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Here's how I see it after living here 6 mos.
Pros:
-beautiful places to hike nearby, including Stanley Park
-overall beautiful city; lots of new buildings and pretty good urban planning
-pretty viable transportation system with nice bus drivers
-gorgeous summer weather
-prevalent interest in 'green living'
-cherry blossoms, lots of greenery throughout the city
-pretty clean city streets. doesn't smell like **** all over like in SF
-feels safer than parts of LA and the Bay Area, even in the DTES.
Cons:
-museums are very expensive compared to ones in LA, SF and NY, plus the art is much lamer in comparison...i.e. $20 admission to Vancouver Art Gallery, $15ish to Museum of Anthropology. Crappy art scene in general.
-things more expensive here than the US, like $7.50 Ben & Jerry's pints (as opposed to $4.50), $20 tubes of sunscreen
-pricey transportation; $2.50 each way
-hard to find cheap, attractive rental housing. overpriced. many of the rentals available are basement suites eliciting claustrophobia
-the DTES; a big part of the city to avoid. I see prostitutes every day during my daily commute.
-rains so much of the year; can't enjoy the hiking and other outdoor opportunities as much
-not really 'diverse'. Pretty much tons of Chinese and other East Asian people, some whites, and a handful of Indians.
-homeless problem
This is the best city I've lived in so far, but it's not perfect. Do you guys think there are better cities to live?
This feels like a biased thread But weather is a relative thing. I find Vancouver has the worst weather in the country so there's a con there. I also find it unbearlingly expensive to live. The economy is not bad but there are many more cities in Canada with more jobs. I like Toronto and Montreal more than Vancouver but that's just me. I like visiting Vancouver though and the scenery is quite amazing. But it always depends what you want in city. Some people like a calm city with wonderful scenery. Some people like the hustle and bustle life like in Toronto along with snow and very hot summer weather as well.
What does "better" mean? It's relative to what you want out of your home city. Your never going to get everything checked off your list of perfect traits so I would start with figuring out what's most important to you and start researching from there. Every city has "cons" to consider. My favorite city in Canada is Montreal, but I don't speak French and I really hate snow now, so yeah, I'll take the rain of Vancouver any day.
My wife and I are going through the process of picking a place to settle for our son. There is no option that satisfies all our needs completely. You will find this is true no matter where you go. I've lived in 7 cities so far and they all had good and bad aspects to them.
If the weather has got you down then your other options will include scorching Summers and snowy winters, but you will be able to live more cheaply. All that greenery comes at a cost lol, rain and lot's of it. If I'm not mistaken, Vancouver has the mildest weather in Canada.
I personally hate those "best cities to live in" surveys/lists that come out every year. It tells you nothing really. You should figure out what you need personally and find the best fit.
-museums are very expensive compared to ones in LA, SF and NY, plus the art is much lamer in comparison...i.e. $20 admission to Vancouver Art Gallery, $15ish to Museum of Anthropology. Crappy art scene in general.
-things more expensive here than the US, like $7.50 Ben & Jerry's pints (as opposed to $4.50), $20 tubes of sunscreen
-pricey transportation; $2.50 each way
-hard to find cheap, attractive rental housing. overpriced. many of the rentals available are basement suites eliciting claustrophobia these cons having to do with costs/purchases are the ones that all Americans will encounter in any Canadian city and will take time getting used to. Keep in mind we're not horribly expensive like Australia and parts of Europe.
-the DTES; a big part of the city to avoid. I see prostitutes every day during my daily commute.
-homeless problem
These 2 are pretty much a Vancouver problem. Sure Toronto/Montreal have the homeless people but it's better handled as opposed to Van.
If you try Toronto you eliminate these cons:
-museums are very expensive compared to ones in LA, SF and NY, plus the art is much lamer in comparison...i.e. $20 admission to Vancouver Art Gallery, $15ish to Museum of Anthropology. Crappy art scene in general. Probably similar admission costs but the art scene (AGO) and museums (ROM) are better than what Van offers
-the DTES; a big part of the city to avoid. I see prostitutes every day during my daily commute.
-rains so much of the year; can't enjoy the hiking and other outdoor opportunities as much
-not really 'diverse'. Pretty much tons of Chinese and other East Asian people, some whites, and a handful of Indians. Toronto's one of the most diverse places in the world
-homeless problem
In response to the Vancouver pros:
-Toronto doesn't have the same level of natural beauty that Van is known for (mountains,oceans, etc.) but it has a lot of rivers, ravines, and parks scattered throughout the city.
-The Toronto Islands are comparable to Stanley Park since it's the most visited park in the city. But the islands are a beautiful place to bike/walk/canoe as opposed to hiking like in Stanley. Hiking can be done throughout the GTA though
- lots of new buildings as well, a lot taller too
-transportation is decent, could be better though
-That gorgeous Van summer weather (low-mid 20s in celcius) happen in late spring/early fall (+ less rain). Toronto summers are much hotter but it's perfect weather when by the beaches or near the waterfront imo. Winters are colder/snowier than Van but a lot milder than other major Canadian cities. Also winters have been pretty warm in recent years (global warming)
-also an interest in green living but i think Van is still much greener
-don't think Toronto has the cherry blossoms but as stated earlier there are lots of parks/rivers throughout the city
-city streets are somewhat clean :S . But it also doesn't smell like **** all over like in SF
-Toronto is also much safer then Van. Google most dangerous cities in Canada and i think Vancouver is up there. keep in mind what we call dangerous here is pretty safe compared to the states.
I'm a Torontonian btw and imo i think Toronto's a pretty good place to live. You should try visiting
Maybe someone can speak for Montreal i feel that it too has a lot to offer. But when living there you'd be better off learning french.
these cons having to do with costs/purchases are the ones that all Americans will encounter in any Canadian city and will take time getting used to. Keep in mind we're not horribly expensive like Australia and parts of Europe.
However, Vancouver is more comparable to American cities than to Australian and European cities. Australian cities offer much higher paying jobs, while Vancouver is expensive and low paid.
If by "parts of Europe" you mean London and Paris and similar cities, your arguments simply don't stand because those cities offer way more than Vancouver's mountain and ocean backdrop does. It is like saying the advantage of living in Omaha is it being more affordable than New York City.
Keep in mind Vancouver is not a city for 20 or 30 something young people to work hard and get a good middle class life. The cost of living in this city by far exceeds the income level the city is able to provide to local people, and advantage of living by the mountain and ocean honestly is by means a unique thing in North America or any continent.
Vancouver, in the end offers similar stuff as Portland, OR or Seattle, WA, or Denver, CO, yet charges a price premium close to New York City.
Probably similar admission costs but the art scene (AGO) and museums (ROM) are better than what Van offers
ROM charges a whopping $28, much higher than (twice the price) real top notch museums as as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, le Louvre, the Prado, The Uffizi Gallery, and of course the British Museum, which is free.
On the other hand, I doubt ROM qualifies as one of the top 50 museums in the world.
Visiting museums? Canada is not the right place to go for sure.
ROM charges a whopping $28, much higher than (twice the price) real top notch museums as as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, le Louvre, the Prado, The Uffizi Gallery, and of course the British Museum, which is free.
On the other hand, I doubt ROM qualifies as one of the top 50 museums in the world.
Visiting museums? Canada is not the right place to go for sure.
I am pretty sure 3 years ago, it was $28, and then reduced to $24, and now $15. Not sure what motivated it but it makes more sense. Maybe the government staff finally got a chance to visit Louvre for $13 and came to their senses. AGO seems to have cut price from about $25 or something to just under $19.5.
Thanks guys. May have to re-post a new thread to ask the question more appropriately...
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But weather is a relative thing. I find Vancouver has the worst weather in the country so there's a con there. I also find it unbearlingly expensive to live. The economy is not bad but there are many more cities in Canada with more jobs. I like Toronto and Montreal more than Vancouver but that's just me. I like visiting Vancouver though and the scenery is quite amazing. But it always depends what you want in city. Some people like a calm city with wonderful scenery. Some people like the hustle and bustle life like in Toronto along with snow and very hot summer weather as well.
