Saint John, NB?
 

Hi All,

First post but spent weeks reading, digesting and laughing along with you all :) Nice to have a bit of sarcasm and humour thrown in amongst the debates and discussions.

We currently live semi rurally in the Leicestershire countryside, the only reason we no longer live the complete rural idyl is because we now have a 3 year old son. We have no desire to live in the hustle and bustle but we do need access to decent facilities, schooling and the social side of things for the benefit of the small person growing up.

We originally thought that Saint John would be an ideal fit for us but I got swayed by the beauty of NS so we moved our research there. With the high taxes and some of the feedback we've read we're swaying back towards Saint John (possibly Fredericton) and would really value some first hand experience.

My husband is a HGV/Plant/Diesel Mechanic and we have spoken to a few companies who seem keen to talk LMO with him so we're hopeful that work won't be an issue for him.

Any first hand information we'd be very grateful for :thumbup:

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

I've spent quite a bit of time in Saint John (my fiancee is from Saint Andrews NB and SJ is the nearest decent-sized city) but I've never lived there. Our friends in the city enjoy a significantly lower cost of living compared to us in Halifax. SJ is a very industrial city that is a bit rough around the edges but that definitely lends it a certain charm (I lived in Moncton and hated it - it has very little in the way of charm and character and I much prefer SJ). There are also plenty of beautiful areas within an hour's drive so, although the big John aint the prettiest, there are definitely areas of natural beauty nearby.

I hope you don't mind fog, though!

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Around the outskirts....and I mean def out of the city....very nice. But Saint John itself....blurgh !

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

I think the song Dirty Old Town summarises Saint John pretty well :)

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

I was on the East Coast off a few weeks last year, towards the end of November.
I found the people nice, and the scenery awesome. It rained a lot though, and reminded me quite like the small towns and villages in Cornwall, even the mud was red.
I'm hoping to go back this year for an actual holiday.

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Fredericton it is then :lol::blink::unsure:

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Dont even get me started on Fredricton ;) :D

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

:cry_smile: We just want somewhere pleasant to live where there are opportunities for the small person to preogress through life and where we can enjoy a bit of space and a coastline within reach - whodathunk it so hard :lol:

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Suffolk or Northumberland it is then? ;):lol:

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Aren't there places like that in England, not so far from Leicestershire? And perhaps closer to small persons relatives than Canada. Or, is there another reason for considering Canada?

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

:thumbup:

We live quiet pleasantly over here, but are stuck in a never ending cycle of renting and self employment due to the obscene prices of semi rural property around here (and land that goes with it) and various other elements. Family isn't really an issue as one grandparent is in Scotland and one is various counties away. We'd like to be able to offer a little more in the way of security (ie be able to buy our own property) a little more in the way of 'outdoors' and a slightly steadier pace of life - hence not looking to head to a big city.

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

One caution. If at all possible line up a job before embarking. Whether you choose NB or NS the same applies. The Maritimes are not flush with jobs although some areas are easier than others. Don't be taken in by Canadian real estate agents plugging their trade in the UK at seminars. Most of what they have to say is pure fantasy.
There is a looming job market for skilled trades people due to the ship building contracts in both NB and NS. The latter has the lions share of future jobs. I say future because non of these jobs are online as yet. By some estimates there is still a couple of years before things will get rolling.
Land and housing prices are generally better than that available in the UK. Again a big caveat. Choosing where to live will have a big impact on what you will pay for housing.
The other factor or bogey man if you will, is weather. Generally NB has a greater snow fall and is colder than NS. This will affect the type of housing you plan on purchasing. Just do some research on homes before you commit. Make sure the place is well insulated. If it isn't you will pay for heating through the nose. Many make the mistake of buying an older home and then find the cost to heat is high.
Energy costs are less here but, that is ofset by the weather again.
I wish you luck finding what you need.

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Thank you :)

We are planning to get work etc in place before going, we're in contact with a couple of employers (one in NS and one in NB) who have both shown an interest in going down the LMO route. Having a small person to consider we'd never come over on a wing and a prayer so would make sure we have employment before making a commitment to move.

Valid point that we hadn't considered re: older homes, we'll be renting inititally but if all goes well and we do buy that is certainly something we should bear in mind (despite the appeal of the older homes)

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Good that you are considering jobs here. There are some unscrupulous characters out there. Do lots of investigating before you decide.

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

We live in Grand Bay-Westfield, which is about 20 mins out of Saint John. My husband was offered a job in Saint John and we came to do a recce trip and fell in love with the area. Saint John is a blue collar city, and has some rough parts, but it has a certain charm and there are some beautiful old buildings and parks. Possibly a better choice job-wise for you in that there may be more job opportunities than Fredericton, which is more white collar.
There are some lovely towns surrounding Saint John and all within commuting distance. We chose our town because it's small (under 5000) people, so semi-rural, and in a fabulous location on the St John River. People are friendly and the sense of community is strong.
We've been here almost 3 years now and don't regret our choice at all. We are so lucky to have so many beautiful places on our doorstep, including the Bay of Fundy, the St John River and endless trails and lakes. We love it! :)

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Kind of confirms my post #3.

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Thank you, this is really positive information :thumbsup: Grand Bay-Westfield is one of the areas we have looked at and seems to fit the commute and the semi rural idyl.

I think all City's have their issues, I'd never chose to live any where near to Leicester city centre, its a tip and has some seriously scary pockets of crime (and pockets of very hostile areas). But the County itself is pretty affluent and has some fantastic countryside. I'm guessing that the same sort of things apply in Citys in Canada.

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

If you need to know any more just ask! Good luck :)

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Thank you! I may well take you up on that :D

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Saint John is not that bad as already said its quite industrial and a working Port. I lived in Southampton and it reminds me of there in some ways. SJ is not a dangerous place its just a bit unloved in places. Like the other posts have said look outside of the city core and the areas are beautiful. I have friends that also live in Grand Bay and they love it as well. They are currently looking to move to Quispamsis - nothing wrong with GB they have outgrown their current house and both work over that way.

The city centre has some nice old buildings are there are pubs and restaurants on the quay side which is really nice in the summer usually live music as well.

Saint John could have a boom as the shipbuilding contracts start and if the pipeline from Alberta gets approved so might not be a bad time to get in down there??

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Thank you :) That seems to be the general impression we'd gotten for the City over the last few months so it's nice to hear we're not too far off the mark. It seems to give us the ideal balance of work for the OH and the quieter life :starsmile:

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

I visited SJ once. Before I went, I mentioned to a friend who grew up there, said the city was rather polluted.

I just had a quick search and got a couple news:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...ationroof.html

http://www.capebretonpost.com/Living...t-John,-N.B./1

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

We have been in the Moncton area of NB for the last six years now.
We came on a reccie and looked at St John, Fredericton and Moncton.
For us the city of St John just didn't appeal, due to the pulp mill smell, general feel of the place. But we did like the semi rural areas.
Fredericton felt too cut off from anything else, although the city was attractive.
We like the Moncton area because of its proximity to other places apart from anything else. Its easy to pop to the airport to pick up family when they come in on Canadian affair flights. Easy to go over the PEI for the day.
The bay of Fundy is right on the door step.
I don't overly like Moncton itself but we live across the river just outside Riverview. We are 15 mins from downtown Moncton but still have a semi rural location with a few acres.

Riverview is a really nice town. Its growing in a nice well thought out way.
Once we get our own Wallmart we will have arrived. The schools here are all very well spoken of.
People often talk of the lack of jobs in NB but we have never had too much of a problem finding work. We have our own contract cleaning business and there seems to be no shortage of businesses requiring their offices and windows cleaned.
We also havn't had the unrealistic price rises in property so the housing market seems steady and affordable.

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

That's really useful information - thank you. We haven't felt that Moncton would suit us as, from reading various sites, blogs, resources, it seems to be a bit more French and OH and I haven't got much more than hello and goodbye in French :lol:

Certainly the location of Moncton would be ideal - are there many semi rural areas within half an hours commute?

Re: Saint John, NB?
 

Almost everyone speaks English in the Moncton area - they may prefer speaking French, or some combination of the two languages, but not speaking French hasn't proved a problem for us. There are jobs which require you to be bilingual so opportunities may be more limited.

Haven't lived in Saint John but have visited quite a few times and found the people to be friendlier than those in Moncton. Most have told me they really like living in the Saint John area and some implied that the pulp mill smell was no longer a problem - not sure how true this is but have never noticed it.