jason1969

Hi, We are hoping to visit Canada late this year. We will be landing in Nova Scotia but we would also like to visit Calgary as many of you on here seem to live there. I hardly ever here of people choosing Nova Scotia as a place to live. I would like to hear from those who have chose Nova Scotia to be there home, why and how it has turned out.

Souvenir

I think you'll find that more than a few people on here have chosen NS. I suspect it's the most popular destination after ON and AB.

jason1969

Thanks for replying but judging on the response i'm getting there arnt too many on here today

maple

HHHHEEEEEEEELLLLLOOOOOOOO!!!!
We landed in NS on 7th December....we had visited BC previously but after a reccy to NS in summer 2004, decided NS was the place for us. We are still newbies but so far have found the people the friendliest we have ever met...and there are quite a few expats here....they're probably just STILL recovering from their new year celebrations!

wensamjam

Hi jason,
we moved to NS 6 months ago now, if you search for Nova Scotia clan under my expat name then you will find the list of people who have moved here.
Our life is very different to what we had in Lancashire mill town of padiham. Our 5 year old son is so much happier, he plays out constantly in all weathers, has a big social group of friends, both brit and canadian. We find the people to be friendly and helpful. For us it was the right choice and would not wish to go back and live in the UK.

dalehouse

I'm here too! This time just visiting our house on the South Shore prior to moving permanently in the Summer
Would just like to re-iterate Maple's comments - the nicest people that I have ever met - in fact we had 3 New Year Parties this year, seeing in 2006 at UK time, Nova Scotian and Toronto times!
We just love the coast here and the climate is pleasant enough - I believe that Nova Scotia is the warmest Province on a yearly average - at the moment it's a night time dry cold of -7 Celcius and in the Summer a great 30 Celcius with fantastic watersports
Never been to West Coast, but I would recommend at least giving NS a reccy! And its only 6 hours from the UK or 5 hours on the way back!

Happydayz

Hi Jason,
Once you start to look for N.S related topics you will notice there a loads of people who have moved,or are going to move to Nova Scotia, I think it was one of Canada's best kept secrets.In my opinion, If you look at the UK as a whole, add a few nice features that you like from other countries,then take away all the things you don't like about the UK,your left with Nova Scotia.
Anyway, keep it to yourself,(nudge,nudge,wink,wink...a nods as good as a wink to a blind bat) know what I mean?

mikejw

Hi

We moved here May 05. Fantastic people, beautiful scenery, mild weather, freedom to move, a good bit of balance and a pretty substantial expat community also!!!

Hope this helps!
Orla

val50

WE arrived in NS a month ago, due to my husband's job. Bought a house in Bedford. Will have to give it more time but at the moment, it is the worst place we have ever lived in (this is the 6th country in 25 years so have some experience of adjusting to different cultures etc) and would leave tomorrow if it wasn't for children finishing education (son has just 18 months until he writes his international bac exam). Maybe away from Halifax/Bedford/Dartmouth areas things are better. Horrified by the crime rate in such a relatively small population, have not seen so many beggars on the street since we lived in southern africa, the roads are in really poor condition (has anyone driven up the Bedford Highway lately!) price of food is high and fresh veg is in short supply. The houses are all close to each other, small and cramped and hardly any garden, unless you live 40-50 mins from town, then you have problems with transport. Sorry but Halifax is definitely not my favourite place to live and would not recommend living here to anyone.

louisbourg

hi there
we bought a house last year in c.b

THE BEST PLACE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD ,
cant wait to get back there as soon as possible
the nicest people in the world
sharon x

wensamjam

Hi Val50,
It's sad to hear that you don't like Halifax, but can understand what you are saying. We would never chose to live downtown Halifax, dartmouth or Bedford, and would stay away from Sackville. These places are very busy, for us anyway. I work in Sackville, and have been told my friends who live there, stay away from certain area's. Which I'm sure you would find in any town.
We chose Fall River area for the small community, rural area and freindliness of people here.
I hope you settle, could you move to another area? We haven't been to bedford since we moved here 6 months ago. We went to Cora's for brunch once and to pete's , but shortly will have to be taking my son to timbits at bedford ice rink, so look forward to that!!

dkvl

Sorry you are not enjoying Halifax, but it would be a shame to say it couldn't be recommended to anyone, since there are a lot of us in the area who have not had similar experiences to yours. We have also been here a month, living in Fall River, and certainly so far there are no regrets.
Bedford houses certainly seem to be built closer together, but there are plenty of areas close to it where the plots are a good size, houses spacious, neighbours friendly.Roads have their problem areas - one of the joys of living in a country with extremes of climate - but I have experienced pretty bad roads even in the UK. Have driven the Bedford Highway and have certainly known worse roads in plenty places around the world.
I think it has been commented on in the past that food prices are the same as/slightly higher than say the UK - other things work out cheaper, but there is certainly no shortage of fresh vegetables. Where are you shopping? Any Sobeys or Atlantic Superstore I have been in always seems to have a varied and plentiful supply of fruit and veg.
I hope that you can find ways to settle a bit more happily, if you are going to have to be here for a while. It's probably still early days, even if you are used to relocating. Wishing you well.

Deborah

jason1969

I don't like where i live, too many people, crime, irresponsible immigration, high taxes etc. But there are things i do like. So to slag a place off without mentioning any positives can be seen to be as bad as being to be seen in those damn rose coloured glasses that are mentioned all the time on here.

I do want to here the bad as well as the good. You don't see many photos of run down places on the NET, so it is difficult to get a feel for a place with thousands of picturesque images. But a little balance please thanks. Also how big is Nova Scotia compared to the UK (land mass)

scrubbedexpat074

We've been here since September, we love it, we've just bought a big house 20 minutes from city, close to the beach (it was important to us!) with nearly three acres of land for kids to charge about on! My daughter's new school has small class sizes compared to the UK and everything seemed so relaxed there when we went to have a look around.
Most people here are friendlier than any I've met and and we couldn't be happier.
Someone said it's Canada's best kept secret, not for much longer IMO! We were going to Ontario until we started to read about NS and decided to come here instead.

SAW 04

Hi,

Couldn't agree more with your comments. Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford are areas to stay clear of if you are looking for peace and solitude. We have been in Canada for 8 months and are just about to move to Fall River. Its without a doubt the best area we have come across and believe me we've been looking for the ideal area for months! And although I acknowledge Val50 comments regarding the crime rate, compare them with most towns and cities in the UK!

SAW 04