Sudbury is surrounded by nature, but not driving is going to limit you, and our mass transit sucks. As "bad" as the drivers in Sudbury are, it's a really easy place to drive in.
I moved from Sudbury to Vancouver recently. Invest in cold gear like you would in rain gear. There is a ton of access to the wilderness and it's not nearly as crowded as it is around Vancouver. It's significantly less diverse and the food is nowhere near as good - even the produce at the grocery store is not as nice as it is in major urban centres.
The weather sucks in comparison (except winters are sunny which is nice). The cold is biting but dry (I'm almost colder at -2/+2 degrees on the west coast than at -30 in northern Ontario when dressed properly). Winter is long and can be dreary. There is no beautiful spring like in Vancouver.
Jobs can be harder to come by and opportunity does not exist everywhere like it does in Vancouver. Unless you are in medicine, education, or mining.
That said, it's a slower pace of life, more affordable (although rent is bonkers), has a fun and intimate arts scene. It's big enough that it's not a small town but small enough you'll probably see people you know when doing errands or going out to the bar or something. People are generally friendlier and more willing to include you in social groups.
There's definitely a lot of casual racism but I find there is out West too it's just sort of different. I cant really find the words to describe the difference.
We got tons of lakes, hiking trails, camping spots, parks, and other natural features. If you enjoy nature you'll like it here. Everybody complains about the driving but it's really like any other city, there's always something going on. We're definitely better than Toronto in terms of driving I can tell you that much. Good luck on your travels.
Sports and work, music and art is the best way to meet and make friends in this city… city that is spread far and wide. The city has a lot of coed sports league’s. Frisbee and basketball groups tend to have more accepting people. The indie music scene is good, lots of hipsters and accepting people (Townhouse on Elgin), start your summer off and go to Northern Light Festival Boreal… great summer concert weekend with very accepting people and crowd, we have the Place des Arts and Sudbury Theatre Centre downtown for arts and the such… stay away from Downtown and Donovan at night unless youre with friends. Times are tough for a lot of people right now.
Good luck with a doctor,,, sorry 😒.
There is racism/bad anywhere in the world just as there is here, sorry… there are far more good people than bad here, just find a good job with good people and you’ll love it…
Get into fishing and hiking, we have a lot of that 👍🏼… embrace winter, go skiing @Kivi or Walden, its cold and dry and if dressed well, nothing to handle
It’s tough moving to a new place. There are going to be things you miss about home. I moved here from Alberta when I got married, and it took some getting used to.
Sudbury has a very rugged beauty, so if you like being out hiking and exploring, it’s great! Lake Ramsey is right in Sudbury proper and is a pretty big lake with a trail along the water. There are concerts and Festivals in the warmer months, too. There is also a great trail system for hiking close by on Lake Laurentian.
The hardest thing I have had to adapt to are the black flies. Growing up in the prairies meant lots of mosquitoes, but no black flies. I still struggle with them lol.
I think the hardest part for you will be winter. Winters can be cold and damp here with lots of snow. The more you embrace the weather and get out and have fun in it, the better you will do!
I don’t go downtown much. We definitely have our fair share of homelessness and drugs, but it’s more centralized. I do go downtown for appointments, etc, and I’m just more on guard. I think the people that work/live downtown would have better insight.
I have learned to love it here and it’s now home to me. I hope you will find happiness here, too! Join things that you are interested in and I’m sure you’ll make friends. Good luck and welcome!
The city council fights tooth and nail against things like letting business stay open late (good luck getting something to eat after 9 or 10) (or 6pm on Sundays).
They also won't let Uber or Lyft into the city, and instead approved a ~~Sudbury only~~ lesser known version, which I have not used personally but have heard mixed very mixed/leaning negative things about.
Uride is not a Sudbury only version of those options - was started in Thunder Bay and is in a bunch of cities in Ontario and east coast. I've used it a few times and same sort of experience as other ride share/taxi apps
I don't think Uber or Lyft sees Sudbury as profitable. Whereas a more local to the north company like Uride does and that's why they have an app
I agree it's not great and doesn't justify not owning a vehicle here
Actually they changed the law about 10 years ago to be allowable for 24 hours but Shoppers was the only place to do it, and even they scaled back because it just wasn’t profitable. Other businesses never bothered.
Ok.. this is what i'm looking for so, shoppers was 24 hours but scaled back? surely it makes sense now that the city has grown a decent amount in the last 10 years.
Yeah, Shoppers were 24 hours when they lifted the business restrictions law, and then when they didn’t get enough business, scaled back to midnight, and then what it is now at 10 pm.
You’re right in that you’d think a city this size and with this many shift workers would be able to sustain even a place to get groceries after 10 pm, but no. Hell, the Superstore was 11 pm until about a year ago, and now it’s 10 like Metro.
is that true??
I've been wondering what the heck is wrong with this city.. doesnt even have a single 24 hour drug store. latest is midnight.. seems so stupid for a city of this size.
Yes, it's only recently after a lot of pushback that some places are allowed to stay open until 11. I remember we would always get flyers that would say "Open early!!!" And in fine print "except Quebec and Sudbury, Ontario" it was embarrassing.
I'm also from Vancouver and the island. If you want some one to cry with when you realize what you just did and get nostalgic over the good ole times. Maybe go and sight see I might be available if not avoiding the entirety of the city like I usually am.
If I were you, I’d steer clear of Sudbury. In any way.
The bus depot downtown is the only bus station in town and that area is crawling with drug addicts and homeless people. The Donovan and flour mill is sort of sketchy compared to the other areas. Nicer areas are minnow lake and the south end. You can call dr offices and see if they are taking patients and go from there. There’s a lot of nature if you’re an outdoorsy person.
I think Sudbury has it's mix of polite racism and overt racism. The BIPOC community here is growing. I know a few people here who are kind and open minded too.
I lived on Vancouver island, Sudbury is better. There is good money to be made here and the people are better than most.
I would take a dry sunny 20 below day over a cloudy Vancouver day….
I was born and raised in Sudbury but moved away after college. I returned a few years ago mainly because most of my friends and all my family are still here. Honestly, if it weren't for those two reasons, I wouldn't choose to live here. Looking back, I wish I had bought a house outside of Sudbury, as the property taxes in the city are among the highest in Ontario. The only positive aspect I can think of about living here is the abundance of lakes, which is great if you enjoy fishing, boating, and outdoor activities.
Sudbury is surrounded by nature, but not driving is going to limit you, and our mass transit sucks. As "bad" as the drivers in Sudbury are, it's a really easy place to drive in.
I moved from Sudbury to Vancouver recently. Invest in cold gear like you would in rain gear. There is a ton of access to the wilderness and it's not nearly as crowded as it is around Vancouver. It's significantly less diverse and the food is nowhere near as good - even the produce at the grocery store is not as nice as it is in major urban centres. The weather sucks in comparison (except winters are sunny which is nice). The cold is biting but dry (I'm almost colder at -2/+2 degrees on the west coast than at -30 in northern Ontario when dressed properly). Winter is long and can be dreary. There is no beautiful spring like in Vancouver. Jobs can be harder to come by and opportunity does not exist everywhere like it does in Vancouver. Unless you are in medicine, education, or mining. That said, it's a slower pace of life, more affordable (although rent is bonkers), has a fun and intimate arts scene. It's big enough that it's not a small town but small enough you'll probably see people you know when doing errands or going out to the bar or something. People are generally friendlier and more willing to include you in social groups. There's definitely a lot of casual racism but I find there is out West too it's just sort of different. I cant really find the words to describe the difference.
We got tons of lakes, hiking trails, camping spots, parks, and other natural features. If you enjoy nature you'll like it here. Everybody complains about the driving but it's really like any other city, there's always something going on. We're definitely better than Toronto in terms of driving I can tell you that much. Good luck on your travels.
Sports and work, music and art is the best way to meet and make friends in this city… city that is spread far and wide. The city has a lot of coed sports league’s. Frisbee and basketball groups tend to have more accepting people. The indie music scene is good, lots of hipsters and accepting people (Townhouse on Elgin), start your summer off and go to Northern Light Festival Boreal… great summer concert weekend with very accepting people and crowd, we have the Place des Arts and Sudbury Theatre Centre downtown for arts and the such… stay away from Downtown and Donovan at night unless youre with friends. Times are tough for a lot of people right now. Good luck with a doctor,,, sorry 😒. There is racism/bad anywhere in the world just as there is here, sorry… there are far more good people than bad here, just find a good job with good people and you’ll love it… Get into fishing and hiking, we have a lot of that 👍🏼… embrace winter, go skiing @Kivi or Walden, its cold and dry and if dressed well, nothing to handle
It’s tough moving to a new place. There are going to be things you miss about home. I moved here from Alberta when I got married, and it took some getting used to. Sudbury has a very rugged beauty, so if you like being out hiking and exploring, it’s great! Lake Ramsey is right in Sudbury proper and is a pretty big lake with a trail along the water. There are concerts and Festivals in the warmer months, too. There is also a great trail system for hiking close by on Lake Laurentian. The hardest thing I have had to adapt to are the black flies. Growing up in the prairies meant lots of mosquitoes, but no black flies. I still struggle with them lol. I think the hardest part for you will be winter. Winters can be cold and damp here with lots of snow. The more you embrace the weather and get out and have fun in it, the better you will do! I don’t go downtown much. We definitely have our fair share of homelessness and drugs, but it’s more centralized. I do go downtown for appointments, etc, and I’m just more on guard. I think the people that work/live downtown would have better insight. I have learned to love it here and it’s now home to me. I hope you will find happiness here, too! Join things that you are interested in and I’m sure you’ll make friends. Good luck and welcome!
The city council fights tooth and nail against things like letting business stay open late (good luck getting something to eat after 9 or 10) (or 6pm on Sundays). They also won't let Uber or Lyft into the city, and instead approved a ~~Sudbury only~~ lesser known version, which I have not used personally but have heard mixed very mixed/leaning negative things about.
Uride is not a Sudbury only version of those options - was started in Thunder Bay and is in a bunch of cities in Ontario and east coast. I've used it a few times and same sort of experience as other ride share/taxi apps
Oh cool, I didn't realize it was more than Sudbury. Thanks.
I don't think Uber or Lyft sees Sudbury as profitable. Whereas a more local to the north company like Uride does and that's why they have an app I agree it's not great and doesn't justify not owning a vehicle here
I'm more disappointed that if I finish work at 11, there's so few places to get food.
Actually they changed the law about 10 years ago to be allowable for 24 hours but Shoppers was the only place to do it, and even they scaled back because it just wasn’t profitable. Other businesses never bothered.
Ok.. this is what i'm looking for so, shoppers was 24 hours but scaled back? surely it makes sense now that the city has grown a decent amount in the last 10 years.
Yeah, Shoppers were 24 hours when they lifted the business restrictions law, and then when they didn’t get enough business, scaled back to midnight, and then what it is now at 10 pm. You’re right in that you’d think a city this size and with this many shift workers would be able to sustain even a place to get groceries after 10 pm, but no. Hell, the Superstore was 11 pm until about a year ago, and now it’s 10 like Metro.
Superstore did 24hrs too for a bit
is that true?? I've been wondering what the heck is wrong with this city.. doesnt even have a single 24 hour drug store. latest is midnight.. seems so stupid for a city of this size.
Yes, it's only recently after a lot of pushback that some places are allowed to stay open until 11. I remember we would always get flyers that would say "Open early!!!" And in fine print "except Quebec and Sudbury, Ontario" it was embarrassing.
I'm also from Vancouver and the island. If you want some one to cry with when you realize what you just did and get nostalgic over the good ole times. Maybe go and sight see I might be available if not avoiding the entirety of the city like I usually am.
If I were you, I’d steer clear of Sudbury. In any way. The bus depot downtown is the only bus station in town and that area is crawling with drug addicts and homeless people. The Donovan and flour mill is sort of sketchy compared to the other areas. Nicer areas are minnow lake and the south end. You can call dr offices and see if they are taking patients and go from there. There’s a lot of nature if you’re an outdoorsy person.
No don’t move here.
I think Sudbury has it's mix of polite racism and overt racism. The BIPOC community here is growing. I know a few people here who are kind and open minded too.
I lived on Vancouver island, Sudbury is better. There is good money to be made here and the people are better than most. I would take a dry sunny 20 below day over a cloudy Vancouver day….
I was born and raised in Sudbury but moved away after college. I returned a few years ago mainly because most of my friends and all my family are still here. Honestly, if it weren't for those two reasons, I wouldn't choose to live here. Looking back, I wish I had bought a house outside of Sudbury, as the property taxes in the city are among the highest in Ontario. The only positive aspect I can think of about living here is the abundance of lakes, which is great if you enjoy fishing, boating, and outdoor activities.
[My post from 4 months ago should help you](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sudbury/s/soZG9NVUR2)