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NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Old Mar 14th 2012, 4:21 pm
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Default NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

HI Everyone

Thanks to all of you that replied to my last thread, there are some great ppl out there willing to help and share :-). The overall opinion seems that North Vancouver may well be a better place in terms of being slightly cheaper to live and perhaps a bit more family friendly and also having a few more brits on board (which may help in times of homesickness). So question is, is there anyone living there on the forum at this time? we need to be close to the seabus so Lower Lonsdale is the place to be? anyone got any first hand experience of living here....schools....pubs....things to do etc? and does it really rain more than Vancouver???? didn't think that would be possible!!!! Thanks everyone you're a great bunch x
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Old Mar 14th 2012, 5:03 pm
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Originally Posted by michellechris28
HI Everyone

Thanks to all of you that replied to my last thread, there are some great ppl out there willing to help and share :-). The overall opinion seems that North Vancouver may well be a better place in terms of being slightly cheaper to live and perhaps a bit more family friendly and also having a few more brits on board (which may help in times of homesickness). So question is, is there anyone living there on the forum at this time? we need to be close to the seabus so Lower Lonsdale is the place to be? anyone got any first hand experience of living here....schools....pubs....things to do etc? and does it really rain more than Vancouver???? didn't think that would be possible!!!! Thanks everyone you're a great bunch x
It rains more than Vancouver proper. Much more. Although it looks like it's snowing right now.

I really like it over there but wouldn't choose to live there for the weather, and the bridges can be a pain in the bum. I'd say you need a car to live over there too, whereas living downtown / Fairview / Kits, etc you could get away without one. Car2Go would be perfect in the latter.

I'm not sure about the number of Brits over there but there are a shit load all over vancouver. We have a few in our building and i speak with others on the seawall often when out with the dog.

Also bear in mind the commute costs could be upwards of an extra $150 / $200 per month over living more locally. But on your budget you'd need to commute by transit or car anyway so that's probably not an issue.

I don't see North Van as being any more "family friendly" than other areas to be honest. Many areas on the North Shore, Downtown, South of False Creek, etc are "family friendly.

Have you ever been to Vancouver?
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Old Mar 14th 2012, 6:20 pm
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Hi, yes been a few times. Lived at Oakridge near Langara :-)
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Old Mar 14th 2012, 9:07 pm
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

N Van is cheaper ???
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Old Mar 14th 2012, 10:48 pm
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Originally Posted by The4BellsLondon
N Van is cheaper ???
Rent seems to be but thats mainly because it's a bugger to get anywhere other than North Van, and it rains a lot
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Old Mar 14th 2012, 11:30 pm
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Originally Posted by The4BellsLondon
N Van is cheaper ???
keep up at the back....this also started with respect to Kits and downtown areas.
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Old Mar 14th 2012, 11:34 pm
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Originally Posted by el_richo
It rains more than Vancouver proper. Much more. Although it looks like it's snowing right now.

I really like it over there but wouldn't choose to live there for the weather, and the bridges can be a pain in the bum. I'd say you need a car to live over there too, whereas living downtown / Fairview / Kits, etc you could get away without one. Car2Go would be perfect in the latter.

I'm not sure about the number of Brits over there but there are a shit load all over vancouver. We have a few in our building and i speak with others on the seawall often when out with the dog.

Also bear in mind the commute costs could be upwards of an extra $150 / $200 per month over living more locally. But on your budget you'd need to commute by transit or car anyway so that's probably not an issue.

I don't see North Van as being any more "family friendly" than other areas to be honest. Many areas on the North Shore, Downtown, South of False Creek, etc are "family friendly.

Have you ever been to Vancouver?
Actually, you can do without a car anywhere off Lonsdale Ave. When i lived at 3r d and Lonsdale i watched the seabus arriving, walked down to the terminal and got the sea donkey and was downtown in another 15 mins...average of about 20 plus mins. Of course you then have to get from there but there are plenty of buses and the skytrain right there. I gave evidence at surpreme court (near art gallery) for two weeks last summer and was there from leaving my place in less than 40 mins....took the skytrain to granville and walked from there.

The area is probably more kids friendly than fairview and certainly more so than downtown, although i would not be put off those areas. west side of van maybe about the same???

My experience was in living there that there was a lot of Brits in the area. Older imports and many long term and newer arrivals. I know a bunch who moved there through the 1970's. After 20 years here i was more acutely aware of them when i was there, although i did happen on a very British drinking establishment The north shore is also something of a very big village and you run into the same people over and over...lots of stores are owner operated which is also nice. Certainly does not suffer from the 'unfriendly label' that vancouver sometimes gets.

I didn't think i would miss the place all that much, but i actually do, but not the bloody rain! Actually in many ways, White Rock is similar to the North Shore is some ways....minus the rain of course.
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Old Mar 14th 2012, 11:37 pm
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Originally Posted by el_richo
Rent seems to be but thats mainly because it's a bugger to get anywhere other than North Van, and it rains a lot
your'e being a bit hard on the place. Even the Lions Gate, while it had its moments was reasonable most of the time. Mrs boy d used to use it daily (worked at Davie and Burrard at the time) and was usually there in less than 20 from leaving home. There were a few horror stories, but not as bad as its made out to be....and using the sea donkey negates it anyway. Even the bus has a dedicated lane which can now bypass the lineup for the bridge at least.
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Old Mar 14th 2012, 11:51 pm
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Originally Posted by michellechris28
HI Everyone

Thanks to all of you that replied to my last thread, there are some great ppl out there willing to help and share :-). The overall opinion seems that North Vancouver may well be a better place in terms of being slightly cheaper to live and perhaps a bit more family friendly and also having a few more brits on board (which may help in times of homesickness). So question is, is there anyone living there on the forum at this time? we need to be close to the seabus so Lower Lonsdale is the place to be? anyone got any first hand experience of living here....schools....pubs....things to do etc? and does it really rain more than Vancouver???? didn't think that would be possible!!!! Thanks everyone you're a great bunch x
Lower Lonsdale is in North Van City and is essentially the north shore's downtown, with the largest concentration of apartments, townhouses and some houses. It basically runs from around 5 th ave along Lonsdale Ave to the water front and about 4 blocks east and west. Central Lonsdale is the area north of 5 th and should certainly not be disregarded nor should upper Lonsdale for that matter - the bus connects with the sea bus and is timed with the sailings. Right at the sea bus terminal is a bus depot. Sometimes taking a bus directly to downtown from central is actually quicker than walking down to the sea bus. The sea bus is very reliable and actually quite pleasant (runs every 15 mins till 6 pm and then every half hour till midnightish...the crossing is 12 mins). The Queens Park area of Central Lonsdale is particularly nice. Further up central Lonsdale are a ton of restaurants and stores, more than Lower Lonsdale. Another Indian, Palki, is worth a gander.

Fair few pubs and restaurants in the area (greek, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Jamican. Viet, German, West Coast, and even West Indian.... including an excellent Indian on 3 rd between Lonsdale and Chesterfield - likely the best in the vancouver area). The eagles at 3 rd and Chesterfield is a popular haunt for displaced Brits, serving all manner of British fare and even a meat raffle, pints come in at a very reasonable 5.25 with tax for a real pint!. There is even a British butcher in the area.

The area's gem is the Lonsdale Quay which is nice, for shopping or grabbing a casual bite. The waterfront is being transformed from a derelict shipyard (used to be where ships were built) into a waterfront park, sort of like a mini granville island...quite nice. The Cheshire Cheese is a half decent Brit eatery serving British staples like steak and kidney pies etc...Eagles is better and cheaper though.

The older, cheaper apartments tend to be away from the water front up lonsdale, east and west and all the way up through central and upper Lonsdale (another good pub up there called the queens cross). The newer, fancier, pricer units tend to be closer to the waterfront. There are no real bad areas, some areas close to the docks tend to be rundown, but nowhere unsafe (I am a cop and choose to live there...no issues...there is the odd homeless person and the odd drunk native, but very safe really). The shore generally as no murders (usually about one very 2-3 years) and no major issues with gangs. There are some affiliations with Iranian Gangs in the area, but hardly a concern at all. There is a moderate Iranian population in the area, but other than that it's largely white. Certainly not as Asian as other areas of the Lower Mainland.

Outside of those areas is actually a different city: North Vancouver District, which is largely suburban, with mostly single family homes, some townhouses and a few apartment buildings (Lynn Valley is nice as is Edgemount Village). Transit tends to be less frequent in the District. Further west past Taylor Way is the City of West Vancouver....some very nice bits along Ambleside at the water's edge, nice beach and parks etc....also very snooty.

Yes the rain is bad, worse than Vancouver. It,s right on the side of a mountain and the higher up you go the wetter and cloudier it gets. My friend lives right at the top of Lynn Valley which gets about 30 percent more rain than Lower Lonsdale! In Vancouver the closer to the mountains, the more rain you get. Its apparently called orthographic lifting. To be honest the dreary winter weather gets to me in Vancouver, more so on the NS. You can actually look south from the NS in the clouds and see clear skies over white rock and the southern regions. So i moved.....of interest, while total volume of rain is more than the north west of England, it actually gets total less rainy days and more sunshine. But be prepared for some very heavy rainfall in the winter months.

In general, Vancouver gets a third less rain than NS while white rock gets about a third less than Vancouver (yes about 2 thirds less than the NS and about 20-25 percent more hours of sunshine). However, within about 10 mins of rain on the shore, you can be up at higher elevations skiing. As with all areas here, rain is largely a winter issue and summer is fine there, in fact it's stunning. It also has remarkable access to the outdoors, some of the best mountain biking in the world and hikes, lots of nice lakes, etc...you are right on the edge of an immense area. Deep cove is also very close which is an incredibly beautiful area to go kayaking or just hanging out etc....Every cloud and all that......

Even with the rain, the north shore is still very popular and is a sought after area as is evidence by lots of development going on. People who are from there, tend to stay there. I guess equal access to downtown vancouver and the great outdoors are the pulls for the north shore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyTdcC3Fu1w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z42V-...eature=related
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Old Mar 14th 2012, 11:57 pm
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

as an aside you referrence homesickness...no area is going to fix that, it's something you have to accept and comes to terms with. Also, the notion of seeking somewhere to live, may be influenced by what rental options are available, as as much as where you want to be. Be open to a few areas, you can always move later, that's the beauty of being renter

all the best....and buy a good brolly
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Old Mar 15th 2012, 2:36 am
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Originally Posted by Boy d
keep up at the back....this also started with respect to Kits and downtown areas.
oops - I'll go back to sleep / . . . .
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Old Mar 15th 2012, 5:38 am
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

errmmmm.....

it rains alot, it is no more expensive/cheaper than anywhere else (downtown is obviously more expensive), it's okay on the bridges mostly (i used to work downtown, 25mins door to door on the bus), yes kid friendly, 'cos it's got alot of community but so has burnaby, kits, new west, richmond, kits etc etc....living on the mountain is fun but north is nothing, east is deepcove, west is whistler and south is more vancouver.....schools are good (in our experience, carson graham), lonsdale is very active, the quay is quaint and lively....the uni is good, shops are a plenty etc etc etc

so, we rented in 2009 for six months on keith and lonsdale - very nice, brand new and cost $2500 for a two bed condo with a basement.....same place now is a thousand more.....real estate is nuts, way too expensive and continually going up......do not get me going on west vancouver (4 bells, no need for your comments here...lol)

we're leaving and heading for the interior......it's cheaper by a factor of four....
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Old Mar 15th 2012, 6:12 am
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Originally Posted by gibsonslanding
errmmmm.....

it rains alot, it is no more expensive/cheaper than anywhere else (downtown is obviously more expensive), it's okay on the bridges mostly (i used to work downtown, 25mins door to door on the bus), yes kid friendly, 'cos it's got alot of community but so has burnaby, kits, new west, richmond, kits etc etc....living on the mountain is fun but north is nothing, east is deepcove, west is whistler and south is more vancouver.....schools are good (in our experience, carson graham), lonsdale is very active, the quay is quaint and lively....the uni is good, shops are a plenty etc etc etc

so, we rented in 2009 for six months on keith and lonsdale - very nice, brand new and cost $2500 for a two bed condo with a basement.....same place now is a thousand more.....real estate is nuts, way too expensive and continually going up......do not get me going on west vancouver (4 bells, no need for your comments here...lol)

we're leaving and heading for the interior......it's cheaper by a factor of four....
Me? xxxxxxx
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Old Mar 15th 2012, 3:31 pm
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Originally Posted by Boy d
your'e being a bit hard on the place. Even the Lions Gate, while it had its moments was reasonable most of the time. Mrs boy d used to use it daily (worked at Davie and Burrard at the time) and was usually there in less than 20 from leaving home. There were a few horror stories, but not as bad as its made out to be....and using the sea donkey negates it anyway. Even the bus has a dedicated lane which can now bypass the lineup for the bridge at least.
I admit i've not lived there or commuted but on my regular drives up Cypress, that's the part i hate. The often stop start flow of the traffic bores me to sleep.
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Old Mar 15th 2012, 6:16 pm
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Default Re: NORTH VANCOUVER SEEMS LIKELY :-)

Im on the N Shore now. Im thinking we'll stay over here cos it just feels like home after 7 years here previously. We're off Marine at Pemberton Heights. The nice thing about this location is having the 240 bus which, even at rush hour last night, took 20 mins to downtown. It had a very funny scouser driving it last night. As i was saying before, the only worry is poor state of the apartments.

Man my head is banging today. Damn you Railway Club! (shakes fist toward downtown)
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