Kimmylou

I'm possibly relocating to Vancouver from Calgary in the next few months due to work. The office is located in the northeast near Renfew. I have two girls aged 6 and 4. Can anyone recommend a nice family neighbourhood within a 30-45 minute commute? I'm trying to figure out rental costs etc. Thanks in advance.

Jack_Judge

Renfrew's *very* central, with that sort of commute time, assuming you're driving, then you can live almost anywhere in the greater Vancouver area. You're 33 mins from UBC (as far west as you can go), 16 mins from the North Shore, anywhere in downtown, East out to Coquitlam and as far out as Langley.
I think price is going to be your main consideration now. I live in Kitsilano, about 25 mins west of Renfrew. It's a fantastic neighbourhood for younger kids, my 4 yr old boy loves it here. We're ten minutes walk from a nice beach, lots of nice little parks, elementary schools, daycares, it's a very family friendly area but it ain't cheap.
I'm paying just over 2K per month for a big two bedroom townhouse, daycare is 900 pm, electric bill about 200 pm.

You've really got your pick of the lower mainlaind, it really depends on budget and what sort of area you'd like. If you want to see what Kits is like do a Google streetview from their maps, look for the post code V6J1T1

Kimmylou

Thank you for replying. That's what I sort of had in mind for rent. I will definitely have a look. I have a sense for the neighborhoods in Calgary after 2.5 years. Moving to another city is slightly daunting but with the current low oil price I think it has to be done. I don't want to move back to the UK just yet.

Lychee

Why not rent somewhere right there in the northeast near Renfrew? It's a family-friendly neighbourhood and ideal for what you're looking for. Use it as a home base for getting to know the city. It's not a bad area at all.

Siouxie

Good luck with the move!

These might be of use just to get an idea of the areas.

Metro Vancouver Mapped | The Vancouver Sun Has interactive maps for specific family/lifestyle configurations
Map of Vancouver Neighborhoods All Vancouver
Renfrew (use the dropdown on the map layer controls to find schools, parks etc.)
Areas of the city | City of Vancouver

scrubbedexpat091

I second this. Lot's of families in this area and it's a nice quiet area but close to the rest of the city at the same time.

What you'd pay in commute costs you could just put towards a rental close to work.

el_richo

Don't rent near Renfrew, it's a bit shitty.

Rent near the water either on False Creek, English Bay, or Kitsilano. Your kid will thank you for it, so will any visitors.

el_richo

An extra $60 a month doesn't get you much more over here

bc2015

Or less once the buses go single zone.

Alan2005

$60 a month got me a parking space in the condo I lived in at the time.

Kimmylou

I wasn't asking for cheap areas to live but what were nice neighborhoods.

Alan2005

el_richo already answered you, so now we are gonna talk about whatever.

scrubbedexpat091

I was referring to needing a car vs not needing a car, cost me a heck of a lot more to commute from Abbotsford to Vancouver then $60 a month (not saying the poster would live there, just further out one gets the more you need a car.)



Different perspectives I suppose.

el_richo

Kitsilano or False Creek (Olympic Village to Granville Island, south as far as 8th Avenue) to start with. Fantastic for families and in your budget. A dead easy commute to Renfrew without the need to work your way through downtown. Your kids will love you for it!

If you have the chance, visit to see for yourself. There's a HUGE difference between those and Renfrew.

If you have kids (especially of a different age), i don't care where you live, in Vancouver you need a car to be able to enjoy what it has to offer and to make your life much simpler and less stressful. I would go as far as saying that you NEED a car.

Cost of commute to Renfrew from my suggestions would be negligible, and the commute would be about 15 minutes or so.

Londonuck

They're all nice neighbourhoods if you're judging them on crime or anti social behaviour. Some are less boring than others and only slightly at that. I drive in the city 10 hours, 5 days a week (god help me) and know every single inch of it.