My husband and I (he's British & I'm Canadian) are seriously thinking of moving to Edmonton. We're currently living in the UK and getting sick of the rat race. I'd love to hear from anyone who lives in Edmonton and could tell me all about to the good and the bad, i.e. weather, work, people, quality of life, house prices, etc. Your opinions would be appreciated.

THANKS!

Well, thanks for all of your heplful comments.

I'm sorry I missed your original post.

I am not a great fan of Edmonton. It's not that there is anything particularly awful about Edmonton, it's just that I think Calgary is better. In fact I wonder why anyone would choose to live there instead of Calgary.

It's colder than Calgary, poorer than Calgary, uglier than Calgary, has more crime than Calgary, is more remote than Calgary. On the upside though, for all of these reasons it's cheaper than Calgary.

I am interested in what's got you interested in Edmonton.

There are a yahoo group you might want to check out
I strongly recommend this bunch (so nice!! so helpful)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/immigrationuktocalgary/

And whilst they are in Calgary they do have opinions about Edmonton!!

I know a few people who have spent some time in Edmonton and their opinions are not too positive.

They did say housing prices were cheaper than in Calgary but the lifestyle was very boring. They did like Edmontonians however. Also, Edmonton is a government town.

The prime benefit of Edmonton over Calgary is that the average price for a home is about $45,000 less. I prefer the southwest quandrant of the city. The parts that I like the least are the inner city and the northeast quadrant.

While it is true that the average temperature in the winter for Edmonton is colder than Calgary, the average temperature in the summer is actually a tad higher in Edmonton vs. Calgary.

I don't know. I was only in Edmonton once but I thought it was really pretty. Of course, I happened to be staying at the Hotel McDonald, overlooking the valley. I just think that everywhere has something going for it and if you are determined to be successful in Edmonton and can find a job then I think its a good place to live. I know its colder than Calgary but then if you were really concerned about the cold weather, Calgary is no great hell either.

And that is the truth of it.

If you possibly can, try to take time to vist Alberta and stay in both cities to compare, self-catering if possible.

One of the main reasons we prefer the thought of Calgary to Edmonton (apart from those already given) is that Calgary is a lot closer to the Rockies!
However, Edmonton itself is not as flat and featureless as Calgary, and is greener with more trees, (when we visited in April anyway).

Our boys (including Dad) are all very taken with the idea of skiing/snowboarding an hour or two away from Calgary. As for me ..... I managed to break my ankle cross-country skiing, and I think I am safer on the flat!!

Rose

We visited both Edmonton and Calgary this June and both preferred Edmonton or at least the surrounding areas. St Albert was particuarly nice if you want to live in an Urban area whilst Sherwood Park to the east and Stony Plain and Spruce Grove to the west offered a nice small town environment a 20 minute drive away.

The traffic was far easier than in Calgary where rush hour reminded me of home. Downtown was smaller but the river valley and Government areas were clsoe by and a nice amenity. The West Edmonton Mall was totally amazing and we can't wait to show our 2 sons the indoor fun park, ice rink and lagoon.

We met so many friendly people in Edmonton as well. Window shopping in The Bay an expat from Wales got talking to us and gave so much advice, the bank manager in Stony could not have been more helpful, the realtors drove us miles and the clerks in the gas stations struck up conversations all the time.

For skiing well Jasper is about 3 hours along HW16 and there are smaller hills nearer. The lakes around Edmonton on the west side were very beautiful and right on your doorstap too.

Walking round Edmonton we didn't see tramps like we did in Calgary and we never went into a bar we felt uncomfortable in, whereas we did in Calgary.

Edmonton has a far wider culture - just look at the number of festivals throughout the year.

Only problem we found was the lack of flights direct from the UK all year round

I have been to both cities many times and have to say I prefer Edmonton, although I also think Calgary is a fine city and you wouldn't go wrong with either. I find Edmonton a much more attractive place with far more greenary and character to it. The people there are generally very friendly, and I believe more so than Calgary. A couple of my closest friends are based in Edmonton, but due to move to Calgary for work. They are dreading the move for the reasons outlined above. However the possibility is that if I was moving to Alberta I would probably head to Calgary because of the employment opportunities. Would agree with the people above that it is worth spending some time in both places, as I think you will know very quickly which place you prefer. Either way will be a good move.

Thanks for your helpful comments, it's really appreciated. We'll probably be visiting next spring for a few weeks and am looking forward to it.

The reason we are thinking of Edmonton is because my sister and brother-in-law moved there this spring. They were originally in Cold Lake in the North. I lived in Quebec for more than 20 years and spent the last 4 in Ottawa before moving to England. I'd love to return to Ottawa, but it's too French.

Thanks again!

Jasper is about 5 hours from Edmonton - especially with the winter driving.


Edmonton has far more tramps than Calgary. You just didn't see them because you didn't know where or when to look.

I should have thought that your sister is the one best placed to advise you on what it is like then .... cost of living/housing etc etc.

I don't think anyone here actually lives there!

Go stay with your sister, and visit Calgary from there??

Morw

Hi everyone

We moved over from Edinburgh to Edmonton in May of this year. We have not been to Calgary yet but we love Edmonton. Our house is just outside the city in St Albert, a great community to be in.

I am amazed at the low crime rates outside of downtown compared to the UK.

If you have any specific questions I can help with please let me know.

Cheers