Thinking about moving to Vancouver...

[adam c]

Back in the summer i went out to vancouver with my gf at the time, i had been there before but never really enjoyed it. that time it was different though, i enjoyed it a lot more. I've been to van 3 more times after that, 1 more with my gf and twice on company business trips.

I was thinking about moving there back then but I couldn't really imagine just leaving everything behind and not having a secure job out there. But times have changed, my gf and I broke up, the job I had in the summer is different then the one I have now. I was making small talk with one of the bosses out in van when I was there on my first business trip about how i was thinking about moving out there. I guess word got up to the owner/president of the company. Last time i was out there he came and talked to me, introduced himself and what not, blah blah and mentioned that he heard about the van thing. He said that if i was serious about it, then in 6 or so months they would give me a position there. My boss here in calgary said its ok with him if i want to pursue it.

but heres the though part, i would be leaving all my friends and family behind here, the only people i know out there are the ones i work with but they seem pretty cool and a few of them are close to my age, im 23 and they're a couple years older. Its getting harder and harder to live in calgary, i know vancouver isn't much different cost of living wise but im talking about the who you know factor.

but the benefits of moving there would be a chance to start a new life. i've had a pretty tough one here, not as hard as some people but definitely harder then about 80% of the people on the forums. calgary and van arent exactly close but then again its only a 1 hour flight.

i dunno, im kinda rambling, its something thats been on my mind on and off lately, more on then off tho.

looking for opinions mainly..

[Jlude]

Sometimes a new place/new start is just what you need. It's a new chance for you to excel with your career... create new contacts... endless possibilities.

I left New Brunswick to come out here... left all of my friend and family behind, but knew it was for the best... now I've been in Calgary for almost 4 years and planning on picking up and moving to California... It's not easy to leave everything you've created (friendships mainly).

I don't think you wanna look back in a year or even a couple and say, I wish I would have taken that oppourtunity when it was presnted... I say go for it... you're really true friends will stay in touch, like you said... it's only a 1 hour flight.

Something I've always told myself that has eased the moving and loss of friends... Everything has to change... Don't try and stop it... just go with it and make the best of it...

Hope that helped... haha maybe it didn't... I'm doing a little rambling as well...

[Spoons]

Yeah think of it as a chance of starting over. I mean you get to go to a new place and reinvent your self. My cousins said it best on to go to U of A for university. She said when you stay in your hometown for so long, you just constantly hang out with all your old high school friends. Yeah you make new friends, but you never really move on from high school.

You're 23, and you're young. I mean you have all these possibilities, why not take it!

BTW Isn't Vancouver way more expensive than Calgary, or have we gotten that bad here already?

[adam c]

vancouver is still the most expensive but calgary is quickly catching up

i doubt i would be living in Van city but maybe burnaby or somewhere along those lines.

im really torn about this, on the one hand im leaving everything i have but like jlude said its something i dont want to look back on and say i wish i had done that.

one thing that i did notice tho, is when i was with my ex-gf who is viet and me being white, people seemed to look at us differently.. like it was wrong. i find in calgary, people are more accepting of interracial dating while out there it seems to be a big no no unless ur gay, then everything is fine.

i know there are some people on the board that have lived there and currently do...

this is really becoming the toughest choice i've ever had to make

[dragonone]

if you can afford it definitely go
a good time is right after the olympics when real estate is expected to drop

[Ajay]

If you have a position with your company out there then I would seriously consider going. It's different if you're just going to pack up and leave and have no options.

Like others said, sometimes it's a good thing to get out of your current situation and try something different. A change of pace may be just what you need. Vancouver is an amazing city with so many things to do and so much to see. The people there I find are extremely friendly. It's much more of a cosmopolitan city than Calgary. Yes it is a very expensive city to live in but there's a reason that Vancouver is always rated in the top 3 cities in the world to live in. Amazing quality of life out there.

Some people I know moved out there for the same reasons you're thinking of, a change. They love it out there. They enjoy coming back to Calgary cause they have family and friends here but when I ask them if they would move back to Calgary most say they're very happy with their current situation.

It is only an hour flight or a 10-11 hr drive so you wouldn't be very far from friends and family. The last couple of weeks I've contemplated this for myself as well.

[jumperman8]

I just made the move less then 5 months ago. I love it out here. I find it really easy to meet new people and create new friendships. People are very friendly here, more then most cities i have lived in or been to. I to left all my freinds, family etc in Calgary. And of course you miss it, you miss being one call and a short drive away from doing something. But i truly dont regret the decision at all. Cost wise, you would and will be very surprised to find that you can find very reasonable living out here. I know several friends etc who have places under a 1000 a month with many extras. And if your willing to start off in a basement suite or such living comidations, you can find places 350 and up a month.

One thin i do find, is not living directly in Vancouver, the main city center you will not travel there often unless you have business or work right downtown. With all the surrounding citys you never really need to go right downtown and i have found i have only gone down for fun or leisure every few weeks, sometimes not even that. One thing to always keep in mind is traffic in Vancouver is terrible. It is always backed up and no matter what you wont be able to get away from it. The way people drive out here is much different then Alberta, all the jokes about BC drivers when they come to calgary are true.

Business wise, not fully knowing what you are in, but also knowing you are one hell of a graphic designer all the way form Outsiderz design days, you will have no trouble finding work out here. My first day out here i simply looked on Monster.ca for advertising, marketing and Graphic artist jobs and had more then a few oppurtunities. In one week i was at 7 interviews. and with a moderate profile was offered 4 of the jobs. That is over 50% so much better then i found in Calgary. Jobs are plentyful out here, you just need to do the work to find them and make them work for you.

If your looking for a fresh start i would highly recommend moving out here. I love it, get use to rain, really, get use to it because there are weeks i will not see the sun and by weeks i mean 3-4 at a time. Which is fine because it always seems to be warm. Plus the ocean is here. Its a wonderful and beautiful City, and has many oppurtunities to enjoy life.

[Antonito]

Originally posted by dragonone
if you can afford it definitely go

Exactly. You'll be surprised at how much more everything costs, you won't even notice it until you realise that your paychecks just flat out don't go as far as they used to (PST is a bitch). As far as the housing goes, it all depends on where you will be working or if you are willing to do a lot of commuting. If you are working out in Coquitlam or Langley, you can find a decent place close by, if you are working in downtown Vancouver, you will either have to pay a lot of money, live in a hole, or commute for 2 hours each way.

But yeah, I hate to be a dick to Calgary, but Vancouver is without a doubt a better place to live, especially if you are young and single and like Asian girls

As far as the family and friends thing goes, it sucks, but you get used to it as you start to make more friends. Assuming you aren't some weird shut in you should be ok.

And I hope you like rain.

[finboy]

were i you i would, vancouver is a far better place imo

[phreezee]

You're 23 and let's face it, no decision is final.
Short and simple, you have an offer/opportunity, so why not take it? You can always move back if it doesn't work out, and the experience will be worth it. I couldn't imagine growing up and living in one city all of my life, the world is too big and life is too short.

[adam c]

haha shit.. Outsiderz design.. that was a long time ago..

i think another one of my fears would be making friends. i get along way better with asians then I do white people, not sure why, just grew up that way I guess. I would say 95%+ of my friends are asian, either flip, chinese, viet, etc..

Are there any good forums I can check out for vancouver? i found www.discovervancouver.com but there's nothing really on there worth checking out. That's what I thought anyways.


Cody, it sounds like you're enjoying it? How hard was it to just pack up and leave?

[Maddog55]

Hey Adam. I was born and raised in Vancouver. I've lived in all the main areas. West End, East End, North Shore as well as out in the Valley (Abbotsford/mission) where all the commuters come from.

Vancouver truly is a beautiful city. Nothing compares to a blue sky on a summer day. After a weeks worth of rain the air is so clear you can see the snow on the north shore mountains like they were right in front of you. Walking along the seawall, grabbing a bite at the TeaHouse restaurant and then heading into Gastown....gorgeous.

A few differences between Calgary and Van..although very similar, as Calgary is growing so fast. The "acceptance" of interracial relationships is WAY more tolerant in van....it might've been just the company you were keeping or the area you were in, that gave you that impresssion.

Forget trying to buy yourself a house there...median price is over $450k. Even out in the valley or the coquitlam area houses are expensive. You might find a small 500 foot apt that you could afford.

As for renting, thats a different story. You'll find rent actually CHEAPER out there than here in Calgary. supply and demand...vacancy rate is much higher in Van. Your utilities are cheaper there as well. Gas and electric is cheaper than Calgary. Other than that...everything is the same. Food, fuel, insurance, entertainment. Parking is actually cheaper than Calgary too. If you're comfortable renting for years to come you'll find no major differences between the two cities at all.

Where you live has a HUGE impact on how you like it there. Each area is different. East End is mainly asian and Italian, with Italian being the dominant. Richmond area is Hongcouver..nothing but asians. West end is very old, and VERY ecclectic...lots of hippies/gays/artists/ etc etc.
Downtown...everything. really an interesting type of life downtown. closest thing here would be the 4th Avenue/Mission area on a much larger scale.

Then there's your suburbs...Burnaby/coquitlam/Maple Ridge/...those are like living here in MacKenzie town/Cranston/Royal Oak etc. You'll hardly ever venture downtown except for day trips/concerts/Canuck games (go canucks).

But feel free to shoot me a pm if you have an area that you're looking at. Likely I'll know it well, and can give you a few pointers.

I would move back there if I could afford it. And thats why I moved to Calgary, so I could start building up equity with a view towards retirement. But I do miss Vancouver. All things being Equal it is a beautiful city to live in.

[Antonito]

Originally posted by adam c
haha shit.. Outsiderz design.. that was a long time ago..

i think another one of my fears would be making friends. i get along way better with asians then I do white people, not sure why, just grew up that way I guess. I would say 95%+ of my friends are asian, either flip, chinese, viet, etc..

Are there any good forums I can check out for vancouver? i found www.discovervancouver.com but there's nothing really on there worth checking out. That's what I thought anyways.


Cody, it sounds like you're enjoying it? How hard was it to just pack up and leave?

I'd say Vancouver is your town then if you like hanging out with Asians. Nothing against the asian population in Calgary, but just by sheer volume Vancouver would be better.

I don't know any good forums, but for the love of Christ stay far away from Discover Vancouver. That place is populated by imbreds, malcontents and mouthbreathers. Most of whom don't actually live in Vancouver

[Big Dangerous]

Originally posted by adam c
Back in the summer i went out to vancouver with my gf at the time, i had been there before but never really enjoyed it. that time it was different though, i enjoyed it a lot more. I've been to van 3 more times after that, 1 more with my gf and twice on company business trips.

I was thinking about moving there back then but I couldn't really imagine just leaving everything behind and not having a secure job out there. But times have changed, my gf and I broke up, the job I had in the summer is different then the one I have now. I was making small talk with one of the bosses out in van when I was there on my first business trip about how i was thinking about moving out there. I guess word got up to the owner/president of the company. Last time i was out there he came and talked to me, introduced himself and what not, blah blah and mentioned that he heard about the van thing. He said that if i was serious about it, then in 6 or so months they would give me a position there. My boss here in calgary said its ok with him if i want to pursue it.

but heres the though part, i would be leaving all my friends and family behind here, the only people i know out there are the ones i work with but they seem pretty cool and a few of them are close to my age, im 23 and they're a couple years older. Its getting harder and harder to live in calgary, i know vancouver isn't much different cost of living wise but im talking about the who you know factor.

but the benefits of moving there would be a chance to start a new life. i've had a pretty tough one here, not as hard as some people but definitely harder then about 80% of the people on the forums. calgary and van arent exactly close but then again its only a 1 hour flight.

i dunno, im kinda rambling, its something thats been on my mind on and off lately, more on then off tho.

looking for opinions mainly..

A very wealthy friend of mine told me that you should always have the ability to re-locate.

[finboy]

http://www.revscene.net/

vancouver's beyond.ca

[rmk]

Mad Dog speaks the truth. Well said.

Vancouver is where its at. I'd be out there as well if it wasn't for O&G.


» Click image for larger version

[retro-steve]

I moved to Vancouver from Calgary for a few months, it's an amazing city, but the people there suck. Rude, neo-socialist assholes who expect you to do everything for them and make the biggest scene if you ask for any sort of favour. No loyalty to friends or anything, just really bad people on the whole I found.

It's fairly cheap to live out there if you're in Burnaby, my friend and I had a 3 bedroom 3 bathroom townhouse near Willingdon and Canada Way and paid $1,100/month for everything, so it's quite a bit better than Calgary if you know where to look.

To sum it up I moved back to Calgary because I couldn't stand the people out there, if the people were better I would still be there.

[Maddog55]

^^ Beautiful shot of False Creek and the Burrard St bridge. Those three apt buildings along the water there...I worked in all three of those doing the tile. Used to live about 8 blocks from there.

*edit* to Steve's comment. There are rude people in every big city. I find just as many rude ppl here as Vancouver. All you need is to have a few bad run experiences and all of a sudden "the whole city is full of rude people". You lived there for a "whole few months"?? Wow....what a lifelong experience. Thats almost as ignorant as judging a country by going there for a vacation. Try living in different areas of a city for years...only then can you get a feel of the people.

There's just as many rude people here in Calgary. Go shopping at Chinook at christmas time and see how many thank you for holding the door open...or push you out of the way when in a line up....go into Superstore on a sunday afternoon and see how many bump into the back of your ankles without so much as an "excuse me".

You obviously haven't walked around Stanley park on a beautiful day where almost everyone smiles and says "hello" as you walk by them on the seawall. Or walk around Granville Island and talk to the local artists.

What'd you do...ask a cabbie for directions and he was snotty to you?

people are people no matter where you live and you can't make blanket statements about a city when you've only lived in one area for a few months.

[rmk]

There are assholes everywhere. Generally, I have found Vancouver a much friendlier place than Calgary.

[adamc]

I lived in Vancouver (west end) for a few years while I was going to school..


Beautiful city, many many great memories, and I still think about it all the time.


I actually miss the rain sometimes, and there is nothing better than english bay / robson in the summer


Calgary can't hold a candle to Van when it comes to the variety of activities available, but I am still happy to be in Calgary where I have the potential of making a ton of money that I would have NEVER been able to do in Van.


One day I will move back to the Okanagan... maybe.