beckiwoo

The housing issues in Vancouver are not like every other city.

(I used a full stop instead of an explaination mark here btw)

Stinkypup

Children.... I am going to smack both of you behind your knees with a ruler if this continues

CanadianInGasgow

Ok so now we have moved on to housing instead of drugs. Ok whatever makes your point.

beckiwoo

Sorry. I'm just going to use the block button now anyway.

beckiwoo

Going to block you now as I can't be bothered to waste my energy.

Good luck in Vancouver

christmasoompa

Well said. And on that note can we please stop the squabbling and get this thread back on track? Ta muchly.

Oink

Its the Pacific northwest so the sky is very grey and blanketing and lots of the city, especially on the east side is very moldy and damp. They don't seem to take care of the city very well although they have put some posh Christmas lights on the lampposts near me. Rather thoughtful of them to put up some illumination for my walk back from the pub.

Tootlepootle

....And people who work with druggies and hookers.

I drive through and work in DTES on a regular basis. It is most probably one of the saddest places I've had to work.

Bizarrely I have never felt unsafe down there. A colleague of mine when he first arrived in Vancouver was taking a walk through Chinatown and by accident arrived in the downtown Eastside area. He was amazed when one of the street guys shouted down the block "kids on the block" as a way of getting people to hide what they were doing from my friends kids. He also recommended that he shouldn't take the kids there too often!

It might look like a complete hole but it isn't without humanity.

Oink

We're not allowed to do that. Anyway they're not too bad, you just have to change your priority on the water when they turn up. I like seeing the pod of white white-sided dolphins, they're very cool and they don't seem to scare the fish away. Anyway I'm mostly prawning at the moment as the fishing is a little thin.

Danny B

I agree 100%. I have stumbled out of the No.5 Orange on numerous occasions late at night and was never once worried about the locals beating me up.

However, leaving a pub in the UK at kicking out time, with hundreds of drunk under 25's roaming the streets is still one of my biggest fears. You can almost smell the testosterone in the air.
For anyone reading who is not from the UK, the video is an example of what I mean.

I grew up in Camberley, Surrey a few miles away from Aldershot, home of the Paras. I have never seen so much drunken violence as I did when I was living in the UK.
The 'binge drinking, looking for a fight on the way to the kebab van' culture does not exist here, and for that, I am extremely thankful.

Yes of course there are exceptions to the rule, but on the whole, I feel much safer walking through the worst streets in Vancouver than I ever did walking back from the pub in Camberley, Surrey. No joke.

BristolUK

Expect someone to post a video of the Vancouver riots when they lost an ice hockey game.

Higgy

I have lived here for 11 years now, Glasgow born and still have family living there. I cant wait to get back here when i go back for visits. I miss family and thats about it.
I live in Maple Ridge just outside Vancouver. I still drive home every night looking at the backdrop (when its not raining lol) amazed how stunning the scenery is.
My working life is all around Vancouver city though, working in construction of high rise buildings. I get to see the good and the bad that the city has to offer and its pretty much like any other big city. Yes there are areas where there are drugs and prostitution but every major city has those things. I have friends who are policemen from the UK and they prefer dealing with people in downtown Vancouver than they did back in the cities where they came from. Like someone said before, they never thought they were going to get a kicking waiting here for a kebab!
For me personally, the biggest thing the city has going for it is where it is situated. For someone who likes the outdoor life its second to none. Summer and winter there is lots to do and see. It amazes me how many people don't know whats going on in and around the city at any given time of year. Within a short drive there are so many things to see and do. I will say though, its certainly not a cheap place to live but if you don't mind a bit of travel you can live outside the city for less money. Getting more expensive here as time goes on. The wet winters can be depressing if you let them get to you but thats what rain jackets and umbrellas are for.

BristolUK

Good attitude. I try to think the same about snow shovels and snow plows but I'd rather rely only on the jacket and/or brolly.

dominiqueincanada

Did you not have wage expectations and know about house prices before immigrating? I recently bought a small townhouse here in Vancouver and it would have cost more in Bristol where I immigrated from. UK house prices are also pretty insane...

BristolUK

That's interesting. I found this. Assessed at $385,900, could this be Vancouver’s cheapest house?
No idea what the area is like but it doesn't look like it's out in the middle of nowhere.

According to rightmove, Terraced houses in Bristol have an average of about £265k and even with poor exchange rates that's $437k.

Mind you, I'd like to know where those more expensive Terraced houses in Bristol are. I sold mine in Totterdown for £155k in 2005 and three years ago it was resold for £197k. I doubt it's gone up hugely since so there must some really crazily priced terraced houses at the top end to produce an average of £265k.