Langley, Abbotsford, or Calgary?

[VictorCA]

Hi all,

I'm doing some research in preparation for when I move to Canada, which (God willing) will probably be early next year. After considering a few factors, I have narrowed my search down to Ottawa, Windsor, or Kingston. These are some of the factors I considered:

• I do not like heat, the sun, or humidity. The less of those I can get, the better!
• Proximity to the US. I'd like to be able to just drive to the US whenever necessary.
• Job availability.
• Affordable housing.
• English as a main language.

My first choice had been Ottawa, but when I started browsing the job boards for opportunities there, I noticed that a lot of them require bilingual people. I think that may be because of how close it is to Quebec? My French is basic/intermediate, so I would not consider myself bilingual.

Kingston seems to be about an hour away from Watertown, NY, and Windsor about 11 minutes away from Detroit, MI, so both sound like good options for me; however, they also sound warmer and more humid than Ottawa.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with these cities and could share their opinion about them with me? It would help me a lot!

Thanks in advance ;D

EDIT:

No longer considering Ontario because of the heat and humidity. I'm now considering Langley, BC, Abbotsford, BC, or Calgary, AB. Any thoughts on these?
Thanks!

 

[CDNPR2014]

Re: Ottawa, Windsor, or Kingston?

sorry to disappoint but ottawa gets VERY humid and hot during the summer. generally the heat lasts from mayish to septemberish. kingston may be a bit less humid because they are on the water, but generally you're not going to be able to escape it in ontario.

for job searching in ottawa, yes a good number of employers downtown do look for bilingual employees. however, there are also many companies that don't require french, and you will want to stick to companies on the "west" side of ottawa. Kanata is an emerging tech centre and has many companies that don't require french. It is a west suburb. it will also depend on the job you are looking for. hospitality, office management and customer service are more likely to require french. I speak no french and was able to get part time and full time jobs.

Ottawa is about 2 hours from Watertown, and 45 minutes to ogdensburg, so it's very close to the US. (not as close as kingston).

Because Ottawa is a government town, housing and employment remains pretty stable and affordable.

I'd recommend signing up for a free trial of Peter's New Jobs. They provide job lists for ottawa (inlcuding kingston) every day, and it's one of the best resources for legit jobs.

 

[VictorCA]

Re: Ottawa, Windsor, or Kingston?

Excellent, thank you, CDNPR2014! I can't believe I'm already thinking about what Canadian city to move to. This is unreal.

Someone from another website suggested coastal BC to me, but I hadn't considered those cities because I've heard they're expensive (Vancouver, Victoria, etc.).

I believe what you said about Ottawa. I visited Montreal in the summer of 2013 and it was too hot and humid for me, and I know it's pretty close to Ottawa. On the plus side, it sounds like there aren't that many really hot days (over 30C) during the year. Do you live in Ottawa? This is the first time in my life that I'll be able to choose what city I want to live in, so I want to get it right haha

 

[CDNPR2014]

Re: Ottawa, Windsor, or Kingston?

Excellent, thank you, CDNPR2014! I can't believe I'm already thinking about what Canadian city to move to. This is unreal.

Someone from another website suggested coastal BC to me, but I hadn't considered those cities because I've heard they're expensive (Vancouver, Victoria, etc.).

I believe what you said about Ottawa. I visited Montreal in the summer of 2013 and it was too hot and humid for me, and I know it's pretty close to Ottawa. On the plus side, it sounds like there aren't that many really hot days (over 30C) during the year. Do you live in Ottawa? This is the first time in my life that I'll be able to choose what city I want to live in, so I want to get it right haha

yes, i live in ottawa. there are certainly days during the summer it gets over 30c, and yes the weather is similar to montreal. with the humidity index, we had some 40c days. generally it gets hot for a week or 2 then will break for a bit, then get really hot again. like i said, the hot weather can last from mayish to septemberish. since this is canada, there are certainly a less hot days than there are cold days. we had our first snow fall last night.

 

[Rossei]

Re: Ottawa, Windsor, or Kingston?

I lived both in Windsor and Kingston and visited Ottawa multiple times.

First of all, it's a bit harsh for Windsor and Kingston to compare them with Ottawa, Apart from being the country capital, it's also big and populous.

Now, let's come to the 5 points you mentioned.

1. Climate:
Since you visited Montreal, Ottawa would be same in terms of weather. It's perhaps a bit more humid in summer but definitely lot colder in Winter. Windsor is the warmest you will find in Ontario. As the other poster mentioned, there won't be much difference you will notice along Southern Ontario cities. It's mostly warm to hot summer and snowy/cool winter (not crazy cold like north). Both Ottawa and Kingston would be colder than Windsor in winter months.

2. Distance to US:
Windsor is definitely better for this. It even has local bus that crosses border every hour or so. Besides, you get to Detroit (large industrial city) right away. It's near about an hour drive from both Ottawa and Kingston to the US border. But there isn't much just at the border unlike Detroit. You can also consider Sarnia (much smaller city than Windsor) for this purpose.

3. Job:
Definitely, Ottawa is the best as it houses all sort of central govt. agencies/services/offices. Knowing French is an asset here, but not always mandatory. Since you know little, it may not be hard for you to polish your French. Kingston is a city of learned people - as far I've seen. It has very few industries and largely depends on health/service sector. After automotive giants collapsed in 2008, Windsor had been shaken to its bones. It never regained its economic strength which was driven by automotive industries. Lot of people there nowadays live in Canada but daily commute to US for work.

4. Housing:
It will be little expensive in Ottawa than the other 2 cities for obvious reasons. The housing market has gone unstable in Windsor though for last few years due to economic situation (automotive collapse, people moving out, less jobs etc.).

5. Language:
English is the prime lingo in all these cities. Being the capital, Ottawa needs bilingual people to work at govt. sectors. But it's not required for everyday things.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Re: Ottawa, Windsor, or Kingston?

something else to point out regarding French. As a newcomer to canada, you have access to FREE French classes. It is called the CLIC program. If you google "free language classes for newcomers to canada" you'll find the link to the CIC website for information. you have to go through an assessment at an intake centre to get started. Not all areas will have classes. I know ottawa does.

If you do settle in Ottawa, you will want to connect with OCISO. they are an immigrant service organization and have been a huge asset to my settlement. they can refer you to many services for newcomers. i particularly used their assistance for job searching and network building.

 

[VictorCA]

Re: Ottawa, Windsor, or Kingston?

yes, i live in ottawa. there are certainly days during the summer it gets over 30c, and yes the weather is similar to montreal. with the humidity index, we had some 40c days. generally it gets hot for a week or 2 then will break for a bit, then get really hot again. like i said, the hot weather can last from mayish to septemberish. since this is canada, there are certainly a less hot days than there are cold days. we had our first snow fall last night.

Wow that does sound like it gets pretty nasty during the summer...Kingston is still at the top of my list, weather-wise. As we speak, Toronto is at 9C, Ottawa at 4C, Kingston also at 4C, and Windsor at 12C. Windsor has been removed from the list (I read somewhere that it's the hottest city in the country - definitely not for me!). Another two things I like about Kingston is how central it is to Toronto, Ottawa, and NY, and the fact that it's cheaper than Ottawa.

You've been very helpful, thank you for the CLIC tip. I wouldn't mind some free French classes!

 

[VictorCA]

Re: Ottawa, Windsor, or Kingston?

I lived both in Windsor and Kingston and visited Ottawa multiple times.

First of all, it's a bit harsh for Windsor and Kingston to compare them with Ottawa, Apart from being the country capital, it's also big and populous.

Now, let's come to the 5 points you mentioned.

1. Climate:
Since you visited Montreal, Ottawa would be same in terms of weather. It's perhaps a bit more humid in summer but definitely lot colder in Winter. Windsor is the warmest you will find in Ontario. As the other poster mentioned, there won't be much difference you will notice along Southern Ontario cities. It's mostly warm to hot summer and snowy/cool winter (not crazy cold like north). Both Ottawa and Kingston would be colder than Windsor in winter months.

2. Distance to US:
Windsor is definitely better for this. It even has local bus that crosses border every hour or so. Besides, you get to Detroit (large industrial city) right away. It's near about an hour drive from both Ottawa and Kingston to the US border. But there isn't much just at the border unlike Detroit. You can also consider Sarnia (much smaller city than Windsor) for this purpose.

3. Job:
Definitely, Ottawa is the best as it houses all sort of central govt. agencies/services/offices. Knowing French is an asset here, but not always mandatory. Since you know little, it may not be hard for you to polish your French. Kingston is a city of learned people - as far I've seen. It has very few industries and largely depends on health/service sector. After automotive giants collapsed in 2008, Windsor had been shaken to its bones. It never regained its economic strength which was driven by automotive industries. Lot of people there nowadays live in Canada but daily commute to US for work.

4. Housing:
It will be little expensive in Ottawa than the other 2 cities for obvious reasons. The housing market has gone unstable in Windsor though for last few years due to economic situation (automotive collapse, people moving out, less jobs etc.).

5. Language:
English is the prime lingo in all these cities. Being the capital, Ottawa needs bilingual people to work at govt. sectors. But it's not required for everyday things.

Rossei, thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed review of these three cities. As far as the climate goes, I think Kingston has the other two beat, at least as far as what I'm looking for. The proximity of Windsor to Detroit is definitely an asset, but I'd rather drive a little longer to get to the US than have to live in the warmest city in the country! I'll start looking for jobs as soon as I receive my CoPR. Hopefully, there'll be something for me in Kingston, since it sounds like that'll be my new home in a few months/weeks!

Thanks again!

 

[steaky]

Re: Ottawa, Windsor, or Kingston?

I read somewhere that it's the hottest city in the country - definitely not for me!

No, the hottest city in the country is Osoyoos BC. Currently, even Vancouver BC is warmer than Windsor ON.

 

[VictorCA]

Re: Ottawa, Windsor, or Kingston?

No, the hottest city in the country is Osoyoos BC. Currently, even Vancouver BC is warmer than Windsor ON.

Oh, then maybe what I read was that Windsor is the hottest city in Ontario. That would make more sense.

 

[VictorCA]

Re: Ottawa or Kingston?

Found three more options: Langley, BC, Abbotsford, BC, and Calgary, AB.

Someone mentioned that Langley is a farming community, so I'm not sure I want to consider that one. While I've always lived in small-ish cities, I'm not sure I'm ready to move to a farming community. Abbotsford sounds nice but I don't know anything about it. Calgary seems to be about 4 hours away from the US and it sounds like it has pretty mild summers. Does anyone have any thoughts about these cities?

Thanks very much four your help! This is obviously a big and difficult decision to make!

 

[steaky]

Re: Ottawa or Kingston?

Found three more options: Langley, BC, Abbotsford, BC, and Calgary, AB.

Someone mentioned that Langley is a farming community, so I'm not sure I want to consider that one. While I've always lived in small-ish cities, I'm not sure I'm ready to move to a farming community. Abbotsford sounds nice but I don't know anything about it. Calgary seems to be about 4 hours away from the US and it sounds like it has pretty mild summers. Does anyone have any thoughts about these cities?

Thanks very much four your help! This is obviously a big and difficult decision to make!

Langley is part of Metro Vancouver and is one of the bedroom communties for people commute to Vancouver to work. Housing is not cheap compare to Ottawa. Abbotsford is more of a farming community than Langley. Calgary is very sunny and hot in the summer, so I don't think you like it.

 

[VictorCA]

Re: Ottawa or Kingston?

Langley is part of Metro Vancouver and is one of the bedroom communties for people commute to Vancouver to work. Housing is not cheap compare to Ottawa. Abbotsford is more of a farming community than Langley. Calgary is very sunny and hot in the summer, so I don't think you like it.

Wow, really? That is surprising. This website lists Calgary as being the 4th Canadian city with the coolest summer days, as well as the 11th city with fewest hot days per year: https://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/Canada/coldest-cities-summer.php

This is why it's good to ask people who actually live or have been in these places!

 

[steaky]

Re: Ottawa or Kingston?

This is why it's good to ask people who actually live or have been in these places!

I agree. Before I went to NYC and Los Angeles, I always heard people said Vancouver has the worst traffic in North America. Now I think New York City is even worse.

 

[foodie69]

If you live in Langley or Abbotsford, you will experience the worst commute possible every morning on Highway 1 westbound, the Burnaby stretch is.. how can I word it..an "experience".

I have no issues commuting, taking Kingsway all the way from New West to 12th Ave..