moving to vancouver??

Kntr · Dec 5, 2004

Stay or live on the North Shore by Deep Cove. Its a nice part of town plus all the riding and sweet bike shops are right there. Good Luck. If I was still single, thats where I would live. Houses are not too badly priced either. You might also look into living in WA by the border, the cost of living is a little better.

The price of living in Whistler, Pemberton, or any of the small towns past Whistler are really not that bad. The problem you will have is finding a job.

Roasted · Dec 5, 2004

Statement number one is sort of off. Property in Vancouver is pretty high too. Squamish is ideal (except for the size) for pricing, riding (45 minutes from the shore or whistler) and squamish is still pretty reasonable (you CAN find ok priced places)

Depends on the work. Labour, construction, is easy. There is no manufacturing/factory work to speak of. Personally I would avoid Surrey, main/hastings area (unless you want to die)

You should cross post this in pnw. A few vancouver people come on this site and only post there

Kntr · Dec 5, 2004

I guess from what I am use to the prices are really not that bad. I live in a tourist town and everything is SUPER overpriced.

Roasted · Dec 5, 2004

So do I

...

Keep in mind though, you also live in a more expensive place in general. I talk to buds from cali about house prices and they laugh at how cheap they are when converted to american funding. Even in whistler its cheap for you guys

math2014 · Dec 5, 2004

shagwel.

mate, where do you plan to work in BC? I am in the same boat as you are, living in the UK wanting to move to BC.

xy9ine · Dec 5, 2004

check mls.ca for real estate - its a great tool. are you looking at a detached house or an appartment? squamish is cheaper & closer to whistler, but its a bit of a hole to live in - no social / cultural scene to speak of. north van is a bit more suburban than vancouver proper - pretty decent ammenities, and there's awesome riding in the backyard. if you want to live closer to the city core you'll probably want to look in east van (if you want a house) - its close to the shore & the core. house prices are starting at about $400k for an old starter - we've got some of the highest real estate prices in canada, but compared to some places in the us & europe, i suppose its not too bad. vancouver IS a pretty amazing place to live.

Roasted · Dec 5, 2004

shagwell said:
cheers boys.

i`m just going on the prices ive found so far and vancouver seems to be more reasonable but i may well be wrong, i looked at squamish as it seemed pretty ideal but couldnt find that much info on house prices and the like on the net.

then again i`m coming from a country where we get shafted for everything, houses ive seen in vancouver for for $100000 would sell for well over twice that over here so most of the house prices seem cheap to me.

forgive my stupidity but where is the north shore in relation to vancouver and whistler?

as i said i`ll be checking everything out when i come over next year but i just wanna get as much info as i can beforehand..

If you draw a straight line up a highway You have vancouver -> northshore/west vancouver -> squamihs-> whistler.

squamish is cheaper & closer to whistler, but its a bit of a hole to live in - no social / cultural scene to speak of

Unfortunate but true. Hopefully with the university and wallmart going in as well as other big ticket stores it might finally be its own town. Right now squamish is like the butthole of the area. Most people that live there work in van or whistler.

dexter · Dec 5, 2004

i just got ass raped in canada buying drinks friday night holly crist thats all im saying 5 bucks for a stella is a fn joke

Roasted · Dec 5, 2004

dexter said:
i just got ass raped in canada buying drinks friday night holly crist thats all im saying 5 bucks for a stella is a fn joke

Yeah vancouver and whistler way overcharge for booze. I can still go home to 1.50 beer nights. Here I spend 20$ on a small pitcher of watered down beer. Hence the reason I don't go out anymore. 200$ in 4 hours and still not drunk...not worth it.

That would explain the heavy drug use in town. Signifigantly cheaper to be a coke head or pothead haha

punkassean · Dec 5, 2004

Whistler beer is pricey but regular mixed drinks are fairly reasonable. Of course I have lived in overpriced college towns for all my bar going years so my idea of reasonable might be off.

I would love to move to Van or Whistler or just about anywhere in BC. Too bad job sitch doesn't really allow it. I will still make yearly pilgrimages though!

ChrisRobin · Dec 5, 2004

I'm planning the move out there sometime in early spring. I was supposed to go this winter but I figured there's not point in driving to the other side of the country during the winter...those prairies must be insanely snowy and cold. I don't know if I'll end up in Victoria or Vancouver first. I might end up in Vic just because of contacts I have there and cheap rent (although having a full DH bike on Vancouver Island won't be so much fun). I'm hoping for Vancouver though. I found a couple websites that look at apartments for rent in different areas. So far the eastside looks better but it depends where...some parts are REALLY ghetto from what I hear.

http://www.aptrentals.net/
http://vancouver.sublet.com/

Roasted · Dec 5, 2004

ChrisRobin said:
I'm planning the move out there sometime in early spring. I was supposed to go this winter but I figured there's not point in driving to the other side of the country during the winter...those prairies must be insanely snowy and cold. I don't know if I'll end up in Victoria or Vancouver first. I might end up in Vic just because of contacts I have there and cheap rent (although having a full DH bike on Vancouver Island won't be so much fun). I'm hoping for Vancouver though. I found a couple websites that look at apartments for rent in different areas. So far the eastside looks better but it depends where...some parts are REALLY ghetto from what I hear.

http://www.aptrentals.net/
http://vancouver.sublet.com/

Take the worst most disgusting part of Toronto in the early 90's, attach downtown Hamilton near the jail, through in more junkies than you can count smoking their goods in funny coloured glass tubes (not pipes), underage hookers+old man pimp type people, and no cops to be found. THATS the east side.

I got lost one day when I touring through gastown with my mom. One wrong turn and I felt like I had entered detroit (got lost there 15 years ago too, damn me and my wandering aimlessly) For a fairly large block, there is the most disgusting part of canada.

-dustin · Dec 5, 2004

if i'm ever able to move up there, i think i'm gonna check out the Williams Lake area. unless i win the lottery and can afford Whistler.

i imagine land in the Whistler/Van area is gonna be sky rocketing with the Olympics coming. yea or nay?

Roasted · Dec 5, 2004

Yay...BUT

Market will crash after the olympics leave. Imo squamish will get hit a bit but pemberton (where most people are buying now) will likely fall out. Whistler has actually stabalized in the last year, no one is buying because all the owners are trying to charge to much.

I am doing a road trip in the spring to find my next spot. Kamloops, Kelown, Penticton, Rossland, Nelson, Fernie, golden then back to kamloops. Hopefully the trip will show me a good spot to move where I can find some work

...

xy9ine · Dec 5, 2004

the nelson area rocks ass. if i ever wanted to get away from the big city, that would be my first choice. its the anti-whistler - very laid back.

Cash-Money · Dec 5, 2004

my aunt and uncle live in nelson, i love that town. so much fun to be in. i lived in coquitlam and then in vancouver where the eastside ends and the yuppie area begins. i loved vancouver, so much fun to live there. i'm in the suburbs of seattle now, it's alright, but i miss the city. public transit up there rocks.

Kntr · Dec 5, 2004

I love Fernie. I live straight south about 1.5 hours from Fernie. The mountain biking there is awesome.

Roasted, when you do your trip let me know. Ill meet ya in Fernie and show ya some trails.

Roasted · Dec 5, 2004

KAnter,

I might take you up on that offer. I am excited and hope it goes through. Unfortunately we need to find another driver (2 of us don't drive)...MY gf, her friend and me are all going.

public transit up there rocks.

I think it was voted best in north america at some point. You definately don't need a car in van

Nelson is like my primary choice or maybe golden. Depends on where I can find work

Lex · Dec 6, 2004

shagwell said:
thanks for the help guys, i *think* i`m going to look around the port moody area... so whats the riding like there?

how long to get to the north shore and whistler from port moody?

is there much in the way of bars/pubs/restaurants?

sorry for all the questions

Here is a website you might want to check out before making any plans: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.html

scottishmark · Dec 6, 2004

shagwell, have you checked out the visa situation? i hope i'm wrong but if memory serves me correctly you wont get anything over a year (unless of course you marry in or whatever). Might be worth looking into before making plans

jon-boy · Dec 6, 2004

Here's some info from a Brit transfer in Vancouver:

Visa: Check it out before you get your hopes up.
Work: Again, check to see if your qualifications cross across to Canada without having to do any extra school or courses.
Construction work is big and if you were a plumber, carpenter etc, you'd have no trouble finding work and get decent $'s for it. It might be worth getting a ticket for work like that and then come over. With work starting on construction for the olympics it's only going to get even better for that industry.

Where to live?: Vancouver is expensive for houses if you want to buy somewhere decent in a decent area. Getting something not decent in a bad area is still around the $300-400k mark. Looking outside of Vancouver is a good idea, for instance North Shore, Port Moody... BUT it depends on where you're going to work. If you have to cross a bridge to get to work expect traffic to be an influence on your decision.

Riding: It's everywhere. It's sooo good. Beyond your imagination. If you're in Moody then there's riding at Burke Mountain, Eagle Ridge, the Woodlot, the North Shore, Hemlock, PoCo.... LOADS OF CHOICES. Thus don't worry about that. Worry about VISA, what work you'll do once here and then where to live.

On the Squamish/Whistler thing.... don't live in Whistler unless you are rich. Squamish is a good choice IF you sell at the right time. There's construction going on there, timeshare golf courses, talk of a ski hill etc. etc. BUT the centre of town is a little 'sad' and needs pepping up. Most of the visible growth is on the highway to Whistler as that's where it's visible. However I'm not sure if that'll lead to the growth of Squamish as a town.

I moved here over 3.5 years ago. I'm an engineer and am lucky to have been helped over by the company that I now work for.
PM me for any specific questions.

Jon.

SuperSlow · Dec 6, 2004

I tried to move there from texas, but could not get a work visa, so i moved right across the border to bellingham washington. I would go check it out first though, it is a huge city with lots of polution, traffic, car theift etc.... if you are use to it then it wont be a big deal, but i would prefer to live in a smallish type city

Lex · Dec 6, 2004

SuperSlow said:
I tried to move there from texas, but could not get a work visa, so i moved right across the border to bellingham washington. I would go check it out first though, it is a huge city with lots of polution, traffic, car theift etc.... if you are use to it then it wont be a big deal, but i would prefer to live in a smallish type city

If you don't mind me asking, what was the reason for not being able to get a work visa? I have co-worker who has been thinking about moving from Massachusetts to Vancouver and I'm just curious what roadblocks other people have run into.

math2014 · Dec 6, 2004

EU citizens DONT need a VISA for Canada

Toshi · Dec 6, 2004

Lex said:
If you don't mind me asking, what was the reason for not being able to get a work visa? I have co-worker who has been thinking about moving from Massachusetts to Vancouver and I'm just curious what roadblocks other people have run into.

have you been to this page, from earlier in the thread? http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.html . do the self assessment for whatever category you fall in, and see if your score falls above the threshold (67 for skilled workers, for instance).

Lex · Dec 6, 2004

math2014 said:
EU citizens DONT need a VISA for Canada

You're talking about a travel/visitors visa. This thread is about the immigration process which involves work visas and permanent resident status. Two completely different things.

Lex · Dec 6, 2004

Toshi said:
have you been to this page, from earlier in the thread? http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.html . do the self assessment for whatever category you fall in, and see if your score falls above the threshold (67 for skilled workers, for instance).

Actually I think my co-worker already took that test and scored well above the 67. I guess that's good for him. I was just curious about someone else's experience.

I was born lucky with regard to this question of immigration. I was born in Canada to two American parents who filed all the right paperwork, so I automatically got dual citizenship. Good thing too because my Canadian wife may want to move back at some point and that makes it a lot easier.

Roasted · Dec 6, 2004

Visa's between canada and US are notoriously difficult to get. Both directions. You need to be very very skilled in order to go back and forth (or lucky, we have draws up here for green cards) Never quite sure why, but it is harder for us to work down there than illegal immigrants from mexico

jon-boy · Dec 6, 2004

Before you even get excited about the riding you HAVE to check the visa and work situation. It's not easy moving country. In fact it's a bit of a pain in the arse. For one you'll have no credit history here so getting a cell phone, bank account etc. etc. is hard.

buildyourown · Dec 6, 2004

After our recent election results, I checked how hard it would be to move north, just out of curiosity. It's not as hard as it used to be.

Basically 5k in the bank a college degree or marketable skill, and you're in.
That's what the website inferred anyways

http://www.workpermit.com/canada/canada.htm

jon-boy · Dec 6, 2004

It was reported in Canada that once the US election results came in the Canadian immigration website got 200% more than it's normal traffic for a single day. Thus you weren't the only one looking.

BuddhaRoadkill · Dec 6, 2004

Roasted said:
Take the worst most disgusting part of Toronto in the early 90's, attach downtown Hamilton near the jail, through in more junkies than you can count smoking their goods in funny coloured glass tubes (not pipes), underage hookers+old man pimp type people, and no cops to be found. THATS the east side.

Screw whistler ... I'm going to the East Side! :evil:

Roasted · Dec 6, 2004

Yeah you could always go bum hopping.

Mocha · Dec 6, 2004

ChrisRobin said:
I might end up in Vic just because of contacts I have there and cheap rent (although having a full DH bike on Vancouver Island won't be so much fun). ]

Not much fun??? I just moved from North Van to Vancouver Island and I have plenty of fun. I've got a VP Free and my husband has a Demo9. You just need to know where to look, my friend.

Mocha · Dec 6, 2004

jon-boy said:
Where to live?: Vancouver is expensive for houses if you want to buy somewhere decent in a decent area. Getting something not decent in a bad area is still around the $300-400k mark. Looking outside of Vancouver is a good idea, for instance North Shore, Port Moody... BUT it depends on where you're going to work. If you have to cross a bridge to get to work expect traffic to be an influence on your decision.

I agree that getting out of the city is a good idea. But the North Shore is NOT cheap. I just moved after living there for the last 2 years, and a 900 sq ft house will run you $450,000. Port Moody is nice, and I'd even consider Maple Ridge because the Woodlot has fantastic riding. But you'll be about 45-60 minutes (on a good day) from the North Shore.

moving to vancouver??

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

wannabe curb dropper

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

boring

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

Monkey

wannabe curb dropper

butthole powerwashing evangelist

Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

I suck at Tool

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Monkey