JamesM

You sound like an ill traveled cradle.

The difference between Vancouver and Toronto is no different than say Bristol to Manchester. To describe them as being like two different European countries is a gross exaggeration.

iaink

I think the climatic differences between Vancouver and Toronto might be a little more extreme than between Bristol and Manchester, dont you? Bristol and Manchester have the same tax structures and rates, the same government policies etc etc.

Tangram

??????????

JamesM

They speak the same language, have the same currency, the same stores, retailers and services available. Some one from Toronto could go and live in Vancouver straight away with no extreme teething problems. Could someone go from Switzerland to Poland with the same ease. No chance! Climate is perhaps the only real difference.

iaink

Not entirely convinced they speak the same language in Bristol and Manchester come to think about it...

JamesM

I agree.

But I am merely challenging the OP's assertion that the transition from Vancouver to Toronto is as great as the transition between two European countries.

The new world simply doesn't have any where near the same cultural diversities and borders as the old.

JamesM

By the way I apologise for calling you an ill travelled cradle in my previous post.

Novocastrian

Hamilton and Belleville get almost exactly the same amount of snow each year (161.8 cm vs 155.7 cm). This is what you would expect if you thought about it a bit.

iaink

Down here we only have lake ontario to worry about, I was thinking being sandwiched more between Lakes Ontario and Erie and even maybe Huron/Georgian bay would have increased the lake effect chances, but there you go...

Novocastrian

But Hamilton is upwind of Lake Ontario except during rare easterly conditions.

Silken

Well I think a lot depends on what kind of environment you like to live in and also on the job market.

I live in the Niagara Region of Ontario... gorgeous area, small to medium sized cities, some rural communities and yet close enough to Toronto (biggest city in Canada) that it's not far away if you wanted to visit. Also close to Hamilton. AND right on the U.S. border so you can take advantage of cheaper goods in the U.S. I buy most of my groceries, my gas and lunch regularly in the States since the job market right now is very hard and I have to make every dollar count. I keep a bank account in the U.S. (free) and my Mom and I used to have a mailbox there but we let it go for now to cut costs (will probably find a cheaper one and take it out again in future since it cuts the costs of shipping so much when we buy something online in the States.)

Industry-wise this is a service industry region.... hospitality industry is where it's at but pay tends to be low unless you have specialized skills. Wine industry is BIG here. We also have one of the richest, most fertile agricultural areas so we have a lot of fruit farms as well as vineyards.

And of course the scenic Niagara parkway doesn't hurt... Winston Churchill called it the prettiest Sunday drive in the world when he visited here in 1944.

Hamilton isn't bad.... smaller than Toronto while still being pretty big. The air pollution though is a concern so I'd recommend you don't move there if anyone has asthma, etc. My sister and her family all live there in Dundas area mind you and the whole family is asthmatic... can be challenging. Dundas is nice though.

Another great little area that is about a half hour drive from Hamilton is Grimsby, Ontario... beautiful little town with an awesome main street, sitting right under the Niagara Escarpment.

Toronto is of course the biggest city in Canada and is very very popular. They call it, in fact, "the American city that works" and a lot of American visitors love it. If you love diversity and a bustling city then that might be of interest. Personally I am just not a big city girl so I choose to only go there when I have to. lol However, I will say they have some awesome places to visit!

British Columbia... as far as I'm concerned Ontario does not compare to the beauty of British Columbia. It's also a more temperate climate (but with lots of rain in the rainy season,) I'd say a better economy too but a very expensive place to live! If you locate there, I'd probably also live close enough to the border to be able to take advantage of lower cost American goods when you need to.

bgpz

To be fair, it's been a lot better in the last couple of years. The first couple of times I came to visit on vacation (~8 years ago) I noticed this. But it's certainly not been a massive issue for us (Stoney Creek borders) - but if you're in the North End I expect it might be a different story

Dundas is very nice, I guess the OP may have well been before (when they've been visiting Burlington in the past) but if you're after a decent splurge meal, Quatrefoilis living up to the hype. Sets the bar high but without disappearing up their own rear ends *great* food, not cheap but put it this way: it's *way* more affordable for us in relative terms to when we lived in SW London. Great little high street vibe going on, too, with some cracking little shops to boot. The DVSA (Dundas Valley School of Art) is reopening after some construction, the annual silent auction's well worth visiting if that floats your boat - we've scored some great stuff the last couple of years.

Another place to think about is St Catherines - between Hamilton and Niagara, basically. Depends what you're after. I really do think Hamilton's a good balance of city and decent countryside-on-your-doorstep (well, trails, wineries, escarpment - that'll do!).

BTW, that Sopranos gag earlier on up the this thread - proper LOL moment here... right on so many levels

Silken

Ya, I love Dundas's little main street. And St. Catharines is where I make my home.... about 45 minutes to Dundas, circa 1.5 hours to Toronto, 10 minutes to the marina, 10 mins to the horse farms and about 20 mins to the U.S. border.