Stop bragg-ing, you wild thing

Actually, there are plenty roundabouts in the Lower Mainland of BC i.e.: Langley, Surrey, Chilliwack, Agassiz, etc...

You'll probably find that you will like Calgary more than Edmonton....Edmonton as you are aware has a fantastic mall, but you'll get used to that. Check out www.mls.ca for comparisons with house prices... schools, same old same old, if you find a good one, great... Climate is a lot colder in the winter, Calgary has Chinooks that warm things up a treat...Calgary has tons of jobs..check out... http://working.canada.com/calgary/index.html

Anway forget Calgary or Edmonton....come to Cochrane....see the video at http://www.cochrane.ca/

Good luck with your choice, if it's only Calgary or Edmonton...Calgary wins hands down.

Hi Mushroom,

Nice to hear someone else from Wales. We are living just outside Cardiff and are also looking at Calgary. However, our choice is between Calgary and Vancouver. I m just a bit worried about the Calgary climate. It was -2 degrees here yesterday morning and I thought it was freezing until I found out some of the temperatures out there!

Also worried about jobs etc. House prices seem to have gone up in both areas recently, so the original idea of living mortgage free looks less likely!

What stage of application are you at? we are still waiting for passport requests, although reading this forum, I don't think that will happen until early next year now!

You can't say that someone will like one place more than another. They have to see for themselves as everyones requirements are different. And as for West Edm Mall, that isn't the biggest attraction that Edm has to offer......the river valley is the most naturally beautiful part of the city. I think we are in the minority on this forum based NEAR Edm, but there are plenty of brits here. I bump into expats everywhere I go.
We like both Edm AND Calg, as both cities have things to offer and you never truly get to know what a place is like until you have lived there.
Another thing to consider is the location of Edm to Fort McMurray and the oil sands projects. We are seeing huge amounts of work coming into this area as it is closer to F. Mc. Again, depends what sort of industry you are in.

I don't think that's necessarily true. I think it depends on the person and what his/her priorities are.

I've never lived in Edmonton, but have friends who have lived in both Edmonton and Calgary. Some people prefer one city and other people prefer the other city.

Calgary's advantages include its proximity to the mountains, Chinooks, and a greater selection of non-stop flights to the US and UK.

Edmonton's advantage, from what several people have told me, is that, as a community, it has a better ethos than Calgary. Both cities are conservative, but I've heard many reports to the effect that Edmonton's version of conservatism is more compassionate than Calgary's. According to my values, that makes Edmonton potentially more attractive than Calgary.

But, at the end of the day, I don't think there's a huge difference between the two cities. I believe there are more similarities between them than there are differences.

Unless you travel frequently (and I mean at least weekly) then that must be the craziest reason for choosing a place to live!

Not a criticism of you Judy - all you did was to list advantages - but if anyone chooses Calgary over Edmonton solely on the basis of the airport then there is a problem somewhere! All other things being equal it might just swing the balance - but all other things are NOT equal!

True...I have spent time in both places, and in MY OPINION.......Calgary wins hands down, second only (in Alberta) to COCHRANE.

Thanks so much to all the people who contributed to this. We've got our flights booked to come over and see for ourselves next May but its so difficult from this far away - we know we won't want the upheaval of moving twice so its important to get the location right. We chose Alberta over Vancouver due to the real estate price difference but in May we'll need to be choosing a city/town and looking at specific communities.

On the plus side I'm sure its all a lot different to where we are now. Bridgend, South Wales is not the most heaving metropolis in the world...

Thanks again for all the input, its all helping to make a start.

Love and hugs,

Mushroom

Hi Rachelmark
We submitted applications this week - citizenship certificate applications for myself and my daughter and a family class (spousal) PR visa application for my wife. I was born in Canada as luck would have it, and we've been advised by the Canadian High Commission in London that we should expect to be sorted in 12-15 months. Our house went on the market this week but things have slowed down in that dept as I'm sure everyone knows. Its a case of wait and see, but the plan is to move summer 07 at the latest.

We're in Bridgend by the way...

All the best

mushroom

....Nor is much of small town / medium city Canada TBH whether you think that's a good/back thing, I don't mention that as a criticism. However what you might notice is the different lifestyle, pace of life, attitude of people, lack of trash, things [and free things at that] for people/kids to do, just general good stuff.

If you want the heaving pulsating throbbing metropolis of humanity you'll really need Vancouver/Toronto/Montreal kind of vibes. They come complete with free added real estate prices, crime, hassle, traffic, etc.

Good luck with your research trip, you're bound to find somewhere to suit but don't be afraid of off-the-beaten-track if it suits, unless you see obvious signs of religious totalitarianism, economic decay, or six-fingers-per-hand inbreeding.

Rich.

Hey I really like this: "religious totalitarianism" Where is the best place for them?

Bountiful, BC.

I have to second that, Frankie! (Well the Calgary bit anyway). Cochrane for day trip and an ice cream is great )

Just a personal opinion, of course

Kelowna, BC

97% white
anti-abortionist demo's
evangelicals
more churches'n you can shake a stick at

IO have seen one black, one Sikh and two Japanese faces since we arrived !
It's not exactly Canada's multiculturally weaved society - maybe word got out that they burned down Chinatown ?

//etc

Rich.