Hello there,
I am in Calgary at the moment. Somewhat reminds of Oklahoma in terms of landscape. So here my story. I took my passport to Buffalo office and they stamped the PR visa in 1 hr (can you believe that). The next day I was in Calgary. Had all my stuff packed aready and so far so good. Got the SIN number but for Alberta health card they ask you to show some sort of utility bill or bank statement. The bank statements from what I have heard are quite different then in US. Inorder to open a bank account you need to set up an appointment with the bank
so forget about walking in and getting your things done same day. I am opting with CIBC because other banks have a longer wait time for appointments. Other then that there seem to be endless formalities which need to be done in person unlike US. I guess I will get used to it eventually. I also had the pleasure of driving to Edmonton yesterday from Calgary. I was lot colder than Calgary but the West edmonton mall seemed to be the most happening place. The roads are nice but it seems like traffic rules are somewhat stricter then in US. More cameras and zero tolerance for speed limits. Winter driving conditions are poor as well. Make sure to check AMA road report if you decide to go out of down during winters. I have been watching weather channel constantly ever since I came here. Also, the prices are somewhat high. I found things to be more expensive as compared to NYC or LA but maybe thats just me. For drivers license please make sure to get your driving record history from US. I have heard its helpful and it would also be nice to get your driving insurance record from your auto insurance company. I haven't done that but I will do it soon.
One final thing is to please make sure your landing papers have all your information mentioned correctly. I had some issues in my name. Although it was spelled correctly but when I went to get sin number they told me about it. I would have to go through registeries to correct that error... More paperwork formalities. Welcome to Canada folks and good luck!!