Choosing a place to live!

[CaroM8]

Hey guys! It's a rainy day here in Guatemala and I am stuck on a double shift at work.. aka I'm really bored!

This is a bit off topic but thought I would get some opinions. We just sent in our application this week, so we are not looking to relocate to Canada for another year probably. But it got me thinking of where we would like to live when we do. My family lives in the Ottawa area and at first that's where we wanted to go, but we are open to other locations.

Does anybody have any good suggestions on good places to live in Ontario? Somewhere where the job market isn't too difficult, reasonable real estate prices and suitable for raising a family. We want kind of a "in between" place, as in not downtown Toronto (too big and expensive for us!) but not too far out in the boonies either

We were thinking of Kingston, Ontario... thoughts?

 

[steaky]

Kingstons is merely a 2 hours drive from Ottawa. Can't you ask your family in Ottawa to scout it for you?

 

[CaroM8]

Yes I know, we've been to Kingston and we like it.

Just asking for other opinions.. Other places that would be similar to there that might be nice, things like that..

 

[eggsterminate]

Yes I know, we've been to Kingston and we like it.

Just asking for other opinions.. Other places that would be similar to there that might be nice, things like that..

I went to school in Kingston and loved the city. Moved to the Toronto area for work like everyone else I know and don't like it as much here.
It's quite a safe city. The city you want to move depends on what sort of job you're looking for. There are a lot of jobs for healthcare professionals in Kingston. Apart from the hospitals, university and colleges there aren't too many jobs in Kingston.
Cost of living is also a lot more reasonable than Toronto. It is much easier to buy a house in Kingston plus you'll be able to visit your relatives in Ottawa easier. The location midway between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal is quite good when you need to get to any city. If you have kids, there are some good schools in Kingston.

 

[CaroM8]

I went to school in Kingston and loved the city. Moved to the Toronto area for work like everyone else I know and don't like it as much here.
It's quite a safe city. The city you want to move depends on what sort of job you're looking for. There are a lot of jobs for healthcare professionals in Kingston. Apart from the hospitals, university and colleges there aren't too many jobs in Kingston.
Cost of living is also a lot more reasonable than Toronto. It is much easier to buy a house in Kingston plus you'll be able to visit your relatives in Ottawa easier. The location midway between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal is quite good when you need to get to any city. If you have kids, there are some good schools in Kingston.

Thank you so much for your answer!

 

[eggsterminate]

Thank you so much for your answer!

My pleasure helping you ;D! Doesn't look like a lot of people on this forum know much about Kingston.

 

[CDNPR2014]

what you describe sounds a lot like ottawa. it has a stable housing market and employment because of the government and of course it is super family friendly. if you stick to the west end and suburbs (kanata), french is not as essential for jobs. i'd highly consider it and the other towns in the area. kanata, stittsville, carp, carleton place, richmond, almonte, etc... Kingston is nice, but i'm not sure the job market is that great. or you can consider the other towns between ottawa and kingston.

 

[CaroM8]

what you describe sounds a lot like ottawa. it has a stable housing market and employment because of the government and of course it is super family friendly. if you stick to the west end and suburbs (kanata), french is not as essential for jobs. i'd highly consider it and the other towns in the area. kanata, stittsville, carp, carleton place, richmond, almonte, etc... Kingston is nice, but i'm not sure the job market is that great. or you can consider the other towns between ottawa and kingston.

Thank you!
Ottawa feels very "been there done that" to me as I have lived there for almost 10 years before meeting my husband. I think what sparked our search for a different town is that when we move back to Canada, we want it to be new adventure/ new life for both of us. Going back to Ottawa just doesn't seem fair.
I have heard of Kingston lacking in quality jobs, it's definitely something to take into consideration. Were are not looking for very specific jobs, mostly customer service and hospitality, which I thinks works in our favor.

Does anybody have an opinion on either Barrie or Sudbury? My mother threw these out there the other day so I'm looking into it.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Thank you!
Ottawa feels very "been there done that" to me as I have lived there for almost 10 years before meeting my husband. I think what sparked our search for a different town is that when we move back to Canada, we want it to be new adventure/ new life for both of us. Going back to Ottawa just doesn't seem fair.
I have heard of Kingston lacking in quality jobs, it's definitely something to take into consideration. Were are not looking for very specific jobs, mostly customer service and hospitality, which I thinks works in our favor.

Does anybody have an opinion on either Barrie or Sudbury? My mother threw these out there the other day so I'm looking into it.

i see. i hear waterloo is an emerging tech area, so it is suppose to be good for jobs. i'm not sure geographically where that fits in. i'm still learning that stuff. best of luck!