BGGHA

Hi,

We moved from Ontario to England over 10 years ago as dual citizens and now deciding might be better to move back to Ontario. Just want to hear from anyone who has done the same and how they felt about it. Also if anyone has some information on Guelph, Ontario as a place for a family to live. Best high school, best/safest neighbourhood with character (the suburbs are one of the reasons we left Canada to live in a historic, character filled UK town so don't want to go back to that again). Any insights and info appreciated.

dbd33

The nicest part of Guelph is between the river, Eramosa, York and Metcalfe. However, the areas behind the church, along the river and around Exhibition Park are not hellish either. Budget will likely decide. All of these are urban areas with older detached houses in a variety of styles within walking distance of bars, restaurants and shops offering organic produce in small bags. A car is required to get to Costco. A large supermarket, Loblaws, is within walking distance of the first area mentioned but it's hilly so one would likely drive.

Guelph is a university town, as well as an industrial one, Oxford rather than Cambridge. The area around the university has nice houses but, inevitably, lots of students and ghastly buildings such as universities tend to have. The center of Guelph at night in the winter is a marvel of scantily clad kids queuing outside Trapper's Alley in the snow, like Newcastle but colder with politer, more intelligible, people.

Guelph has a horse hospital which is quite the place to see. Like an episode of Casualty but with giant gurneys and huge patients. The horse hospital is about as far south as one would want to live in Guelph. south of there is new built estates, some of them gated, which are referred to locally as "Guelphassauga" in reference to that hideous expanse of concrete to the west of Toronto.

A nice walk in Guelph, starting in the middle, is north along the river using the path on the west side, up to Woodlawn, across the bride and back down the other side through the grounds of Homewood, a looney bin for celebrity nutcases. That passes a few attractive neighbourhoods of differing levels of affluence and offers a feel for the place.

Other idiosyncratic opinions available on demand. I'll be in Guelph on Monday.

BGGHA

A wonderfully witty assessment of Guelph. Thanks for this! As a Canadian Brit I thoroughly appreciate the cultural allusions (Newcastle reference is very revealing). We used to live in the Beaches (or the Beach depending on who you meet). Trying to find the equivalent of that (3 storey Victorian houses on established tree lined streets near some water source) I think we are going to have a rude awakening and may well only be able to afford the southern bit Of those areas you mentioned, which would come closest to that in your opinion? I think we are still struggling with leaving England after putting so much effort into settling here and giving up so much professionally beforehand (and forcing our children to endure the test driven English school system vs the polar opposite in Canadian education). Hence, we are trying to find an equivalent, soul inspiring place to live in Ontario.

dbd33

I lived in the Beach for a long time, I still have an "away" membership at the ABYC in case of moving back. I didn't go directly from there to Guelph but was interested in a place with much the same feel, streetview or realtor will show you the houses in the areas mentioned, I think you'll find a match with the Beach. You may want to consider proximity to the Wooly in selecting a house.

This has been a turbulent life domestically so, when we moved to Guelph, we could afford none of the above. Luckily, the area along the west side of the river between the water and Woolwich offers slightly smaller and more run down houses with less cachet, like moving a block above Kingston Rd. Gardens are small but there are lots of nearby parks. I liked it there. It's a trudge but one can go from there to the Guelph Lake conservation area entirely on footpaths distant from roads.

The Newcastle reference came to me from a night just before covid. I had worked in Guelph, there was a big storm and I didn't want to risk driving home so I took a room at the Western. It had a view of the queue for Trappers. The woman at the kebab shop "Tangy and Tasty" often marvels at the students' attire "I want to take them blankets". I saw what she meant; blowing snow, sheet ice on the roads, beachwear, cold flesh the colour of potatoes! Note that I had lived nearby for five years or so and had never previously seen crowds of students (except during frosh week), they're no bother. Anyway, the queue starts at 11pm or so.

There was a previous poster here who inquired about Guelph and then moved there. They were a mixed race couple and she was/is an acupuncturist. I believe they're still there but, since covid. I haven't been past her business. I mention her because I think they fitted the Guelph vibe, mildly alternative, leftish local government, bicycles, organic coffee, craft beer. Fortunately there are lots of factories too, so the population is diverse enough to avoid the place being insufferable.

Where would you work, geographically?