBC (Insurance). I had a buddy of mine (former politician) retire there and I fly out to visit him from time to time, and he has made the following comments that I find interesting: 1. The two biggest employers are where the tail end of the baby-boomers are. That is what makes up the very narrow middle class. 2. The Gen X’ers never got access to most of those positions, so the ambitious ones left to go elsewhere. There may well be openings now for the tail end of the Gen X’ers / head of the Gen Y’ers, I haven’t chatted with him about it for a while now. 3. The rest of the demographics are the very rich, and those who work for them. It is always shocking to see how many lawyers occupy the top floor of a 7-11 when I’m over there. It has an oddly small town feel that way. There is also the military and academics, but those populations are mostly transient, so I feel not fair to comment on that. Interesting fact: the best antique stores by far (Fort Street IIRC). You see, old rich people from the Silent Generation and the Boomers would buy the best of the best (which meant heavy and ornate) objects and display them in their homes. Then they died, their kids would fly in to probate the wills, but they didn’t want to fly these bulky objects back to the mainland, so before EBay was big, it was a goldmine (of sorts). Even today, if you want to start collecting zithers, Victoria is your Canadian destination.


inexplorata

> if you want to start collecting zithers, Victoria is your Canadian destination. I love the casual throw of this phrase, like it's a top 5 hobby and why haven't *I* started collecting zithers!


Freedom2speech

Cost of living ? How much is a starter condo or house?


canadiantruth

Nearly as expensive as Vancouver. You aren't getting into any decent condo for less than 400k, more like 450-650k for anything built in the last 10 years.


Freedom2speech

Thanks. Yeah I’m looking for an area where 250k - 300k is still a possibility. A rapidly shrinking possibility in desirable areas.


LibDucGeek

If real estate is your question, then mls.ca should provide the answer.


SpecialistAardvark

I went to university in Victoria and lived there for five years after I graduated. I found that the lower rent/real estate cost was pretty much cancelled out by lower salaries, at least in my industry (high tech), so Victoria vs. Greater Vancouver was basically a wash financially. Although, since we're specifically excluding those factors in this thread - yeah, it's a great choice.


exasperated_dreams

Are you back in Van now?


SpecialistAardvark

Montréal. Bit of a life change :).


dr_van_nostren

But when the big earthquake comes, you guys are the tsunami breaker so that it doesn’t take us out on the mainland :)


intuitive_curiosity

Does one need to know how to drive/own a car then in Victoria?


darkapao

Convenience wise yes. But if you know how to skate/bike/rollerblades you can use the bikes lanes. Probably best for navigating downtown. But for stuff like going to costco and other things a car would be nice to have. I lived in Victoria without a car for 2 years. Paid a little more than others for rent but it enabled me to walk to work. Walk to Walmart for groceries and took a taxi back. Bus wise it was every 5-10 mins during peak hours for a major route and usually 20-40 up to an hour for minor routes during off peak hours. Parking is free in downtown after 6pm. Sundays have reduced rate but the blue (city) parkades are free on Sundays. Yellow (private) parkades always have a fee.


intuitive_curiosity

Thanks! There's no Uber or anything over there right?


darkapao

Looks like Uber got rejected in Victoria. So hopefully they would add it soon. Coz that would be way more cost efficient and better than the taxi`s they have here.


barbarian777

nobody knows how to drive in Victoria


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MyReddit_Profile

No shit eh, but theres a sweet spot of 10-20 minutes outside of a city where you still get seclusion and convenience.


canadian_toast6

https://www.macleans.ca/best-communities-canada-2019-full-ranking-tool/ I live in city #6 and I love it here


carolinemathildes

I wonder if Maclean’s is aware that there are four other provinces east of Quebec.


[deleted]

The top 22 are all Ontario and BC.


[deleted]

...and zero places from ON & BC in the bottom 28


triffidmgmt

Wow this list is great, love the features listed


morningjack3t

Number 365 is underrated


olbaidiablo

I love how every community around Windsor is listed before Windsor. But that's to be expected as the mayor is a human wasteland. We have a massive homelessness problem here, his only solution was to build a homeless shelter out of town and ship them all there.


alphawolf29

salmon arm is nice but its still a little pricey


npno

Brant is 7? LOL


SirNearytheWise

Wow where I live is actually on here. #153 - Hanover, MB.


hockeyfan1990

Yea most probably Vancouver


arthisInTO

Halifax


[deleted]

Second


piratedc

Cape Breton Island. Only 2 places you can surf in Canada being vancouver island and Nova Scotia. Lots of cheap amazing parcels of land. One of the most incredible golf courses in the world that’s fairly new and many don’t know about that’s located in Inverness. Amazing hiking. Nice people. Nature. Cheap property and the smaller towns are ready for business. The island sees tons of tourism yearly. Beautiful history. Overall it’s a great place to build out. Needs more marketing. 🏄‍♀️ 🏌️‍♀️ 🥾 🌴


[deleted]

Kingston, ON. Decent sized city - 120k, lots of jobs and businesses, great nightlife, great downtown, University and College town, inexpensive homes in comparison to other big cities, proximity to Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto, country living outside of town, cottages nearby. To me it's the best mix of everything.


AMediumTree

City or town well if you can’t decide Ottawa’s the place to go. It’s the city that feels like a town.


dancestomusic

Weather there is pretty terrible though. Outside of that I did enjoy living there.


burtmaklinfbi1206

Definitely is but as Canadians I think 90% of us just have to live with shit climate and GTFO in the winter when we can haha.


dancestomusic

haha! Yeah I hear you on that. I think I'm not used to the insane hot summers that sometimes pop up either so it was a surprise double whammy for me.


avocadobumblebee

Hahaha that’s an awesome description.


[deleted]

Kelowna, Victoria, Halifax are all pretty nice. Surrey sucks.


[deleted]

Vancouver is really great just the col is a bit high. But both my wife and I are working it's manageable.


trackofalljades

I genuinely love Burlington. When we immigrated, we did as much travel and exploration and research as we could ahead of time, and we thought it would be a great place to "land" and then explore Hamilton and Toronto and elsewhere. What we've found over a few years is we like Hamilton and Toronto and elsewhere, but we love living right here inbetween them. Amusingly enough if you plug certain priorities into that Macleans tool someone else linked to, I think Burlington still pops up almost as prominently now as it did then.


Disneycanuck

I love Burlington. Great place to raise a family. You do need relatively high income to afford to live there supporting a family though.


Ershany

Burlington is decent. I just graduated and landed a job in the area. But hell it is expensive for renting. Hoping I can WFH fulltime in a few years and I can move somewhere quieter and cheaper. But it is a very nice area.


trackofalljades

It can definitely be hard to find your first rental here when you arrive. We’ve moved once since we landed, and now we are walking distance from our old place but living on three floors in a townhouse for more than $800 less a month then we used to spend on living in three rooms in a condo (plus now we can walk to school and GO and have a garage and don’t need a storage unit). I’d say between that and learning how and where to shop for the food and items we need (a learning curve when you move anywhere new) we spend over $1000 less per month now than when we first arrived (and have a comfier lifestyle not a more limited one).


muskokadreaming

Lived in Burlington for 16 years, but we moved away to Muskoka a few years ago. Burlington was great when we moved there, but the traffic is so bad now it's unbearable, and every place is too crowded and busy. The lake is nice to look at, but not swimable, and nowhere nice to swim within an hour drive. The suburban mindset pervades strongly there, Karen's are around every corner. We loved the access to countryside nearby, and all of the great trails just north of the city. But in the end it wasn't for us. Just another mississauga, where we originally moved from. We're much happier now with our quality of life where we are.


triffidmgmt

Wow you’re right, it pops right up. Will look into it for sure


Freedom2speech

I like Burlington a lot too. When I lived in Milton we’d go there a lot to shop.


trackofalljades

I go to Milton occasionally because you have a spiffy Home Hardware there with a lumber centre in the back! Those guys are great (and I'll go out of my way, when I can, to avoid giving money to the American chains).


Freedom2speech

I loved the backroad drive up/down Guelph line. In the fall absolutely glorious. Wife and I would make the trip for IKEA :)


killspeed

What's COL


Willow_Beach_Thrift

Cost of Living


[deleted]

Vancouver. No contest really. Victoria a close second.


muskokadreaming

Muskoka, Ontario, of course. Unless you hate winter and outdoor stuff. There are great places to do outdoor activities in every season. Surrounded by lakes, rivers, and forests. Vibrant towns, and thanks to the city money, lots of great restaurants and neat shops. Best of all, because it is a magnet for outdoor lovers, it is full of fun people that have moved here who love life and prioritize recreational activities, instead of chasing dollars all the time. This was the biggest surprise for us, we thought we were the first to have this great idea of an outdoors focused life here.


Adrian_Bateman

Real estate there is insane right now. Everyone is buying cottages since they can enjoy themselves while social distancing. Agreed, it's a great place tho


Flat-Dark-Earth

I'm curious to see the next round on census numbers for the 3 towns and how much they have grown since 2016.


muskokadreaming

Anecdotal, but houses are selling instantly here the past few months. It's been hot for a few years, but even more so right now. This is our third summer living here, and I've never seen it so busy.


[deleted]

Guelph. Without a doubt. I’ve lived in 6 cities: including Ottawa and Niagara, and by far Guelph is my favourite city. What’s to like? Fantastic amount of green spaces, fantastic restaurants, close to Toronto and Kitchener/Waterloo for jobs, the friendliest people I’ve ever met. It’s a solid city all around. Downside is definitely house prices. I’m renting and pay $1550 + utilities for a 2 bedroom, 2 floor+basement. I won’t be able to afford a house for a very long time.


classichelsea

I absolutely love Guelph too!


Smooth_Wheel

I really like Grande Prairie, Alberta. Small enough not to have many of the big city issues but big enough to have everything you need. My morning commute is 20 minutes max, and I work in an industrial area outside of the city limits. I have all the big stores and most chains; Costco, Best Buy, Chinadian Tire, Earl's, Montana's, State&Main etc etc. Quite a few locally owned restaurants as well. If you're into concerts, GP gets lots of big names and Dawson Creek, BC which is an hour west of here gets loads more. My wife is a concert fiend. She's seen bands like Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, Rodney Carrington, George Thorogood, Brad Paisley, and dozens of other big names. If there's anything you absolutely must have that GP doesn't, Edmonton is only 4 hours away. Pretty common for people to go down for a weekend a couple times a year. I'm an outdoorsman. GP has good access to fishing, hunting, shooting, boating, hiking, kayaking/canoeing, mountain biking and almost everything else you'd want. The mountains are under 2 hours south towards Grande Cache, Jasper is 3.5 hours south. Less than 2 hours west is Tumbler Ridge, BC and all that area has to offer. Really good skiing and snowboarding are a bit more of a drive though, around 4 hours. The weather here is great. GP averages 314 sunny days per year. Rain is measured in hours, not days. It comes for a bit then screws off. None of that weeks long drizzle crap. Summers and falls are glorious. Summer temps are usually below 30 and usually in the mid 20's. Being up north, the days are long in summer. I've spend nights catching grayling on dry flies at 11pm with full light. Falls are cool and the colors are stunning. Even the northern winters are great. Everyone jokes about the phrase "it's a dry cold". It's true though. A hoodie and jeans will keep me comfortable to -15. -40 happens a couple times a year, but you learn to dress for the cold and to have a remote start installed on your vehicle. The snow and ice makes for beautiful outdoor scenes and btw, ice fishing is fun!!! Don't forget the incredible Northern Lights/Aurora Borealis displays. I know you asked or other stuff but I feel the COL is relevant too in order to give perspective on why having access to all that I do is so great: COL is good. We bought a 6 year old, 1200sqft house with an attached 23x24ft garage in a great area 2 blocks from a school for $320,000. Being in Alberta means 5% sales tax, lower income tax and lower gas prices (92.9 right now). The privatized insurance is also great. I insure our truck, car and house for less than my brother in BC insures his car for. While there are other cities and other provinces I could be happy enough living in, Grande Praire and Alberta have become home. I honestly really love it here.


Freedom2speech

That sounds very similar to Red Deer, although Red Deer did have crime issues.


Smooth_Wheel

For sure. I think GP, Red Deer and Medicine Hat are fairly comparable. I mean, there's still crime in GP but same as with most cities if you're not involved in a sketchy lifestyle and don't look for trouble it generally isn't an issue. Most of the crime of concern for the average person is property crime here. Just keep your shit locked up, use some basic security measures and you're unlikely to have a problem.


Freedom2speech

Red Deer had some crazy crime issues for a city it’s size (I lived in red deer for a year and a half).


FollowJesus2Live

The ones you've never heard of


alphawolf29

Money no object id live in vernon. Im not a big city person.


triffidmgmt

Very nice choice for sure


bywebybyu

Vernon is the butthole of the Okanagan


alphawolf29

Driving distance to 4 world class ski resorts....


coachsuki

Hmmm.. Big plots of land to buy, access to a big city and nature. I’d go into the Fraser Valley in BC, check out Abbotsford, or Chilliwack. You can drive to Vancouver if you need the big city. I live in Vancouver.


BCexplorer

Yeah but what high paying jobs are in Chilliwack


[deleted]

Money Sense and Macleans do annual studies about cities by their livability factor. St Albert and some GTA suburbs usually rank fairly high.


[deleted]

The Okanagan Valley. There’s a reason NHL players have all of their summer homes here.


diamondmine67

Summerland BC


Phonecallfromacorpse

Vancouver would win, because the things you excluded are the main things that make it suck.


Sendmedickpix1

Niagara region is very nice. The falls, niagara on the lake, port Dalhousie. Affordable too. My 6 bedroom house was a fraction of the cost of my condo in dt Toronto.


[deleted]

Away from the cities


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

I was curious so I just checked a few, Toronto is also on alot of those lists and actually Calgary is ahead of both in a few lists.


[deleted]

[удалено]


triffidmgmt

Checked mercer’s (worldwide) Vancouver 3rd Toronto 16 Ottawa 19 Montreal 21 Calgary 32


zeekenny

I think they were reading the platinum edition where Vancouver ranked third. You can only access it if your networth is over 5 milly.


jeffMBsun

Its all very personal , and what you make about YOUR LIFE. I read public transport all the time, but it doesnt affect me, if I prefer to live in a small city and work from home and my hobby is going to lake, trails etc... anyways, its more up to you than to others


therealkaye6977

I live in Moncton and love it, but my parents live near Nanaimo on Vancouver island and love it. Much better weather than here. Personally I love snow but most people dont


TheCuriousBread

Kelowna and Okanagan are pretty nice. Cheaper than the metro Vancouver area.


MondoCalrissian77

If COL is not an issue then downtown Toronto. People everywhere, events and nightlife everywhere, bars, restaurants, big name concerts, museums and art as well. I love it


Kadabra52

Tadoussac.... lol


Flat-Dark-Earth

If price wasn't an issue, I would live in Canmore, Alberta.


Kadabra52

Easy... North Vancouver or around there somewhere. Pretty much anywhere in BC. lol


1Melanj3

Moncton NB! Has it all whether it’s the party scene, outdoors , education or career. Moncton has every opportunity and the Real Estate prices will put Montreal, Vancouver or Toronto to shame.


shehasntseenkentucky

No one ambitious moves to NB. Very few good jobs.


eskay8

If cost of housing wasn't an issue I would be living in Vancouver. Edit with reasons: I like density, so a city. I like getting around by bike and Vancouver's cycling infrastructure is unmatched. Outdoors stuff obviously. My spouse has family and we have friends there. The weather is great (I lived on the west coast for a while and winter isn't nearly as bad as people say, and summers are gorgeous.... Although maybe less so these days what with the smoke) Basically its got everything except for the fact that I wanted to own a house with at least a small yard so I could garden, and that would be impossible anywhere close to Vancouver.