# Victoria vs Vancouver



## maple (Feb 7, 2011)

*Dear All, 

We are considering moving to BC.
We have lived in very big and crowded cities around the world long enough.
We have 3 kids, 1 in primary, 1 in middle and 1 in high school.
They've always been in private school.
That for us has been the best investment we have ever made, although it has been ( and is!) very difficult to keep up at times.
They are all doing very well in school. Well adjusted, happy young people who are thriving academically. 

The school we are looking for must be independent-private.
In Vancouver or Victoria.
With no religious affiliations.
Must be co-ed, mixed.
Day school, no boarding. 
Our children's mother tongue is English, they've always studied in English.
It would be great if the school also supported Japanese.

We have been reading the 'Fraser Report' (controversial yet informative as well) and all other that is available.
We would really love to hear from the parents and teachers.
It is very difficult to ask the right people when we live far away and can't make a trip to compare right now.

We haven't been to Vancouver nor Victoria.
The warmer the weather, the better. 
Both parents are working from home, so we can live anywhere of the two.
We love the beach, would LOVE to live by the sea.. (who wouldn't?!)
Where we live now has a similar climate to Victoria.

Dear people out there who are parents/teachers living or have lived in Victoria or Vancouver.. 
PLEASE HELP!!!

Any input, suggestion is much appreciated. We are trying to search as much as possible, doing our homework. 

Thank you for your time and support!

maple*


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## IOWgirl (Nov 7, 2008)

I have lived in both cities. Check out Glenlyon Norfolk and also St micheals for schools. Both are private and coed. Glenlyon is right by the water. I am not a parent so I cannot give too much feedback, but I know both are really good schools. 
Victoria is a smaller city than Vancouver, weather tends to be slightly milder.
Good luck.


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## maple (Feb 7, 2011)

IOWgirl said:


> I have lived in both cities. Check out Glenlyon Norfolk and also St micheals for schools. Both are private and coed. Glenlyon is right by the water. I am not a parent so I cannot give too much feedback, but I know both are really good schools.
> Victoria is a smaller city than Vancouver, weather tends to be slightly milder.
> Good luck.


*Thank you very much IOWgirl.
How would you compare the weather and landscape of the two?
Obviously Victoria is much smaller and Vancouver is very happening.
I am just wondering if one could have the best of both worlds (aren't we all?)
We do love the city life and activities but we are just so hungry for a bit of piece and quiet.. 
We do not want to live in an apartment anymore, really, not even a town house!

Thank you so much for your time and feedback,

maple*


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## IOWgirl (Nov 7, 2008)

maple said:


> *Thank you very much IOWgirl.
> How would you compare the weather and landscape of the two?
> Obviously Victoria is much smaller and Vancouver is very happening.
> I am just wondering if one could have the best of both worlds (aren't we all?)
> ...


We are not that far from Vancouver, 90 minute ferry ride, then a 30 minute drive. Vancouver gets more rain. Vancouver is a very beautiful city. The mountains are stunning. All on the North shore, Cypress, Seymour and Grouse. I have skiied on all of them and it is incredible, especially night skiing on Grouse overlooking the entire city. 
Vancouver's house prices are higher than here. Though it does depend where in each city ofcourse. Go to mls.ca and you can get a fairly good idea of what you get for your money in each city. Fairfield is a pricier area here in Victoria, as is Oak Bay. Langford and Colwood are only 15 mins from the city, but become 30 mins in rush hour. Houses are cheaper out there.
If it is peace and quiet you want then the Island is more for you. You can live 10 minutes away from the city and have that. (Check out Cordova Bay). At any time any where in the city, you can get to a beach within 10 minutes.
I love Vancouver and miss the view of the mountains, but we can see some here in Victoria, just not so majestic. I used to love driving around Stanley Park and visiting Granville Island Market, but five minutes of driving downtown cures me. 
I hope this helps. I will keep checking back here, to see if you have more questions.


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## maple (Feb 7, 2011)

*That's great info IOWgirl, thank you very much!

You sound like you love both cities.
Location of the school would be very important for us, then comes finding a home.
Since we've only lived in big cities, condo's and apartments with triple security, I am just a bit worried about safety. My husband is very excited to live in a house by the water, I am as well but I have never lived in a house before. 
Is it possible to live near the city in Victoria, close to St. Michaels and live by the water in a house? Would that be very expensive? 
We would surely rent for a few months before we buy a place. It would be great to live near a good school and the city yet be in a house by the water in a safe area. I would love to be able to walk to the market and cafe's.
Am I hoping/dreaming/asking for too much?
I feel very greedy wanting it all, yet don't know what to expect.

Thank you so much for your support!
I hope to help others as you do.

maple*


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## Krogl (Jan 16, 2011)

One should also mention it rains 1/3 less in Victoria than Vancouver. Had I known that fact earlier I would have moved to Victoria much earlier


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## IOWgirl (Nov 7, 2008)

maple said:


> *That's great info IOWgirl, thank you very much!
> 
> You sound like you love both cities.
> Location of the school would be very important for us, then comes finding a home.
> ...


Yes you can live close to St Micheals, near the city and by the water in a house, a very expensive house I might add. It is a beautiful area. Remember I mentioned that no matter where you are in this city you are never more than 10 minutes away from the water. Check it out on the map. 
You would not want to look at Esquimalt, though Saxe Point is nice, the rest isn't and it is not near where you want to be. You want Fairfeild, Oak Bay, Gonzalas, those areas. Cadboro Bay has some very nice houses, but some are really expensive, Seaview area.
Keep asking questions and I will keep answering ok.


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## maple (Feb 7, 2011)

*Thank you very much! You are amazing!
I have been looking at the real estate, very high indeed in those nice areas.
If you had a choice, where would you zoom in on ? Close to market yet peaceful and safe.
I feel stupid writing this, but is it really safe living in a house there?
Thank you for your support, much much appreciated!
maple*


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## gringotim (Jan 5, 2011)

*Define "SAFE"*



maple said:


> *Thank you very much! You are amazing!
> I have been looking at the real estate, very high indeed in those nice areas.
> If you had a choice, where would you zoom in on ? Close to market yet peaceful and safe.
> I feel stupid writing this, but is it really safe living in a house there?
> ...


Do you need bars on your windows?, No. Do you need to lock your house (and car) doors? Yes. If you leave a window open will a burglar climb in?, Maybe. If you leave something of value in your yard, will it be stolen, Probably. Thats the reality of living anywhere in BC, especially city and urban areas, and a big problem is if you are a victim of crime it is probably from someone who has been arrested many times but only given a slap on the wrist, so they just keep on doing it. Most people will never have a break-in, but thinking it can't happen is just a dream.


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## Heading South (Jan 29, 2011)

*And NO snow*



Krogl said:


> One should also mention it rains 1/3 less in Victoria than Vancouver. Had I known that fact earlier I would have moved to Victoria much earlier


And in an average winter, Victoria more often than not gets NO snow, once in while the outlying areas might get a dusting, but nothing like Vancouver, which also can go for several winters with no snow, but can also get dumped on, but then dumped on in Vancouver could mean 6 inches, unlike other parts of Canada where dumped on means 2-3 ft or more.


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## IOWgirl (Nov 7, 2008)

I think any of the areas I have mentioned would suit you. If you are worried about security you can always add an alarm, getting a dog is a great alarm system as well. The thing is you can get robbed, broken in anywhere in the city, there are definately some rougher areas. These areas are very nice, many are part of a community watch.


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## gringotim (Jan 5, 2011)

IOWgirl said:


> I think any of the areas I have mentioned would suit you. If you are worried about security you can always add an alarm, getting a dog is a great alarm system as well. The thing is you can get robbed, broken in anywhere in the city, there are definately some rougher areas. These areas are very nice, many are part of a community watch.


But what people moving here from another country, and even those who already live here need to understand, is that unlike some other places in the world, and maybe even other places in BC and Canada, here you can't have a dog that barks all the time. After asking them nicely about half a dozen times, I had to call the bylaw enforcement on my neighbours because every time they left their dog outside it would bark and howl at anything that moved, if it heard a noise, or saw a bird or when someone walked by the house it would set it off for at least 4-5 minutes, and having this happen several times an hour made it impossable for us to enjoy being at home. They just said, oh its a dog and thats what they do. After being warned by the bylaw officer, they finally started putting a muzzle on in when it was outside to keep it quiet, and we have once again been able to enjoy our house. 
Barking dogs are considered an infraction of the noise bylaws and can result in heavy fines. If you have a dog as an alarm or even just as a pet and its barks alot it will have to be muzzled or be prepared for people to complain which can result in charges against you, and if that doesn't work, the dog(s) can be impounded. And it doesn't matter what time of the day or night it is. As the bylaw officer told me, more and more people are becoming dog owners and as a result noise complaints against them have doubled in the last few years, and it doesn't matter if its a big barking dog or a small yappy dog.


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## IOWgirl (Nov 7, 2008)

Yes, you are right, barking dogs can be very annoying. I have a neighbour who had a dog that barked everytime I went outside in the garden. It was awful. I have two dog and they are not allowed to bark like that. If they do start barking, they are in the house immediately. I do feel safe at night though, I know that if somebody tried to break in their barking would wake me up, and would possible scare off an intruder. If someone actually did break in, one dog would hide and the other would lick him to death, but that's ok coz I would have escaped out the window.


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## tellingthetruth (Mar 9, 2012)

This is one of the first results when googling Victoria vs Vancouver and I must voice my opinion. People in Vancouver are far nicer and tend to help out each other more than people in Victoria. One difference I notice is people in Vancouver say thankyou and your-welcome. I also have a feeling it is less safe in Victoria than in Vancouver, especially for small crimes and robery. I've lived in both places. Both cities are beutiful places.


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## Goldeneye (Nov 12, 2011)

Hands down I would live in Victoria over Vancouver in a heartbeat....


Vancouver ~ Property prices are way too pricey ~ if you live in the suburbs a long commute into town.. Most of the suburbs don't really have much sould.. Sorry to those that live there.
Vancouver has a very high crime rate, lots of gangs and very very high immigration being PC I can't go into more details than that.. OK I will .. Friends lived in Richmond for nearly 30 years and moved out after the absolutely not discussed issue of 'Reverse Discrimination' kept happening (the media never reports this)

Victoria has a much better climate, ( we always say it dumps in Seattle and Vancouver and misses the Island) property prices are a little more reasonable..

Downside if you want to get off the Island the ferry's can be a pain and are expensive.. Visit both, you'll soon get a feel for which feels 'right'

I love Cordova Bay, Cadboro Bay anywhere Central to North Saanich ~ 

Traffic although getting bad in recent years nothing like UK or Vancouver !!


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## vkr (Sep 5, 2011)

Both Vancouver and Victoria are beautiful cities, Victoria feels a bit rural comparing to Vancouver but more relaxed. A lot more jobs in Vancouver, much better shopping, more entertainment etc. Good places to live - Vancouver West Side, North Shore (best schools there as well), cheaper options Port Moody and Burnaby (further away from water).


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