I am planning to immigrate to Canada from Australia in the near future and am having a very hard time deciding on my destination. My heart says Vancouver and my head says Toronto.
I have wanted to live in Canada for as long as I can remember and it has always been BC that has drawn me. I am happily married with two fantastic sons and they are all 100% just as enthusiastic as I. My wife, rightly so, said that she could not move to a country that she had never been to so last year I took the family over for a month and they adored it. In particular, it was Vancouver and the surrounding areas that we spent most of our time and we were taken by the sheer beauty of the city, and the friendliness of the people there.
The problem we have though is the cost of real estate in Greater Vancouver. We only wanted to spend about $350k on a house and there is nothing available that we can see in a reasonable distance from central Vancouver. My wife works for the Hyatt group of hotels (and will be getting a transfer to there) and she will need to make the daily trip in. There is nothing in our price range until you get to about Pit Meadows and further out from the city. Is this too far for a daily commute?
On the flip side from this is Toronto, and, while not as lovely as Vancouver, it still seems like a lovely area. There appears to be work there (especially for my wife with two Hyatts there) and the cost of housing seems very reasonable. The surrounding areas also seem to be very pretty and the region is steeped in history and natural wonders (although there are no mountains
). Also, Toronto is very central to a lot of other cities which would be good for holidays and such. But on the downside is the fact that unemployment is higher, and various other issues that Bcguy has mentioned.
I work in the graphic arts industry, normally at management level, and I am very confident that I could get a job in either area. I am however considering becoming a chef (a life long dream made impossible by a thing called responsibilities) and was also thinking that Vancouver would be the best area for that as I think that the 2010 Winter Olympics will be a big boost for that city and tourism in that area.
Mind you, the Olympics will most likely also drive property costs up as well - and they are already high....
LOL, I think I am rambling on a bit here. But I suppose it shows that I am borderline both ways, unsure of which way to go. One thought has been that we could go to Vancouver first and rent for the first year and if things do not work out then we can move on.
I suppose, to sum up, our greatest fear is to move somewhere where the wages are low and the cost of living is high and regardless of how beautiful a place is, it is not worth living there is we can't afford to do anything.
Anyway, all feedback and comments will be very welcome. Feel free to contact me directly via email if needs be at stevepax_2000@yahoo.com
Thanks all
I have wanted to live in Canada for as long as I can remember and it has always been BC that has drawn me. I am happily married with two fantastic sons and they are all 100% just as enthusiastic as I. My wife, rightly so, said that she could not move to a country that she had never been to so last year I took the family over for a month and they adored it. In particular, it was Vancouver and the surrounding areas that we spent most of our time and we were taken by the sheer beauty of the city, and the friendliness of the people there.
The problem we have though is the cost of real estate in Greater Vancouver. We only wanted to spend about $350k on a house and there is nothing available that we can see in a reasonable distance from central Vancouver. My wife works for the Hyatt group of hotels (and will be getting a transfer to there) and she will need to make the daily trip in. There is nothing in our price range until you get to about Pit Meadows and further out from the city. Is this too far for a daily commute?
On the flip side from this is Toronto, and, while not as lovely as Vancouver, it still seems like a lovely area. There appears to be work there (especially for my wife with two Hyatts there) and the cost of housing seems very reasonable. The surrounding areas also seem to be very pretty and the region is steeped in history and natural wonders (although there are no mountains
). Also, Toronto is very central to a lot of other cities which would be good for holidays and such. But on the downside is the fact that unemployment is higher, and various other issues that Bcguy has mentioned.I work in the graphic arts industry, normally at management level, and I am very confident that I could get a job in either area. I am however considering becoming a chef (a life long dream made impossible by a thing called responsibilities) and was also thinking that Vancouver would be the best area for that as I think that the 2010 Winter Olympics will be a big boost for that city and tourism in that area.
Mind you, the Olympics will most likely also drive property costs up as well - and they are already high....
LOL, I think I am rambling on a bit here. But I suppose it shows that I am borderline both ways, unsure of which way to go. One thought has been that we could go to Vancouver first and rent for the first year and if things do not work out then we can move on.
I suppose, to sum up, our greatest fear is to move somewhere where the wages are low and the cost of living is high and regardless of how beautiful a place is, it is not worth living there is we can't afford to do anything.
Anyway, all feedback and comments will be very welcome. Feel free to contact me directly via email if needs be at stevepax_2000@yahoo.com
Thanks all