Anyone ever lived or stayed in Vancouver??
Discussion
Spent a few weeks there about 8 years ago.
Generally very nice, the city itself is in a nice location, lots to see and do. (especially if you have an active lifestyle.) The biggest attraction for me would be the proximity to incredible skiing in the winter, and the ability to visit Vancouver island whenever you wanted. The island is int he top 2 or 3 beautiful places I have ever seen, and tyou can see whales, bears, eagles...
The climate is temperate and not too different to the UK, Rain but not too cold in the winter (I lived in Toronto for a year, and that is brutal in Jan/Feb) You are also close enough to drive to Seattle for something a bit different.
The only major downside to the city I saw was the level of homelessness and obvious drug associated problems. I never felt threatened or unsafe, but arriving there from the east coast of the country was a culture shock.
Last point would be, my cousin lived there for 3 years with work and loved it.
Let us know what you decide.
Generally very nice, the city itself is in a nice location, lots to see and do. (especially if you have an active lifestyle.) The biggest attraction for me would be the proximity to incredible skiing in the winter, and the ability to visit Vancouver island whenever you wanted. The island is int he top 2 or 3 beautiful places I have ever seen, and tyou can see whales, bears, eagles...
The climate is temperate and not too different to the UK, Rain but not too cold in the winter (I lived in Toronto for a year, and that is brutal in Jan/Feb) You are also close enough to drive to Seattle for something a bit different.
The only major downside to the city I saw was the level of homelessness and obvious drug associated problems. I never felt threatened or unsafe, but arriving there from the east coast of the country was a culture shock.
Last point would be, my cousin lived there for 3 years with work and loved it.
Let us know what you decide.
deanogtv said:
Jelly, thanks for your input. I should have mentioned that I have the same opportunity in Toronto, my preference in Vancouver but Toronto wouldn't be out of the question.
I'm with ghibbet, you'd be mental to choose the concrete hell of Toronto. Traffic jams to make you go postal. Hot as balls in summer, cold as f*ck in winter. No thanks.Vancouver is a fantastic place to live, I don't think there's many places on the planet with such a variety, world class beaches, outdoor wilderness and some of the best winter sports in the world within a hop from a modern dynamic city?
The downside? Property is pricey, check mls.ca.
And if you like Asian girls....well.....
Edited by sooperscoop on Wednesday 20th August 12:09
Edited by sooperscoop on Wednesday 20th August 12:09
OP, many have asked 'where in the world would you move to if you were to relocate homes'. If you trawl t'interweb then you'll find that two most popular places (by quite a huge margin) are Canada and New Zealand. Most people, if asked 'what part of Canada' would say West Coast. Vancouver is the most amazing city. Incredibly vibrant and surrounded by the most amazing scenery and wildlife. Check the region out and you'll see exactly what the fuss is about. No brainer choice in my honest opinion. Ever seen wild bears catching salmon with their paws? Well visit Vancouver and take a day out into the forests and rivers. Or why not spot Orca from a rowing boat in millpond flat ocean water around the 000's of islands thereabouts.
FYI, I do not work for the canadian tourist office but have a lot of family there. I would be there now if I had had more get up and go in my twenties. Having said that in 1980's I would never have got in! Nowadays it is relatively easy but you already have that in the bag fella! Good luck to ya!
FYI, I do not work for the canadian tourist office but have a lot of family there. I would be there now if I had had more get up and go in my twenties. Having said that in 1980's I would never have got in! Nowadays it is relatively easy but you already have that in the bag fella! Good luck to ya!
Not lived there OP but have family in Western Canada (Summerland) plus Vancouver and Vancouver Island. It gets voted consistently as the best city to live in the world, every time we've been we've had great weather but according to family we've been lucky. If you like to ski/board there are a few local hills to Vancouver or a couple of hours to Whistler. The local ski hills you can drive to easily of get the ferry and bus. It's modern and clean, shame they got rid of so many of the old building (weren't all that old really) but it retains some character. Stanley park is a nice green and open space to enjoy within reach of the city.
If you've been to the states you'll notice that most things are more expensive from groceries to electronics. Beer isn't too cheap, and the sale of alcohol is more tightly controlled-state owned off licences with set prices (high) compared to home. It's quite isolated too and I've never found flights from the UK to be overly cheap but it isn't a major hub airport. You are in driving distance to hop across the border to the US though.
Given the opportunity I'd move there in a second.
If you've been to the states you'll notice that most things are more expensive from groceries to electronics. Beer isn't too cheap, and the sale of alcohol is more tightly controlled-state owned off licences with set prices (high) compared to home. It's quite isolated too and I've never found flights from the UK to be overly cheap but it isn't a major hub airport. You are in driving distance to hop across the border to the US though.
Given the opportunity I'd move there in a second.
Never been, but OH's brother moved there a couple of years ago. He absolutely loves that there is so much out doors to do within 30mins. The pics he posts on facebook are amazing. As others have said property is very expensive (is a big issue for him - no pun intended), the airport landing fees are very expensive, making flights costly and he does get wound up about the number of orientals (ironic seeing as he is a foreigner).
Never been, but OH's brother moved there a couple of years ago. He absolutely loves that there is so much out doors to do within 30mins. The pics he posts on facebook are amazing. As others have said property is very expensive (is a big issue for him - no pun intended), the airport landing fees are very expensive, making flights costly and he does get wound up about the number of orientals (ironic seeing as he is a foreigner).
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