I like the idea of a short flight and Nova Scotia offers this .What is the best place to live. I am a service manager in the motor industry and a fully trained technician any help will be great. Also I have a 12 year old daughter and we need to be close to a good school.

This question may well spark some debate certainly if certain members read the thread. We are on the North Shore and it's great but probably not for you however Truro is a great place but so are most places in this province. Sackville is quite a big area for the motor trade but only know that because we looked for cars in the area but did not buy in the area. Guess it would be close to Halifax/Dartmouth/Bedford you may want to look.

Hope that helps a little

Thanks for your reply. I was thinking of starting on my own in small engine repairs and servicing motor cars. What do you all think.

I would concentrate on where the job will be and then work out where to live after that. Our jobs are in Halifax and we then looked around and found the perfect spot 20-30 minutes away, with great schools and everything we want (Tantallon, St Margaret's Bay). But you will find that wherever you find a job, you will find something within 30 minutes that is perfect for you.

And there are car yards in many locations, Halifax and Dartmouth have loads. I dont even know if that is what you would be looking for. Also Truro is the largest town for that area, but it isnt a place I would choose to live. So you see we will all give you very subjective advice, the best thing to do is come and see what fits best for you all. We wanted to see the Ocean easily, live outside of Halifax and have room for us all to spread out. We certainly have that. Other people might value different things, it all depends on your needs and wants.

Good luck!!

You could do that anywhere you fancy I would have thought, anywhere that you can see a need or an established business for sale. Frees you up nicely that, so anywhere on the Lighthouse route!

What are your interests and wants?

if you choose areas further away fom Halifax you will find a much cheaper cost of living and less brits and perhaps a bit more of the real canada.

annapolis digby and yarmouth countys for example
you will find your money goes a lot lot further

if you are starting your own business then im am sure you could chose anywhere and folk will always need soemone to fix cars

huge luck

Why not truro

A Big Thanks
Hope you are right

I came over in Feb house hunting and visited 3 areas, Amherst, Truro and Bridgewater. I preferred Amherst and we eventually bought a house with plenty of land in a rural setting which was exactly what we wanted. We also before I came over set ourself a criteria on what we wanted out of living in NS and what sort of house we wanted and went through MLS looking and without realising it we found Cumberland country meet all the requirements we was looking for. The best thing really to do as mentioned before is come out for a visit and have a good luck round

It sounds like you preferred Amherst over Truro before finding that requirement - the house/land/rural setting - or was your preference because that requirement was more prevalent in Amherst?

What else made Amherst more attractive for you?

I truly havent been to Truro to look around and decide if it was somewhere we would want to live. I have to say being close to Halifax suits us, we didnt really want to be out in the *boonies*, but that really is only our perception and I know lots of people that find Truro very suitable. As I said, we wanted to be near the Ocean and near Halifax, from all that was said to us Truro is a hub of sorts, but not very scenic. But on our one trip through there I wasnt impressed or unimpressed. Horses for courses, thats why I asked what it was you want from your new life. We wanted view, ocean, great house and shops.

What are your interests and wants?[/QUOTE]

I think basically our interests and wants are the same as yours, nice house , good view, to be near the ocean, safe friendly neighborhood, good schools, nearby shops and to get some skiing in if time allows.

Well NS is still your oyster, I guess it comes down to how far you want to live from the big areas for shopping, and how many locals you like to have. I know Destinationnovascotia lives in Musqadobit (?sp) Harbour and has a diect view of the Ocean, and is 40 minutes away from Dartmouth (or so) and loves it. Then there is us who are 10 minutes from Bayer's lake shopping and 20 from a beach, with great amenities and schools etc. So my point is, there is so much scope and we are all so different. If you came over you might fall in love with an area, and very likely an area that no-one has mentioned yet!

I love Tantallon, it has lots to offer, a great new High School for one and lots of affordable houses in established leafy subdivisions. It is by Stillwater Lake that is beautifull and is 30 minutes from Peggy's Cove and all down that route. Also 20 minutes from Queensland Beach which is gorgeous. Has an Ice rink, gym, shops and the major supermarkets etc. Is on the metro bus route, so a return fare into Halifax (though an hour each way) is only $4. Cant say enough about it. And we could always do with another Auto Repair shop!

Sounds like you have a fabulous life and made the right decision. We are planning to come for a trip next spring/summer so will hopefully get some good ideas then but will definitely check out your neck of the woods sounds just what we are looking for.

What sort of weather conditions do you get there, read all the websites which state averages etc but does not really give you an idea. I notice a lot of houses have pools so must get some sunshine.

Well to me the weather is great - but then we have been in New Zealand for the last 4 years so I really struggle to truly remember the actual UK weather. It isnt a constant unmelting snow layer through the winter, it snows and melts over the following week. As to how often it snows, hard to gauge, but I ask alot! It seems to be 10-20 times a winter there is a good snow storm. We came in January and we saw no more than 6-8 inches max in a snow fall, but that was in town and I dont know about anywhere else. AS for spring, it is delayed, the leaves were still coming out on the trees in June, though the summer I thought was great and the Fall is stunning! Temps now are around 4-10 at night and 12-22 in the day. The real difference to me is the amount of blue sky days, especially in the winter. We dont have the amount of daily rain or the amount of overcast days tha tthe UK has, not at all. Though there are tail ends of tropical hurricanes which was a surprise! Those have mainlyh been very windy and lots of rain, but oddly warm temps.

Well when you come out, give us a bit of warning and we can all arrange a get together!