Thinking about moving to Vancouver

Last year we leased a home on Lake Cultus near Chilliwack for the hockey season so we would have a place to stay while visiting my son playing in the BCHL.
Chilliwack is roughly 70 miles east of Vancouver but we were in and out of Vancouver several times a month. I must say we truly loved it. The people were very nice and I really can't think of a negative response. The weather is much milder than you would anticipate and their outdoor sporting facilities and opportunities are obviously world class.
Not a big deal but I will say that for the most part, people do not move out of the left lane when being approached from behind at a higher rate of speed. They do have signs that say slower traffic stay right but it does not seem to happen very often.

 

I'm in Alberta, but have visited Vancouver regularly, especially while my son was attending University of British Columbia in Vancouver for several years.

The locals will tell you that BC stands for Bring Cash. Vancouver is a very expensive city, housing prices are tops in North America. Traffic in and around Vancouver metro area can be pretty bad. Great social scenes and restaurants.

Outside of Vancouver, there are great driving roads (to the North and East), and scenery in and around Vancouver and BC is world class spectacular.

 

I have lived in greater Vancouver for about 35 years, having lived in the downtown core fro the past 11 years (condo) and, before moving downtown, in North Vancouver for 18 years (single family home). I've seen many changes in Vancouver over that time from a rather provincial city in an impressive location to, what many would consider, a world-class city in a spectacular location. I've lived in various parts of the country and would only consider living in in Vancouver or, possibly, Victoria. Others might disagree!

Lifestyle: Vancouver is regularly acknowledged as one of the most livable cities in the world. I been to some of the other highly-rated cities and think Vancouver deserves its rating. It didn't deserve such a rating in the 70's and early 80's, but Expo '86 heralded change and Vancouver deserves the reputation today. I would expect that it will remain as one of the most desirable cities in which to live for the foreseeable future. It is a cosmopolitan multi-cultural city in its truest sense. The climate is mild, if rainy or drizzly, in the winter. There are many recreational choices: local mountains for hiking, cycling, and skiing (although not this year - too mild), boating, cycling, golfing, etc.. There are two well-regarded universities - not world-class perhaps but well-regarded. Lots of choices for restaurants and cuisine. Reasonable arts and culture, although not like some major US or European cities. "Living" seems to be at least as important as working.

Driving: I would say "OK, but not great." Much depends on where you live, I think. Much of the city and suburbs are backed by mountains and other parts are adjacent to flat farmlands. We have some great roads (e.g., Sea to Sky Highway) but the choices are limited and the roads can be crowded and patrolled. If you're downtown, you can count on at least 1/2 hour to get to somewhere decent to drive. There are more driving opportunities if you;re living outside the downtown or close-in suburbs. In my opinion, the driving just south of the border in Washington offers more choices. Although there isn't always a noticeable presence of enforcement (radar, laser, air), when the LEO's are out there, the speeding laws include impounding and are vigorously applied.

Car culture: Vancouver is definitely a "car town" with virtually all brands being available. FMoV and Lambo of Vancouver figure prominently as dealerships, along with numerous Porsche, M-B and BMW new and used dealerships. New exotics and super-luxury cars are quite common on the streets. e.g downtown, I probably see different Ferraris or Lambos daily. But, it seems that many of the cars are owned for prestige rather than genuine enthusiasm for automobiles. There are regular car shows, cars and coffee, etc. from spring to fall. The shows are usually smaller events. There is no active Ferrari club, as far as I know. There is a small but enthusiastic Italian Car Club that hosts a large annual Italian and French car and motorcycle show. There is a small Maserati club whose members are enthusiastic for both vintage and current models. Vancouver and Victoria have some word-class restoration shops with international clientele.

Crime: I think Vacouver would be conisdered very safe. There are some issues with homelessness and drugs, but overall Vancouver and Canada is safe.

Real estate and rental costs. I can't compare these costs to the US, but greater residential real estate in Vancouver is the most expensive city in Canada, by most accounts.

Hope this helps
Jon

 

Vancouver is an interesting city.

I've been there twice and my third trip is coming up. Always enjoy the trip! It will be colder, duh, than LAX. Safety is big with location. Lots of money flowing around Vancity so if you end up in the bad side of town it can be bad. Big drug problem if I remember.

Great city to be active running by the ocean, biking stanley park, hiking, and of course snow sports.

Whats not to love about this?
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I agree with many responses I have read here.
I personally, have traveled the world, seen good and bad anywhere.I live in Northern BC, about 8 hours drive north of Vancouver, spent a lot of time there flying/driving in and out., and personally, you couldn't pay me enough to live there, I'm spoiled further north is all.
Depending on the area you need to live to be close to work, can be a challenge. driving, not the worst, not like LA or other US centers at all.
Expensive? Of course, one of Canada's, if not, the most expensive place to live here, depending on location as well. Vancouver is spread out pretty good, so individual areas are now all pretty well incorporated into one big city basically.
As a visitor, it's a beautiful city on first impressions, mountains etc, but is pricey. It depends on what you like to do as well, skiing, biking etc, it all various as to where facilities are, Whistler for example, where the Olympics were, is not too far away, but super pricey, but other ski areas around.
Take a trip up here and spend a few days, just see the realistic side of it, as if living here, not as a tourist googling the beauty, it works in all cities of the world, is your best bet. Check prices etc, the US dollar is good now, but remember if you are being paid in Canadian etc, the price of goods also has a large tax, so do the math.
Car enthusiasts have good weather, clubs etc, so a good thing. Many good roads to travel for a day trip.
Hope it works out for you, and is best to see for yourself and be a good judge, it might be a good holiday and way to a more accurate decision.

 

Pros: Beautiful city, great scenery, very nice people

Cons: expensive and rains a lot (sometimes everyday for several days)

 

Hi Steve; I've lived here for my 50 years and am likely biased. If you have a few $'s, the quality of life can be fantastic - but we are a laid back Pacific NorthWest lifestyle. everyone is into some sort of physical activity - running, yoga, skiing, cycling, scuba, sailing, whatever.

While there are a handful of great driving roads around, if you're caught going 25mph over, you're impounded for a week/month/quarter. I fully support the rule in the city, but out on the open highway (now with a few 75mph speed limits though), it's a bit odd. The left lane is only respected once you get East of Chilliwack. We have one small & old racetrack so real driving is a trip to WA. There may be a private track being built at Osoyoo's with a $30k buy-in, but is a year or so out if it goes ahead.

there's a lot of car fanatics, but not a lot of clubs around - everyone seems to be busy doing their other activities. there's a show or drive going on pretty much every weekend, with a few huge shows each year. The city of Langley shuts down for 2,000 muscle cars to come out of hiding once a year. those are big numbers for the population base up here. speeding tickets, below 25mph are pretty cheap, but depending on your car, you may be lumped in with the oversea kids driving their Lambo's with "N" stickers - indicating new drivers in the first two years of their license progression. They've been caught doing the usual stupidity street-racing crap.

Crime overall is very low, but there are areas of high drug use and property crime can be high. 20 years ago I'd have my car broken into every few years, but that's dropped off. I've never felt unsafe in even the roughest areas - more sad than unsafe. there is a relatively mild drug war always going on throughout the metro area, currently the police have a pretty good lid on it, but it does leak out every now and then. maybe a dozen 'innocents' have been killed in the last 10 years.

Real Estate is high, but we only rank as 'most expensive' because our incomes are so low compared to world class cities, and so I think rents are more reasonable than other larger cities. owning a house in Vancouver is a $2-3M spend, in a nearby suburb is $1-2M, and a longer commute is a $600-$1.5M bill. A few houses/condo's are valued at $40-60M, just like anywhere. traffic is weird, with a lot of new toll bridges built that aren't being used, and very mild compared to LA. just don't expect freeways.

restaurants are great and for the most part reasonably priced compared to 'world-class'.

Education is reasonable - we brought our kids up in the public school system with only a few concerns. the universities are good, and can be great depending what you're looking for. healthcare is 'good enough' and a very politically hot topic.

IF you can make a decent income, don't mind a more socialistic govt model, and enjoy a more laid-back international lifestyle, I can highly recommend it.

 

Rains for several MONTHS lol! Winter can suck, rains a lot, so not much good driving weather, especially in a convertible!
Best check it out and go from there, good luck!

 

Vancouver is like a Ferrari in many ways. Highly desirable, super expensive, sought after, but worth the money. Some - not me- might even add "not fun in the rain"

Having travelled to many beautiful cities around the world, I wouldn't choose another place.

CON: for some people anyway is that it rains a fair amount, but that's also why the air quality is so amazing. If you're flying from LAX you will notice it as soon as you step off the plane at YVR.

The lifestyle is amazing - Ski Whistler - one of the world's top ski resorts is a 45 minute drive from Vancouver (I timed it - and that was driving the speed limit, but admittedly on a slow traffic day), and drive back to head to the beaches in the afternoons.

Super low and continually falling crime rate...It's pricey but well worth it.

Radar detectors are legal - but driving without a front plate is not, and they are quick to impound and seize cars for speeding - makes for good headlines...so be aware

 

I've lived in Vancouver and currently live in San Fran. I often say Van is a clean, polite, nice version of my current home.

Vancouver is my favorite city in the world but there was no work for me (I have no idea what people do to make money to be honest, there are no large corporations, or weren't when I lived there).

Gorgeous scenery, locally and a short drive away
Lots of rain (if you like LA sunshine you'll hate the weather)
Lots of very rich young kids driving flashy cars, zero real car culture
Lots of property crime (car break-ins), very little personal crime
Driving sucked, low limits, tightly enforced
Downtown lots of fancy high-rises, 'burbs lots of heritage homes, take your pick
Lovely culture, Canadians are really nice people

I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could

 

I agree with Jon. I grew up in Lions Bay, which is just outside of West Vancouver. I attended West Van High, Capilano College, and Simon Fraser University for my BA. My folks still live in Lions Bay, and we visit for Christmas and in the Summer.

I am able to provide you with a unique perspective, as I grew up in Vancouver, but I have also lived in Pomona, CA. , and I have family in Lake County up north at Clear Lake. In fact, my son was born in Pomona General Hospital.

Here are some things to consider if you are thinking about moving to Vancouver from L.A.:

1. I remember riding my Honda CBR 929 with my brother on his Suzuki TL 1000 up Tapanga Canyon road and around the Rock Store at Christmas time. You are going to have to get used to the temperature being more like 38F-45F in the winter, not 65F-70F. Sport bikes in Vancouver, and convertibles, in the winter are for die hard enthusiasts. Neither are recommended.

2. Get a rain jacket. A good one!!! And be prepared for periods of time when it will literally rain for three or four days straight. No joke. You will wake up in the morning and it will be raining, and you'll go to bed at night and it will be raining. If you are the type of person who needs their sunshine, forget it. You will be miserable. Vancouver is located in a natural rain forest environment, so although it is much warmer than say, Saskatchewan, where I live now, it has much more precipitation due to the moisture coming off the Pacific Ocean. The cloud cover can result in a very "gloomy" grey hue which lasts for days, and many people who move to Vancouver suffer from what is called "Seasonal Affective Disorder". They literally need vitamin D supplements and sun lamps etc. to make it through. I'm not saying it's necessarily going to affect you, but it is an issue, and one that I have talked to many people about.

3. Get used to taxes. Lots of taxes. And don't be surprised to spend in excess of $80-$100 to fill your gas tank. Whether it is taxes on products you purchase, gasoline, or income tax, you are going to be in for a shock. All of the amenities that Canada has to offer come at a price. If you are an adamant opponent to "Obama Care" I would suggest you stay in L.A.

4. We have one road: Hwy 99. Yes, that's about it, unless you consider the twisty bit over at Balcara . As I indicated, I grew up in Lions Bay, which is on Hwy 99, and I learned how to drive on that road with my first sportbike at age 16. It used to be a "less travelled" two lane technical road before Whistler/Blackcomb and Squamish really developed. Now it is a nice road to drive (four lanes with big sweepers), and we certainly enjoy being able to go back and forth to town from Lions Bay with relative ease because you aren't stuck behind some motorhome etc., but compared to the roads of Southern California, and Northern California (i.e. Lake County, Napa, etc.) you are going to be very disappointed. We don't have any roads like the one from Lakeport over Hopland, or from Lakeport down to Napa, or Mulholland, or Tapanga Canyon, or......you get my point. People who have never left Vancouver and explored the roads of Southern and Northern California are missing out big time. Period.

5. You will already be used to insane traffic, so the ridiculous traffic in Vancouver won't faze you. However, you will shake your head when you think about the fact that there is only one Hwy in and out of the city. Yes, that's right. No I-10, no 405, no 5, just the #1. The Trans-Canada Hwy, which they have been working on expanding for the last two decades. It's ridiculous and frustrating. When you know where you are going to work, plan on finding a residence not more than a few blocks away, or get used to taking transit, like the Sky Train. Vancouver has an awesome transit system, so living near a Sky Train station would be the next best bet to living within walking distance of work.

6. On the positive side, when the sun shines, it's glorious. If you like snow skiing, you've got your choice of Cypress, Grouse, or Mt. Seymour on the North Shore. All are reasonably priced. I had a season's pass at Grouse for years and loved it. You can always head up to Blackcomb (which is the better mountain btw) on the weekends. The air quality is far superior. You won't need air conditioning. The food variety is good. Mountain biking trails on the North Shore are epic. Head up to the top of Lynn Valley (Mountain Hwy) and have a blast.

At the end of the day, just be prepared to enjoy a summer season that is about 4-5 months long with temperatures much lower than you are used to, and then rain for the remainder. Don't get me wrong, I love Vancouver, but there are certain aspects that are, well, less desirable. Don't even get me started on the renovations they've made to Park Royal Shopping Mall......arrrgggggg.

 

IMO, compared to LA :
1. What is the quality of life? Better than LA, because not so many people, means cleaner and less traffic. But LA is more fun.
2. How is driving? (Landscape, back roads, speeding tickets, car modds, best time of the year for drive etc) You go 40km/h or 25m/h over the speed limit, you car will be seized and your pocket will be robbed about $3k. Best time to drive is spring to summer, but traffic jam.
3. Whats the car culture like? (car clubs and fan base) Many super cars but not so many hyper cars. Not so many clubs or fan base.
4. How about crimes? Crime rate is much much much lower than LA.
5. General living quality (rents, food, activities) : more expensive than LA, but currently about the same because of exchange rate. LA has way more activities, and the restaurants are much more variety. In Vancouver, after 10pm, almost everything is closed. In LA, 2 am in the morning and I was still trying to decide whether Chinese sea food, German pork knuckle or Sushi. LOL.

 

Damn...you pretty much nailed it! I have been visiting Vancouver several times per year for the past 30 years...that is it, in a nutshell.

 

Lets see. I grew up in a small town suburb of Vancouver called Tsawwassen. Great place to grow up and as a teenager going into Vancouver with friends was very safe. I believe not much crime wise has changed. For a major city its very safe. Never been mugged or know anyone who has. Maybe property theft, like car stereo, but rare physical robbery type stuff. Does have some bad areas, easily avoided. The city is very expensive housing wise, not so bad in the restaurant department. Groceries in all of BC are about 30% to 40% more in general, when compared to neighboring Washington State.

The weather is not so great for fall and winter. Rains a lot. But the temps stay around 40 to 50, most of the time. Few weeks we will get a cold snap, maybe some snow. But on average its liveable. They trucked in snow for the Olympics. Spring and summer are excellent, not too hot or cold. Just right.

Driving. True on the freeway, people ignore the keep right signs. But in general I'm mainly averaging 130km/h on highway 1. Rural roads can be lots of fun. Lots of places one can play around here. Police are pretty tolerant, I speed and have never had a speeding ticket in BC. Good radar detector helps with this. General rule they seem to allow 10km/h over on highways and 5km/h over on regular roads.

I'm cheap and moved out in the country. Near the mentioned Chilliwack, in a town called Abbotsford. Vancouver is about 45minutes drive for me. Since they widened the highway and built a new bridge. Traffic is not so bad. The major positive is real estate is about 60% to 80% less over Vancouver and some of the neighboring area's. Here for just over a million, you can get a decent house on acreage. In Vancouver the same money will buy you a 900sqft, tear down. I suggest moving a little farther out, even if you have a multi million dollar budget, you'll get a lot more.

example: Million Dollar Listing Vancouver

 

I'll ad in the best site for real estate when looking to purchase: Real Estate Listings in Canada: houses, condos, land, property | REALTOR.ca

Id say unless you want a condo, don't bother with Vancouver. On the high end, West Vancouver is the best bet, British Properties. More reasonable, I like South Delta, Tsawwassen or South Surrey White Rock. Best reasonable area's are Langley and Abbotsford. All 30 to 45 min into Vancouver, except West Van is 10min, but with bridge traffic its more like 35!

 

West Van can be great for views of the downtown peninsula. Very scenic indeed. Traffic wise, unless you work over on the North Shore and have little need to come downtown, I'd stay away. Traffic is a nightmare over the antiquated bridges that bottleneck into crowded downtown streets or the Vancouver Eastside. Not fun!

If you have some $$$, I'd stay on Vancouver's Westside, closer to Point Grey, UBC, Kerrisdale or even Dunbar neighborhoods. Ten, maybe fifteen minute drives to downtown and generally, an easy commute!

Cheers,
FN!

 

Good points. I personally dislike those area's and always forget them. Always have been over priced, not my style of homes.

 

Lol. Everyone's so scared of of buying home on the North Shore because of the commute to Vancouver. I have lived happily on the North Shore for the past 9 years, and my average commute to downtown takes about 15 minutes, via Lions Gate bridge. My rush hour morning commute from Capilano Road to Mount Pleasant area (Main and 5th) takes 25 minutes maximum. People have made monsters out of North Shore bridges...
Personally love the North Shore lifestyle. Amazing roads around here for driving, great parks, lots of activities such as mountain biking and hiking, not to mention easily accessible beaches in West Van. Also, real car collectors of Van live in West Van. You'll be surprised at the rides passing through Marine Dr. on the weekends.

 

Its been awhile since I lived in West Van. Mid 90's, traffic was not bad.

 

I would hold off buying for a year or two. Although it doesn't mention Vancouver specifically, Canadian real estate is on the down turn: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/canadian-existing-home-sales-fall-january-crea-141250399--sector.html

Canada is rapidly entering a recession. The feds desperate move to lower the dollar, is a major sign of that. Since free trade with the United States our economic model has been a low dollar compared to the U.S, make producing goods less expensive and highly profitable to sell for higher valued U.S dollars. Not a very good model because it keeps the overall economy weak. Using a high valued dollar to buy declining value overpriced Canadian assets is a bad idea. Every time our dollar slides, you'll loose money.

Vancouver is a great city, if you want to live here. Rent!

 

I won't add much to this thread as most of the basics have been stated. Only things I could say:

- There are a lot of grow-ops (weed) around. I had one behind me a couple of years ago (tin foil in a north-facing bedroom window isn't normal), one in front of me and one down the road. Most people just grow for their own use and go to the lengths of keeping the stink down. The one in front of me was dealing, but that quickly got dealt with. The one down the road I never suspected (I came home one day and there must have been five cop cars surrounding the place). I don't have an issue with it and know people who smoke it, whatever. I'm sure you'll get a home inspector to check out a potential place and see if it was a grow-op and if any repairs have been made to get rid of mould and shody repairs. It's still a black eye though. It doesn't matter what neighborhood it is, whether it's Surrey (Whalley and Newton are dregs-central) or $$$ West Van, they're there.

- A lot of people tout the Sea-To-Sky as a great driving road and it certainly is, but it's patrolled too heavily for my tastes. I live out in Langley and love the back roads. Not fast, but technical and quiet.

- Vancouver is a very liberal city, so would appeal more to a Democrat than a Republican.

- If you're a firearm owner, familiarize yourself with Canada's gun laws. We don't have concealed-carry up here and what's permitted, restricted and prohibited is mind-numbing to say the least. We have several gun clubs and ranges (one just opened up not that far from me). You can even go on Crown Land and fire off a non-restricted firearm as much as you want (several places out in the bush near Mission and Chilliwack), but when you have restricted firearms, then it's a totally different ball game.