Be aware that it's very difficult to find a place to rent in Calgary right now. Even though you're planning to buy you'll probably end up renting when you first arrive, so for that reason alone I'd recommend Edmonton at the moment.
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- Sep 18th, 2014 9:13 pm
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- musicdisciple
- Newbie
- May 21, 2008
- 49 posts
- 10 upvotes
- Guest923983831
- Deal Addict
- Jan 21, 2009
- 2507 posts
- 551 upvotes
- TO
Same as me - I prefer Toronto over Calgary. While Calgary is growing, it doesn't feel as up-to-date or as fresh as Toronto.M-e-X-x wrote: ↑Diversity in general is one thing different in Toronto and Vancouver. Other things, more Toronto-centric since I live here:
-Every major sports team is here, regardless if they do well or not (NHL, NBA, MLB, MLS, etc.). You can watch visiting teams.
-Every concert will usually stop here
-New 'things' happen here first usually (stores, trends, etc.)
-More Cultural/Ethnic neighbourhoods
-Arguably more cultural things to do (festivals, etc.)
-Easy to travel to neighbouring US cities (NYC, Chicago, Boston, etc.)
At the end of the day, a lifestyle thing. I've lived half my life in Calgary, half my life in Toronto. Prefer the bigger city life.
- scarface
- Sr. Member
- Aug 29, 2004
- 952 posts
- 271 upvotes
That's because no matter what anyone says, it is nowhere near the city toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal are.
It's certainly livable if you have a group of friends, but in terms of culture not much going on. Calgary has a way of seeming more appealing to people who visit for a short period of time than those who actually live here.
Case in point are the resteraunts - the "hot" places are a joke.
- This_is_your_Captain
- Member
- Dec 6, 2010
- 296 posts
- 71 upvotes
There are exceptions of course, but I always wonder who these young people are in those hip/cool Toronto restaurants/coffee bars? How much money are these people really making as 'admin assistants' and "senior coordinators" at some non-profit or as "part-time researchers" or as a "Yoga instructor" at a funky studio? It feels sometimes like everyone's raking in the money and living large but me.scarface wrote: ↑That's because no matter what anyone says, it is nowhere near the city toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal are.
It's certainly livable if you have a group of friends, but in terms of culture not much going on. Calgary has a way of seeming more appealing to people who visit for a short period of time than those who actually live here.
Case in point are the resteraunts - the "hot" places are a joke.
Who cares about the 'culture' of this over-priced city if you have a low-wage / dead-end job and are barely scrapping by? What good is having 4 Chinatowns in that case?
I'd like to come back to the thread and ask people in the know about their opinions of Lethbridge vs. Medicine Hat.
Thanks
- FirstGear
- Deal Fanatic
- Nov 2, 2013
- 5697 posts
- 1522 upvotes
- Edmonton, AB
You have a really good point - this is what i hear when I worked up in Fort Mac too. If you make good money you can always enjoy it elsewhere. Take a trip somewhere with it or go buy toys. When I lived in Vancouver people there liked to rave about how nice it was, but the young people just lived off their parents working their $15/hour post-uni-grad jobs.This_is_your_Captain wrote: ↑There are exceptions of course, but I always wonder who these young people are in those hip/cool Toronto restaurants/coffee bars? How much money are these people really making as 'admin assistants' and "senior coordinators" at some non-profit or as "part-time researchers" or as a "Yoga instructor" at a funky studio? It feels sometimes like everyone's raking in the money and living large but me.
Who cares about the 'culture' of this over-priced city if you have a low-wage / dead-end job and are barely scrapping by? What good is having 4 Chinatowns in that case?
Thanks
Accountant (Public Practice)
- blai4754
- Sr. Member
- Feb 5, 2009
- 664 posts
- 150 upvotes
Make 2x in Fort Mac or 1.5x in Calgary/Edmonton over Vancouver, have affordable housing, and still have extra money to travel. Sounds like the smart decision to me.FirstGear wrote: ↑You have a really good point - this is what i hear when I worked up in Fort Mac too. If you make good money you can always enjoy it elsewhere. Take a trip somewhere with it or go buy toys. When I lived in Vancouver people there liked to rave about how nice it was, but the young people just lived off their parents working their $15/hour post-uni-grad jobs.
- Appak02
- Member
- Jan 21, 2012
- 362 posts
- 61 upvotes
- SCARBOROUGH
I love you like a brother...but Tor/Van food sucks.....b166er1337 wrote: ↑Cheaper and better Japanese food. Cheaper and better Chinese food. Cheaper and better Korean food. Etc.
The restaurant scene is getting better in Calgary but TO and Van are world class when it comes to exotic food.
Poutine, Poutine and burgers....disgusting and yucky....
Montreal is different, but still Canada in general lacks culinary art
- Spidey
- Deal Expert
- Oct 16, 2001
- 76501 posts
- 1583 upvotes
If you are looking at Lethbridge, Medicine Hat may be an option too. We arent as windy as them either. Population is about 20K less, but closer to the SK border
- Bamelin
- Deal Addict
- Apr 22, 2005
- 1400 posts
- 355 upvotes
My older brother lived north of Calgary (Three Hills) for about 5 years or so after living in Toronto all his life. While he did like the folks in Alberta, the one thing he really missed was Toronto's shorter and milder winters. Wintertime in the prairies is LONG.
He was happy to move back to Toronto in part because the winter here is much less harsh than what you'll get in Alberta.
He was happy to move back to Toronto in part because the winter here is much less harsh than what you'll get in Alberta.
- divx
- Deal Expert
- Oct 26, 2003
- 39339 posts
- 6342 upvotes
- Winnipeg
FirstGear wrote: ↑You have a really good point - this is what i hear when I worked up in Fort Mac too. If you make good money you can always enjoy it elsewhere. Take a trip somewhere with it or go buy toys. When I lived in Vancouver people there liked to rave about how nice it was, but the young people just lived off their parents working their $15/hour post-uni-grad jobs.
double confirmed, make your money in the miserable pit then go tour Philippines with ilovejaneandfench
- hdom
- Deal Fanatic
- Aug 29, 2006
- 7750 posts
- 1635 upvotes
1+. And some days you wouldn't want or be able to drive on the highway due to extreme weather. If Red Deer, you should be sure you have a job there, otherwise pick either Calgary / Edm.
Market for pharmacist is unfortunately no where as hot as it was due to changes in the system. I would make sure she has something lined up before moving.
better
Market for pharmacist is unfortunately no where as hot as it was due to changes in the system. I would make sure she has something lined up before moving.
better
Firebot wrote: ↑Main issue with Red Deer is that you are an hour and a half away from either city. Add rush hour and you could be commuting 4 to 5 hours each day. I would suggest to pick one of the two cities and go with it. You will find it quite bad to deal with, especially in the winter.
I do think that due to both your jobs being in demand fields, that even Red Deer as a work place could work. If you can make it work, all the best to you.
The Devil made me buy it - RFD.
- b166er1337
- Moderator
- Sep 21, 2004
- 11413 posts
- 7185 upvotes
- Calgary
- joe_greps
- Penalty Box
- Jan 7, 2011
- 1458 posts
- 171 upvotes
- KW
Spent the summer working there and really liked the place, just hiking around Police point park and such after work was really nice. Wasn't the town I expected, only the bad news stuff makes it this far east which kind of distorts perceptions - in truth it seemed very well kept, friendly and safe.
- Spidey
- Deal Expert
- Oct 16, 2001
- 76501 posts
- 1583 upvotes
We have lived here for over 12 years, and enjoy all it has to offer. Big enough to have all the conviences we want, and small enough to be able to get anywhere in a decent timejoe_greps wrote: ↑Spent the summer working there and really liked the place, just hiking around Police point park and such after work was really nice. Wasn't the town I expected, only the bad news stuff makes it this far east which kind of distorts perceptions - in truth it seemed very well kept, friendly and safe.
- KevC
- Deal Fanatic
- Mar 24, 2004
- 8683 posts
- 573 upvotes
- Toronto
I dunno about Vancouver, but you can't possibly say Toronto sucks if you're a foodie. Khao San Road, Enoteca Sociale, Marben, Woodlot, Splendido, Buca, Harbord Room, Black Hoof, Parts & Labour, Patria, Edulis ... the list goes on and on, and every year there are new restaurants popping up.
- Killmassacre
- Sr. Member
- Dec 8, 2009
- 678 posts
- 441 upvotes
- Edmonton
I've lived in central Alberta my whole life and my father is an electrician currently living in Red Deer. It's a very nice city with a nice small town feel to it although it still has some amenities. As said before there are several lakes near the city, and there are some really nice walking trails in the city like Kerry wood.
However all the jobs my dad got there either ended within within a couple months or required you to travel 1-2 hours to a gas plant out west or near Calgary and some of them didn't even give travel pay. He's now working at fort mac making 1.5x the money and working plenty of shutdowns making 1k+/day. Personally I'd recommend either living in Calgary/Edmonton unless you don't mind doing long commutes especially during winter storms.
My personal pick would be Edmonton (it's where I'm living now and the southwest of Edmonton is very nice) and there appears to be construction jobs every where you look here. Plus I just like how Edmonton looks and the atmosphere it has, and the public transportation seems better. One thing to bear in mind about living in Edmonton though is that it is colder than Calgary. And during the winter the days are up to half an hour shorter then in Calgary, just some food for thought.
However all the jobs my dad got there either ended within within a couple months or required you to travel 1-2 hours to a gas plant out west or near Calgary and some of them didn't even give travel pay. He's now working at fort mac making 1.5x the money and working plenty of shutdowns making 1k+/day. Personally I'd recommend either living in Calgary/Edmonton unless you don't mind doing long commutes especially during winter storms.
My personal pick would be Edmonton (it's where I'm living now and the southwest of Edmonton is very nice) and there appears to be construction jobs every where you look here. Plus I just like how Edmonton looks and the atmosphere it has, and the public transportation seems better. One thing to bear in mind about living in Edmonton though is that it is colder than Calgary. And during the winter the days are up to half an hour shorter then in Calgary, just some food for thought.
- FirstGear
- Deal Fanatic
- Nov 2, 2013
- 5697 posts
- 1522 upvotes
- Edmonton, AB
I lived by the Windermere area most of my time in Edmonton. The west and southwest area is nice here. It does get a little cold here (-30C) but it's a dry cold; you can dress for it and you'll be fine. It does get dark quick.Killmassacre wrote: ↑
My personal pick would be Edmonton (it's where I'm living now and the southwest of Edmonton is very nice) and there appears to be construction jobs every where you look here. Plus I just like how Edmonton looks and the atmosphere it has, and the public transportation seems better. One thing to bear in mind about living in Edmonton though is that it is colder than Calgary. And during the winter the days are up to half an hour shorter then in Calgary, just some food for thought.
There is also tons of construction work floating around here, it's very easy to find a job. It took me 3 days to get one when I first moved here. Construction also commonly has the 'work until the job is done' attitude so your OT will make you good money. I don't run around with a shovel so I do get a little more, but typical day of work is $350. Up to around 600 working out of town with very long days. As a labourer I usually got 200-300 a day back then. Only thing that sucks is if your equipment breaks or it rains you don't work until it stops raining or until your machine(s) get fixed if you're relying on them.
Accountant (Public Practice)
- blai4754
- Sr. Member
- Feb 5, 2009
- 664 posts
- 150 upvotes
If u think it's expensive here, what do u think people in vancouver and toronto think?!jeremyhalifax88 wrote: ↑So it seems Edmonton or Calgary would be our best bet? Damn condos and houses are crazy expensive there! Not sure how we will survive.
If dual income, don't think you'll have a problem.
- Spidey
- Deal Expert
- Oct 16, 2001
- 76501 posts
- 1583 upvotes
It all depends, do you like living in big cities or prefer a slower pace. With both of you having an education, you can get jobs in smaller cities to. But many think that smaller cities have nothing to do in them or lack restaurants as one example. Myself Ive never revolved my life around if the city has good places to eat, way down on my list of priorities.jeremyhalifax88 wrote: ↑So it seems Edmonton or Calgary would be our best bet? Damn condos and houses are crazy expensive there! Not sure how we will survive.
Thanks for the advice all,
To the person with thefathet who works as a electrician.. Do you think I'd be able to find a normal 9-5 job as a electrician?
Calgarys weather is better with the Chinooks rolling in and close to the mountains. Ive never lived in either Calgary or Edmonton, but I visit Calgary way more being closer to it
- natalka
- Deal Addict
- Aug 17, 2008
- 4128 posts
- 946 upvotes
- Sask.
About it being expensive to live in Edmonton - consider somewhere on the outskirts like St. Albert. My nephew and his wife live there and both work in Edmonton. Very quick 20 minute commute, city of over 60K, great restaurants - and still so close to Edmonton.
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