Surrey BC??
 

I'm looking for some advise on where to live when we initially arrive... I know this is a difficult topic so I thought I'd give some of the background info.

Work wise I will be based in Surrey, near King George Skytrain station. My husband works freelance at present, so it is difficult to secure something for him until we arrive. From what we can see there are opportunities for him in Surrey, Burnaby and downtown Van (coal harbor specifically). He will also need to go to lots of gigs at night to network - tough job I know ;)

We are coming from Dubai, so we will be traveling light, we are selling most of our house hold. We will be traveling with 2 cats no kids.

My thought is to start with a furnished appartment close to my work for the first 3 months until we can explore and get a feel of the areas. We will also hopefully know where DH will work by then.

I'm trying to find something under $1400 a month, the lower the better as we are starting on one income.

I have seen some really nice looking buildings advertised near the skytrain stations in Surrey, does anyone know if they are as nice as they seem? I have also been looking at Metrotown, does anyone have feed back on that area? Or do I just bite the bullet and go for something down town? I've seen some really nice stuff in the Olympic village area.

Any feed back us greatly appreciated! As we will need to book the apartment with out seeing it, we will need to have a place to take the cats as soon as we arrive.

TIA

Re: Surrey BC??
 

Let me start with some history. The area around the Sky Train is in the district of Whalley. Whalley has a bad rap. You will hear people say that Surrey is a sh*thole. This means they have been to Whalley, and likely nowhere else.

Whalley was the original urban heart of Surrey. I imagine that at some point it was thriving. 15 years ago the main streets featured God-awful ugly strip malls with pawn shops and thrift stores as the main tenants, the surrounding housing was old and generally run down, and at night it could rival the downtown eastside as the haunt of bums, addicts, crack-whores and petty crime.

I asked why there was a strange blue light in the washrooms of the recreation centre. I was told it was because you can’t see your veins in that light so no one would use the rooms to shoot up. It is the end of the line from Vancouver so late at night you get fueled up partiers falling out of the Sky Train looking for a way to get home. The Sky Train / bus interchange at Surrey Centre was the only place in Surrey I would avoid at night.

The above is history.

Over the last ten years the city has initiated a massive regeneration project in Whalley. The City Centre tower that contains a retail mall, the Citizenship Court and a campus of Simon Fraser University is complete, the new library is complete, the new City Hall will be complete this year, a new RCMP headquarters is being built. Surrey Memorial Hospital has just opened its, massive, new emergency room. There are many new residential developments complete, underway, or in the works. High-end hotel chains have bought up land.

Surrey is the fastest growing city in BC and will soon have a larger population than Vancouver. The intention is that Whalley will rival Downtown Vancouver as a regional centre.

It is a work-in-progress. Whilst there is architectural bling in the centre, and some of the seedier parts have been redeveloped, it still has its gritty edge. On the plus side, it has a very diverse population and people tend to be more down to earth, open, and less up themselves.

You don’t say what kind of accommodation you are looking for. There is not much of a market for furnished accommodation. What there is tends to be expensive, but you are more likely to get a three month lease on furnished. Most people rent unfurnished on a one year term. I would consider this. Three months is not enough time explore all of Metro Vancouver and decide what suits you. $1,400 will get you a very nice unfurnished apartment, a small not so nice townhome, but I would be very wary of anyone offering a single family home for that.

As you mention, there are some good residential units. I guess it is important that you also like what is outside. I can’t tell you what you will like. You really need to visit to see.

You can also look down the two main arteries from Whalley: east on the Fraser Hwy and south down King George Blvd. Up to a 30 minute bus ride will open up your options considerably. However, if your OH will be working in Burnaby or Vancouver then a 30 minute bus ride plus a Sky Train ride will lose its glamour quite quickly.

The winter weather will be a refreshing change after Dubai.

Re: Surrey BC??
 

Thank you for the reply, it has given me some good insight into the area! Not just doom and gloom :D

We're looking at apartments. My thought is to start with a furnished one and then take on a 1 year unfurnished lease once we have a better feel of the areas I would feel better comitting to a year. I think we are a while off buying a place.

When we came to Dubai we were in a furnished place for a year, which was too long, we were ready to go by about 6 months as we then knew which areas suited us better.

Unfortunatly arriving with no furniture means setting up an furnished place will take time. We need to be able to have somewhere to house the cats the day we arrive, as they will be travelling with us on our flight. That's why I thought a furnished apartment would be a good idea.

I will be working at SMH, as part of the new development. I have been looking at the websites and the new wing looks great. I am excited to be joining in this period of renewal and development.

Gosh the weather is going to be a shock to the system, arriving mid Jan may not have been the best idea, but it's how it's all worked out. lol, out mid day highs are still above the 30 degree celcius mark in mid November! I'm sure though the rain will be novel for us, we haven't had much of it in the last 4 years.

Thanks again for the reply

Re: Surrey BC??
 

I would consider living near Olympic Village and commute out to Surrey each day, rather than live in Surrey and commute to Vancouver each day.

The benefit of living at Olympic Village is that it's pedestrian oriented - you can walk, cycle, or take a water taxi into downtown within minutes. It's quiet at night, but lively during the day, and close enough to the lively parts of Vancouver that when you come back home after work, you can walk out your front door and actually enjoy the city's amenities - the waterfront, the park, the scenery. Granville Island is a short walk away. You're also nearby some authentic communities in Vancouver (Commercial Drive, Mount Pleasant, Riley Park) while also close enough to downtown that if you wanted to grab dinner or network with the hubby late at night, catch a few gigs, etc. - you'd be within stumbling distance. It'll also be easy to maintain a social life because you'll be living where everything's happening, so people won't hesitate to meet up at a pub, a restaurant, etc. Good luck trying to convince people to come visit you in Surrey!

Surrey is not all doom and gloom, certainly, but given what you're looking for, I'd consider living in the heart of Vancouver proper. You'll be working in Surrey, you'll be getting to know Surrey, and perhaps after living in Vancouver and knowing what it has to offer, whether living in Surrey would be the better trade off. But as a first timer to Vancouver, Olympic Village would be a great first start.

Re: Surrey BC??
 

Honestly, I think you'll be fine in either Metrotown, Olympic Village or Surrey. They're all fairly new and walkable areas. Lychee is right though - if you choose to live in Surrey you'll have a hard time getting Vancouverities come to visit.

Surrey likes to think it will be the new DT, but it's not going to be. For most people, Surrey is not where they'd choose to end up, it's where they end up cos they can't afford closer to Vancouver. It's definitely third-best after Vancouver or Burnaby (where Metrotown is). It's still the object of pity and still a joke for many people - people won't like me saying that, but it's the truth. (I'm not saying I agree..) I agree with JBE it's changing, but as fast as Surrey changes and grows so does Van and Burnaby, and those two cities are much closer to the mountains, and the water, and the stuff Van is known for. Vancouver can be breathtaking. Surrey is just your typical North American urban sprawl (imo) and rather soulless.

I was at a dinner with some film industry people one night, the comments being made were that "People that live in Surrey are different, their culture is different" "As soon as you cross that river you're in another world" etc.

Re: Surrey BC??
 

I can't say that I have ever found this a problem. At least, not for the people I want to visit us.

I.e. not them. As I said, people are a lot less up themselves in Surrey.

Re: Surrey BC??
 

Well, you'd have to be wouldn't you? If you live in Surrey, there's nothing to be up yourself about.

Re: Surrey BC??
 

Quite.

Re: Surrey BC??
 

I would agree with Johnboy I would rather live in certain areas of Surrey than in Vancouver, Burnaby or New West. Other than views of mountains which can be had right along the Fraser Valley I just don't get it unless its work related. Seems to be a bit of snobbery with the people living in Downtown but you got that in the UK with the Londoners. If that's what they wont to be then so be it. Who wants to live in an over crowed city with crumbling infrastructure? We recently moved to the Victoria area and find the lifestyle far, far better than Vancouver. The beaches are fantastic not to mention the other scenery and outdoor activities which can be found on the Island. Every time there seems to some negative headlines on Surrey a certain person always seems to be the first to post the news for some reason.

Re: Surrey BC??
 

crumbling infrastructure? you obviously haven't been to Van recently.

Re: Surrey BC??
 

Quite right - Vancouver isn't crumbling, I feel lucky to live here. I just returned home from Havana, Cuba, which literally was crumbling.