Can't decide on a Canadian City

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ALninteen66@gmail.com - 22 Jun 2006 19:02 GMT

Hello friends,

I plan on permanently moving to Canada around October time frame; been
having some insomnia deciding which city/metropolitan area to settle
in.

tons of internet research left me frustrated as I always seem to find
posts or articles that trash whatever city that topped my list at that
time, and the cycle goes on.. So I would certainly appreciate a nudge
in the right direction..

Allow me to share the factors that matter to me:

- Low housing costs (both rental/ownership).

- Weather: Love gloomy/cloudy weather (go figure!), 3 or 4 months of
snow don't really bother me, but is generally miserable during humid or
hot summers.

- Natural Beauty: relatively important, as I frequently take long walks
and hikes.

- Job opportunities: self-employed so it is not a factor.

- Size: Medium sized (perhaps 100,000 to 1M population) - I figure not
too large, so people are still somewhat personable and mellow, and one
can still find mom and pop's shops, but not too small that it becomes
boring, or new comers have to feel like outsider for the rest of their
lives..

- Attitude (this is my **personal** preference, no offence is meant nor
implied): generally liberal/left-winged. I currently live in Texas and
I kinda've had my fill of the not uncommon opinionated self-righteous
"cowboy" types here, and I'm really looking forward some drastically
different surroundings..

Goes without saying that there is no city/metropolitan that readily
meets all the above, because I would have already found it - so what
I'm really looking for is a reasonable compromise - online statistics
don't exactly help there so I'm reaching out to anyone who lived or
know where I can find this personal utopia :)

many thanks

A. L.

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mkcloud - 23 Jun 2006 03:44 GMT

> Hello friends,
>
[quoted text clipped - 49 lines]
>
> A. L.

My partner and I are very fond of Ottawa and bought a house there. We
live a few blocks from the river and there are bike paths all along the
riverbank all the way to downtown/parliament hill. We like the size of
the city, the excellent public transportation, the bilingual nature of
it being on the border with Quebec, and are very fond of the gothic
architecture of the Parliament buildings. We also like that we can walk
or bike to the grocery store, drug store, and a number of other shops,
since we've always had to drive most everywhere in atlanta.

http://www.ottawa.com/about/main_e.shtml has a nice description
of the city.

Good luck!
Michael

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ut.omnes.crederent@gmail.com - 23 Jun 2006 17:24 GMT

I have to second the choice previously mentioned: Ottawa. I have
grown up in this city and lived here much of my life, although I have
travelled a bit and visited various other cities (in North America) and
abroad. If took me going overseas to finally realize how blessed I am
to be an Ottawan.

Ottawa is Canada's fourth largest city in terms of population (after
Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver). The CMA (Census Metropolitan Area)
is officially listed as being around 800 000, although with the
surrounding areas, the actual population is about 1 million. But don't
let that fool you! It's a surprisingly quaint city for that size, and,
in fact, has something of a mid-size city atmosphere to it: nothing
like Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver. Being the federal capital,
Ottawa's heart beats around the government. There are still a lot of
opportunities for private business here, though. If you like a city
that is family-friendly, safe, well-planned, and with many parks,
rivers, etc., then you will love Ottawa. Your liberal bent though may
take some time getting used to Ottawa. It is a fairly conservative
city, but by no means closed-minded. It is very bilingual -- in fact,
multi-lingual and multi-cultural. And if you're a hockey fan, you'll
love the Ottawa Senators!

Ottawa is also great in terms of education (including higher education)
and schooling. It's public transit system boasts undoubtedly the best
bus-only public transit in North America (oops, I forgot: there are
now the O-trains, Ottawa's new suburban light rail transit).

One thing though. Ottawa is a Canadian city, and very proud of it.
Don't expect to "feel" like you're in Texas, or in any U.S. city for
that matter. It is a city that is proud to be Canada's capital, and
that proudly boasts all that is best about this country. If you'd like
some more information, there are many good web sites available. Among
others, you may want to try:

www.ottawa.ca
www.ottawa.com

Good luck with your search for a Canadian home!

A.M.

Reply to this Message

mkcloud - 24 Jun 2006 18:13 GMT

> I have to second the choice previously mentioned: Ottawa. I have
> grown up in this city and lived here much of my life, although I have
[quoted text clipped - 41 lines]
>
> A.M.

I would not agree with my esteemed colleague's evaluation of Ottawa as a
fairly conservative city. This of course may be since I'm from Atlanta
and in comparison, Ottawa is much more liberal. Federal election wise,
Ottawa Centre usually goes NDP, which is far left; Ottawa East almost
always elects the liberal candidate; Ottawa West, where my house is,
elected the Conservative John Baird in the last election, but he's pro-
same sex marriage, so he can't be that conservative, especially compared
with conservative types in the US. Compared to almost anywhere in the
US, I'd say Ottawa is quite liberal. When my (same sex) partner and I
went to city hall to look at the marriage room there, everyone was very
friendly and helpful, made sure we had the right paperwork to apply for
the licence, &c. &c. Just my impression.

Reply to this Message

dbcctbc - 23 Jun 2006 18:42 GMT

> Hello friends,
>
[quoted text clipped - 49 lines]
>
> A. L.

If you are self employed and sure that you can get work in Canada, or
survive somehow, and you are looking for a liberal area, I'm told that
Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are the most liberal cities.

The challenge always is fitting into Canadian society as a newcomer.
We've had problems with this, but in the major cities there is much more
diversity, so it should be easier.

Alberta is totally conservative, so Calgary, while it has a great
economy probably wouldn't be for you.

Vancouver has a lot of progressive people - large gay section, lots of
environmentally conscious people, etc lots of diversity, definitely a
strong left/progressive community. Montreal - lots of people love that
city as a vacation destination, although probably a bit difficult if you
don't speak French to live there.

We've lived in Canada for almost two years -- partner has an open work
permit. Problem we've had is that he's not been interviewed AT ALL, for
any position he's applied for, so we may have to return to the USA.

One thing about Vancouver and most of the coast area of southwestern
British Columbia is that in the winter you avoid most of the ice and
snow. Because of the pacific currents, the weather stays above freezing
during the winter most of the time near the water.

Vancouver and coast and Vancouver Island area [sections near the water]
are really the only place in Canada that avoids significant snow and ice
in the winter. Great thing is that if you want to ski, you can drive an
hour or so up to Whistler and get plenty of winter weather.

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ALninteen66@gmail.com - 26 Jun 2006 23:01 GMT

MkCloud and A.M,
Thanks for your helpful responses; I had dismissed Ottawa earlier,
saying to myself: If I'm going to do this, I might as well end up next
to the Atlantic or the Rockies; But come to think about it, Ottawa's
river and parks are not to be looked down at, and the city's numerous
pluses just might make it the place I'm searching for..

dbcctbc,
like you said, French Montreal isn't for me (language); And the
outrageous housing costs unfortunately rule out Vancouver (and most of
B.C?) for me..

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Immigration Forum / Canada / June 2006

Can't decide on a Canadian City