christmasoompa

............Vancouver!

Some of you will remember me from before, I haven't posted on here at all for a month or so - basically I got so fed up with not knowing where we were going and all the uncertainly I decided to just stop researching for a while until hubby finally decided which job he was going to take! Information overload I guess, and seemed a bit pointless until it was all sorted - much as I was addicted to BE I decided for my sanity to walk away for a while!!

You might also remember that Vancouver was one of the two places in Canada that I really didn't want to go to - oh well!! It does look stunning and I'm sure we'll love it anyway - my reasons for not wanting to go there were always rather tenuous anyway. We're going out there for a week in October (hubby is speaking at a conference out there so it seems daft to waste the hotel room!) so will be able to do our recce then.

We're not going to be moving for a while, probably at the beginning of next year, hubby starts his new job with the company on 19th May but they want him in their London office for quite a while first to get to know everything about the company. It also makes things easier as he'll be transferring offices rather than starting for a new company and he'll be on his UK salary and holiday etc (which I will be posting questions about shortly!).

So let my research recommence - in earnest this time! Apologies in advance for all the questions!

Welcome to all the newbies and hello again to everybody else. Hope all of your Canadian dreams are coming true.

bananahammock

Vancouver is an amazing place although I only visit for daytrips .............. at least you've made the decision & can concentrate on researching one place!! I really didn't want to live in Nanaimo when we decided but almost 3yrs later we're still here

Good luck (Don't worry about the rain ....... you don't have to shovel it )

JonboyE

WooHoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

You will.

Fire away...

christmasoompa

Oooh fab - there's an invite I can't resist!!

Guess my first question is any ideas on where we should live? Hubby will be working on Burrard Street so I was vaguely thinking from my very early stages of research that North Vancouver would be a good place for us. Sounds lovely and looks like a good spot for him to commute from. But any other suggestions you can throw at me would be very much appreciated - to give you a bit of info, hubby will be earning approx $160-170k depending on exchange rate, we have two children who will be age 2 and 4 when we move so kindergarten/schools will be massively important, and we're very outdoorsy people so want relatively easy access to skiing etc. And we are both country people so don't want to be anywhere too built up - we would ideally have liked to be in a small town (in the UK we live in a tiny village but not knowing anybody over there I'd at least like some facilities within walking distance) but that doesn't seem to be an option for Vancouver (which was one of the main reasons I wasn't so keen on being there but hey!) - so any suburbs or areas with more of a small town rather than city feel to them would be great.

Oh, and another thing I was really hoping for in Canada was 'serious' snow - I know that doesn't really happen in Vancouver but does it make any difference if we're North or South?

We're going out for a week in October & hubby is speaking at a conference so I'll have plenty of time on my own to scout around areas and get a feel for them.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give! Bet you wish you hadn't offered now.........!!!

christmasoompa

Oooh fab - there's an invite I can't resist!!

Guess my first question is any ideas on where we should live? Hubby will be working on Burrard Street so I was vaguely thinking from my very early stages of research that North Vancouver would be a good place for us. Sounds lovely and looks like a good spot for him to commute from. But any other suggestions you can throw at me would be very much appreciated - to give you a bit of info, hubby will be earning approx $160-170k depending on exchange rate, we have two children who will be age 2 and 4 when we move so kindergarten/schools will be massively important, and we're very outdoorsy people so want relatively easy access to skiing etc. And we are both country people so don't want to be anywhere too built up - we would ideally have liked to be in a small town (in the UK we live in a tiny village but not knowing anybody over there I'd at least like some facilities within walking distance) but that doesn't seem to be an option for Vancouver (which was one of the main reasons I wasn't so keen on being there but hey!) - so any suburbs or areas with more of a small town rather than city feel to them would be great.

Oh, and another thing I was really hoping for in Canada was 'serious' snow - I know that doesn't really happen in Vancouver but does it make any difference if we're North or South?

We're going out for a week in October & hubby is speaking at a conference so I'll have plenty of time on my own to scout around areas and get a feel for them.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give! Bet you wish you hadn't offered now.........!!!

JonboyE

It's is no problem, but I'm only going to answer one post at once.

Am I right in recalling that you currently live near Amersham, Bucks? I lived in Berkhamsted, Herts for twelve years so I know the area quite well. I am only asking because if you are happy there it gives me an idea for suggesting the sort of place you might like here.

The North Shore (no, not Nova Scotia but West Vancouver and North Vancouver) is definitely a very good place to live, so I'll tell you the three downsides straight away:

1 - it is expensive. West Vancouver has the best views, but has the prices to match. It is true that you can buy a house for under a million dollars but there are not many and you had better be keen on DIY. In terms of per capita income West Van is the richest city in Canada. North Vancouver is certainly more reasonable but there is not much in the way of a bargain.

2 - the rain. The North Shore is right up against the mountains and is the wettest part of the region. November through March it can rain for days on end, and even when it is not raining it can be very gray.

3 - commuting. Your OH will be working in the downtown core. There is a ferry that runs from Lonsdale Quay in North Van to downtown, otherwise there is choice of two bridges. The bridges are very busy during rush hour and any breakdown or accident can cause them to grind to a halt.

I hope I haven't put you off yet! Here is the reply.

1 - Yes it is expensive, and there is a reason: it is so nice that lots of people want to live here.

2 - It doesn't rain all the time and summer is just gorgeous. The skiers and boarders will tell you that if it is raining down here it means it is snowing up there.

3 - There are no easy commutes as Vanouver is built between a fjord and a river delta. You have to cross bridges everywhere. If you choose to use the ferry you get a mini cruise twice a day and can then take the skytrain one stop to Burrard Street.

Although parts of North Van have are like a regular city, it also has its own villages. Edgemont, Lynn Valley and Deep Cove all have an individual, small community feel. I particularly like Deep Cove. It is the furthest away from downtown but it is a tranquil place in a stunning setting. It is a great place for hiking and kayaking and you are only a few minutes drive from Mount Seymour.

You mentioned snow so here you get the best of both worlds. At sea level you get maybe one or two snowfalls a year and it only lies for a day or two. This is a blessing. Believe me, it might look pretty but it is a pain in the rear end once you have to start shoveling it. However, in North Van you have two ski resorts. It takes ten to fifteen minutes to drive from Deep Cove to the ski center on Mount Seymour and there you can have all the winter snow you are likely to ever want.

If you can bear to be a bit further away from "serious" snow I have other suggestions, but there will have to be in my next post.

JonboyE

So, if not the North Shore, then where else?

Even though you say you don’t really want a city location you should look at Vancouver Westside. Apart from beside the busy arterial roads, (Granville, Oak and Cambie streets and Broadway, Grandview and 70th Avenue) there is not a bad neighborhood.

Kitsilano is young, hip and active. It may be more “city” than you are looking for but it definitely has a certain vibe.

Marpole in the neighborhood in the south and this is a bit like Kitsilano toned down. Older and more sedate, with less of the vibe, but pleasant enough away from the busy streets.

Kerrisdale is the nearest to a village within Vancouver. Very nice streets, very nice shops, very nice houses and, unfortunately, very nice prices. It is the genteel retreat of upper middle class Vancouverites.

Dunbar to the west has less of a neighborhood feel but is worth a look-see.

An advantage of living on the Westside is that you can commute downtown by bus.

You are going to have a very good budget to work with, but even so I have left out some areas. If you do want to look at real budget busting housing try Point Grey, The University Endowment Lands, Shaughnessy or Southlands. If you intend to ask, “how much” it is probably a good idea to take a seat with you.

Outside of Vancouver I would also look at Tsawwassen and South Surrey/White Rock. These are similar communities in many ways. Certainly well heeled, they exude a gentle prosperity. You can expect manicured lawns and well maintained houses. Prices away from the ocean or views can be surprisingly reasonable – by Vancouver standards that is. There are plenty of local amenities. IMO both these places have more of a suburban rather than village feel, but you do have to cross green fields to get to either. Commuting times to downtown are an hour(ish) by car in rush hour and an hour and a half by bus.

Thinking about your wish for a small town or village I will also suggest you look at Fort Langley. This is the original capital of BC and is now a cute heritage town (though by English standards it would be a village). The Albion ferry will close within two years taking away the through traffic which will leave it a quiet, sleepy and restful place. Yet, it is still only a few minutes from Highway 1.

To be honest, I don’t know the tri-cities are at all well. Hopefully someone else can give you a guide. From what I have seen, Belcarra looks like a lovely place to live.

A final word of warning is that October is the month the weather turns here. Sometime in October, usually in the middle, we get our first rainstorm of the fall which can last for a few days. I hope you miss it. If not you just have to remember it is not like this all the time. Anyway, we need to have our reservoirs filled up again after a wonderful summer.

JonboyE

And another thing, while I think about it, is not to worry too much about the schools. Almost everyone goes to their local neighborhood school and the schools reflect the prosperity of their neighborhoods. Your children will be just fine in the public school system in any of the places I have mentioned above. It would only be an issue if you want your children to be educated in French Immersion schools as these are fewer and farther between.

woodmanbg

Pack your umbrella

ClareBC

There are quite a few people in the Brits2Vancouver group that live in North Vancouver, and I am sure we can meet up when you are over in October.

Today, it is GLORIOUSLY sunny (at 7:30am)

Yes, it does rain (Coastal BC is a temperate rain forest area) but I haven't seen anyone dissolve from it yet ( ) and it you like snow and like driving it in, go up high (upper Lynn Valley, Grouse Woods etc) as they get snow when the rest get rain in the winter.

I love it here (and there are some ace schools, I posted about it a week or so back back .... http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=532072)

TTFN

Clare

DaviesHN

Not all Kitsilano is quite that hip! - the area further West (Broadway & MacDonald) is very family oriented and has lots of activities that you can walk to - schools, community centre, ice rink, movie theatre, bowling alley, lots of coffee shops & restaurants and great access to the beaches.

The other great residential area that no-one mentions is Arbutus which borders Kitsilano to the south, it has lots more space & less cars and slightly cheaper houses.

One great thing about Arbutus is it seems to have a microclimate of its own and gets the most sun for the area (not including White Rock). We can often sit in the sun watching the North Shore in the rain.

I notice wiki has great references for neighbourhoods.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitsilano
Helen

christmasoompa

Fantastic! You are all absolute stars and making this process much less scary. I'm off to read all of your responses properly, research and then will probably return with more questions!!

Thanks again all. Thank goodness for BE!!

Eastbound

[QUOTE=bananahammock;6298350]Vancouver is an amazing place I really didn't want to live in Nanaimo when we decided but almost 3yrs later we're still here

Good luck (Don't worry about the rain ....... you don't have to shovel it )

hi BH

Same sort of thing I didnt mind where we lived in Canada but the only place I was adamant I didnt want to live was ....Naniamo ......guess what thats where we ended up everything fell into place the job the house and I now love it here -note to myself , never say never

Iain Mc

Good choice; re: weather you might get lucky visiting in October (early) as the summer can extend on through the end of September here (and I think we're owed that this year given how long Spring took to arrive!).

However if you miss that, as Jonboy points out, it could look a little, erm, gray

Congrats on making your destination choice though, now the fun really begins!

christmasoompa

Thanks all. I'm going to post separately about places to live in Vancouver so that more people can see it and answer, but I really appreciate all of your responses.