advice on moving to vancouver, s'il vous plais!

[FunkyOlive]

I think that moving to canada is a terrible idea.
How is moving away going to help the rest of us  fix anything here?
Totally not cool.

Only for the next four years... i definately wouldn't miss my chance to vote for someone not-bush when the next election rolls around.
I wouldn't abandon the other 2 democrats in my town.

[rebeccaks]

YEAH VANCOUVER!!!
you're going to LOVE it here.

[lutheranchick]

Slate magazine has a nice guide to moving to Canada. You might find it useful.

[MtyAphrdti]

Thanks for the help/info and fyi we were planning on moving all along...can't take the heat of the summers here in the South  and I'd like to live where there is snow so my knitting is actually good for something lol

[Lili]

my BF lives in kits. i love it there.

[Lalage]

Vancouver is expensive to live in, but there are cheap places for everything--check out some of the smaller "neighbourhoods" like Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, etc

[holistichick]

Hey, don't forget about Richmond!  You'll land at YVR (in Richmond) which is 7 minutes from my front door....   And no, not everyone in Richmond is Asian--no offense intended.  If you travel by car, any of the 'burbs' are within 15-20 minutes from downtown Vancouver (public transit is not bad--but not the greatest).  Rent looks about $900-$1,200/mo (CAD dollars) for a 2 bdrm apt. and you have to move quite a ways out of town to pay less than that (like about an hour commute by bus/at least 40min. by car).  You can find the odd deal if you are willing to share--main floor or upper suite of an older house?  I live in a 2 bdrm, 1.5 bath townhouse (~1400 sq.ft.) and I pay $950/mo--a very good deal I'm told, I lucked out....

My fave LYS is 'Wool and Wicker' in Steveston Village, (at the South West end of Richmond) and Dianne, the owner, is fabulous!  Great little shop and fabulous classes/workshops. They are always willing and able to offer help and advice.  Check out her website:  www.woolandwicker.c om

[latenightmischief]

kudos for moving. Personally, I would suggest Victoria, a very biased oppinion since I live there. it's an hour and a hallf ferry ride from Vancouver, so you can still visit the big city on weekends.. but Victoria's a nice small city size,  very pretty and has a nice climate. there's quite a few small boutiques and craft type stores, a couple consignments.. though if smaller towns are more your thing i'd also suggest the Kootenays, i grew up there.  Its mainly just a bunch of towns and small cities around Kootenay Lake, right in the rockies. good luck on your moving conquest. I would be fed up with the govenment as well if i lived in america.. ahh.

[crazy_bc_jen]

Holistichick, I'm from Steveston, too!  Or I like to pretend, actually on #1 and Williams, though I'm currently living on campus at UBC.

Vancouver is definately the best place in Canada, and imho, the world to live.  It's quite warm here in the winter (rarely dips below zero celsius, that's freezing - I think 32 F?) and usually hovers around 5oC (I think that's around 40-45oF).  Summers are warm without being too hot - typically 20-30 oC (70-90oF, I think).  We boost some of the best skiing in the world (Whistler /Blackcomb is a two hour jaunty up the Sea to Sky Highway, eh?) and lots of local mountains, too (Cypress, Seymour and Grouse, all within 30 minutes of downtown).  We have a decent transit system, a thriving alternative-lifestyle community, and beaches are everywhere - Vancouver's been built around a harbour.  Kits, Jericho, and English Bay jump immediately to mind.  We host the world's largest harbour fireworks festival every summer, with international competitors coming in from around the globe.  We have good public school systems, universal health care, and a nude beach.  There are three Universities and five colleges in the Lower Mainland, a technical college, and an art & design institution (Emily Carr).  There's lots of museums, art galleries, and a great international feel.  You can shop chinatown or the Punjabi market on Main street.  I really, really love my home town.

The two major neighbourhoods I would recommend are:

Steveston: my real home town, Steveston is a tiny fishing village inside Richmond, a suburb and city of it's own right at the same time (and the international winner of Most Beautiful City in it's category).  Steveston is full of character and charm, and still is the home port for many of the local fishing boats.  Any given day in the summer the wharf is alive with buskers and people, and fishermen selling their wares straight off the boat for bargin prices.  There are five heritage sites within this tiny village, including one of our National Historic Sites, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, where you can learn all about the history of the area.  There is also the Steveston community centre, library, pool, tennis courts, and martial arts center, all within walking distance.  Moncton street abounds with tons of tiny shops, most own and run by the same folks for years.  Steveston was named for the Steves family, who originally owned all the farmland in the area, and city councillor Harold Steves and his family still own a big farm at the foot of Steveston highway, along the kilometers of dyke that circle the city.  They raise cattle on it, and I believe the organic meat is available by the side each fall.  It's a cool area with a great community feel; people will literally say hi to you each time you pass them on the street.  I hope one day to live there myself.  The area is a cheaper one; you can rent a house for about $1800 a month.

The other area in Vancouver I would strongly consider living is the West Point Grey area, out by the University of British Columbia (btw, UBC isn't exactly a translation to U of _insert_your_state_ here; those are closer, say my American friends who also attend UBC, to the Canadian term College, such as Kwantlen University College and Douglas College.  UBC is one of the big eight Canadian Universities, kinda like U of C or MIT).  The area is filled with students and what we affectionatly call Yuppies, or Young, Urban Professionals.  There's also an abundance of small shops and none-chain stores, particularly along 10th, 4th and Broadway.  Rent is a bit higher here; the average 2-br apartment runs $1200-$1500.

As far as Crafting, there are an abundance of crafty places around Vancouver, but the best fabric / needlework / costuming store is by far "Dressew" at the corner of Cambie and West Hastings (317 W. Hastings, in fact; open 9-5:15 M-Sat, closed Sun), with their dirt-cheap prices.  They cater to the booming movie industry in Vancouver, but sell to the general public, as well.  I bought some name-brand cotton quilting fabric yesterday in their bargain basement for $3 CAN (which is about 2.40 cents US) per meter (a bit more than a yard).  And that was off the roll; remnents and ends are even cheaper.

Any other questions about Vancouver I can answer.  I've lived here all my life and love every bit of it, so ask and I'll tell all..

PS - Best hiking in North America is in BC.  Over half the province (which is bigger than Washington and Oregan combined) is park.  UBC itself is seperated from the rest of the city by acres of forest, and acres of parkland scatter itself right across the city.  When you fly in, you literally see ocean, ocean, mountain and GREEN.  It's awesome.