OK so we did our visit to enjoy looking around and seeing where we want to be, but didn't spend enough time in Calgary to get a feel of it!

I've read a few threads on people in Edmonton that seem to all have the same view that Edmonton is nice enough, but not a long term choice for them, and a few are heading to Calgary. The threads of people in Calgary seem to reflect a much happier lifestyle.

So now we're all confused ... Edmonton or Calgary??? We have two young kids (2 & 4 years old), I'm an accountant here, but not necessarily looking to do the same thing (I'm open to any work that I could enjoy). My Wife isn't working at the moment as she is looking after the kids.

So if anyone can help with a general idea or advice on the two places it would help .... plus we are starting our research on Calgary, but how does it compare to Edmonton as far as :

• Housing Cost (looking to buy)
• Crime
• General cost of living
• Schools
• Entertainment

Thanks guys ...... looking forward to getting back over there and hopefully getting to some meet ups!

Cheers

Wayne

Your wife will need to work if your to get anywhere in this country like any westernized non euro country except the US.

I'm in Vancouver at the moment. Its a bit cheaper than Australia but loads more expensive than the UK having said that you'll probably get a better wage here. Calgary is limited in entertainment so is Edmonton but i've never been. If entertainment is an issue then go to Vancouver instead. It overall is going to be no different in price compared to the cities you've mentioned.

We live in Edmonton, and have a 3 and a 5 year old.
Calgary and Edmonton are both pretty much the same- the major difference (IMO) is that Calgary has the mountains.
Of the factors you listed, there isnt enough of a difference between either City for it to be noticable.
Not sure what you mean by entertainment though, so perhaps you could expand a little.

Calgary and Edmonton are pretty similar. It's a common observation that Edmonton has a slightly more 'blue-collar' feel but also benefits from a higher provincial government profile (it's the capital).

But, I prefer Calgary. To me, the downside about Edmonton is that, being so much further north, the sun sets in November and doesn't rise again until April.

Yes I agree with jericho, they are pretty similar I think in terms of what you listed. I also strongly agree that the main difference is having the mountains near Calgary. This is a major plus point. I was born and raised in Calgary so I can tell you all about it! We used to go to Edmonton to visit friends and thought it was nice, but don't know enough about it to say much.

IMO, Calgary is a wonderful place for kids to grow up. There are loads of parks throughout the city so it is fabulous if you're into outdoor sports. During the summer we would go for long bike rides on the many bike paths found in the parks (Fish Creek Park in particular as it was on our doorstep), or we would go to the mountains and do camping and hiking. Banff National Park is beautiful and is only just over an hour away (from the West edge of the city).
During the winter we would go skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and of course downhill skiing in the mountains.

In terms of Entertainment, well there are often various shows going on in the city, nothing to write home about really, but good enough! Stage West is a fabulous buffet restaurant that has shows/plays going on while you eat. The Calgary Stampede is also really good fun, that happens every July.
Another difference is the weather. Both Edmonton and Calgary can be COLD COLD in the winter, however Edmonton much more so given it's further north and doesn't have the mountains to bring warms winds (called a Chinook) which is temporary relief to the cold.

If you have any other questions about Calgary please feel free to ask me. We ourselves are planning on moving there once my husband gets his PR. I'm looking forward to going back!!

Out of interest what do you mean by this? Surely whether your wife needs to work or not is purely salary dependent

As someone who lives in between the two, we prefer to visit Calgary, we prefer to spend time in Calgary, we prefer the drive to Calgary. We are not big city people so wouldn't want to live in either place but our preference would be Calgary over Edmonton, but saying that if the job was in Edmonton we would probably move there Of course this is only my opinion with no real fact or real life basis.

Hi, I have lived in Calgary for many years and my husband has lived in Edmonton. Calgary real estate is a bit more expensive but not nearly as bad as Vancouver. Calgary is a more white collar city, more things to do, closer to good skiing and I believe much better shopping. Calgary would have more mild temperature days in winter. There are more professional jobs here. My husband makes enough that I can stay home with the kids. There are many safe neighborhoods to choose from, just don't pick the north east side of Deerfoot Trail to buy. Any good realtor will help you pick a neighborhood that suits you.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I guess entertainment wise I mean more for the kids and families ..... as well as the concerts I LOVE to go to! Don't shoot me but Nickelback are one of my all time fav live acts!

My kids love to go to some of those indoor climbing places, there was a big one in the West Ed Mall that they wanted to stay at ALL DAY! But this will also pass as they get older and I would hope that there are plenty of things for kids to do to stop them from wondering off and getting into trouble

As far as the Wife working, thats fine, about time she pulled her weight anyway

Our plan is to buy a place outright, so there would be no mortgage payments etc to worry about, that is always the main expense in any household I would imagine so that would lift the pressure of money!

We do love the mountains, and my wife is not keen on the super cold (or wet) weather ... so those factors alone steer me towards Calgary. We used to live in Jasper a while back so the plus on Edmonton is that it's closer to Jasper, but I wonder how often we would go there in reality ... plus I'm not going to base where I live on that alone.

Salary in the two cities would be similar?

Thanks again for all the input .... what a great place to bounce thoughts off people in similar situations!

Cheers

Wayne

Hi, you can check www.monster.ca for jobs and salaries but sometimes Calgary has more high paying jobs.

I actually prefer Edmonton to Calgary although I live in Calgary, because it has more trees and is generally more asthetically pleasing. However it suffers from two problems imo: too damn cold and a lot of the jobs are in the provincial govt., it's more blue collar than Calgary. Not that Calgary is sophisticated but it feels more upmarket to me.

I live just outside Edmonton and used to work in Calgary. It ga ets pretty darned cold in both towns but Edmonton doesn't have as much wind, and it has more trees which makes it a little less barren.

It's seriously ****ing cold in both cities - especially Edmonton - from November to March. Check out the temperature in AB today!

A bit of an exaggeration. It's cold in Dec/Jan, but November and February onwards is usually OK. This week is a bit of a strange one, but it gets back to up to 0 degrees by Friday.

Darn cold in Calgary too at the moment.

Poppiit