# Favorite cities/towns in Canada?!!



## Pecosa (Nov 29, 2009)

Hello,
My family and I spent the last year moving around Europe and have recently returned home to Oregon. It is a gorgeous state, but we remain deeply unhappy with US politics and wastefulness. Not only that, the county we live in has some of the highest unemployment rates in the USA.
We returned due to a job offer, but my husband is less-than-thrilled with his new employers. It is a foolish time to be picky, but as our hearts tell us over and over to get out of the US we are really thinking of moving to Canada starting the next school year (if we are allowed in!).
We have visited Vancouver, Quebec City and Montreal so we remain mostly ignorant to the variety of cities/towns in Canada.
Our biggest concern it JOBS and next in line SCHOOLS for our kids. They currently attend French immersion schools and attended a full year of school in France so we are drawn to the bilingual parts of Canada.
I would love to hear from you all about favorite cities/towns in Canada and any and all info you have time to share about life for expats in Canada.
Thanks so much,
Beth


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## Pecosa (Nov 29, 2009)

Pecosa said:


> Hello,
> My family and I spent the last year moving around Europe and have recently returned home to Oregon. It is a gorgeous state, but we remain deeply unhappy with US politics and wastefulness. Not only that, the county we live in has some of the highest unemployment rates in the USA.
> We returned due to a job offer, but my husband is less-than-thrilled with his new employers. It is a foolish time to be picky, but as our hearts tell us over and over to get out of the US we are really thinking of moving to Canada starting the next school year (if we are allowed in!).
> We have visited Vancouver, Quebec City and Montreal so we remain mostly ignorant to the variety of cities/towns in Canada.
> ...


Hi again,
Just noticed 37 viewings and not one reply! I guess my post is too general?!
Ah well,
Beth


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## greeneyes (Jan 4, 2010)

I just wrote a long (*LONG*) response on the merits of my choice and hit the wrong key and poof. Gone. :hurt:

I will do my best to rewrite it tomorrow. :frusty:


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## Pecosa (Nov 29, 2009)

greeneyes said:


> I just wrote a long (*LONG*) response on the merits of my choice and hit the wrong key and poof. Gone. :hurt:
> 
> I will do my best to rewrite it tomorrow. :frusty:


OH NO!!!!
I hope you have the energy to do it again:spit:
Thanks,
Beth


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

Sounds like you want to be in or near Quebec to keep the French language skills sharp.

I really like Kingston, Ontario (never lived there but have visited several times). There you'd be within striking distance of Montreal and Ottawa - and not too far from Toronto. The Thousand Islands region is beautiful. You'd also be able to get to the US very quickly.


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## Pecosa (Nov 29, 2009)

MarylandNed said:


> Sounds like you want to be in or near Quebec to keep the French language skills sharp.
> 
> I really like Kingston, Ontario (never lived there but have visited several times). There you'd be within striking distance of Montreal and Ottawa - and not too far from Toronto. The Thousand Islands region is beautiful. You'd also be able to get to the US very quickly.


THANK YOU--I will look up that place/that area!


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## dirtyghettokid (Nov 2, 2010)

Pecosa said:


> THANK YOU--I will look up that place/that area!


kingston is nice, my friend lives there and really likes it!
i'm from peterborough, on myself...but i found it boring when i last lived there (12 years ago i was a teenager LOL) but now when i go back to visit, i like it. it's a smallish city of 90,000 people and is about 90 mins drive from toronto. the kawartha lakes region where peterborough is near is a beautiful place


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## scharlack (Nov 21, 2008)

Pecosa said:


> Hello,
> My family and I spent the last year moving around Europe and have recently returned home to Oregon. It is a gorgeous state, but we remain deeply unhappy with US politics and wastefulness. Not only that, the county we live in has some of the highest unemployment rates in the USA.
> We returned due to a job offer, but my husband is less-than-thrilled with his new employers. It is a foolish time to be picky, but as our hearts tell us over and over to get out of the US we are really thinking of moving to Canada starting the next school year (if we are allowed in!).
> We have visited Vancouver, Quebec City and Montreal so we remain mostly ignorant to the variety of cities/towns in Canada.
> ...


Hello,

Maybe you should at the Ottawa/Gatineau area. Good deal of jobs as well as French/English languages.

Cheers


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## Guest (Nov 23, 2010)

I lived for 20 years just west of Toronto and I don't like the weather extremities there and everywhere else in Canada, except Vancouver where the rain is easy to handle.

Here are my 5 Favourite things about Vancouver:

In addition of course to the people who live here and visit us in Vancouver, British Columbia, here are my favourite 5 things about the area:

NATURAL BEAUTY: No matter where you go in Metro Vancouver you can experience and enjoy the natural beauty from the sea to the forests to the mountains and beyond.

ATTRACTIONS: The unlimited attractions such as, Stanley Park, Canada Place, Grouse Mountain, Granville Island, Gastown, Robson Street shopping, Chinatown (the largest in Canada), Vancouver Aquarium, museums, galleries, theatre, VanDusen Botanical Gardens, offer something for everyone.

PLACES TO EAT AND DRINK: The affordability, quality and choices of places to eat and drink, are always a pleasant surprise for visitors; just ask anyone who came to the Olympics.

ACTIVE LIFESTYLE: The people of Metro Vancouver live an active lifestyle with an unbelievable selection of beaches, mountains, parks, rivers, trails and other venues to experience an equally impressive choice of outdoor activities.

SURROUNDING SUBURBS: Any of the surrounding suburbs within a half hour transit ride or drive, also have an amazingly wide selection of attractions for explorers, fishermen, hikers, lovers, shoppers, sportsmen, tourists, wildlife enthusiasts, or families.


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## telcoman (Feb 11, 2010)

I can't imagine anyone used to Oregon wanting to move away form the moutainsn & ocean, so I will assume BC is your best choice. 

Depends on whether you want urban or rural. If urban, Vancouver would be my first choice and you can have French Immersion. If rural, you will only get French Immersion in Quebec or new Brunswick. I also like Kelowna, BC which also has French Immersion schools.

I hear you on US Politics, no matter which camp you are in it is in a state of unhealthy polarization. Federal politics in Canada are a bit more easy going. We just realize the whole lot are a bunch of scoundrels & don't fight over it.

BTW one way to get a taste of Vancouver is to move to Pt. Roberts, WA, which is effectively a Vancouver suburb even though it is in the US. One way to wait out the immigration process.

On the other hand as Americans you can livein Canada for 6 months without a big hassle, although you have to apply for immigration from within the US.


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## Shadowhunter (Nov 28, 2010)

Beth, we were going to move to the USA, but I am with you on the rubbish that is going on... so we settled for Canada instead!


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## Horus (Sep 17, 2010)

Vancouver is best, Stanley Park is nice, however once you get fed up of Canada your also close enough to the border to quickly get back out -


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## greeneyes (Jan 4, 2010)

Horus said:


> Vancouver is best, Stanley Park is nice, however once you get fed up of Canada your also close enough to the border to quickly get back out -


 Yeah, but look where you'd end up!


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## Gotocanada (Feb 25, 2010)

Pecosa said:


> Hello,
> My family and I spent the last year moving around Europe and have recently returned home to Oregon. It is a gorgeous state, but we remain deeply unhappy with US politics and wastefulness. Not only that, the county we live in has some of the highest unemployment rates in the USA.
> We returned due to a job offer, but my husband is less-than-thrilled with his new employers. It is a foolish time to be picky, but as our hearts tell us over and over to get out of the US we are really thinking of moving to Canada starting the next school year (if we are allowed in!).
> We have visited Vancouver, Quebec City and Montreal so we remain mostly ignorant to the variety of cities/towns in Canada.
> ...


Hi. I have just seen your post. We haven't travelled much in Canada but we wanted to move to either Peterborough or Kingston and in the end Kingston won. We moved here 3 months ago and we love it. We are not city people so we have settled in a town about 30 mins from Kingston and we are very happy here. My husband commutes to Kingston for work so the drive is not too bad for him. We looked on the government site to see where the outlook for my husbands occupation was good and that swayed our decision alot. Let me know if you want any further info on the area. Good luck!


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## patty86 (Dec 9, 2010)

Ottawa!!!
It's in Ontario but you just need to cross the river and you are in Gatineau (Quebec).
A high percent of the population there is bilingual and most speak at least intermediate french.
Your kids can study in english or french and if you want to think ahead, the University of Ottawa is bilingual, so students can choose the language in which they want to take each class. In fact, they can attend a class in english and write exams/turn papers in french and vice versa.

On the other hand, you will need to be bilingual for most jobs (i guess that's not a problem since you live in France). A high percent of the people who live there work for the federal government or education.

Very clean, safe and green city.


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## CarolynH (Dec 9, 2010)

Hi, Beth,
Moving to British Columbia would be an easier transition from Oregon than relocating to other parts of Canada, and while you won't find tons of French speakers, most communities have French immersion schools. You can get information about the French immersion programs in the Vancouver public schools from the Vancouver School Board website.

You might also check out the resources for relocating to different Canadian cities on my website, Living Abroad in Canada. We moved from the U.S. to Canada in 2003 and have no regrets.

Good luck!


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## American_Woman (Mar 31, 2010)

I've never been anywhere but British Columbia so I can't say anything about the rest of it. My husband however, spent several years in Toronto before moving to BC and he HATES IT with a passion. He said it was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. BC was perfect for him.  Now that we are married, I can't think of a better place to have a family. It's pretty expensive here though so make sure you are prepared for that. My house in Texas cost me $98,000. You can't even buy a house here for that much money.  If I wasn't already working on my immigration paperwork and had a vehicle, I would consider buying a house near the Washington border. Stuff is just so much cheaper in the states.


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