Have been living in Toronto but Hubby's job may relocate him to Calgary. Any opinions? Experiences? Are there good parts of Calgary and bad parts if I wanted to look at houses? Advise? Are there a large amount of Brits in Calgary? I notice an awful lot of people on this forum seem to immigrate to Alberta. So many questions!!! Thanks in advance

Stick with "if it looks cheap then it is cheap for a reason" and you will probably be OK.

I would not move to Toronto from Calgary - does that help at all?

I'm sure there are a reasonable number of Brits - I just dont know many of them as I dont go out of my way to find them.

The weather is different out west - you might want to look into that so it does not come as a shock.

Yeah the rain falls upwards and the sun is cold.

Well the more precise and relevant to you you phrase the question the better the answers you'll get.

Remember every single large town or city has the same general things. So yes to good & bad areas, drugs, crime, sex, churches, community spirit, yyouth sports programs, super rich & very poor people, libraries, theaters, restaurants, butchalikes and rock & roll.

Which parts do you require to be happy?

Start with - Understanding what is it about your current life that you like?

Thank you for your replies.

Yes I should have been more specific! My first concern is my two small children. My requirements are to live somewhere safe and family orientated. Community spirit, schools, sports, libraries, are all important factors! Crime as you say is part of every city but how does Calgary compare? I come from London England so am no stranger to city life but wanted a different upbringing for my kids. I have visited Calgary about 10 years ago but have no idea how it would be to actually live there. I guess I just wanted some insight from those who do!

What I like about my life now is that we live in a house that we own with a nice back yard for my kids to play in. I like my neighbours. I don't have to worry about crime on my doorstep. I can walk to the park, the library, school, the market, or for groceries. The simple things mean a lot!

Shameless "bump" !
Was wondering if anybody else had any opinions?!

Thanks

Perhaps you could use this forum's search function and find information that's embedded in previous posts. I repeatedly have answered the questions that you now have asked, and I don't feel like doing so in detail yet again. However, I'll share some brief thoughts.

Calgary certainly can provide you with safe, family-orien(ta)ted neighbourhoods. When you ask if there are many Britons in Calgary, I don't know your definition of many. Not being British myself, I feel as if I know a large number of Britons in Calgary. But a number that feels substantial to me may not feel substantial to you.

The more family-focused neighbourhoods in Calgary tend to be more dispersed than the one in which you currently live. For example, my house is within walking distance of a park, the local school and a convenience store. The two supermarkets that serve our neighbourhood are not within realistic walking distance of our house, and neither is the nearest branch of the public library. You would really have to do some research to find a house that was within walking distance of all those amenities out in the family-friendly suburbs.

However, you would be more likely to find everything on your wish list if you were willing to buy into a close-in neighbourhood like Hillhurst (407 on the Multiple Listing Service map at www.mls.ca ). That said, the close-in neighbourhoods that are nice for families also tend to be more expensive than neighbourhoods that are located further out.

Very briefly, the better neighbourhoods in Calgary are those in the northwest, southwest and far (or "deep") southeast quadrants. The close-in southeast quadrant is close to an industrial area, and is not desirable. The northeast quadrant is of uneven quality. There are some pockets that are not bad. Generally speaking, however, the northeast quadrant suffers from airport noise, and much of it is adjacent to commercial zones where there are big box stores, etc. Most people prefer the NW, SW and far SE.

I don't know which industry your husband works in. Professional and technical people with qualifications and experience that are relevant to the oil industry are earning a bundle, as are skilled tradespersons in the construction industry. If you work outside of those industries, it can be difficult to earn enough to keep up with Calgary's real estate prices.

Half of the people who sleep in Calgary's homeless shelters are employed. Their earnings simply are not enough to cover the high cost of accommodation in this city. I'm not suggesting that your husband is so unskilled that he will be forced to accept a job whose remuneration will force you to sleep in a homeless shelter. If he made it from the UK to Canada on a work permit or whatever, he must be further up the food chain than that. I'm simply illustrating the point that the great "Alberta Advantage" that gets bandied around so much does not extend to everyone in Alberta.

Judy thanks so much for your comprehensive reply! I really appreciate you taking the time to go into so much detail. I will of course now try the search option too. Being a newbie to the forum I have not really utilised all thats available. My husband is Canadian and has employment in Calgary so that was not really our primary concern. I just wanted to scout around at some real estate prices (etc) to see what we are looking at and if the move to Alberta would be the best decision for our whole family. Thanks again you've been most helpful

I grew up in the Toronto area and have been living in Calgary for a year. I will return to Toronto in all likelyhood. Calgary has a different culture. It's a booming town of new money from the oil business and wants very much to be Canada's Texas. It's not my style, but it has benefits also. Unemployment is more like a choice than a problem here. There's plenty of people looking for employees. The province of Alberta is in great financial shape. The housing prices are climbing rapidly due to demand as people move here to take advantage of the economy.

Toronto has a more cosmopolitan urbane feel to it. There is a great deal of artsy culture, politics, academia etc. It's a more wordly city with more diversity. But it also has heavy commuter traffic, the greater Toronto area has about four times the population. Some people note crime, but I don't know how it compares to London. They are two cities with highs and lows, but mainly different personalities.

If you search Judy's previous posts, there is a lot of very good advice & information - the Search button is at the top of the thread listings at the right-hand side but you can also click on a poster's name and it lists options, like seeing their posts.

Thank you! Will search for more info!

Visited Toronto a couple of times as we were going to emigrate there. We then went to Okotoks in the south of Calgary and stayed. Its soooo much nicer than Toronto and the mountains ?????? what can i say ?. Dont even think about staying, come over here and experience the real Canada.

Oooooh!!! Controversial!

My own view is that it's probably "horses for courses". Alberta suits us!

Very nice I'm sure, but what does one do for work in Davis Inlet?