Location advice
Feb 1st 2013 | 3:05 pm
#136
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From: Calgary, Alberta
Re: Location advice
And you want to go somewhere that is not on the verge of a bust? You might do well to have a look at the Canadian press, and read-up on Alberta's impending budget crisis. Last one out of Alberta, please turn out the lights!
Feb 2nd 2013 | 4:25 am
#137
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Re: Location advice
I am not sure if this thread is still frequanted but I'll throw my thoughts out there anyways 
I am from Vernon BC which is incredibly beautiful, right in the Okanagan and I grew up on the lake. While I absolutely loved growing up there....there wasnt alot for work. My family and I moved to Grande Prairie Alberta when I was 15.
I graduated here and went to college here and I have grown to love it. It is fairly far up north but it is not remote by any means. We are a 4 hour drive to the big city of Edmonton if you enjoy the city lifestyle. There is alot of oilfield work here and trades/labour work.
The initial mentality you'll notice is "work hard, play harder" but they are alot of families and GP's sense of community is growing.
If you have more questions about Grande Prairie or the surrounding area let me know
I am from Vernon BC which is incredibly beautiful, right in the Okanagan and I grew up on the lake. While I absolutely loved growing up there....there wasnt alot for work. My family and I moved to Grande Prairie Alberta when I was 15.
I graduated here and went to college here and I have grown to love it. It is fairly far up north but it is not remote by any means. We are a 4 hour drive to the big city of Edmonton if you enjoy the city lifestyle. There is alot of oilfield work here and trades/labour work.
The initial mentality you'll notice is "work hard, play harder" but they are alot of families and GP's sense of community is growing.
If you have more questions about Grande Prairie or the surrounding area let me know
Feb 3rd 2013 | 9:34 am
#138
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Re: Location advice
Any suggestions on where IS good?
Feb 3rd 2013 | 9:54 am
#139
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Re: Location advice
Interesting, location wise it is very good fit and its not too big so thats good - if I end up in the Calgary office then I will definitely consider it although the company would prefer I would look at their other offices (they probably have trouble staffing them but Calgary not so much)
Feb 3rd 2013 | 10:11 am
#140
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Re: Location advice
But
It did make me look at other locations within commuting distance of Drumheller (which, as obvious as it seems I hadn't really considered before - cant see the wood for the trees idea) so thanks for that
Feb 3rd 2013 | 10:32 am
#141
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Re: Location advice
Hmmmm lovely views of the mountains and not far to go for a drive to the back of beyond either. Not sure what property prices are like there though.
There is also Airdrie, Innisfail??? We have family that live in olds and they love it.
Personally i'd rule out Drum, Rocky and Nisku (and this is just a personal opinion)
Drumheller - eveyone I have known that moved there moved out bar one. Its kind of a backward town but there are some lovely people there and the scenery is stunning in the canyons.
Rocky Mountain House. So yes you have the scenery right on your doorstep, but the town from my visits is run down, and a bit backward.
Nisku will drive you absolutely bonkers because of all the olfield traffic that goes through it. It's very industrial.
If you are looking in that area try Beaumont. It's next to nisku, big lovely houses though a bit expensive as people live there and commute into Edmonton (probably 20 mins to the centre not in rush hour).
There is also Airdrie, Innisfail??? We have family that live in olds and they love it.
Personally i'd rule out Drum, Rocky and Nisku (and this is just a personal opinion)
Drumheller - eveyone I have known that moved there moved out bar one. Its kind of a backward town but there are some lovely people there and the scenery is stunning in the canyons.
Rocky Mountain House. So yes you have the scenery right on your doorstep, but the town from my visits is run down, and a bit backward.
Nisku will drive you absolutely bonkers because of all the olfield traffic that goes through it. It's very industrial.
If you are looking in that area try Beaumont. It's next to nisku, big lovely houses though a bit expensive as people live there and commute into Edmonton (probably 20 mins to the centre not in rush hour).
Airdrie and Innisfail are both around 20 minutes away from two of the company offices (Calgary & Red Deer) with good road links - the mountains are doable from these too
Drumheller was considered because of it proximity to Calgary - if I could find somewhere to live between there and Calgary I would think about it - was it just the backwardness that made your friends look elsewhere?
I had thought about Rocky Mountain house, I had even got some literature sent over last week from someone who was trying to promote the area. It did strike me as backward though and you have just confirmed that
Strangely when considering Nisku I got the impression it is just a large industrial area with no real housing which then had me looking at Beaumont
I`ve got a LOT of googling ahead of me now......
Feb 3rd 2013 | 10:41 am
#142
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Re: Location advice
Thanks for the suggestions
Sundre is probably slightly too far for a daily commute to any of the three company offices in that vicinity (Red Deer, Calgary and Rocky Mountain House)
Olds is a possible for a daily commute to Red Deer (~40 miles) - I will add it to my list of "possibles" for further investigation
Sundre is probably slightly too far for a daily commute to any of the three company offices in that vicinity (Red Deer, Calgary and Rocky Mountain House)
Olds is a possible for a daily commute to Red Deer (~40 miles) - I will add it to my list of "possibles" for further investigation
Feb 3rd 2013 | 11:06 am
#143
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Re: Location advice
I am not sure if this thread is still frequanted but I'll throw my thoughts out there anyways
I am from Vernon BC which is incredibly beautiful, right in the Okanagan and I grew up on the lake. While I absolutely loved growing up there....there wasnt alot for work. My family and I moved to Grande Prairie Alberta when I was 15.
I graduated here and went to college here and I have grown to love it. It is fairly far up north but it is not remote by any means. We are a 4 hour drive to the big city of Edmonton if you enjoy the city lifestyle. There is alot of oilfield work here and trades/labour work.
The initial mentality you'll notice is "work hard, play harder" but they are alot of families and GP's sense of community is growing.
If you have more questions about Grande Prairie or the surrounding area let me know
I am from Vernon BC which is incredibly beautiful, right in the Okanagan and I grew up on the lake. While I absolutely loved growing up there....there wasnt alot for work. My family and I moved to Grande Prairie Alberta when I was 15.
I graduated here and went to college here and I have grown to love it. It is fairly far up north but it is not remote by any means. We are a 4 hour drive to the big city of Edmonton if you enjoy the city lifestyle. There is alot of oilfield work here and trades/labour work.
The initial mentality you'll notice is "work hard, play harder" but they are alot of families and GP's sense of community is growing.
If you have more questions about Grande Prairie or the surrounding area let me know
One of my friends used to live in BC and headed to the Okanagen every chance he got - he says its the most beautiful place hes ever been and its somewhere I would like to visit one day
Whats the cost of living like in Grande Prairie? ie houses etc? I ask as it looks like its the only town for miles although it does seem to have decent facilities (whats the shopping like? can you get everything there or do you need to make an occasional trip to somewhere like Edmonton?)
Feb 3rd 2013 | 12:07 pm
#144
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From: North Coast, BC
Re: Location advice
Thanks for your input
One of my friends used to live in BC and headed to the Okanagen every chance he got - he says its the most beautiful place hes ever been and its somewhere I would like to visit one day
Whats the cost of living like in Grande Prairie? ie houses etc? I ask as it looks like its the only town for miles although it does seem to have decent facilities (whats the shopping like? can you get everything there or do you need to make an occasional trip to somewhere like Edmonton?)
One of my friends used to live in BC and headed to the Okanagen every chance he got - he says its the most beautiful place hes ever been and its somewhere I would like to visit one day
Whats the cost of living like in Grande Prairie? ie houses etc? I ask as it looks like its the only town for miles although it does seem to have decent facilities (whats the shopping like? can you get everything there or do you need to make an occasional trip to somewhere like Edmonton?)
Feb 3rd 2013 | 12:31 pm
#145
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 10,630
From: Red Deer, Alberta
Re: Location advice
Thanks for your input
One of my friends used to live in BC and headed to the Okanagen every chance he got - he says its the most beautiful place hes ever been and its somewhere I would like to visit one day
Whats the cost of living like in Grande Prairie? ie houses etc? I ask as it looks like its the only town for miles although it does seem to have decent facilities (whats the shopping like? can you get everything there or do you need to make an occasional trip to somewhere like Edmonton?)
One of my friends used to live in BC and headed to the Okanagen every chance he got - he says its the most beautiful place hes ever been and its somewhere I would like to visit one day
Whats the cost of living like in Grande Prairie? ie houses etc? I ask as it looks like its the only town for miles although it does seem to have decent facilities (whats the shopping like? can you get everything there or do you need to make an occasional trip to somewhere like Edmonton?)
Feb 3rd 2013 | 12:42 pm
#146
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 11,291
From: Alberta
Re: Location advice
The only place I can think of between drum and Calgary is Beiseker.
DON'T DO IT.
I used to live in Drum too and made some good friends there, but they all moved out. My sis in law lives there and they are looking at relocating to Sylan Lake.
Druheller is in a Valley and its kind of like that 'Silent Hill' scenario - once you are trapped there you are trapped.
Though I will add again there are some lovely people, theres this annual music festival that everyone goes nuts about but it crap folky crap crap lots of smoking dope type stuff and not really my scene
Theres also the Passion Play (not sure if thats continuing anymore) which is like a big gathering of god botherers who come to watch an outdoor recreation of Hesoooos being crufied and all that jazz. (also not my scene).
Actually have you thought about Sylan Lake???? The Redneck riviera
DON'T DO IT.
I used to live in Drum too and made some good friends there, but they all moved out. My sis in law lives there and they are looking at relocating to Sylan Lake.
Druheller is in a Valley and its kind of like that 'Silent Hill' scenario - once you are trapped there you are trapped.
Though I will add again there are some lovely people, theres this annual music festival that everyone goes nuts about but it crap folky crap crap lots of smoking dope type stuff and not really my scene
Theres also the Passion Play (not sure if thats continuing anymore) which is like a big gathering of god botherers who come to watch an outdoor recreation of Hesoooos being crufied and all that jazz. (also not my scene).
Actually have you thought about Sylan Lake???? The Redneck riviera
Feb 3rd 2013 | 3:04 pm
#147
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Posts: 5
Re: Location advice
Thanks for your input
One of my friends used to live in BC and headed to the Okanagen every chance he got - he says its the most beautiful place hes ever been and its somewhere I would like to visit one day
Whats the cost of living like in Grande Prairie? ie houses etc? I ask as it looks like its the only town for miles although it does seem to have decent facilities (whats the shopping like? can you get everything there or do you need to make an occasional trip to somewhere like Edmonton?)
One of my friends used to live in BC and headed to the Okanagen every chance he got - he says its the most beautiful place hes ever been and its somewhere I would like to visit one day
Whats the cost of living like in Grande Prairie? ie houses etc? I ask as it looks like its the only town for miles although it does seem to have decent facilities (whats the shopping like? can you get everything there or do you need to make an occasional trip to somewhere like Edmonton?)
Its fairly expensive to live in Grande Prairie. Rent can be anywhere from 1000-2000 obviously depending on what you are looking for. For a one bedroom apartment its cheap, 800-1000. Before we bought out house we lived in a fourplex which was a 2 bedroom split level and rent was 800, our utilities werent to bad either. Now that we have our house they are a bit more but surpisingly not to bad.
As for shopping it is okay, meaning there isnt alot of variety and prices are more (clothing, cars, furniture) than they would be in Edmonton however if you dont mind paying more you can get everything you need. We try to make it down to etown if we are making a bigger purchase.
I see that your thinking about the Calgary and Red Deer area, I have been to Calgary a couple times and I still dont have an opinion about it ha ha.
Feb 4th 2013 | 7:06 am
#149
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Re: Location advice
The Okanagan is amazing, incredibly beautiful...if you have a chance to get a solid job move there in an instant! ha ha
Its fairly expensive to live in Grande Prairie. Rent can be anywhere from 1000-2000 obviously depending on what you are looking for. For a one bedroom apartment its cheap, 800-1000. Before we bought out house we lived in a fourplex which was a 2 bedroom split level and rent was 800, our utilities werent to bad either. Now that we have our house they are a bit more but surpisingly not to bad.
As for shopping it is okay, meaning there isnt alot of variety and prices are more (clothing, cars, furniture) than they would be in Edmonton however if you dont mind paying more you can get everything you need. We try to make it down to etown if we are making a bigger purchase.
I see that your thinking about the Calgary and Red Deer area, I have been to Calgary a couple times and I still dont have an opinion about it ha ha.
Its fairly expensive to live in Grande Prairie. Rent can be anywhere from 1000-2000 obviously depending on what you are looking for. For a one bedroom apartment its cheap, 800-1000. Before we bought out house we lived in a fourplex which was a 2 bedroom split level and rent was 800, our utilities werent to bad either. Now that we have our house they are a bit more but surpisingly not to bad.
As for shopping it is okay, meaning there isnt alot of variety and prices are more (clothing, cars, furniture) than they would be in Edmonton however if you dont mind paying more you can get everything you need. We try to make it down to etown if we are making a bigger purchase.
I see that your thinking about the Calgary and Red Deer area, I have been to Calgary a couple times and I still dont have an opinion about it ha ha.
It may be hard for you to gauge but are wages there higher than the norm? (like Fort McMoney for example?)
Feb 4th 2013 | 7:19 am
#150
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Re: Location advice
The only place I can think of between drum and Calgary is Beiseker.
DON'T DO IT.
I used to live in Drum too and made some good friends there, but they all moved out. My sis in law lives there and they are looking at relocating to Sylan Lake.
Druheller is in a Valley and its kind of like that 'Silent Hill' scenario - once you are trapped there you are trapped.
Though I will add again there are some lovely people, theres this annual music festival that everyone goes nuts about but it crap folky crap crap lots of smoking dope type stuff and not really my scene
Theres also the Passion Play (not sure if thats continuing anymore) which is like a big gathering of god botherers who come to watch an outdoor recreation of Hesoooos being crufied and all that jazz. (also not my scene).
Actually have you thought about Sylan Lake???? The Redneck riviera
DON'T DO IT.
I used to live in Drum too and made some good friends there, but they all moved out. My sis in law lives there and they are looking at relocating to Sylan Lake.
Druheller is in a Valley and its kind of like that 'Silent Hill' scenario - once you are trapped there you are trapped.
Though I will add again there are some lovely people, theres this annual music festival that everyone goes nuts about but it crap folky crap crap lots of smoking dope type stuff and not really my scene
Theres also the Passion Play (not sure if thats continuing anymore) which is like a big gathering of god botherers who come to watch an outdoor recreation of Hesoooos being crufied and all that jazz. (also not my scene).
Actually have you thought about Sylan Lake???? The Redneck riviera
)The West Indian Woodbine smokers and/or god squad would not be my kettle of fish either
I had a peek at Sylan lake and its been added to my list of "possibles" - question is - will I be allowed to settle there as a "trainee" redneck?
