Help. Need to hear positive things about Vancouver, Port Coquitlam

[Salsalvr]

Hello,
I need to hear some positive stories from people that moved to Vancouver.  Myself and our child are supposed to be moving up there from the US to join my husband within a couple of months.  However, from almost the beginning I wasn't sure if I wanted to go.  I will be quitting a great job, for us to live on one income for a while (while our young child gets acclimated).  He's been gone since last year, and I've gotten used to doing things on my own, although I have family here to help sometimes.  I've gotten used to keeping the status quo.  I am sad sometimes but it is really bad on the days that I need to hand in my letter of resignation.  I've almost done it a couple of times but then some issue comes up.  He has gotten a good job up there so we'd need to live on a budget, but we could make it fine, and he does have one family member up there.  I tried to search for sites with positive things, but I came upon a site stating how awful the Vancouver area is (dreary and people were unfriendly, no arts)  We wouldn't be living in the city because where we currently live has a lot of open space, it is more residential and has many family activities, and very low crime, and that is what I am looking for up there too.  Is Port Coquitlam like this?  Can someone tell me some positive things about their move to the Vancouver area.  Thank you.

[TreeLover]

I've never been to Port Coquitlam, but I've been living in Vancouver for 6 months.  I think Vancouver is a wonderful city and Spring here is amazing, with so many flowering trees lining the streets.  There are LOTS of trees in the city of Vancouver.  As far as cities go, I think Vancouver is up there in comparison to other places I've been or lived.  I don't find it dreary - it does rain a bit, but not like it's constant and there are sunny days in between (you even have them in the winter).  I haven't spent a summer here yet, although I have visited before in the summer and the weather was nice.   

There can be bad traffic (esp. if you need to cross a bridge into North Vancouver), although I work from home, so I avoid that (and there is great public transportation so it's possible to use buses and trains a lot instead of driving).  Parking is also expensive and some meters last until 10pm.  Great cycling!  Actually, it's the best city I've ever lived in for cycling with so many bike routes and bike lanes, etc. 

I found the people I met to be friendly also.   Good restaurants too, especially for Indian food, sushi, Thai.....

As for the arts, I find there is plenty going on here in this city.  Not sure where you're moving from, so I'm not sure how it will compare for you.  But I've lived in San Francisco, and I still find Vancouver a good place to live.  Certainly it's much cheaper than San Francisco.  Although I certainly wouldn't say it's cheap.  We lucked out and found a good place for not too much.  It'll be much more reasonable also in Port Coquitlam than in Vancouver (we live in the city).  There are areas that are more rural that surround Vancouver, but I'm just not that familiar with them (other than the sunshine coast/Gibsons, but you need to take a ferry there so it's not good for commuting to work in Vancouver, although some people do it). 

I'm happy here.    Have you visited your husband up here yet?

[TreeLover]

I just read some of your old posts and see you're in the southwest.  So, it'll be a change for you, weather-wise, since it's so much wetter here.  I was living in Colorado before this and the weather is a big change for me.  But I didn't mind it, myself.  I guess depends on the person.  It is very GREEN and lush here since there's so much water, which is nice.   

[rjessome]

I lived in Port Coquitlam for six years and it's a great suburban community of Vancouver.  You are outside of the city but within commutable distance and there are lots of great ammenities near you.  PoCo (as the locals call it) is mostly residential but does have an industrial section.  However, the two areas are pretty separate.  I would disagree with the post you found that the people are unfriendly.  There are lovely people everywhere and idiots everywhere too.  For that ONE negative post you could find a thousand that are positive.  But I think you are focusing on the negative because you are sad about leaving your life to start a new one.  Completely understandable because it sounds like you would be giving up a lot.  But, if this can offer some solace, PoCo is a very pretty, family friendly community.  There are good schools, many parks, hiking & biking trails, mountains nearby, decent shopping, a great community centre and lots of other things to enjoy.  I understand you are sad but don't be worried about PoCo.  It's a very nice place to live.

[steaky]

I just moved to Coquitlam (near the border of Port Coquitlam), after frequently visited and living in Vancouver.  I think Vancouver is a great city if you live near False Creek and downtown.  The public market in Granville Island has many things to offer and I sometimes pickup seafood and fresh fruits which I cannot find in large varieties and quantities elsewhere.  You don't need a car to travel in that area really, as Canada Line, Expo Line of skytrains,  aquabus and bus stops are so conveniently located can take you to major centres of Richmond and Burnaby.  The bicycles lanes and oneway roads can be annoying if you are driving.

Who said Vancouver has no arts?  On Georgia & Howe in downtown, there is a Art Gallery.  When you take the aquabus in Yaletown and nearby seawall, you would notice those sculptures.  Even dogs are friendly in Yaletown!  The Library Square building on Robson St. is a piece of arts itself!  

Now I can walk within distance to Port Coquitlam.  The density is far less than Vancouver but still most of the major retailers and services found in downtown can also be found there.  Since being near the interior,  homes are much more affordable than downtown and false creek, but the Evergreen Line which would be connecting Coquitlam City Hall via Port Moody to Burnaby is said to be completed in 2014 (a long wait!), so the major roads connecting Coquitlam and Vancouver such as Hastings St and Highway No. 1 always slow traffic and sometimes congested during morning and afternoon rush hours.

[sidkrose]

I've lived in Vancouver all my life and I've traveled a fair amount. Personally I think Vancouver is the best city in the world. Of course I'm a bit biased But it is a great city.

It is incredibly multicultural, which can be a bit of a shock for people who come from very homogeneous city, but if you keep an open mind, I think the multiculturalism is really what makes Vancouver great. As for hearing that the people are "unfriendly", well, I'm sure there are some unfriendly people, but by and large I think people are really nice and helpful.

It does rain a fair bit (it's in a temperate rain forest after all). But that makes the forests, parks and nearby mountains incredibly lush and great pretty much all year round. It really is a stunning city. Poco is nice too, from what I have seen of it. Also, it is more of a suburban area, so I would imagine the crime rate isn't too high. Certainly not as high as Surrey and way lower than east van. Although, I do think crime rates have been going down.

As for arts, Vancouver is way up there imo. A trip to Granville island or just downtown Vancouver will show you that. There are also usually local art community centers where kids can take art classes, dance and music lessons. Piano lessons are offered in private homes as well all over the city. I grew up with a great appreciation for art and culture, going to the ballet and symphony with my parents and traveling to Granville island, deep cove in North Van and the Vancouver art gallery.

Winter and water sports are also readily available in Vancouver. Kayaking, canoeing and rowing are all popular in many communities in vancouver, and quite affordable as a daytime adventure. Of course, skiing, snowboarding, tubing, and snowshoeing are all available in the winter season on the local mountains. There are also skating rinks everywhere.

In addition to winter sports there are usually public tennis courts, soccer fields and hiking trails.

And the best part is, I don't even work for Vancouver tourism I just love it!

It's always hard to move to a new city, but if you keep an open mind and make friends with locals, and take trips into the city, I'm sure you'll love it too. Best of luck! Message me if you have any Vancouver-y questions