Best city to live in??

[JonnyBoi]

Hello all,

I don't know how smart this is.. But most everybody I have communicated with on this board has been more than kind and helpful, so here we go!

I am based out of Toronto but now work has an opportunity for me to relocate to the great city of Vancouver. They're giving me an option to pick the tri-city area (which means Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond?). I am going to lead some Asian division for the company, so that's interesting (I suck at Chinese, being CBC and all LOL)

my question to all of you is:

Which city would you say is the best to live at? (Composite score for neighbourhood, food and culture, and travel distance to downtown).

All I have heard thus far is I need to stay out of Richmond because people will run me over with their cars - we have a city called Markham on Ontario but apparently it's much worse here.

Any advice would be appreciated!!!

(If it matters: Moving should be free for me, but I am kind of tired of the "downtown grind" as it were)

 

[badbadboy]

Hello all,

I don't know how smart this is.. But most everybody I have communicated with on this board has been more than kind and helpful, so here we go!

I am based out of Toronto but now work has an opportunity for me to relocate to the great city of Vancouver. They're giving me an option to pick the tri-city area (which means Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond?). I am going to lead some Asian division for the company, so that's interesting (I suck at Chinese, being CBC and all LOL)

my question to all of you is:

Which city would you say is the best to live at? (Composite score for neighbourhood, food and culture, and travel distance to downtown).

All I have heard thus far is I need to stay out of Richmond because people will run me over with their cars - we have a city called Markham on Ontario but apparently it's much worse here.

Any advice would be appreciated!!!

(If it matters: Moving should be free for me, but I am kind of tired of the "downtown grind" as it were)

Ti-Cities refers to Burnaby, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.

Out in that area there are nice neighbourhoods with a good mix of homes, condos and townhouses. There is a also neighbouring areas worthy of a look if you want to be near the water in Belcarra or in the trees in Anmore. Not too sure about the mix of good restaurants in that area but Burnaby and Vancouver have an excellent selection. There is a Sky Train from those areas to downtown Vancouver if you don't need your car during the day.

Poor drivers are everywhere with a proliferation in Richmond and the wealthiest neighbourhood in Canada being Shaughnessy (South Vancouver).

 

[JonnyBoi]

Thanks for the replies! I posted with no expectations and got back to this thread in an hours' time with great responses!
I apologize for misusing the word "Tri-cities". I guess I am saying I ONLY have three options, which is Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond. (I asked my co worker who was originally from BC, he says work means I need to stay within MetroVancouver, which apparently different than Greater Vancouver. Also you guys got a North and a West Van?!?) do any Sp offer to be tour guides in the city?? Lol

They are pushing for Richmond because of proximity of airport, and the density of the firms I will be working with - but apparently roads here are much nicer and well-kept that Burnaby is also acceptable(?)

Whenever I am in town, I usually just stay at the hotels in downtown that work put me up in - but I am trying to get away from that (the downtown core is boring to me.. At least Younge street of Toronto is.. Guhhh)

I have also heard it is very difficult to get a place within the Vancouver city limits due to the demand, but I have a connection near the Olympic Village(?) which is like downtown but kind of not?

I'll definitely check out Burnaby and figure this stuff out - I move by the end of April as they just fired a dude here. Lol (I mean "redrawn the district of which He was responsible for". No complaints from me!!

 

[Ray]

Any one of those 3 places is going to be extremely expensive.

North Vancouver and to the west of that, West Vancouver, are across the water from downtown.
Richmond is to the south of Vancouver, and Burnaby to the east.
Olympic Village is a nice place, close proximity to downtown. (Right across False Creek). Close proximity to the transit system which will take you to the airport, Richmond, and Burnaby quite conveniently.

 

[burcs]

1) Downtown Vancouver
2) Olympic Village
3) Downtown Richmond
4) Metrotown
5) Brentwood

Yes, in that order. Proximity of airport is near pointless unless you're making multiple trips every week. Driving in Richmond isn't great, but people make it out to be worse than it actually is. If you haven't noticed, people in Vancouver complain for as a hobby.

 

[apl16]

Tri-cities is Coquitlam/Port Coquitlam/Port Moody. East of Vancouver. Nice enough area. Bit slower paced than Van. Less expensive than Vancouver and more down to earth.

 

[Lo-ki]

Remember
BC means

Bring
Cash

 

[manni]

Hello all,

I don't know how smart this is.. But most everybody I have communicated with on this board has been more than kind and helpful, so here we go!

I am based out of Toronto but now work has an opportunity for me to relocate to the great city of Vancouver. They're giving me an option to pick the tri-city area (which means Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond?). I am going to lead some Asian division for the company, so that's interesting (I suck at Chinese, being CBC and all LOL)

my question to all of you is:

Which city would you say is the best to live at? (Composite score for neighbourhood, food and culture, and travel distance to downtown).

All I have heard thus far is I need to stay out of Richmond because people will run me over with their cars - we have a city called Markham on Ontario but apparently it's much worse here.

Any advice would be appreciated!!!

(If it matters: Moving should be free for me, but I am kind of tired of the "downtown grind" as it were)

stay in Vancouver and would highly recommend Olympic Village neighbourhood.
sounds like you can afford the monthly bills with your job,
there's tons of amenities nearby without the downtown headache.

forget Burnaby and Richmond, it's a wasteland out there.

if possible, do a 1 week visit here prior to moving and do a recon
of several neighbourhoods in Vancouver.

just a suggestion:
False Creek (Olympic Village)
Mount Pleasant
Marpole (literally 5 mins to Richmond by car)
Strathcona
Riley Park/Little Mountain

good luck JohnnyBoi.

 

[JonnyBoi]

You guys (or gals) are amazing - if I can, I wanna buy everyone a round of beers. LOL.

I am supposed to fly at a drop of a hat whenever a contact might need me, thus the proximity to the airport requirement. But it seems like Burnaby (the furthest of the three cities) is only like, 30-35mins away according to google? So it's all pretty good.

I am sick of the downtown lifestyle, I want to not live near tall glass towers of high rises if possible.

As for scouting.. I'm here (please don't show up at my Hotel and stab me. Lol. The forum instruction says don't give out personal info, but I think I am being vague enough.. Unless you have access to the flight list with the airlines. ) tues-Thursday this week and Mon-Friday next week to figure out a living arrangement. And then by May I will be officially here. A vancouverian? A vancouverite? Anyways I am super excited. Not for the hobby (okay maybe a bit, but I was single for a while) but really for the food and the cool nature I'd surrounded by.

We got a giant lake and a waterfall in Ontario, boohoo. Lol.

Based on what you guys mentioned thus far, Olympic village and Burnaby seems to be higher on my list!

Thanks a bunch guys!!!

Ps: You can keep giving me advice /this thread alive for now since I don't have to make a decision until the 25th (for signing lease of a place that is, I already took the damn job. Lol)

 

[TenderLover]

I live in Vancouver for many years and you need lots of money to live out here.
Best city to live in Canada is St.John NFL

 

[burcs]

Revise to:

1) Olympic Village
2) Mount Pleasant
3) Kits

People need to stop saying shit like 'oh yeah it's a bit cheaper out in Langley'. Anyone making a conscious decision to move to Vancouver is going to be well aware of the price.

If you're CBC you're going to want to stay away from living in Richmond. It's okay in small doses but it'll eventually be overwhelming. Burnaby is okay at the hubs but you're limited to malls more in Metrotown and Brentwood. There isn't a neighbourhood vibe the same way you'd get from a Kits or Mount Pleasant. With the revised info these (or similar) are probably the only ones you should consider. The airport thing is negligible as you mentioned.

 

[lenny]

I am sick of the downtown lifestyle, I want to not live near tall glass towers of high rises if possible.

Kitsilano in Vancouver qualifies, is near the beach & airport with great views of the mountains across the inlet.

http://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/kitsilano.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitsilano

http://www.kitsilano.ca/

 

[rlock]

If your job is in Richmond (it sounds like it), it is easy enough to get to from certain parts of east Vancouver, from Burnaby, and even New Westminster. You dislike high rises, and those are growing like weeds everywhere, but there are still some ordinary neighbourhoods in all 3 of these places. Victoria-Fraserview, Killarney, Champlain Heights, South Slope, etc.

If the job is in Richmond, you would not want to commute there from Coquitlam or the North Shore. (And even if it seems close by, not Ladner or Tsawassen.)

PS: We have a "West Vancouver", a "west side", and a "West End", and none of these mean the same thing.

 

[JonnyBoi]

How does false creek (Olympic village) stack up against Kitslano??
FC seems more central and Kits feels like a suburb? I feel the winding road (only have a few access points) are potential failures that can really mess me over if traffic or road conditions becomes bad.

I think Port Moody is out of my allowed range of the downtown core, but it seems quaint.. Maybe when I have a family one day? Lol

 

[burcs]

Hipster -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->Yuppy
Kitsilano ---------> Mount Pleasant ---------> Olympic Village ---------> Downtown Vancouver

Given your demographic as someone who seems relatively younger (than this board), with your work being in Richmond, these are the only real decisions if money isn't much of a factor. These aren't places most people would raise a family, those have been covered in pretty much every other mentioned neighbourhood.

 

[wetnose]

Personally...I'd base the choice on the location of the office.

If it's in Richmond, then I'd live in Richmond. Commutes in Vancouver generally suck.

If it's Vancouver, then find an apartment close to the Canada Line since that means you're less than 35 minutes away from the airport.

 

[lenny]

A vancouverian? A vancouverite?

I've been a Vancouver native my whole life & never heard of these, but google seems to accept them both.

vancouverite

"A rich asian living in contemporary WestCoast mansions on the west side, driving two mercedes and a BMW, with both 14 year old kids taking UBC sciences and/or commerce, who spend their weekends rock climbing, skiing, kayaking, fishing, smoking pot, hosting barbeques for relatives and going out for dim sum."

"Damn I envy their lifestyle those vancouverites!
Vancouverite: Wanna go skiing?
Torontonian: Nah, I'm going to stay indoors and dress up like I'm from New York and take pictures of myself."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=vancouverite

I am going to lead some Asian division for the company, so that's interesting (I suck at Chinese, being CBC and all LOL)

For improving your Chinese, being in or near the DT, Richmond or Chinatown might help. The latter would be a good location if historic Gastown & the exciting DTES also interest you, as they are within 5 minutes walking distance of each other.

 

[JonnyBoi]

Hello All,

Thanks for all the pointers and opinions, I have perused through them all and it means a great deal to me (and it speaks well for your city) that you guys would be so willing to help out a stranger. I have been driving around with a buddy (co worker, who is local, and should be my support/subordinate so I guess he had no choice. Lol) and I checked out most of the neighbourhoods mentioned above.

I dont HAVE to live in Richmond, it's just so happened that the people that will be needing my support have offices there (The Asian market is the most prominent there) but I also have quite a bit it exposure near Oakridge (?) area and what not.

So far, I really liked mount pleasant, Olympic village and Oakridge.

I felt kits to be a be too hipster for me (lol) I love to visit Portland, but I do not know if I want to live in that kind of neighbourhood 24/7. I like how everything is "local" and "organic" but it's a bit too much too fast for me lol.

I will be taking classes for Chinese and work should be able to help too, but I did enjoy my short tour of China town - but I'll most likely visit and not live there I don't need that much excitement of the Downtown EastSide (I am assuming DTES, not something else?) I have heard things. I used to do MMA pretty avidly but, while I am not scared of those people, I do worry about parking and other issues, especially for my guests in the future.

Thanks everyone! I'll be watching this board for more tips and advice

 

[Ray]

Check out Yaletown as well. It's right by downtown, but a lot of very good restaurants and nightlife there.

 

[manni]

Hello All,

Thanks for all the pointers and opinions, I have perused through them all and it means a great deal to me (and it speaks well for your city) that you guys would be so willing to help out a stranger. I have been driving around with a buddy (co worker, who is local, and should be my support/subordinate so I guess he had no choice. Lol) and I checked out most of the neighbourhoods mentioned above.

I dont HAVE to live in Richmond, it's just so happened that the people that will be needing my support have offices there (The Asian market is the most prominent there) but I also have quite a bit it exposure near Oakridge (?) area and what not.

So far, I really liked mount pleasant, Olympic village and Oakridge.

I felt kits to be a be too hipster for me (lol) I love to visit Portland, but I do not know if I want to live in that kind of neighbourhood 24/7. I like how everything is "local" and "organic" but it's a bit too much too fast for me lol.

I will be taking classes for Chinese and work should be able to help too, but I did enjoy my short tour of China town - but I'll most likely visit and not live there I don't need that much excitement of the Downtown EastSide (I am assuming DTES, not something else?) I have heard things. I used to do MMA pretty avidly but, while I am not scared of those people, I do worry about parking and other issues, especially for my guests in the future.

Thanks everyone! I'll be watching this board for more tips and advice

you're on the right track with those three areas and
I have a hunch Olympic Village will be your new address.
it has everything you'll need without the downtown hassle
plus you'll be thankful that you're able to park the car and walk to pubs, eateries, groceries.
and the seawall itself makes for a nice early morning walks.

personally, I'd cross out Oakridge on that list. that area won't be developed for some time
and only has the mall going as an attraction. shops are more geared to retired demographics so prob not your scene.

best of luck with the move.