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Kits or Downtown........?

Kits or Downtown........?

Old Mar 8th 2009, 9:04 pm
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Default Kits or Downtown........?

Family of three (wife and 3 year old boy). Originally set for living in Kits but wife now thinks she might run out of things to do there with our little boy especially on rainy days. Any one with young family can give some advice? Is the Kits pool heated? I heard it rains alot in Vancouver, so living near the beach isn't that useful then? Help!!

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Old Mar 8th 2009, 9:11 pm
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Default Re: Kits or Downtown........?

Originally Posted by JandS
Family of three (wife and 3 year old boy). Originally set for living in Kits but wife now thinks she might run out of things to do there with our little boy especially on rainy days. Any one with young family can give some advice? Is the Kits pool heated? I heard it rains alot in Vancouver, so living near the beach isn't that useful then? Help!!

JandS
Even if you lived in Kits she could easily get to Downtown or other parts of Van to get to other things to do, it's not far! Have you actually visited? Summers in Vancouver can be beautiful, and it doesn't always rain that much!!! Why not do a recce and visit the areas and see for yourself? Personally I don't think Downtown is the place to live with a young child, but that's just my opinion.

All the best

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Old Mar 8th 2009, 9:24 pm
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Default Re: Kits or Downtown........?

Originally Posted by adele
Even if you lived in Kits she could easily get to Downtown or other parts of Van to get to other things to do, it's not far! Have you actually visited? Summers in Vancouver can be beautiful, and it doesn't always rain that much!!! Why not do a recce and visit the areas and see for yourself? Personally I don't think Downtown is the place to live with a young child, but that's just my opinion.

All the best

Adele
Thanks for the advice! We actually recced a few weeks ago and we loved Kits. We saw Kits point and our little boy had a good time playing at the playground there and we found the scenery stunning and the neighbourhood very family-oriented. However, we have been told and saw that there are tonnes to do in downtown like art gallery, aquarium, stanley park etc and like you say, it is not far between kits and downtown. Hubby works downtown so very tempted towards downtown but also love kits.
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Old Mar 8th 2009, 9:33 pm
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Default Re: Kits or Downtown........?

Originally Posted by adele
Even if you lived in Kits she could easily get to Downtown or other parts of Van to get to other things to do, it's not far! Have you actually visited? Summers in Vancouver can be beautiful, and it doesn't always rain that much!!! Why not do a recce and visit the areas and see for yourself? Personally I don't think Downtown is the place to live with a young child, but that's just my opinion.

All the best

Adele
Well said. I agree. Vancouver gets a bad rap for rain. Rain is seasonal with most of the volume being between nov and april (I take holidays in jan for this very reason). We get a fair bit in the winter months and it can at times get gloomy, although not all the time. A quick weekend get-away to vegas our southern California fixes that i find. A short drive from Vancouver the rain becomes snow and you can be on the mountains in 40 mins. In fact this winter has been unusually drier, although colder. Unlike the UK where it rains predictably throughout most of the year. Spring, summer and autumn are in a word, outstanding. Vancouver gets more hours of sunshine than the sunniest part of the UK (south east england). Anyone used to the weather in the UK,especially Manchester where I' m from, will find the weather an improvement overall.

Vancouver is a small city really. And is very easy to get around. Kits is only a 5 min drive to down town but tends to leave the usual problems associated with downtown living (traffic, drunks, homelessness, drugs etc) on the other side of the bridge. Personally I don't think downtown is for kids, although there areas that would be fine, such as coal harbour - be prepared to spend big bucks though.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/sta...02096/cabc0308

Been beautiful this weekend:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/CABC0308

Last edited by dboy; Mar 8th 2009 at 9:42 pm.
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Old Mar 8th 2009, 9:34 pm
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Default Re: Kits or Downtown........?

For me it would have to be Kits, I stay in Kits when in Vancouver and do all the downtown stuff easily on public transport. Also your son is not school age yet, but will be before you know it! Have you looked into where you want him to go to school, that may be the best place to start.

Kits is the Canadian Dream for me but probably wont make it as where I go depends so much on where I get a job.

Good luck and I hope you find your Canadian Dream.
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Old Mar 8th 2009, 9:40 pm
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Default Re: Kits or Downtown........?

Originally Posted by Madwife
For me it would have to be Kits, I stay in Kits when in Vancouver and do all the downtown stuff easily on public transport. Also your son is not school age yet, but will be before you know it! Have you looked into where you want him to go to school, that may be the best place to start.

Kits is the Canadian Dream for me but probably wont make it as where I go depends so much on where I get a job.

Good luck and I hope you find your Canadian Dream.
Madwife
Thanks to all for your replies. Kid will apparently be home-schooled and learn whilst playing as we will only be there for a year. We agree that kits and downtown are v near and that downtown does have the homeless/drunks issue.
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Old Mar 9th 2009, 5:03 am
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Default Re: Kits or Downtown........?

Originally Posted by JandS
Family of three (wife and 3 year old boy). Originally set for living in Kits but wife now thinks she might run out of things to do there with our little boy especially on rainy days. Any one with young family can give some advice? Is the Kits pool heated? I heard it rains alot in Vancouver, so living near the beach isn't that useful then? Help!!

JandS
Please don't limit yourself just to Kits and Downtown - there are hundreds of even more things to see and do with a 3 year old boy beyond Kits and Downtown too.

You and your wife may be interested in browsing www.findfamilyfun.com to see the variety of family-friendly activities. You'll soon discover that Kits and Downtown aren't the be all end all to living in "Vancouver" - living in Vancouver means also visiting nearby North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Steveston, Ladner, etc.

Good luck with the move!
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Old Mar 9th 2009, 6:51 am
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Default Re: Kits or Downtown........?

Hey J&S

From your short intro, I would suggest Kits is going to better for your family.... Downtown is but a short bus ride away, but offers a bit more free space.

I live right downtown, and if I was a kid, I'd like to live somewhere more open, with parks and beaches......

There is plenty to do in Kits, and it's abotu finding what suits you and your family.

Is there a reason as to why you will home school your child? I personally would have hated that - not making friends in school and doing things in teh sports field etc????

Just my thoughts
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