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Tell me about Vancouver BC, considering a move next year

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
My gf and I have had a wandering eye for moving up to Vancouver BC. We're going up there next month to check the place out, and could use some direction before then.

What can monkeys tell me about the city as a place to live? I know mountain biking and moto riding is plentiful around there. She's super into equestrian stuff and it appears to be a good area for that as well. Tell me about the rest.

- Cost of living? We already live in a super expensive area (Orange County, CA) and previously other fairly expensive areas (Ventura, CA and Santa Barbara, CA). 2bd/1ba places will run $1500-2200 in any of these areas for reference. I know tax rates are higher, but I do know it's offset by other things like the health care out-of-pocket expenses. There are lots of other contributing factors to total cost of living too like various taxes, food costs, gas prices, etc etc.
- How easy to become a citizen? Gf is going through law school and would probably be able to transfer up to UBC next year, so she'd be there on a student visa I suppose. I'm finished with graduate school in mechanical engineering and could jump into a variety of fields up there (aerospace, petroleum, etc). I've considered doing a second masters or a Ph D in something at UBC since they have some specialty stuff like Mining Engineering, but primarily for work. Am I at a huge disadvantage looking for jobs up there being a U.S. citizen? Is it like pulling teeth trying to get sponsorship or something?
- What other perks are there to the area over Southern California?
- What sucks about it compared to Southern California?
- Where are the engineering/industrial hotbeds around Vancouver?
- Where are good areas to live? Close to good food, major freeways out of town, good riding, and no ghetto-ness. Would prefer somewhere with more space as opposed to less (I need a garage for the toys basically).


Any and all input is appreciated. Pics to make me prematurely jealous of the area are also encouraged.
 

conor

Monkey
Jan 19, 2009
340
0
Ireland
Moved here from Ireland 2 months ago. Very expensive place to live, food and liquor is ludicrously priced! There are definitely a lot of engineering jobs around, I doubt you will struggle based on being a US citizen, I know plenty of Irish that got good engineering jobs no problem.

Rent is pricey down town, I live on the North Shore which is probably where you would want to live too for MTB/outdoors stuff, however it is a bit of a trek from here to UBC.

I live in Lower Lonsdale, which has a seabus that brings you downtown in 15 mins, and is also beside the highway that will bring to you Horse Shoe bay, where the ferries leave to the island etc, and the highway to Whistler. Deep Cove is really nice as well but quite far away from everything.

Kitsilano would be a good place to live if you were going to UBC, however it's very pricey, and not ideal when you want to be biking etc. on the North Shore as you'll have to come through downtown and cross the Lion's Gate Bridge, which is a pain in the ass most of the time.

That's everything I have found out so far, good luck with the move if it goes through!
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
Good info, thanks! What do you consider to be really ridiculous pricing for any of that stuff though? I'm thinking it can't be THAT much more expensive than where I live already.

What are rental rates like in Kitsilano for decent places?

I've been looking on Craigslist a bit, but I have zero gauge for what areas are desirable or not.
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
Good beer is non-existent. Anybody who tells you different doesn't know what good beer is. It can be found, but it is REALLY expensive.
The part about freeways is funny. You see, Canada doesn't really have freeways like the US. So traffic pretty much always sucks.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
Good beer is non-existent. Anybody who tells you different doesn't know what good beer is. It can be found, but it is REALLY expensive.
That's the second time this week I've heard that, and it worries me greatly.


It rains a lot.

:p
Rain doesn't bother me much, especially if the trails get better in the rain. Around here, there's huge amounts of clay and they are mostly unrideable, and remain unrideable for a while after the rain.
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,862
4,159
Copenhagen, Denmark
Good beer is non-existent. Anybody who tells you different doesn't know what good beer is. It can be found, but it is REALLY expensive.
The part about freeways is funny. You see, Canada doesn't really have freeways like the US. So traffic pretty much always sucks.[/QUOTE

I think the whole Vancouver area kicks ass compared to Seattle and they have healthcare. I would gladly pay a little more for beer and have a healthcare system that is affordable.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
I think the whole Vancouver area kicks ass compared to Seattle and they have healthcare. I would gladly pay a little more for beer and have a healthcare system that is affordable.
Right. Paying a premium for the privilege of paying a premium for really mediocre and limited health care is growing REAL old. The money I save there can go to my beer premium I'm thinking.


Yeah... wait until it's the 64th straight day of rain. :D
Growing up in Chicago has sort of numbed me to that sort of thing I think.
 

Austin Bike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 26, 2003
1,558
0
Duh, Austin
Was just there this summer. Beer was $15 for a 6-pack. Cheap beer was $12 per 6.

Loved the city but it is expensive. If you made it through Chicago like me, you could probably tough out two months of rain. Cold is a bitch.
 

conor

Monkey
Jan 19, 2009
340
0
Ireland
Good info, thanks! What do you consider to be really ridiculous pricing for any of that stuff though? I'm thinking it can't be THAT much more expensive than where I live already.

What are rental rates like in Kitsilano for decent places?

I've been looking on Craigslist a bit, but I have zero gauge for what areas are desirable or not.
Ok so I'm fresh out of college and struggling to get a job here, so I'm on a budget, but when I was living in Isla Vista i could get 30 cans of **** beer for ~15 dollars, here it's more like 15 cans for 30! You can't get chicken for anything less than 8 dollars for a couple of breasts, milk is like 4 dollars for 2 litres etc etc.

I am not shopping with quality in mind at all either because i'm broke, so it is quite pricey.

Kits is expensive if you want to be anywhere near the beaches, we were looking at 1800-2300 for a nice 2/3 bed apartment or suite. It gets cheaper the further back you go, I would say you could get something nice near UBC for maybe 1500? but garage space would be out of the question I think.

The areas I would check out:

- Kits/Dunbar
- Lower/Upper Lonsdale
- Capilano
- Lynn Valley
- Deep Cove(quite far away but one of the nicest places I've been to)

All of the above apart from Kits/Dunbar are on the North Shore, you could try the Sprout Lake area also but I feel it's too far away from the shore and UBC.

If you're both possibly going to be in UBC Kits is the best choice, it's a beautiful place too, just be prepared to pay!
 
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CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,862
4,159
Copenhagen, Denmark
why are everybody talking about beer isn't Vanstradam all about smoking weed :) So the prices of Doritos is much more important.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
Van sucks. Don't bother. No beer either. You know who knows? People from Seattle.

Rent is about what you currently pay. Depends what your standards are like. You can find cheaper or more expensive.

I wouldn't recommend mining engineering, unless you like rural areas, the third world, and cyclical employment. Things are great while they're good...
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
Yeah we don't smoke weed, and we do not like hippies. So we have that part to contend with as well.

Appreciate the list of places to look at. Will definitely check them out this month.

I'm not set on Mining Engineering. It was just something that caught my eye. They have regular Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, etc. Just some more specialized stuff that may (or may not) be worth pursuing. Presently I'm just evaluating jobs in petroleum and natural gas around OC for the next year, which appears to be lucrative, so continuing with that might be a good option.

$15 for a 6 pack is pretty ridiculous. I think I'd have to border-hop to stock up on beer or something once a month.
 

conor

Monkey
Jan 19, 2009
340
0
Ireland
What is the word on immigration? I am pondering a move to the area also, and you must have a job prior, correct?
I can't comment on US->Canada immigration policies, but for Ireland it was a joke, filled out a few forms and got a 2 year working visa with no job set up and not even an embassy interview.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
So are you having a heck of a time finding a job up there because you're on a work visa? Or for unrelated reasons? What field are you in?
 

oldfart

Turbo Monkey
Jul 5, 2001
1,206
24
North Van
Good beer is non-existent. Anybody who tells you different doesn't know what good beer is. It can be found, but it is REALLY expensive.
The part about freeways is funny. You see, Canada doesn't really have freeways like the US. So traffic pretty much always sucks.
Vancouver doesn't have freeways. The 401 in Toronto is the widest highway in the world I think. One section is 18 lanes. Toronto is the butt of many jokes in the rest of Canada for a number of reasons and being crowded with cars is one. The citizens of Vancouver decided a long time ago that freeways were not wanted. Hard to make them work here anyway with being hemmed in by North Shore Mountains, ocean and a border to the south. No freeways makes this place far more liveable that other places.

I have an Irish friend who absolutely loves living in North Van.

Going to UBC you would want to live in Kits/Point Grey. I live part time in Point Grey. It is very pleasant and I can walk to many shops easily but the mountain biking is on the North Shore. From Point Grey it takes a good 45 minutes one way. I pay $1100 for a one bedroom ground level suite at 800 square feet. I believe that is exceptional value. There are often student subsidized rentals on campus. As foreign students though perhaps you would not qualify??? Pretty sure you would need your own medical insurance too if you are here on a temporary basis.
 
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conor

Monkey
Jan 19, 2009
340
0
Ireland
So are you having a heck of a time finding a job up there because you're on a work visa? Or for unrelated reasons? What field are you in?
I have a BSc in Computer Science, left Ireland(the tech hub of Europe at the moment) to come here thinking it would be just as easy to get a job, but I was wrong haha! College seems to be structured differently here, students end up with 4 or 5 internships under their belts coming out of college, whereas I only had the opportunity to do 1 in college and passed on it because I was living in Isla Vista for the summer(worth it).

I doubt it has anything to do with my work visa as I can legally work for 2 years, which is ample time for them to figure out if they wanted to sponsor me or not, I think it's just my lack of practical experience that is working against me, which is strange because in Ireland Google, Facebook, SAP etc. try to take students straight out of college to train them in their ways from the get go.

At this stage I'm contemplating getting a part time job and just snowboarding for the winter then postponing my second year and going back home and doing a MSc. Not sure yet though.
 
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MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
Good beer is non-existent. Anybody who tells you different doesn't know what good beer is. It can be found, but it is REALLY expensive.
The part about freeways is funny. You see, Canada doesn't really have freeways like the US. So traffic pretty much always sucks.

Yeah... traffic is awful....says the guy from Seattle.....good lord........

I-5, I-90, I405 and 520 are nothing but smoooooth sailing all the time..........
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
Yeah... traffic is awful....says the guy from Seattle.....good lord........

I-5, I-90, I405 and 520 are nothing but smoooooth sailing all the time..........
Yeah, our traffic sucks. He's right that Canadian beer blows though.
 

chicodude

The Spooninator
Mar 28, 2004
1,054
2
Paradise
how available are paramedic jobs up in the great white north lol....Do Canadians even have ambulances or fire engines lol
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
negative. we just hide it away when americans come to town.

And PBR and Bud Light are readily available so you should be fine.
No Bud Light Clamato no care.


But in all seriousness, the only Canadian beer I ever recall really liking decently well was Howe Sound Pothole Filler.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
Didn't bmxman move up there and was never seen on Ridemonkey again?
By that logic, the members of this board should be doing everything in their power to facilitate having me move up there ASAP.
 

Beef Supreme

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2010
1,434
73
Hiding from the stupid
No Bud Light Clamato no care.


But in all seriousness, the only Canadian beer I ever recall really liking decently well was Howe Sound Pothole Filler.
Fat Tug is way up there with Pliney and Heady Topper. It's worth keeping an eye put for as you can get it in Seattle. Everything else I tried was pretty mediocre.

The funny part is that Canadians actually think they have better beer than the US. I'm picturing MMike smugly typing as he chokes down some awful honey lager bullsh!t.
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,799
8,383
Nowhere Man!
Fat Tug is way up there with Pliney and Heady Topper. It's worth keeping an eye put for as you can get it in Seattle. Everything else I tried was pretty mediocre.

The funny part is that Canadians actually think they have better beer than the US. I'm picturing MMike smugly typing as he chokes down some awful honey lager bullsh!t.
Labatts Blue Canadian for PBR....
 

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,430
1,949
Front Range, dude...
A Canadian buddy of mine here got his hands on a 8 pack of Molson the other day. He brought it over and we started in on it...his reaction after the first swig..."Man, I forgot what horse piss this is..." Dumps it out and grabs a Stuttgarter.
 

Straya

Monkey
Jul 11, 2008
863
3
Straya
I spent close to 2 years living in Vancouver cause my partner wanted to work there. Was awesome. Cant recommend it highly enough. Couple of bucks more for a six pack is nothing for what you get.
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,862
4,159
Copenhagen, Denmark
Never knew there we so many beer snobs in here :)

How is the Champagne that is what I need to know and is there a good supply of caviar too? I don't want to suffer any losses when I snack on my way back up for another shuttle on the North Shore or on my weekend trips to Whistler.
 

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
7,839
6,145
Yakistan
Those would be my hops, his grundle. His wife may find it to be an improvement, you know, since hops are naturally anti-bacterial.