simmo196

Hi,
We have recently move to Nanaimo from England, close to London. We love it here but have just had a job offer in Burnaby and wondered if any one has any good points or bad points of Burnaby.
We have a two and a half year old daughter so school info would be helpful too. Are there many activities for toddlers in the area my wife and daughter could attend?
If any one has been or lived in London how does it compare?
Thanks for any info
Shane and family

ExKiwilass

Burnaby shares a border with Vancouver, Coquitlam and New West, which is a fancy way of saying it's just another cog in the lower mainland. IT's a lot more $$$ to buy than Nanaimo. You could easily live in Vancouver, Coquitlam, New West, or North Van and commute to Burnaby. Where I live in Burnaby is only 10-15 minutes by car to downtown Van.

toddler activities - loads. check out burnaby parks & rec - most of the community centres have cheap stuff, loads of preschools, also free programmes for toddlers.

North Burnaby is considered better than South but it's also more expensive. It has the north shore mountain views etc. which I guess is the cachet?

Schools are fine, like anywhere else in the lower mainland really.

Excellent transit links all over the lower mainland.

Depending on where you are, very walkable & good community feel.

Well run city, low property tax

Central


Bad points? Expensive to buy, does have the odd shooting (drug related normally, but this is common all over the lower mainland) um, expensive.. yeah.

You should also check with 4 Bells, she's from London and she lives here though is moving back to East Van.

You should also check out the wiki.

jerry brewer

Hi
Just a personal opinion, burnaby is nice, from what I have seen.
I would only avoid the extreme west side that is close to hastings/PNE, otherwise it would be our second choice from north van,If we should ever move house,prices we think are reasonable & they are spacious, and transit is excellent,(even if I do work for them).
Also it is well served by stores, home depot, superstore,costco,etc all a short drive.
More of a city feel to it,than north van, it reminds of how it felt to be in exeter or bristol.
again personally, working in burnaby, I would avoid the time wasted commuting from Coquitlam, New West,etc.
cheers
Jerry

ExKiwilass

that's east van.

The4BellsLondon

Thats the best bit!

Hi Simmo - sorry not replied to your pm yet - been a bit hectic . . .what part of London were you from?

We moved to Commercial drive firs - e van - then to Burnaby - tis lovely and the house is big n fab - but its tooooo quiet! I feel like a Stepford Wife - I need more hustle and bustle - so we have just sold and are heading back to EVan.

Kiwi is on The Heights- that is good, but I was N Burnaby = foot of Mtn by SFU . .v italian and asian - v friendly, but only when you saw them!

Any way -where is the job offer - that may be more of a determining factor - cos BBy is rather large - you could be south - as in Kingsway / Metrotown, or even Edmonds. . .

ExKiwilass

Yeah I love that area between boundary and cassiar. is ma fave. The views from there are spectacular.

jerry brewer

Hi
I must tell my employers that they have moved from burnaby to east van then.
cheers
Jerry

ExKiwilass

ssssnap!

where are they then? the only area I know around PNE is east van???

jerry brewer

Hi
proves that we are all different.
cheers
Jerry

jerry brewer

on boundary, maybe i used the term 'close to pne/hastings' a bit to loosely
cheers
Jerry

ExKiwilass

ok.

It's hard to tell, east van/burnaby is really like one city...

Aviator

Boundary road is pretty much the Van/Burnaby border, PNE and a bit of the east side of the #1 north of Hastings is East Vancouver.

jerry brewer

hi
true hence it's name boundary.
cheers
jerry

jerry brewer

yep true somedays it's all just one big blurr

ExKiwilass

it took me about 5 years to realise burnaby wasn't just a continuation of vancouver.