NEIL_FAMILY

Thinking of taking the big step to move to ontario but at present unsure of nice areas or towns would appreciate any users advice or suggestions as have to young children to consider
Thanks the Neil family

iaink

Virtually anywhere. But it depends on what you are really looking for, big city life, totally getting away from it all, quiet country living, something in between.

Best advice is generally find a job first, then worry about the details.

greentea3

Hi Neil family!

Welcome to expats,

I personally think there are a lot of nice areas here in Ontario but it would depend on what your preference is. Also you have to consider work when you choose an area so again it depends on what jobs you do.

All I can say is keep an open mind. You will no doubt be told by certain people on this forum not go to certain places as people have mullets there or don't have all their own teeth (the poster dbd springs to mind!) or are rednecks. Personally I think it is wrong of people to warn others away from such places as it is down to the individual and what some people on here consider to be 'dumps' other people consider it to be 'heaven'.

By the way, I'm in Kitchener/Waterloo and love it here despite others being negative about the area. I seem also to recall others being negative about Barrie when there have been people on here that live in Barrie and they find it to be absolutely fine.

Whatever you choose, don't be put off by what others say, go with what you want and remember there are always negatives and positives to any place.

Good luck

dbd33

Since you name me, here's today's list of places not to live:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=681387

Care to dispute any of them?

And, yes, someone moving to Barrie should expect to see a great number of mullets and toothless rednecks.

greentea3

Wow dbd how quickly you replied

I will dispute it, because I'm worth it.

Anything on here is other peoples opinions. That doesn't make it right and that doesn't make it wrong either. Just because you lot say we shouldn't live somewhere doesn't mean we're gonna obey.

I personally think you may have a fetish for toothless, mulleted rednecks after all it seems you can't stop talking about them.

dbd33

Go on then, which of that list do you think to be a nice place to live?

greentea3

Ooh, I've come over all funny after being challenged by dbd

The list is about places in Toronto of which the op was asking about Ontario. If you want I could speak to a couple of my mates (Canadian) later tonight and ask them about t.dot as they have lived there their whole lives.

iaink

I think the point is that dbd has lived there a large chunk of his life too, and his opinion is as valid as anyone elses. People ask for opinions of places, and that's what he gives. Not necessarily positive or unbiased ones, but everyones opinion is biased anyway.

Its up to the people reading the threads to decide which of the countless differing opinions are most likely to match up to their particular hopes and expectations.

You cant have too much information to make a decision on, but likewise, the more information you can give when asking for advice or information, the more focused any replies you get will likely be.

87cabby

Pretty much sums it up.

I live in downtown Toronto, have lived in Guelph and Aylmer (small town of 6000 outside of London) and plan on moving to Stouffville in a couple of years. Each has it's pluses and minuses.

My opinion is you should aim for a mid-size town. Toronto is great but I wouldn't want to raise a family here; especially as family-size condos are relatively rare and a house in a nice area can set you back $1m+ without too much trouble.

At the other end of the scale, small towns are great and quiet, but could be too quiet; the kids might get seriously bored, and you might get seriously annoyed at constantly having to run them to the next large town over to hit the movies or other entertainment.

I always said if I was to have kids, Guelph or a city of that size is ideal.

greentea3

Whether dbd has lived here his whole life or 5 minutes is irrelevant if they judge a town/city by how many teeth people have.

ireland2canada

And just for balance...there are plenty of lovely, family orientated neighbourhoods in Toronto where houses cost no-where near $1m. Not even half that.

Aviator

Welcome to BE. As you may have seen very quickly threads can go off topic fast. This forum is a great resource and as you may have noticed inhabited by a lot of different opinions. Take if for what it is and draw you own conclusions. If there are replies you don't like, ignore them and respond to those that are helpful (maybe though not always the ones you want to hear though).

My advise is use this forum to gain another perspective, but don't base your decisions entirely on what you read or hear from others.

Take time to go through the Wiki, there are some great articles in there.

Areas to live will vary by taste (some have it some don't ). There are places I could not be paid enough to live that others love (Vancouver and suberbs being one).

You may not like the first place you go, renting is a great way to retain mobility. Job hunting is quite different here, many things are different.

Have fun on the site.

87cabby

Note the use of the words "can" (not will) and "without too much trouble"

iaink

Its speaks of a certain economic baseline and level of general sophistication I think. As I said, its up to the original poster to pick over the bones of whats useful and what isnt. A bit of colour here and there never did any harm though, as long as no one is resorting to personal insults etc.

ireland2canada

How about you practice what you preach? Everyone is entitled to their opinion, you and everyone else. Why rubbish what other people have to say about places? That is their opinion based upon their experience, just as valid as yours.

No one is warning anyone away from anywhere. People come onto this board all the time and ask about the "good" areas of such and such a place. People pipe up with their 2 cents. No one is told "don't move there, I demand you to listen to me". Quite frankly, if anyone makes an emmigration decision based upon a load of strangers on the internet then they need their head examined.


No one is judging any place based on teeth, hair or any personal appendage. The opinion on the table is that Barrie has a large amount of people who wander around with minimal teeth and maximum mullet. Why can't you accept that this is one person's experience and that they are just as entitled to express that as you are?