Flossie and Jim

Could you find out the location of each of the offices then check out where a 'reasonable' commuting boundary would get you to perhaps?

Then you add four, divide by two and multiply by the square root of 97

It's quit a nice decision to have to make, and at least younknow the company has some other offices if you feel the need to try somewhere else a couple of years down the line!

Novocastrian

Again, fair enough. I think your last sentence is correct as well. Although to be fair, the climate does have an influence on many practical choices of what you want to do in spare time. Here, the level of motivation required to go out on say a weekday evening after work is massively higher in winter than in summer.

Nine months of winter wouldn't be my preference.

Lychee

Vancouver's ridiculous if you intend to buy a large property. My question is, can you not rent for a few years? Buy a smaller property? The lifestyle in Vancouver cannot be replicated in either Edmonton or Calgary.

jericho

Vancouver is without doubt prettier than Calgary or Edmonton. However, the cost of property is ridiculous, and to start from scratch there would be beyond the means of most.

I think some people are exaggerating the duration of the winter/summer in Edmonton. Summer easily last 4-5 months. It was 30 degrees well in to September last year, and still warm in early October.
The winters are cold, but its usually blue skies, so you dont have to worry about the dreary cloud/rain etc that you get in Vancouver. There arent many days when it's the dreaded -30, and -15 to -20 is more than bearable.

Calgary has the attraction of the mountains on your doorstep, but they have a bit of a traffic problem.

Edmonton is very flat, a good drive to Jasper (closer to 4 hours than 2, depending on where you are in the City), but otherwise has all the main facilities/attractions of any other big city.

As others have mentioned, there's not a great deal to chose between either city, so it really depends on your budget and how much time you realistically think you'll be able to spend skiing etc.

Jingsamichty

Does Calgary have a traffic problem? I never noticed.

skara

In answer to the budget question - we're looking at houses around the $500,000 mark, or thereabouts.

And the traffic question: when we say traffic problem, are we talking comparable to most of SE England, or are we talking central London?

Super Plumb

Each city has different qualities. I wouldnt go for any of them to be honest
Van is the most beautifull city with mountain back drop and the coastline,but it rains just like the UK.
Calgary just doesnt seem to have heart, and skiing is some good 2 hrs drive to The Rockies.
Edmonton is just too cold.
The big thing is that where ever you go its different from where you are now,and a way better place to bring up children. We were in your position 2o years ago(pre internet) and chose Kelowna. Is been good to us and our 4 boys, but I do miss the things big cities have to offer,such as concerts sporting events etc, but I dont miss the traffic for one minute. Big thing is to embrace your new life and dont look back

JonboyE

So not completely out of the question. See this 3 bed, 3 bath home on 1/4 acre in South Langley. At $450,000. This is in an area of older housing and quite rural.

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetail...Key=1088083430

It depends where your OH will work. The commute to the heart of downtown from there will be 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours in rush hour. Maybe 45 minutes at weekends. But if he doesn't need to travel all the way downtown it may work out.

lmartin999

I'd go for Vancouver and live somewhere smaller. Overall, I think it's just a nicer place.

ExKiwilass

perhaps this is something the OP can work out with the company. I don't know if the company has offices in Vancouver already, but if not maybe they'd be open to somewhere else other than DT. The thing is there is plenty of work outside Vancouver DT...Richmond, Surrey, Burnaby, Coquitlam all have offices/industrial areas etc.

skara

I think tomorrow's conversation with the employer will help concentrate our thinking - and give us more of an idea what the story is altogether.

I'm very conscious that I'm asking people to compare apples and oranges but all the replies and input we've had today have really helped us to focus our minds.

One thing - a smaller house is definitely not an option. I have four very loud, very active children and I am dreaming of a bit more space - not downsizing from our current 4 bed house!

Right now I'm looking at Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge - commuter train into DT, things for the children to do, coffee round the corner (I could get used to living in civilisation as opposed to village life!) and hopefully lots of people in a similar position to us with a youngish family.

Thanks again everyone

gryphea

We live in Calgary, have twice been offered relocation to Vancouver and haven't taken it (once with my work, once with OH's work).

As everyone is making quite sweeping generalisations on here, I thought I would make a few too.

If you are serious about skiing Edmonton is not the place to be. Yes I know they have a few ski hills there - but its not the same as the skiing round calgary. We go every weekend and mostly all weekend (with two youngish kids). Believe me a 50min drive to Nakiska or 1hr 20 to Sunshine is preferable to 4hrs to Jasper (which has a terrible exit from car park, resulting in seriously long queues to get off the hill).

If you have 500K for a house and want a short commute then Vancouver may not be the place to be.

Whistler is very over crowded, has bad weekend queues and it rains in the village ruining the pow.

If you are serious about gardening than Calgary is not the place to be.

Calgary does not have a traffic problem. In my experience (albeit in commutor hours in taxis) Vancouver might

Alan2005

This is true. The queues at weekends are horrendous - which seriously undermines whistlers claim to be a world class resort imo.

LucyLovelock

Having just spent the day skiing in the bright sunshine at Nakiska, which is a 40 minute drive from my home in Cochrane, then my vote would of course be for Calgary/Cochrane/Okotoks!

We paid 300k for our home, which is in an older neighbourhood, with a huge back yard and tons of privacy. I am still trying to master growing anything out here!LOL

I love the Chinooks that bring the warmer weather in (and of course the colder too!)

Good luck with your decision!

simonfiction

Vancouver POV here. I've been here for 2 years. As you've probably heard, it rains a lot through the winter. The summers have always been solid though - generally a bit warmer than southern UK, but more importantly has a lot, lot more sunshine. My first year here - 2009 - was easily the hottest longest summer I'd ever had anywhere, including my time in Sydney. I think it was exceptionally hot for here, but 2010 was solid as well. I was pretty blown away by the amount of sunshine, if only because I was continuously warned about the rain before I got here. I was pretty confused right from April to about mid-October, it felt like I didn't see a single cloud month after month. Then mid-October it didn't stop raining until the following April That is the general trend. As nice as the summers are, the winters can feel loooong and wet. Vancouver has multiple micro-climates as well, so North Vancouver will often feel quite different to downtown.

The city is definitely a renters paradise and is incredibly expensive to own a home. As you're looking to buy I'd say this is the greatest negative of the city. Transit is awesome though around Vancouver proper, with the skytrain connecting the closest cities of Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond and New West. There are firm plans to connect the Tri-Cities to the skytrain network, but seems to have been dogged by political and funding squabbles for a long time, so no one is holding their breath. I'm still blown away by the skytrain, but I'm a bit of a transit nerd. You'll do well to stick to transit and riding here, Vancouver isn't very car centric by N. American standards. If you believe car is king, you may grow to resent Vancouver as a lot of people do.

Keep your expectations low. I love Vancouver and don't think I'll ever leave, but people fall into the trap of expecting to be in the city of perfection due to its high rankings in livability. Vancouver has plenty of warts despite the shiny facade, but in my opinion that adds to its character.

Skiing every weekend definitely makes the wet winter bearable. Here you have 3 mountains right on your doorstep that even do night skiing, which is flippin' spectacular! You can go straight after work. Less than two hours away you have one of the best ski resorts to play in - Whistler. There's also arguably some of the best mountain biking in the world to be found here - Whistler has apparently become more popular with mountain bikers than skiers so I've been told. As a biker and skier/snowboarder, there's nothing more exciting than seeing people with boards or mountain bikes around the city as the seasons start to change.

As for growing vegetables, you'll definitely fit right in here. There's a strong culture of growing your own. You're also allowed to keep chickens in the city, although I don't know the particulars of the law.

Vancouver proper is quite laid back for a city of its size, especially compared to London, but it will still feel like a big busy city compared to village life back home. I can't comment on the suburban areas. I always think city life is better for kids entering their teens though as they have a lot available to them. When you start hitting the "awkward years" the suburbs can feel pretty dull - that's where alcohol and drugs normally tend to brighten things up, but that's just my opinion.

From a subjective POV, I've grown to love a lot of things since being here. I definitely have a better appreciation for food. You could find a different restaurant to go to every night and never have a bad meal. I'm always happy to return to the good food here. This city has also turned me into a coffee snob and a craft beer elitist. I really used to drink to get drunk at home, but here there's a strong craft beer movement and it's delicious.

I think I could write a novel on the pros and cons of the city. Like anywhere though, it's not for everyone. Some things will frustrate you as they'll seem so alien and backwards, other things will blow your mind. The important thing is to have an open, positive mindset wherever you go and be ready to adapt. Try new stuff and do as the Romans do and all that.