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 children are supposed to be moving up there from the US to join my husband within 2 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). My husband has 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 3 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.

 

[mossee]

Hi Salsalvr, I've been living in Vancouver for all of my 26 years . I don't know what sites you were looking at but they don't seem that accurate. We are a friendly place, we just hosted the olympics! There are many art galleries and Emily Carr Institute of Art in Granville Island is a very artsy scene, with lots of local products and what not. The weather is pretty much mild all year long and the rain isn't as bad as people say it is, this month so far, it has only rained liek once per week, and it definately helps bring the pollen down. As for Port Coquitlam, I have never lived there it is near the base of the mountains, near lakes and about a 30 min commute to Vancouver, I've used the rec. sites there, they are beautiful. I believe a lot of people with young families live there. I know this isn't my move to Vancouver, but I've been to many other places and I wouldn't want to move away from Van. Anyways hope this helps. I can always direct you to some positive sites if you would like Msg me.

 

[Crillz]

Vancouver is the nicest city I have ever lived in. I don't know where you got that information but the people are very friendly. There is lots to do in and around the city. The winters aren't anything as bad as the rest of canada which is great. Of all the cities I have ever been to Vancouver is definitely my favourite.

 

[Tawcan]

There's a reason why Vancouver has come in as one of the top 5 most livable cities in the world for the last few years.

 

[Kaycee1]

Vancouver is fantastic, very beautiful, clean, near the mountains. I think there's many many people living elsewhere in Canada who would love to live in Vancouver (myself included!) The only downside is the downtown traffic which can be horrendous. But if you live in the suburbs it should be fine.

 

[atethepaint]

That's too bad you read negative things, which may not paint an accurate picture. I'm not from Vancouver but I lived there for several years and I dream, literally, of going back.

Vancouver has been rated the best city in the world to live 7 years in a row. It's overflowing with arts, multiculturalism, cuisine, science and engineering and natural geographic beauty. In fact, I couldn't help but notice how the surrounding nature heavily influenced the culture of Vancouver. Compared to most US cities (not all), Vancouver seems like a cultural mecca! Imagine a bigger, more bustling Seattle.

There are down sides, mainly, the lower-east side. This stretch of neighborhood is not pretty: drugs, homelessness, prostitution, grafitti...however, this is only one small (some would say shameful) part of Vancouver. Many of North America's down-and-out move to Vancouver so they can survive on the streets in the winter.

Traffic is only bad along the highways that come from the suburbs to the centre during rush-hour, but this isn't out of the ordinary for any large city. All in all, Vancouver is a great place to live and raise a family. I've lived in over 25 cities around the world now, and I would say that Vancouver is indeed the best city in the world to live!

 

[Salsalvr]

Thank you very much

Thanks to everyone for writing back. It really helped me prepare more for my upcoming move, even though it is still a bit away.

 

[toby]

Vancouver is fantastic, very beautiful, clean, near the mountains. I think there's many many people living elsewhere in Canada who would love to live in Vancouver (myself included!) The only downside is the downtown traffic which can be horrendous. But if you live in the suburbs it should be fine.

I've seen traffic jams in many cities, and Vancouver is "easy street" in comparison.

It is an interesting city in many ways, but it gives me pause when some posters say it has lots of culture. Would those people explain, please? I'd love to benefit from their experience during my next trip. Last time I visited the "art gallery" and was very unimpressed (detailed critique available on request). Where are the musical and symphonic concerts?

I'm not denying that there are no cultural events; it's just that I've not been able to locate them. I go to Vancouver for other pleasures than culture.

 

[mossee]

Well culture is not always necessarily just music and art. There are many performing arts that come and go here, as well as many music clubs etc. These are not always posted on every pamphlet, but I believe that Vancouver's culture is much more "outdoor." We bike/ride the seawall, do the "Grouse Grind" visit the many local outdoor parks where we admire the beautiful nature that we were lucky to be situated in. As well as having a very multicultural society there are many events in the suburbs that celebrate the cultures of many different races/religions where everyone is invited to enjoy the festivities.

 

[steaky]

One of the sub-cultures I seen in Vancouver was the annual event of marijuana party. Bands and crowds gathered outside the Art Gallery on Georgia Street in downtown last month.

Soon after that was the Vancouver Sun Run 2011, an annual marathon event which start from near this location.

I am looking forward too see the Dragon Boat Race next month in Vancouver.

 

[toby]

Well culture is not always necessarily just music and art. There are many performing arts that come and go here, as well as many music clubs etc. These are not always posted on every pamphlet, but I believe that Vancouver's culture is much more "outdoor." We bike/ride the seawall, do the "Grouse Grind" visit the many local outdoor parks where we admire the beautiful nature that we were lucky to be situated in. As well as having a very multicultural society there are many events in the suburbs that celebrate the cultures of many different races/religions where everyone is invited to enjoy the festivities.

OK, I see a semantic difference here. "Culture” is one of those versatile words that can mean different things to different people. But if we make it too general, too inclusive, it ceases to mean anything specific, and we lose the word. Certainly “culture” includes music and art, including (to stretch it a bit), the folk artist’s offering in the local bistro. But does “culture” include a bike ride along the sea wall, or hiking up the mountain? You say it does, while I say no, it doesn’t. Outdoor activities are some of the “other pleasures” I go to Vancouver to enjoy, but I wouldn’t put them in the same category as visiting an exhibition of Van Gogh, or hearing a famous opera star, or any of the other distinctive activities we (or at least I) call “culture”.

You can readily enjoy such cultural activities in Ottawa, Montreal, New York, London, but lamentably not so much in Vancouver – in my limited experience with the city. But I await correction from those more familiar with Vancouver, and I hope I am wrong. I like the place, and would love to discover that it has a cultural side heretofore hidden to me (using my definition of “cultural”).

 

[canadianwoman]

Vancouver is an absolutely wonderful city for combining urban life with nature. You can go skiiing and go to the beach (on the same day) in this city. It has a beautiful setting, between the mountains and the ocean. As for the climate, it depends where you're from and what you like. For Canada, Vancouver's winter is very mild. If you like hot weather, though, Vancouver would not be my first choice.

As for culture: it has a great variety of cultural events, but again this will depend on what you want and where you're from. If you're from New York, it doesn't compare for art, classical music, dance, drama, etc. If you're from a smaller place, it will seem fine.

Vancouver is normally ranked very high - sometimes number one - in rankings of the best cities in the world in which to live. Of course you will be able to find blogs and articles where people complain about the city, as you would be able to for any other place in the world.

 

[sidkrose]

I already commented on the double post of this thread, but I will repeat myself for the culture question here. I have lived in Vancouver since I was born and I would say there is lots of culture if you know where to look. If you go to Granville island and check out the artist studios or Emily Carr end of year art show, it's great. Also, I grew up going to the Ballet at Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Orpheum. Not to mention the Arts Club theatre on granville island for plays and whatnot. Of course it doesn't compare to New York or a huge city, but for it's size, I think it's pretty great. I also grew up playing the piano, taking dance classes at the local arts centre and taking summer camps for arts summer and creative writing classes. You can find plenty of culture if you just look

 

[toby]

I already commented on the double post of this thread, but I will repeat myself for the culture question here. I have lived in Vancouver since I was born and I would say there is lots of culture if you know where to look. If you go to Granville island and check out the artist studios or Emily Carr end of year art show, it's great. Also, I grew up going to the Ballet at Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Orpheum. Not to mention the Arts Club theatre on granville island for plays and whatnot. Of course it doesn't compare to New York or a huge city, but for it's size, I think it's pretty great. I also grew up playing the piano, taking dance classes at the local arts centre and taking summer camps for arts summer and creative writing classes. You can find plenty of culture if you just look

Excellent answer. Thanks. I've taken notes.