New York or Calgary? ($)
Apr 14th 2014, 6:27 pm
#16
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Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Getting ready to head back down under!
Posts: 99
Apr 15th 2014, 1:27 pm
#17
Just Joined
Joined: Oct 2013
Location: Maplewood NJ
Posts: 20
Re: New York or Calgary? ($)
I love living near NYC. There is a never-ending list of things to do and enjoy.
However I have never been to Calgary and it just got voted highly as a place to visit in 2014 by New York Times. We spent some time in Toronto and I found Canadians to be very welcoming and friendly.
I would have to consider
- the weather.
- ease of travelling 'home', and family/friends visiting.
- access/availability of our hobbies.
- work-life balance (typical hours required at each location)
Good luck.
However I have never been to Calgary and it just got voted highly as a place to visit in 2014 by New York Times. We spent some time in Toronto and I found Canadians to be very welcoming and friendly.
I would have to consider
- the weather.
- ease of travelling 'home', and family/friends visiting.
- access/availability of our hobbies.
- work-life balance (typical hours required at each location)
Good luck.
Apr 16th 2014, 7:36 pm
#18
Grumpy Know-it-all
Joined: Jul 2010
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 8,928
Re: New York or Calgary? ($)
Calgary is definitely not an "over 35" sort of city, it doesn't have an amazing nightlife but there aren't many old people here. A lot of young families, that sort of thing.
The OP lives in Perth, imagine the beach is now a mountain range and the temperature is reversed, you've got Calgary pretty much.
I can't say I've met many Australians in Calgary but I did meet one in Banff once who told me he moved to Alberta because he's gay and gay marriage is legal in Canada. After awhile though he said he realized he'd exchanged living in the closet in Australia to actually living in a closet in Alberta, during the winter anyway.
The OP lives in Perth, imagine the beach is now a mountain range and the temperature is reversed, you've got Calgary pretty much.
I can't say I've met many Australians in Calgary but I did meet one in Banff once who told me he moved to Alberta because he's gay and gay marriage is legal in Canada. After awhile though he said he realized he'd exchanged living in the closet in Australia to actually living in a closet in Alberta, during the winter anyway.
Apr 16th 2014, 7:37 pm
#19
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Joined: Jul 2010
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 8,928
Re: New York or Calgary? ($)
I assume you say you'd have to marry her to live in the US for her to get L-2 derivative status, Canada does recognize "common law" marriages, so that would be a factor, do you want to get married?
Apr 17th 2014, 5:57 am
#20
Senior Moment
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 5,008
Re: New York or Calgary? ($)
It's just my opinion of course, but NYC is a young persons city. After 35 it's not that inspiring anymore, just knackering. Unless you get ferried about in limos and go to cocktails after work and then home to your loft apartment, it can be a pretty grim grind. Yes museums and shops and theaters and all that stuff, but like most cities once you live here you rarely do touristy stuff. Just the natural progression of life that as you start getting older the bright lights don't excite you anymore and you start to yearn for open spaces and a slightly less chaotic place to live.
Apr 18th 2014, 8:17 am
#21
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Joined: Apr 2014
Location: London, UK (for now)
Posts: 237
Re: New York or Calgary? ($)
I've been to Calgary several times, for several months at a time, over the last 45 years, and I grew-up in Manhattan.
I grew-up in lower Manhattan, and being a kid in lower Manhattan was awesome!
So much diversity... of race, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, thought... everything! World class museums, the beaches of Long Island, easy access to hiking, great food, and exposure to so much culture! I knew all sorts of people as a kid... bus drivers, transgendered waitresses, immigrants from all over the planet, world famous musicians... they lived in my neighbourhood... Being a kid in NYC was FANTASTIC. And we were NOT wealthy. We were living in Soho till 82, and then in the East Village. They were just normal neighbourhoods back then, with affordable rents for working class people. But, it was incredibly diverse, because, that was just the way NYC was, and still is! We had a bit less freedom than my friends who grew up in the suburbs had, because we were always being watched by people in the neighbourhood, and we did not have cars - so we really couldn't get away with as much as they could. We hung out on our street, on the stoop, or in the local park. Someone always had their head hanging out the window, and they would have totally reported on us if we smoked, or drank! We had no 'teenage drunk driving' deaths because we did not learn to drive. Eventually, when we were older, and we had some spending money, we took the subway, and found a bit of trouble. But, even then, it was just 'normal' trouble. We were always out in public. We had very little privacy. We really couldn't get into that much trouble on a public street! We would have been busted!
I knew there were options in life because I had living examples of all sorts of lifestyles and careers and views... I knew I could live any sort of life I wanted. I had wonderful schools to pick from. I could easily find local mentors for anything I was interested in, from rock climbing to stem cell research, and anything and everything in between!
So, I would't jump to the conclusion that raising kids in NYC is a bad idea. It may not be what everyone wants to do, but growing up there was great!
Being an adult in NYC was even better. NYC does have a large population of students and recent graduates who move there every year, and many people who simply grow up there and stay local for university, so there are many younger people living there, but there are also many people who have lived there their entire lives, of every age, and there are people of all ages who transfer there for work, such as yourself. If you were to move to Williamsburg, or Bushwick, in Brooklyn, just as an example, you would be living with a slightly younger population. But even there, many families reside in the area, and many older people have remained.
NYC is not an especially young city. Depending on where you go in NYC, it might feel that way, but that is simply not a fact. The average age of NYC is 34, and the average age of Calgary is 36, according to the census. So, not much difference there!
NYC has a lot to offer anyone of any age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race... There is just so much diversity.
The wage for NYC is a good one. You can pretty much pick your area for that salary!
NYC is like no other place in this world. I honestly believe that everyone should live there at least for some period of time in their lives, if they can manage it.
Calgary is nice. It is very normal, and sort of suburban-minded - it is a city, but most people live in the suburbs. It is not very culturally exciting when you compare it to NYC, but it does have culture, and also comparing it to NYC, there is not much to do that would be considered Unique, but it IS a very nice place. Toronto and Vancouver are more ethnically diverse than Calgary.
New York is more ethnically diverse than any of them... And that makes eating out really awesome!
Calgary, in my opinion, for what it offers, is very expensive. NYC is more expensive, but well worth it because it offers so much more, in every department.
NYC is still very much a 24 hour city, whereas Calgary shuts down at night... I felt much safer in general in Manhattan at night because there were more things open, and more people around. The bars close much earlier in Calgary than they do in NYC, and so do the restaurants and shops.
Calgary does NOT have 24 hour public transportation. NYC totally DOES.
As far as meeting people goes... NYC wins that one, big time. Many, many people move to NYC all of the time, and they tend to be the sort of people who are looking to meet people, and have experiences... No matter what anyone tells you, NYC is super friendly. Maybe not when you visit, and only go to Time Square... But when you LIVE there, it is super friendly.
Calgary, on the other hand, is a bit more... reserved. People in their 30s tend to have their jobs, and families, and their home, and lead a more reserved and quiet life.
It would be easier to compare Calgary with London, rather than with NYC. Both are MUCH more reserved, and suburban feeling, then NYC.
I'm generalising. There are of course exceptions to everything I've said. But, as someone who has spent a lot of time in both places (I have cousins, my age, who grew-up in Calgary and still live there), on and off over the last 45 years, that is my personal opinion!
In the end, it really just depends on what is important to you... Not everyone wants to live in a diverse environment, or go to bars past 2am. Some people want lawns, and they go to bed every night at 10pm!
In NYC, you will can easily have MANY experiences that you could NEVER have in Calgary. Social, cultural, fun, strange, exciting experiences!
This might be of some help:
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living...New+York%2C+NY
The thing about NYC is that whenever you compare it to anyplace... you are automatically comparing Apples and Oranges.
If you have any questions about specific neighbourhoods in NYC, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions!
Good luck with your decision... Only you know what would work best for you!!!
I grew-up in lower Manhattan, and being a kid in lower Manhattan was awesome!
So much diversity... of race, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, thought... everything! World class museums, the beaches of Long Island, easy access to hiking, great food, and exposure to so much culture! I knew all sorts of people as a kid... bus drivers, transgendered waitresses, immigrants from all over the planet, world famous musicians... they lived in my neighbourhood... Being a kid in NYC was FANTASTIC. And we were NOT wealthy. We were living in Soho till 82, and then in the East Village. They were just normal neighbourhoods back then, with affordable rents for working class people. But, it was incredibly diverse, because, that was just the way NYC was, and still is! We had a bit less freedom than my friends who grew up in the suburbs had, because we were always being watched by people in the neighbourhood, and we did not have cars - so we really couldn't get away with as much as they could. We hung out on our street, on the stoop, or in the local park. Someone always had their head hanging out the window, and they would have totally reported on us if we smoked, or drank! We had no 'teenage drunk driving' deaths because we did not learn to drive. Eventually, when we were older, and we had some spending money, we took the subway, and found a bit of trouble. But, even then, it was just 'normal' trouble. We were always out in public. We had very little privacy. We really couldn't get into that much trouble on a public street! We would have been busted!
I knew there were options in life because I had living examples of all sorts of lifestyles and careers and views... I knew I could live any sort of life I wanted. I had wonderful schools to pick from. I could easily find local mentors for anything I was interested in, from rock climbing to stem cell research, and anything and everything in between!
So, I would't jump to the conclusion that raising kids in NYC is a bad idea. It may not be what everyone wants to do, but growing up there was great!
Being an adult in NYC was even better. NYC does have a large population of students and recent graduates who move there every year, and many people who simply grow up there and stay local for university, so there are many younger people living there, but there are also many people who have lived there their entire lives, of every age, and there are people of all ages who transfer there for work, such as yourself. If you were to move to Williamsburg, or Bushwick, in Brooklyn, just as an example, you would be living with a slightly younger population. But even there, many families reside in the area, and many older people have remained.
NYC is not an especially young city. Depending on where you go in NYC, it might feel that way, but that is simply not a fact. The average age of NYC is 34, and the average age of Calgary is 36, according to the census. So, not much difference there!
NYC has a lot to offer anyone of any age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race... There is just so much diversity.
The wage for NYC is a good one. You can pretty much pick your area for that salary!
NYC is like no other place in this world. I honestly believe that everyone should live there at least for some period of time in their lives, if they can manage it.
Calgary is nice. It is very normal, and sort of suburban-minded - it is a city, but most people live in the suburbs. It is not very culturally exciting when you compare it to NYC, but it does have culture, and also comparing it to NYC, there is not much to do that would be considered Unique, but it IS a very nice place. Toronto and Vancouver are more ethnically diverse than Calgary.
New York is more ethnically diverse than any of them... And that makes eating out really awesome!
Calgary, in my opinion, for what it offers, is very expensive. NYC is more expensive, but well worth it because it offers so much more, in every department.
NYC is still very much a 24 hour city, whereas Calgary shuts down at night... I felt much safer in general in Manhattan at night because there were more things open, and more people around. The bars close much earlier in Calgary than they do in NYC, and so do the restaurants and shops.
Calgary does NOT have 24 hour public transportation. NYC totally DOES.
As far as meeting people goes... NYC wins that one, big time. Many, many people move to NYC all of the time, and they tend to be the sort of people who are looking to meet people, and have experiences... No matter what anyone tells you, NYC is super friendly. Maybe not when you visit, and only go to Time Square... But when you LIVE there, it is super friendly.
Calgary, on the other hand, is a bit more... reserved. People in their 30s tend to have their jobs, and families, and their home, and lead a more reserved and quiet life.
It would be easier to compare Calgary with London, rather than with NYC. Both are MUCH more reserved, and suburban feeling, then NYC.
I'm generalising. There are of course exceptions to everything I've said. But, as someone who has spent a lot of time in both places (I have cousins, my age, who grew-up in Calgary and still live there), on and off over the last 45 years, that is my personal opinion!
In the end, it really just depends on what is important to you... Not everyone wants to live in a diverse environment, or go to bars past 2am. Some people want lawns, and they go to bed every night at 10pm!
In NYC, you will can easily have MANY experiences that you could NEVER have in Calgary. Social, cultural, fun, strange, exciting experiences!
This might be of some help:
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living...New+York%2C+NY
The thing about NYC is that whenever you compare it to anyplace... you are automatically comparing Apples and Oranges.
If you have any questions about specific neighbourhoods in NYC, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions!
Good luck with your decision... Only you know what would work best for you!!!
Last edited by WriterChick; Apr 18th 2014 at 9:18 am.
Apr 18th 2014, 8:43 pm
#22
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2011
Location: "LA LA Land"
Posts: 2,448
Re: New York or Calgary? ($)
Wholeheartedly agree with your terrific description of New York
Apr 19th 2014, 2:22 am
#23
Grumpy Know-it-all
Joined: Jul 2010
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 8,928
Re: New York or Calgary? ($)
As far as crime goes, Calgary is way safer than NYC, I assume you're talking about there not being anyone around though. Helps in Calgary if you're Catholic.
All I can say is, try driving to work in -42 C.
It's only just stopped snowing today and it's Good Friday!
Originally Posted by Sarah
After 35 it's not that inspiring anymore, just knackering.
It's only just stopped snowing today and it's Good Friday!
