The other thing to consider is that houses can sell really slowly in NS so if you decide you do want to move & all your money is tied up in the house you may end up stuck for a while

It's a lot different to the UK where we've been spoilt for choice, that's for sure, but is that really a bad thing? After all there's a reason we all wanted to leave in the first place.

Personally I couldn't stand to live in Fall River, just seems like a load of boring box stores & full of British people, & I can imagine there isn't much to do unless you go into Halifax.

I'm sure if people ventured a bit further & got a real taste of NS they would like it more. In my town there's always lots of events going on, there's hiking trails, quaint little shops/galleries & about 20 restaurants/cafes (which for a town of only 480, that's not bad). My only issue is the nearest cinemas are an hour away but the theatre does play a new release every week, so it could be worse.

Yeah it may take a while to drive to the US but if you do you are on the East coast which has got to be better than driving south from Manitoba & ending up in North Dakota. Plus New York is only a 2 hour plane journey.

I think for people who want the same life they've had in the UK, Nova Scotia is not for you. For those that want a laid back lifestyle, who are a bit outdoorsy, like to be part of a community, & aren't too bothered by having 'stuff' then it's perfect (of course depending on your work/financial situation)

I think this is very well put. Different people want different things from life. One size doesn't fit all. To some degree being on an Island myself, it could be argued we're a bit "isolated" from the rest of Canada, but for me - at the moment anyway - that's fine.

Horses for courses!

Cheating is great. Until you get caught.

Ultimately, city or rural is dependant on what you are looking for.
Just remember that small town NS (Canada probably) can be cleeky... In NS certainly for the next 100 years you will be a "come from aways"...

Totally agree with this - since moving away from NS we can see that living there was like we were living in 1970.

and even more so in Porters lake..

People can be cliquey anywhere though even the UK, whether it's at the school gates or in a new job, some people just decide your face doesn't fit & that's it

I wouldn't say we're exactly 'party people' anymore (although I'll dance off against any young whipper snappers!!). The Bayers Lake Mall seems to be fairly good, but we have a seven year old and the education system needs to be a consideration (got talking to a lady in Dartmouth last year and she said it wasn't as good as other provinces)...guess thats a topic for a different thread though

I don't think PL is any worse than other places in NS actually. It has a nice community feel but it is still in NS so nuff said.

As a Mum of 8 and 10 year old who attended school in NS- I would agree 100 percent. The NS school system is in bad shape. The difference between schooling in NS and ON where we are now is like night and day.

So, does that mean that the opportunities and best lifestyle is in and around Halifax? From what I can see, the people that are struggling and disillusioned with NS all seem to have went to the smaller, rural towns.

Nope. I, and the other families I mentioned, and others who have contributed to this thread, all live(d) in HRM.

Nope - We were HRM.

It's a different lifestyle to the faster paced provinces like Alberta and Ontario...change is much slower.
In many ways we were very happy and settled in our small Nova Scotian town. Unfortunately when the work ended so did our time there as there wasn't another opportunity for OH to apply for...
Hoping we'll find what we're looking for in HRM or it's back to the drawing board and dragging the kids away from their new friends again...