tracys

Advice appreciated please.
Thinking of moving to Ontario, not sure where as have not been there yet. Will be visiting over next 3 years as waiting for teenager to finish High School.
Leaning towards Ottawa though. Any advice or info much appreciated.

magnumpi

If u have the Funds, and job area or other issues mean u have to go to a certain place then take a look between the two, Kingston is nice lots of patio areas and lake front property, Belleville ok Durham Region best place in Canada, just enjoy the looking.

tracys

Thanks Magnumpi, Its such a large province I don't know where to start. I'll check out your suggestions. :-)

catpea33

I'll second Kingston! It was never on my radar until I moved here for work. It's beautiful and a great location. Montreal is three hours drive, Toronto is 2-3 hours (depends on how fast you drive ), Ottawa is about 1.5 hours, and there's loads of provincial parks in the area (Sandbanks, Frontenac, Charleston Lake, Presqu'ile). Definitely worth a visit when you're looking for somewhere to live but depends on what career you have and what you want in an area.

MarylandNed

Good that you'll be visiting to have a look around. Toronto is very expensive for housing so that's something to consider. However I think it's a great place to live. I lived there for 7 years and still miss it - which is partly why I continue to visit often.

Ottawa is a good choice (always rates highly in quality of life rankings) but it is not as exciting as Toronto in terms of nightlife - but maybe that's not what you're after. Also, winters there are usually harsher (colder, snowier) than in Toronto.

I also like Kingston and the whole Thousand Islands region. However, if you're going to have to work for a living, then the job situation is going to be very important. You'll very likely have a much easier time finding work (and moving between jobs) in Toronto and Ottawa than you will in Kingston.

tracys

Thanks so much for the replies, its given me lots to think about and research :-)

DandNHill

It will depend what you are looking for. There are still areas here that are similar to Halifax cost wise. But if you are after the well paying jobs you will either need to be nearer to Toronto or be prepared for a commute.

Just as an FYI, remember that the grass isn't necessarily greener here, it's just a different shade of green. We still miss NS terribly

Pizzawheel

from listening to opinions Ottawa seems to be somewhat love it or hate it. It's small and parochial and the weather is bad- harsh winters and sweaty summers.

But access to the countryside is good and it's right on the border of Quebec which has its advantages.

Collie

If you're thinking about the Kingston or (gulp!) Belleville area then you might want to try out Prince Edward County (not to be confused with Prince Edward Island). It's basically an attractive area sticking down into Lake Ontario just south of Belleville - lots of wineries (50+ within half an hour of us), good places to eat, good food - and 2.5 hours to Toronto, or a bit more to Ottawa by car. (There's a railway station at Belleville which can be faster.) The winters seem to be gentler than Ottawa (so our neighbours tell us; they moved from there) and the quality of life is good - lots of people move here from the Toronto area. And the superlative Sandbanks provincial park is what swung it for us! We live in Picton and love it...

BristolUK

I remember reading a recommendation for PEC. It might even have been you
Care to elaborate on the gulp for Belleville?

tracys

Thanks for replies. I hadn't realized Ottawa had harsh winters and sweaty summers, bit like Nova Scotia then. One of the things I don't like about NS is the humidity.

Just wondering, if you lived in Picton where would the jobs be? Too far to commute to TO or ON I imagine. Likewise, Kingston looks more built up, are there jobs locally?

Simon Legree

If you think that the humidity is bad in NS you obviously haven't spent any time in Ontario in the heat. It is much worse than in NS !

tracys

Lol! We intend to visit next summer so we'll find out I suppose. Is there anywhere I Canada that isn't humid and has less biting insects???

R I C H

Southern interior of BC - no humidity to speak of. Dry and arid climate. Bugs for just a few weeks in early summer.

tracys

Thanks Rich, will research that area. BC is the other province we're considering. We've visited Vancouver a couple of times and love Vancouver Island. Kelowna sounds lovely and someone else suggested Vernon. Lots of research to do.