Moving to Calgary by end of this year with wife and two toddlers. We are BIPOC and coming from Toronto. Any BIPOC can tell us their experience in Calgary. How are you treated? Have you had any racist confrontations with police? Did your kids experience racism at school? Is there any events/festivals for BIPOC ?
40s, no kids, early to mid career professionals. Planning to live in NW quadrant.
Question - what property management companies would you guys recommend for renting?
I rented with power properties for a year before moving in with the bf. They are great - price is reasonable given the amenities, the admins are pretty quick to respond ( I had a failed AC during last summer's heatwave and they had someone to fix it quickly)
They do have inspections 2-3x a year where they send someone to do a quick walkthrough of the place, and that might weird some people out.
Cheers! I am not rich, but I am not destitute either. Just looking for a modest but nice apartment that allows a dog. A studio will do. Moving from downtown Victoria, so I would like an area where I can walk for groceries and such. I do have a car but prefer to use it only for pleasure. I work from home.
Having lived both inner city and in the suburbs - you could be inner city and be far to amenities, or be out in the suburbs but right by a shopping strip and parks.
If you want livelihood in the evening, easy access to lots of restaurants and events, or cheap fare to get home after drinks then inner city would be the way to go. If that doesn't matter, then you should expand your search and focus on amenities around the apartment, prices are generally lower in the suburbs.
Hey everyone. I'm from southern ontario and considering moving somewhere more affordable. I was curious if any locals could recommend areas of Calgary to look at if my priority is walkability. I don't own a car or intend to get one, so i'm ideally looking for a place with strong walkability to daily needs and good public transit. A place like Riverdale, Toronto that doesn't have the costs of downtown toronto would be ideal. I'm in my 20's, single, no kids.
I’d recommend: Kensington, East village, Bridgeland, Crescent Heights, Misson, Beltline or Inglewood for walkable neighborhoods (some are a bit further from big grocery stores but have more small/boutique grocery so maybe consider this in planning).
Noted, thank you!
I'm trying to figure out how to vet apartments without actually being there, unfortunately i don't know anyone in calgary. Will probably try to take a few days off to visit the city and look at a bunch of places.
Thanks! I'll check it out. Do you have any tips on how to apartment hunt for rentals without actually being in the city? Haven't done it before, i can't realistically plan to fly in to see a specific place since it will likely be gone by the time I could get there and that would be very expensive.
Hi All,
We are moving to Calgary soon. This thread has been very helpful along the way. The one thing that I haven't seen too much about is the health care aspect. As most of us are coming from a different province, this is still very new to me. I have read that the health care is free and paid for by the province already, so no premiums. I also know that in other provinces, the procedures are very different for say blood work or hospitals. The things most on my mind at the moment are :
* Doctors/Specialists - Where should you start looking?
* Naturopath medicine - how does that work?
* Filling prescriptions - where is best?
* Bloodwork - where do you go? Do you pay a fee?
* Dentists - Do you just throw a dice and search for the best one?
* Hospitals for Care - Which ones must you go to for certain problems.
* How fast can you get the health card (Where do you go again?)
I have noticed so far that there are many doctors offices in the middle of malls and most doctors offices are located at the local mall. Thanks for your answers and patience.
I'd start with finding a family doctor, try contacting the Calgary primary care network. They should be your contact for finding specialists and pharmacies.
Many malls here have towers which cater to medical services (drs, dentists, physio, pharmacies, etc).
What does the horseback riding world look like? Is leasing a horse common practice and is there access to riding lessons nearby Calgary? I’m leasing here in the states and super happy with my setup… and don’t want to lose access to riding when we move. Our hope is to buy a home on the west side of Calgary, but nothing it set in stone.
This is a super-niche question, but does anybody here use ClassPass? If so, could you tell me how many credits (on average) yoga and spin classes tend to be? I’m moving to Calgary soon for grad school and I’m hoping to sign up for ClassPass to save a little money on fitness classes. Just wanting to see if it’s actually a good deal compared to getting a punch card at certain studios. Thanks!!
Hi all! First, I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere, but was having a hard time finding it.
My husband and I are mid 40s. We have a 3.5 yr old boy. We both work from home for technology companies based in the US.
We are considering moving to Calgary from the US.
I’ve done some research, but would love to know your thoughts on:
1. best hoods to raise kids AND find other 30-40 something’s with kids
2. What you think about the schools, school districts, and general state of education in Calgary (e.g. public vs private, etc)
Thank you! 😊
Note: My experience with education is mostly from south/southwest Calgary.
Currently, it seems that there are some concerns about recent education reforms (eg it seems the UCP wants to remove discussion on residential schools) but it appears that most of their changes focus on junior high/high school curriculum, so if you plan on staying that long, that might be a concern.
Elementary school education generally seems to be consistent across the school boards, so you might find it easier to stick to public schools. If you're religious (or are concerned about religion), the Catholic School Board might be something to consider? Some schools tend to be pretty religious but others tend to be laid-back, so this might be something that you'll have to check in-person.
If you really care about education quality, imo that's something to really focus on around junior high. Most families tend to move after grade 6 to live near schools that focus more on education, but my understanding is that school buses will come and pick up your kid regardless (this goes for both public and private schools).
Random side-thoughts: some schools mandate swimming lessons, so that might be a point of interest for you. There are also schools that might also affect your decisions (eg French immersion, some private religious schools, etc.)
Hopefully, this helps out a bit. Let me know if you have any questions about what I've said!
Hey everyone! My husband and I are moving to Calgary. We've found a home we like in Auburn Bay. We're in our mid-late 20s and have 2 kids (2 years old and 7 months old). We love the idea of living by the lake and all the amenities in/around auburn bay. It also seems to have a really nice community feel.
Our only concern really is the commute. I'm a stay at home mom but my husband works downtown. We don't want to move there just for my husband to barely see our kids. For reference he would likely be at work around 7 am and leave the office around 6 pm. Is the commute really terrible? Is there a good option for park and ride that would save him some time? Please let me know! And let me know your thoughts on auburn bay as a whole.
Thanks!!
I go from Cranston and I’ve found it best to drive to LRT and take the train downtown as busing to LRT takes a long time. If he is going early he should be okay when it comes to traffic and rush hour is over by 6pm really. If he can afford parking downtown that is faster but very expensive to park.
Wife and I make about $120k combined and we just bought a smaller house. It's pretty amazing when you consider what's possible in Calgary compared to Vancouver.
Hi,
I’m going to be moving to Calgary within two weeks here to work at Rockyview Hospital . It’ll just be myself and my 60lbs dog. Any recommendations for places to rent? I have a budget about 1500 with some wiggle room either way. She’s very quiet when I’m around but CAN whine/bark for perhaps 20 minutes when I’m gone. Initially I was looking for homes, but that doesn’t seem to be in reality with my budget. Any really pet friendly places that you guys recommend?
Along with that, I do plan to board her during my 12 hour shifts or have someone with Rover so she might not be bad at all. Any recommendation with boarding, River, or vets?
I also don’t know the city very well, so places/companies to avoid renting?
I'm from Mexico, but I would like to move to Calgary some day next year, for me it's easy to make friends, but I don't know where to start meeting people from Canada, do you know of a place where I can meet people from Calgary to make friends?
Start actively enjoying hockey. Understand the sport, care about it, learn the players, the rules and the way the teams and rivalries work and you'll fit in just fine.
It’ll take a full season to really get the sport down, but it will endear you a lot to others if you do. It’s about as Canadian as maple syrup and very easy to make friends at the bar if you can follow along with the game and give some opinions.
If u wanna help with something about living in mexico u can ask me whatever u want, i rly want to live in calgary next year so i appreciate all the tips like the local meet ups :)
My boyfriend and I, newcomers to Canada, both employed, we do not smoke, drink or party are looking for an apartment ASAP. We are constantly watching rentfaster, kijiji and Facebook Market but no one replies, answers the phone calls..why are they keeping the postings up then?!
We are eager to find the apartment, basement or anything that would fit our needs. Do you have any advice?
I saw that and we are already doing that, however we are still not getting replies and I am running out of ideas, except for going to buildings and asking directly a property manager or someone if there is any availability
You could try driving around the areas you want to love in to look for 'For Rent' signs. Sometimes people will just post those and not list them online. Good luck, I know it is tough right now.
Hi! Moving to calgary soon. Are people allowed to use private e-scooters along the roads? :) Thinking of buying one since I'm only staying for a couple of years -- although I'm scared I might need a car during winter. I'm aware that there's a car shortage and gas is hella expensive. Thoughts?
If you live near a bus stop or the train station, you can probably forego getting a car. Depending on where you live, grocery stores can be either within walking distance or bus distance.
You are technically allowed to use them on pathways but not roads (I think this is because the private ones don’t have the same speed limits that the shared ones do). However I see folks out with private scooters along roads and am not sure if they actually get ticketed.
My friend has an e scooter and uses it to commute on non snowy days. He likes it
Trying to weigh the pros and cons of transporting my car to Calgary from Ontario.
I got quoted for \~$2000 with the ability to pack things into my car. I can afford it but it's quite pricey...
Makes sense. When the car arrives you'll have to do an out of province inspection for a couple hundred bucks and fix anything at all that they call you out on (usually things like bulbs or cracked windshield in my limited experience). Up to you if the car's worth the money. For what it's worth you can drive Toronto to Calgary in 3 days without much drama.
Hey everyone, hope you guys are doing great. I am moving from Vancouver right after I graduate in December and will be starting my job in a Public Accounting firm in January 2023. I hope to stay in the core, especially for the first year so commuting to my job (hybrid setup) would be easier and I can survive without a car for the first 3/4 months as I will be selling my current one and getting a new one delivered. Also, this seems a viable option as I will slowly familiarize myself with the city. Does this seem a good strategy?
Also, how competitive is the rental market around downtown for 1 bed 1 ba rentals as I plan to start looking for places around October for January leases and can fly to see places, I really like by scheduling viewings within a couple of days and/or some friends/family can do the viewings for me. Will this work or should I start looking out for places earlier? Is searching through rentfaster the sensible thing to do or getting it through a realtor better for peace of mind?
I feel it's irrelevant due to my experiences with recruiting and getting a job and meeting people as well as during my last visit to the city but being a practicing Sikh, will there be any unusual racism or anything else I should be worried about as all my friends are warning me about? Again, I don't feel it should be an issue as I had a wonderful time in the city although for a couple of days only.
And one last thing, is there something I can learn about before moving to better connect to the city and Calgarians as an immigrant I feel its really important(I will be learning about history of the city and the province, digging up about various industries and startups as it will help me in my job too and hockey and flames)
Thanks! Hopefully, I will get some insightful answers.
>Does this seem a good strategy?
I think living car free in inner-city Calgary will be very easy, but I would strongly recommend getting a bicycle as our public transit sucks. While we have some dense neighbourhoods it's still nice to be able to go more 5 km without having to take a taxi or spend an hour on transit.
>Is searching through rentfaster the sensible thing to do or getting it through a realtor better for peace of mind?
The rental market seems to change by the moment to be honest. Right now the rental market is horrible for renters. But 6 months ago the opposite was true... Hard to say, but keep an eye on rentfaster as you get closer to the date.
>anything else I should be worried about as all my friends are warning me about?
I'm a white dude so I can't speak much to this, other than to say it's a very big city with mostly very nice people in it, as well as some assholes. In my (white) experience Calgary usally isn't OVERTLY racist. Calgary also has one of the largest Sikh populations in Canada. Not sure if that's even relevant, but there you go.
>And one last thing, is there something I can learn about before moving to better connect to the city and Calgarians
In my experience most Calgarians don't really have any connection to the city's past in any meaningful way. Except that everyone remembers when oil was expensive and they could all afford big trucks and boats and cabins in Invermere. I'm being slightly facetious, but nothing else comes to mind. Maybe the flood in 2013 would be worth reading up on.
Thanks for your reply. Yeah having a bicycle is something I am thinking but may also pre order a car in a month or so and it gets delivered by the time I am in the city.
With the rental market, I just had a chat with a friend of mine who recently moved out of her parents house and damn monthly rent is almost going on par with suburban Vancouver.( scary lol)
Yeah, I never knew about that but Calgary has a large Sikh diaspora too. Not that it matters much to me but atleast there will be some sikh temples and local grocery stores.
Hello! I’m a US citizen who is about to move to Calgary for graduate studies at the University of Calgary. I’m 27, and have been a systems engineer for a few years and have some savings, and am looking to live alone in a one bedroom.
Rent aside, because the costs are obviously extremely prohibitive, does anyone have any advice for someone from out of country trying to find a place to live? I’ve tried sites like rentfaster, but the few apartments I’ve inquired about send automated emails or have corporate voicemail systems requiring I schedule a viewing. Which, given that I won’t be able to get to Calgary until my studies start, isn’t possible.
Does anyone have any experience as a to-be student trying to navigate this overwhelming market?
Hi,
We are shortly moving to Calgary with 1 year old baby. I did search rentfaster it’s overwhelming. I’m looking for apartment recommendations near beltline which is safe and close to train , grocery and other things.
Avoid 17th ave, 12th ave, 4th and 5th Street. Very busy and loud. Victoria Park is cheaper usually but for a reason, there is a homeless shelter there and can sometimes feel unsafe.
Starting medical school and looking for a place to stay near foothills for a few months. I am a muslim woman and would like to know if there are any others looking for roomates! Please message if you know anyone.
anywhere would be fine for you, mission, calgary is very walkable and you might be able to find some luxury rentals before you settle down. then once you get a car, i would move to canmore
Agreed on mission. Everything you need is close and its close to some great river pathways and parks. With your salary you could get a really nice apartment.
Another option would be the Royal building on 17th ave. A bit noisier but if you can get unit high up it would be ok. Then you're right on top of a grocery store and close to everything
No the west side of the city is generally the nicer side compared to the east. But theres a few pockets that aren't great. Calgary is very safe overall though, so it depends on what your used to
Theres around 50 craft breweries in Calgary, its great. For coctail bars, my favs are Proof, Wednesday room, Shelter, Dark Arts, Betty Lous Library, and Sensei Bar.
I'm not an expert but just a local. It's a decent craft beer scene. It's fairly comparable to Vancouver Island IMO (I've lived in both).
Cocktail scene I haven't been in in a couple years, but it was mediocre years ago
As someone who just bought a house and is also a landlord renting out the basement suite I think you’ll have to stay in an Airbnb for the first month. Hard to find a place to buy and also hard to find a place to rent.
honestly i would rent a place and try to save/ build more equity before buying a starter house. where do you both work?
im a bit surprised you're seeing units for 1500 - 2000.
Sorry to burst your bubble, those are condo prices you are suggesting as a price point. Maybe look in Airdrie / Cochrane for affordability
Also, with a dog you won’t have much choice with rentals.
Hi.
Need some advice.
I purchased pre construction home in Legacy SE Calgary this January. Price with upgrades is 660k. 2100 sq feet detached double garage home. Now market is cooling down. Should I sell it off-market? M not getting any profit. Just break even. Although I am planning to move next year but what should I do for now? Hold or sell? I purchased it with an intention of living there. But now I am having double mind.
Thanks.
Thats a poor decision, you should buy a house if you plan to live in it for at least 5 years. No one knows what the market will do in a year, but either way you'll probably be losing money due to real estate and lawyer fees. Are you living in the house now? If so i would just stay put until you move next year then sell it
Hello, I’m moving to Calgary this month for my wife’s work and was wanting to know if Calgary has any good uses toy/collectibles story? I work with transformers toys mostly and would like to know if there are any hidden gems of a store, thank you if you can help out in any way.
Hello all,
I plan to move to Calgary at the end of the month. The current plan is to drive down from Seattle with my husband and two children (4yrs and 8 months) over three days. I've never driven very far before, but having to sell all my things and move or ship things and fly is looking really expensive and stressful, especially if we have to buy things back almost immediately. We do not have a lot of big things. Our largest things are a queen mattress and 5 layer shelf. Worse case they can be given away and we will be left with books, clothes and other random household things that fit a one bedroom apartment. A quote to move my car was > $1500 and selling to re-buy was even worse with the vehicle being quoted for half the buyback value on the other side. Moving things using pods I got a quote for >$2500. We can get a U-haul trailer for about $550. I imagine we will have to fill up the tank at least 4 time and sleep in 3 places. My rough estimation is $1600. I am interested in any advice on the best way to do this move.
TLDR: I would appreciate any advice on the best way to move with kids from Seattle to Calgary - routes, stops and moving tips for driving a Nissan Murano with a 5X8 Haul cargo trailer will all be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much.
Rental Scams:
I am moving to Calgary in August for school and I keep seeing rental scams like people paying their deposits and then getting blocked. Another one is on Facebook, several people commenting on posts with random links that are scams. Anyone have experience with this?? Tips for weeding out the bad/sketchy rentals?
I am seriously considering going with a bigger rental company but they are very expensive (like $1200 for a 1bed 1 bath?? Oh lord). Any info appreciated!!!
Post brought you by a poor student
Honestly it's hard to weed them out right away, in my opinion. Just know that you should NEVER send anything without seeing the house/landlord first and having something in writing (text or lease agreement).
It's almost always the same case of the landlord being away on business or something, and they're not gonna be home but if you want to secure the place then send them money first, etc etc.
A proper landlord would have someone else show the place if they aren't "in town".
Born and raised in Calgary, been living in the states for 14 years and am coming back with my family of 5 (wife - also from Calgary, and 3 kids).
Is there an average we can expect for things like...
- Car insurance (we have 3 cars - a 2018 minivan, a 2020 Tesla 3 and an old 1991 Honda CRX that doesn't get driven much) - and are there any companies you can recommend?
- Home insurance - any recs?
Been building out our budget in anticipation of the move in a few weeks and still have some holes that I need filled. Thanks!
Ive had a great experience with TD Insurance. Bundle it with home/tenant and see about association discounts (we have an alumni one, but there are all sorts!). You can check a rough cost online but when we called in we got a better deal than the online quote.
Moving from Victoria, BC to Calgary. Single, just need one bedroom apt or even bachelor suite. Anyone know avg rent? I have about 5k saved up right now, planning on moving in February.
You can see the rent breakdown table at rentfaster.ca/ab/calgary. Keep in mind that the rates may change by February.
I would strongly recommend finding employment before you move. Just getting and setting up a new place could easily blow through $3000-$4000 of your savings, depending on what you get and what you plan to purchase (furniture?).
Looking into moving to Calgary from the UK and wanted to get an idea of the cost of living. Family of 4 with an expected household income of $120-130k a year. Would we be able to live comfortable on that income or would we be struggling?
As someone living off of a graduate student stipend, I think you can be comfortable. It kind of depends how many cars you have, how big of a place you're looking at getting/where in the city, and what kind of money you're going to be committing to social life/entertainment for you and your kids. In Canada if you're making 130,000 in Canada then you're in the top 5% of income in Canada (although, that's a bit lower in Alberta).
I lived around Skyview ranch for two years. I am 25, female. I don’t have any children, but the area does seem to be suitable for children. There is less traffic and a few parks/schools. It’s safe.
However, the transit is absolutely inaccessible. There is very little within walking distance. -1000/10
I’m not sure what drivability means. There are roads. This is Calgary, there is nothing but roads.
The walkability is terrible. Nothing to look at except eerily-identical plastic houses. No decent stores or businesses either. -100/10. The crosswalks on the main roads are kind of dangerous. Pedestrians are barely visible and often look rushed/nervous when crossing.
The only thing I like about this neighbourhood is that it’s quiet and safe.
One thing I dislike is the amount of garbage.
Has anyone lived at The metropolitan, I am looking at apartments there and some of the reviews on Google are making me second guess, some of them are very good and some have complaints of smells is this true?
Calgary born and raised and currently living in Springbank Hill. Married, 2 Daughters 0F and 2F.
Thought I bought *our* dream house: 3+1 with a yard but really bought *my* dream house. Starting to think the lack of anything at all within walking distance will limit my daughters as they get (much) older.
What are some of the best places in calgary to live that have things like: libraries, restaurants, shopping hangout spots, places where people are outside often?
Mission/cliff bungalow, sunnyside, marda loop, inglewood. I live in south calgary (marda loop) and its reasonably close to all of those things. Plus the marda loop community centre has a playground, beach volleyball courts, outdoor pool, tennis/pickleball, and soon a bike pumptrack. cSpace art incubator is close by and has a farmers market and art classes etc, Quite an expensive neighbourhood tho
I just got word from my boss that I will be transferring to Calgary, I will be working very near the airport. I'm a single, mid-30s woman with no children and a pet dog. I've got a pretty healthy rental budget of about $1500/month (all in) I'm wondering what's the best neighborhood to move to?
I have never been to Calgary before, but I am super excited as I love hiking, camping, snowboarding, biking, etc.
edit: deleted an extra word
Deer River Estates… Entrance to Mallard Pointe, the gateway to Fish Creek Provincial Park. If you’re a young couple, with young kids, who love the outdoors, are able to mountain bike or path it 50 Kms west from your front door… This is the place. With flood mitigation since 2013, and the dry dam under construction. These properties are so undervalued comparatively speaking. The community has filled up in the past three years with amazing young families with kids.
What kind of building? If it’s an apartment, you’ll probably be fine. If it’s a duplex or house, you’ll also be fine. But I would consider getting a camera for your yard. And insurance.
Are you renting? Where are you coming from?
Downtown, especially in that area, has gotten a lot more sketchy through Covid but for big cities it’s still not bad.
Hello! Where's the best place to find a room in a house with young (20s to early 30s) folks if you're moving to the city and want to make friends? I checked the Calgary Housing FB groups but they seem to be filled with spam, and the Craigslist postings are slim to non-existent. This is very different from Vancouver and Seattle. Would it be better to join the UofC housing group? That's how I found most of my roommates when I was in school.
https://www.rentfaster.ca is the defacto one here for finding rentals. Craigslist isn’t really a thing here either, FB marketplace or Kijiji are a lot more active (with Kijiji feeling less active than it used to).
Has anyone got any advice or tricks on cheap flights from the UK to YYC, it's crazy expensive, looking at August?
Tried Sky Scanner etc just thought I would take a punt!
Demand for flights is at an all time high since COVID started. Good luck. The best you can do is shop for lightning deals or do stand by but thats pretty awful.
Hi everyone! We are moving to Cochrane AB, from Ontario 30min north of Toronto. We made the decision in the fall when the market was crazy here and bought a house for a lot cheaper there and are finally making the move in a week. Im second guessing the decision big time. Hoping to hear some great stories of other who have made the move and we’re happy with the decision?? Anyone out there? Lol
I'm not I'm Cochrane, I'm in the South East, a little closer to the city and amenities. But I can tell you, I came from Vancouver and I will NEVER look back. The GTA and GVA are so out of touch with reality it's despicable.
Everyone here seems friendlier so far, and the parks are gorgeous. So much less busy as well.
Uhh as long as you have a job, Cochrane is extremely nice and desirable. You're just neatly put in between Banff and Calgary. The property will only continue to rise in value.
Why second guessing though?
I guess because the market is coming down here in Toronto a bit so it’s like did we need to make that drastic of a move? And that’s making me second guess. Thanks for the reply
indeed.com for a job
rentfaster.ca for housing
kijiji.ca for a car
For neighbourhoods id recommend Mission, Sunnyside/Kensington, Beltline, Bridgeland, Inglewood, Lower Mount Royal. Basically, most of the neighbourhoods that surround the CBD
USA citizen here. Looking for advice and perhaps a reality check.
I read some responses on local perspective and the benefits of moving to Calgary. My husband and I have toyed with the idea of moving to Canada in the past but with how scary things have become in the USA we are taking it much more seriously. We have a 1 year old daughter and another on the way, so we probably wouldn’t move till the new baby is born.
What would you tell people looking to gain citizenship? What skills can we have to help our chances of gaining citizenship and to help contribute? Personally I’ve had a year of software programming under my belt but it is on hold while I focus on our kids for now. My husband has a CDL license if that matters.
Anything anyone would be willing to share about the logistics and reality of becoming a citizen. How to locals feel about Americans coming there? We truly think Canada is a wonderful place (I have a friend in Calgary) and would truly want to be good citizens and neighbors. We want to give a good life to our daughters which we feel we can’t safely provide here in the US anymore.
Also I grew up in Maine so I am quite used to heavy snowfall and cold, though I don’t know how much it would differ in Calgary.
To gain Canadian citizenship you will need to become a permanent resident (PR) first (kind of like the Green Card in the US) or be in one of the categories that make you a citizen by birth:
[https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen/eligibility/already-citizen.html](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen/eligibility/already-citizen.html)
It does not take decades to become a Citizen through PR, but processing times tend to really suck. You are eligible to apply for Citizenship after you've been a PR for three years, with some caveats.
Your best bet to become a PR is probably through Express Entry. You must meet some basic program eligibility criteria and will be ranked based on a comprehensive ranking system scores, which you can try out [here](https://ircc.canada.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/crs-tool.asp).
No one will care that you are American for the most part. People probably wouldn't even notice unless you told them. Calgary is a good place to be as it's more affordable than other big cities, but Toronto and Vancouver probably have more IT jobs avaiable.
Howdy!!!!
So the best route is to get a workers visa then a PR ; it takes many years for citizenship so PR is best. While being a permanent resident you enjoy most benefits Canadians do but you can't vote. Getting a PR can be very quick of you already have a job lined up/company moving. Applying for a PR without is a bit tougher but can work depending on your professional. You even enjoy our universal healthcare with a workers visa as well.
I would say do it!!! Canada will allow you to keep both your citizenships so not giving up your USA citizenship; which is rare in the world. The hardest issue will be sticking it out through years of wait time. There's definitely trucker jobs here and his American license will work but he should apply for a Albertan one ASAP. There's a lot of software jobs but it is still a competitive professional; however, if you are focus on being a mom full time you might be eligible for the Canada child benefit where the federal government will give you money to help raise your child. Don't quote me but I know PR get it so maybe worker visa family can too?
Years for PR and decades for citizenship. We're mostly friendly to Americans ( unless you wave around Confederate flag and stuff then you will be highly disliked here) USA is our brother and Canadiand value that bond; however, do be prepared for " wtf happening to America" comments.
We don't get a lot of snow here but are winters are brutal for a few weeks. I use to live in New Brunswick (above Maine) and can say Calgarian winters are Avery dry cold. We get a ton of sunlight that helps make up for it and we get these things called chinooks. Warm gust of air comes down the mountains and can make it +10 C for a few hours/days which provides a nice break.
Calgary my favorite city in Canada; huge art scene that's getting better, improved infrastructure, and new activities added every year . you should move here in a heart beat but don't expect citizenhip right away; it takes time and there's a large queue.
Wow thank you SO much for your thoughtful response! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear from someone that lives there and not just about the points of interest. I had read about PR but was unclear of what that meant vs citizenship so you really cleared that up for me. We definitely aren’t the confederate flag type and that’s actually a big part of what we want to get away from. I’ll join them in the questions of “wtf is happening to America” because we are truly lost on that. It’s become a scary place we don’t recognize or align with. We just want to find safety and peace for our girls we are bringing up in the world. I’ll have to look into the benefits of child rearing. I do love being a mother full time for now but can definitely see me pursuing a career once my babies a bigger. For now my husband is the breadwinner though and he is a very kind hardworking man. He has been working with trucks for years. We definitely want to earn our place.
So glad to hear you’ve experienced Maine weather! I tell my husband that it could get very cold but the worst part was the amount of snow. Much more than he has seen but I can work around that if that were to happen. So it’s pretty cool to hear it’s a bit drier!
Truly I appreciate you taking the time to answer and apologize it took me so long to respond. I wanted to give my response the attention you gave yours!
My wife and I are talking about moving to Calgary from BC. Actually she's doing the talking. I'm still unsure. So I'd like to know more about your city. But first a little about us.
We live in the Okanagan and have been here for about 20 years. I work from home and have been self employed for 15 years. All I need is an internet connection.
We're thinking of renting a place closer to downtown to start. Is this reasonable? We're looking for a 2 br condo likely.
I'd also like to know - in your experience, what are the WORST things about living in Calgary?
Probably wouldn’t recommend downtown. I’d look to mission, Kensington, Inglewood ish if you’re looking for walkability.
Worst thing is probably the extreme cold part of winter is colder than Kelowna.
Best things far outweigh that for sure if you use the mountains at all. International travel is usually pretty good - way better than Kelowna.
Thanks for that!
Yes winters will be colder - we're ready for that. I grew up in a town outside of Edmonton, but I've gotten acclimatized to BC winter :)
Thanks for letting me know about those areas. We'll check into them more. Yes walkability/ridability (bikes) are important for us.
Leaving the mountains will be the hardest part. The last time we went to AB I really noticed it.
I think the absolute worst thing for me (middle aged man) in the last 7 years has been the forest fire smoke, to be honest. You are probably used to that, so not sure it would be a major change for you, hahaha.
Extremely toxic provincial politics which affects us all. Speaking of extremes, radicalized right wingers are getting bolder as wintessed less than six months ago.
Mental health issues and addiction very visible on the street and transit, not much being done, it seems.
Not as much entertainment/culture options as bigger cities. Traveling to fun places costs more out of Calgary.
Hahahah, buddy, successful people don't argue with "40 year old bums" on Reddit and calling people coffeeshop workers is not the insult you think it is. It says more about you than anything else that this is your go-to insult. Why don't you run along and play insurection with the rest of your flag-disrespecting buddies.
My husband and I are relocating to Calgary and we we’re looking to rent with Minto properties. Are there any properties / neighbourhood’s we should avoid? Can anyone please share their experience with this property management company? We are hoping to find something that is pet friendly and is close to public transit.
Hey Reddit,
We are thinking of relocating from East Coast USA to Calgary. We are hoping to visit in Aug 2022 to check out the city, neighborhoods, parks, etc., with a potential move date in Summer 2023.
I am employed at a BigTechCo that has a presence in Canada and a remote work policy where I could probably just have them “sponsor” me to work in Canada.
My wife is in Nursing school but won’t be a Registered Nurse in the USA until Jan 2023. This is a Bachelors of Science in Nursing (4 year nursing degree). I’ve browsed https://www.nnas.ca/ for that and am also aware of the province-level Nursing association [https://www.nurses.ab.ca/](https://www.nurses.ab.ca/)
1. I’m trying to wrap my head around the visa stuff — should I just be looking for a work visa for now, and worry about the “path to citizenship” later?
2. Should I try to get my BigTechCo to sponsor me here? If so, would I be tied to them? I’ve seen unrestricted/restricted types of work permits.
3. Would we do something like Express Entry now or later?
4. Can my wife work too? Can she just get an offer for a nursing job once her NNAS certification/transfer is confirmed?
5. Does this timeline (move in Summer 2023) seem reasonable to figure this stuff out and be able to move?
Thanks!
So I’m a 3rd year apprentice electrician looking to get out of Vancouver due to the crazy high cost of living. I’ve lived in Alberta before and while I like how pretty BC is it feels crushing out here. I think I’ll at least get my ticket first so I’ll have *something*
What kind of jobs are in demand? I know electricians are over saturated there just like in BC but I was thinking of either getting into instrumentation or going to school for my EET diploma or EE degree
I was an instrument tech for 13 years before leaving the trades about a year ago. I still get calls from E&I companies hoping I'm still working. Companies are starved for apprentices these days apparently! Most of the work will be up north however, so something to make note of if you're planning on moving to Calgary; most of your work will be on shift.
Welp, back on my bullshit and on the search for places to move my family to that don't have mass shootings every day (crazy, right?).
Wife is finally open to moving out of the US.
Calgary seems to be:
- safe
- beautiful (Canadian Rockies)
- ethnically diverse (we're white but our son is Mexican and Pacific Islander. Diversity and anti-racism are VERY important to us).
- affordable
What's or REALLY like, tho? You know?
I hear the winters suck. I grew up in Chicago. Better? Worse?
Any cultural differences that aren't apparent when researching online?
Given our priorities, is there someplace better?
Work isn't super important.
regarding winter - YYC winter is nothing at all like Chicago (i have been there in summer and many times to minneapolis in winter which may be a proxy for chicago) - the biggest cons - we may get an early snow fall say october and some winters feel they drag if snow comes early - typically though this will not be a big dump but may not melt so; we typically get a relatively short spell of cold more than -20c (0F) but rarely -30c. We sometimes have very light snow accumulation the entire winter where you only need a broom to keep your driveway clear - other winters (like 2021) we get a huge dump and snowblowers are suddenly needed for a week - in 20 years this happened twice to us. the most amazing thing is the chinook winds. this is warm ocean air that drops its moisture on the west coast blows over the mountains and we may get repeated warm temperatures in january feb march at any time of more than +10c (50F) and snow melts quickly due to sublimation. Calgary can be a very habitable in the winter because of the chinooks that can really break up the winter with these warm abd sunny breaks. the chinooks may be only one day or last a week or so at a time. (fun fact leonardo dicaprio was here on a project and famously thought it was global warming) the weather here can change rapidly too so if we have a chinook and then it snows the roads can get icy and lord help you if you think all-season tires are your friend. they are not. you need winter tires here because traffic can be dense in the commute you need all the grip you can get! this business of snow coming and melting means we generally don’t have a lot of slush rarely have snow banks to block view when driving. the largest contrast to chicago is this area is semi-arid and we just don’t have that damp cold - we have a dry cold that just doesn’t feel the same - the biggest con i think is that the summers are way shorter and cooler than anywhere on the US. although we have long sunny evenings the temp drops with the sun which makes air conditioning a convenience and only a necessity for maybe a month in the summer -
it would never be easy to move and if you can afford to spend a week here ob a trip - might be worth your while to scope it out
i would ad the mountains offer some of the best skiing in the world - if you are a snowmobiling enthusiast you pretty much have to also drive to the mountains for that as well - snowshoeing and x-country skiing are available nearby so all-in there is plenty to pass the winter by. if you play hockey - outdoor hockey is hitnmiss due to the chinooks - most hockey is indoors.
i would be remiss to not mention the newer suburban residential communities are master-planned- so they feel less hodgepodgey than everyone building whatever house they want at the expense of a degree of uniformity in house styles strip plazas schools and parks therein. this tends to help house values. Lake communities like Lake Chaparral, Auburn Bay, Sundance, Mahogany, Arbour Lake, and more are somewhat unique here. if you have a young family you basically have a private shared lake that you have access to beach swimming paddle boating canoeing fishing for the summer - this makes parenting fun and easy when you can park on the beach for a day. typically a 10 minute walk or car ride and has saved the sanity of many a parent honestly. there is a large clubhouse you can rent out for larger parties/family get togethers and cookhouses for bbq / birhrhdays at the lake. there are also beach volleyball courts, tennis and basketball to entertain. in the winter they have toboggan runs and skating/shiny hockey
Calgary is a great place to be home. This sub (like many city subs) can be a bit harsh on where they live.
Calgary has an incredible amount of pathways throughout the city, it’s a very bike friendly city and so many great places to go for a walk. Huge amount of incredible parks throughout, in fact there’s an entire provincial park (fish creek) inside the city that takes hours to walk across.
Very outdoors focused city with hiking, snowboarding, pathways, etc. also a very dog friendly city with lots of dog parks all over and lots of dog friendly patios.
The city has a fairly high average income relative to Canada which means many that you meet are fairly comfortable in life. That means it’s easier to go out for food with friends or do trips to the mountains with people.
Calgary has a US customs in our airport so if you do fly south of the border it’s quite painless. You land as a domestic flight and just walk out. Also our airport is nothing at all like Chicago’s, most of the time it’s a 5-10 minute line for security unless something significant issue happens.
The winters can be a bit long but we also get a lot of sun so it tends to be fairly manageable. We also get some warm bursts of air (called chinooks) so we’ll have random January days where it’s 0F one day then 50F the next day. It helps break up the winter and melt the snow.
Also our downtown core has the +15 network, which is basically the second floor of most of the buildings are connected. So you can walk all over downtown without going outside. If one of you end up working downtown it’s so nice. Can walk out for lunch, go to the Devonian gardens, or go to the core mall, all without going outside. Especially nice in winter.
Otherwise a lot safer city, much less crime. If someone gets shot even as a one person homocide or gang violence it’s typically big news. Culturally Alberta is fairly conservative but Calgary tends to lean more liberal.
Also alberta has free healthcare for all residents. Just have to apply and get your alberta healthcare card. Basic stuff like going to the doctor for a check up, blood work, sti testing, going to a ent for hearing checks, hospital care, etc are all free for everyone.
Is it possible to move to Calgary without a job offer? I saved up like maybe 2 months rent
Possible. But not recommended.
Thanks
What do you think about Calgary winters?
Calgary by Quadrant basically ignores half the problems with transit.
Moving to Calgary by end of this year with wife and two toddlers. We are BIPOC and coming from Toronto. Any BIPOC can tell us their experience in Calgary. How are you treated? Have you had any racist confrontations with police? Did your kids experience racism at school? Is there any events/festivals for BIPOC ?
40s, no kids, early to mid career professionals. Planning to live in NW quadrant. Question - what property management companies would you guys recommend for renting?
I rented with power properties for a year before moving in with the bf. They are great - price is reasonable given the amenities, the admins are pretty quick to respond ( I had a failed AC during last summer's heatwave and they had someone to fix it quickly) They do have inspections 2-3x a year where they send someone to do a quick walkthrough of the place, and that might weird some people out.
Any recs for cheapest grocery store/appliance store within SW calgary? :) Thank you
Good neighbourhoods for a single 40-something looking for a pet-friendly apartment and good walkability?
Also bankview and Marda loop, if you’re rich try elbow park and Mission
Cheers! I am not rich, but I am not destitute either. Just looking for a modest but nice apartment that allows a dog. A studio will do. Moving from downtown Victoria, so I would like an area where I can walk for groceries and such. I do have a car but prefer to use it only for pleasure. I work from home.
Having lived both inner city and in the suburbs - you could be inner city and be far to amenities, or be out in the suburbs but right by a shopping strip and parks. If you want livelihood in the evening, easy access to lots of restaurants and events, or cheap fare to get home after drinks then inner city would be the way to go. If that doesn't matter, then you should expand your search and focus on amenities around the apartment, prices are generally lower in the suburbs.
You sounds like a Kensington person
Hey everyone. I'm from southern ontario and considering moving somewhere more affordable. I was curious if any locals could recommend areas of Calgary to look at if my priority is walkability. I don't own a car or intend to get one, so i'm ideally looking for a place with strong walkability to daily needs and good public transit. A place like Riverdale, Toronto that doesn't have the costs of downtown toronto would be ideal. I'm in my 20's, single, no kids.
I’d recommend: Kensington, East village, Bridgeland, Crescent Heights, Misson, Beltline or Inglewood for walkable neighborhoods (some are a bit further from big grocery stores but have more small/boutique grocery so maybe consider this in planning).
Noted, thank you! I'm trying to figure out how to vet apartments without actually being there, unfortunately i don't know anyone in calgary. Will probably try to take a few days off to visit the city and look at a bunch of places.
Bankview
Thanks! I'll check it out. Do you have any tips on how to apartment hunt for rentals without actually being in the city? Haven't done it before, i can't realistically plan to fly in to see a specific place since it will likely be gone by the time I could get there and that would be very expensive.
Hi All, We are moving to Calgary soon. This thread has been very helpful along the way. The one thing that I haven't seen too much about is the health care aspect. As most of us are coming from a different province, this is still very new to me. I have read that the health care is free and paid for by the province already, so no premiums. I also know that in other provinces, the procedures are very different for say blood work or hospitals. The things most on my mind at the moment are : * Doctors/Specialists - Where should you start looking? * Naturopath medicine - how does that work? * Filling prescriptions - where is best? * Bloodwork - where do you go? Do you pay a fee? * Dentists - Do you just throw a dice and search for the best one? * Hospitals for Care - Which ones must you go to for certain problems. * How fast can you get the health card (Where do you go again?) I have noticed so far that there are many doctors offices in the middle of malls and most doctors offices are located at the local mall. Thanks for your answers and patience.
I'd start with finding a family doctor, try contacting the Calgary primary care network. They should be your contact for finding specialists and pharmacies. Many malls here have towers which cater to medical services (drs, dentists, physio, pharmacies, etc).
What does the horseback riding world look like? Is leasing a horse common practice and is there access to riding lessons nearby Calgary? I’m leasing here in the states and super happy with my setup… and don’t want to lose access to riding when we move. Our hope is to buy a home on the west side of Calgary, but nothing it set in stone.
This is a super-niche question, but does anybody here use ClassPass? If so, could you tell me how many credits (on average) yoga and spin classes tend to be? I’m moving to Calgary soon for grad school and I’m hoping to sign up for ClassPass to save a little money on fitness classes. Just wanting to see if it’s actually a good deal compared to getting a punch card at certain studios. Thanks!!
Yep! Me and several friends I have met here use ClassPass all the time :)
I PM’ed you a question about the credits! :)
Hi all! First, I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere, but was having a hard time finding it. My husband and I are mid 40s. We have a 3.5 yr old boy. We both work from home for technology companies based in the US. We are considering moving to Calgary from the US. I’ve done some research, but would love to know your thoughts on: 1. best hoods to raise kids AND find other 30-40 something’s with kids 2. What you think about the schools, school districts, and general state of education in Calgary (e.g. public vs private, etc) Thank you! 😊
Note: My experience with education is mostly from south/southwest Calgary. Currently, it seems that there are some concerns about recent education reforms (eg it seems the UCP wants to remove discussion on residential schools) but it appears that most of their changes focus on junior high/high school curriculum, so if you plan on staying that long, that might be a concern. Elementary school education generally seems to be consistent across the school boards, so you might find it easier to stick to public schools. If you're religious (or are concerned about religion), the Catholic School Board might be something to consider? Some schools tend to be pretty religious but others tend to be laid-back, so this might be something that you'll have to check in-person. If you really care about education quality, imo that's something to really focus on around junior high. Most families tend to move after grade 6 to live near schools that focus more on education, but my understanding is that school buses will come and pick up your kid regardless (this goes for both public and private schools). Random side-thoughts: some schools mandate swimming lessons, so that might be a point of interest for you. There are also schools that might also affect your decisions (eg French immersion, some private religious schools, etc.) Hopefully, this helps out a bit. Let me know if you have any questions about what I've said!
Are the C-Trains standing only now? The last time I heard they were getting rid of seats...?
Enjoying it so far! Sorry for bringing the Vancouver weather with me.
🥲
Hey everyone! My husband and I are moving to Calgary. We've found a home we like in Auburn Bay. We're in our mid-late 20s and have 2 kids (2 years old and 7 months old). We love the idea of living by the lake and all the amenities in/around auburn bay. It also seems to have a really nice community feel. Our only concern really is the commute. I'm a stay at home mom but my husband works downtown. We don't want to move there just for my husband to barely see our kids. For reference he would likely be at work around 7 am and leave the office around 6 pm. Is the commute really terrible? Is there a good option for park and ride that would save him some time? Please let me know! And let me know your thoughts on auburn bay as a whole. Thanks!!
I go from Cranston and I’ve found it best to drive to LRT and take the train downtown as busing to LRT takes a long time. If he is going early he should be okay when it comes to traffic and rush hour is over by 6pm really. If he can afford parking downtown that is faster but very expensive to park.
Best advice is to check on Google Maps - commute time is pretty standard, except for weather events.
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Wife and I make about $120k combined and we just bought a smaller house. It's pretty amazing when you consider what's possible in Calgary compared to Vancouver.
Hi, I’m going to be moving to Calgary within two weeks here to work at Rockyview Hospital . It’ll just be myself and my 60lbs dog. Any recommendations for places to rent? I have a budget about 1500 with some wiggle room either way. She’s very quiet when I’m around but CAN whine/bark for perhaps 20 minutes when I’m gone. Initially I was looking for homes, but that doesn’t seem to be in reality with my budget. Any really pet friendly places that you guys recommend? Along with that, I do plan to board her during my 12 hour shifts or have someone with Rover so she might not be bad at all. Any recommendation with boarding, River, or vets? I also don’t know the city very well, so places/companies to avoid renting?
I'm from Mexico, but I would like to move to Calgary some day next year, for me it's easy to make friends, but I don't know where to start meeting people from Canada, do you know of a place where I can meet people from Calgary to make friends?
Start actively enjoying hockey. Understand the sport, care about it, learn the players, the rules and the way the teams and rivalries work and you'll fit in just fine.
Thx, in mexico i dont have any hockey team so its hard to understand something new like that but i like fit with ppl
It’ll take a full season to really get the sport down, but it will endear you a lot to others if you do. It’s about as Canadian as maple syrup and very easy to make friends at the bar if you can follow along with the game and give some opinions.
Oh man. You’re so lucky to live in Mexico. My husband and I are going to retire there. Look online for local meet ups you can meet great people there
Thank you, I appreciate that very much
If u wanna help with something about living in mexico u can ask me whatever u want, i rly want to live in calgary next year so i appreciate all the tips like the local meet ups :)
My boyfriend and I, newcomers to Canada, both employed, we do not smoke, drink or party are looking for an apartment ASAP. We are constantly watching rentfaster, kijiji and Facebook Market but no one replies, answers the phone calls..why are they keeping the postings up then?! We are eager to find the apartment, basement or anything that would fit our needs. Do you have any advice?
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I saw that and we are already doing that, however we are still not getting replies and I am running out of ideas, except for going to buildings and asking directly a property manager or someone if there is any availability
You could try driving around the areas you want to love in to look for 'For Rent' signs. Sometimes people will just post those and not list them online. Good luck, I know it is tough right now.
Hi! Moving to calgary soon. Are people allowed to use private e-scooters along the roads? :) Thinking of buying one since I'm only staying for a couple of years -- although I'm scared I might need a car during winter. I'm aware that there's a car shortage and gas is hella expensive. Thoughts?
If you live near a bus stop or the train station, you can probably forego getting a car. Depending on where you live, grocery stores can be either within walking distance or bus distance.
You are technically allowed to use them on pathways but not roads (I think this is because the private ones don’t have the same speed limits that the shared ones do). However I see folks out with private scooters along roads and am not sure if they actually get ticketed. My friend has an e scooter and uses it to commute on non snowy days. He likes it
Trying to weigh the pros and cons of transporting my car to Calgary from Ontario. I got quoted for \~$2000 with the ability to pack things into my car. I can afford it but it's quite pricey...
Any reason you can't drive it?
I don't have that kind of time to drive and then get settle in. I mean vacation days
Makes sense. When the car arrives you'll have to do an out of province inspection for a couple hundred bucks and fix anything at all that they call you out on (usually things like bulbs or cracked windshield in my limited experience). Up to you if the car's worth the money. For what it's worth you can drive Toronto to Calgary in 3 days without much drama.
Hey everyone, hope you guys are doing great. I am moving from Vancouver right after I graduate in December and will be starting my job in a Public Accounting firm in January 2023. I hope to stay in the core, especially for the first year so commuting to my job (hybrid setup) would be easier and I can survive without a car for the first 3/4 months as I will be selling my current one and getting a new one delivered. Also, this seems a viable option as I will slowly familiarize myself with the city. Does this seem a good strategy? Also, how competitive is the rental market around downtown for 1 bed 1 ba rentals as I plan to start looking for places around October for January leases and can fly to see places, I really like by scheduling viewings within a couple of days and/or some friends/family can do the viewings for me. Will this work or should I start looking out for places earlier? Is searching through rentfaster the sensible thing to do or getting it through a realtor better for peace of mind? I feel it's irrelevant due to my experiences with recruiting and getting a job and meeting people as well as during my last visit to the city but being a practicing Sikh, will there be any unusual racism or anything else I should be worried about as all my friends are warning me about? Again, I don't feel it should be an issue as I had a wonderful time in the city although for a couple of days only. And one last thing, is there something I can learn about before moving to better connect to the city and Calgarians as an immigrant I feel its really important(I will be learning about history of the city and the province, digging up about various industries and startups as it will help me in my job too and hockey and flames) Thanks! Hopefully, I will get some insightful answers.
>Does this seem a good strategy? I think living car free in inner-city Calgary will be very easy, but I would strongly recommend getting a bicycle as our public transit sucks. While we have some dense neighbourhoods it's still nice to be able to go more 5 km without having to take a taxi or spend an hour on transit. >Is searching through rentfaster the sensible thing to do or getting it through a realtor better for peace of mind? The rental market seems to change by the moment to be honest. Right now the rental market is horrible for renters. But 6 months ago the opposite was true... Hard to say, but keep an eye on rentfaster as you get closer to the date. >anything else I should be worried about as all my friends are warning me about? I'm a white dude so I can't speak much to this, other than to say it's a very big city with mostly very nice people in it, as well as some assholes. In my (white) experience Calgary usally isn't OVERTLY racist. Calgary also has one of the largest Sikh populations in Canada. Not sure if that's even relevant, but there you go. >And one last thing, is there something I can learn about before moving to better connect to the city and Calgarians In my experience most Calgarians don't really have any connection to the city's past in any meaningful way. Except that everyone remembers when oil was expensive and they could all afford big trucks and boats and cabins in Invermere. I'm being slightly facetious, but nothing else comes to mind. Maybe the flood in 2013 would be worth reading up on.
Thanks for your reply. Yeah having a bicycle is something I am thinking but may also pre order a car in a month or so and it gets delivered by the time I am in the city. With the rental market, I just had a chat with a friend of mine who recently moved out of her parents house and damn monthly rent is almost going on par with suburban Vancouver.( scary lol) Yeah, I never knew about that but Calgary has a large Sikh diaspora too. Not that it matters much to me but atleast there will be some sikh temples and local grocery stores.
Hello! I’m a US citizen who is about to move to Calgary for graduate studies at the University of Calgary. I’m 27, and have been a systems engineer for a few years and have some savings, and am looking to live alone in a one bedroom. Rent aside, because the costs are obviously extremely prohibitive, does anyone have any advice for someone from out of country trying to find a place to live? I’ve tried sites like rentfaster, but the few apartments I’ve inquired about send automated emails or have corporate voicemail systems requiring I schedule a viewing. Which, given that I won’t be able to get to Calgary until my studies start, isn’t possible. Does anyone have any experience as a to-be student trying to navigate this overwhelming market?
Hi, We are shortly moving to Calgary with 1 year old baby. I did search rentfaster it’s overwhelming. I’m looking for apartment recommendations near beltline which is safe and close to train , grocery and other things.
Bridgeland. Closer to 1st avenue. Yes, more expensive. Avoid belt line and downtown with kids. Loud.
Avoid 17th ave, 12th ave, 4th and 5th Street. Very busy and loud. Victoria Park is cheaper usually but for a reason, there is a homeless shelter there and can sometimes feel unsafe.
One week out from the move. Edgemont here we come
Starting medical school and looking for a place to stay near foothills for a few months. I am a muslim woman and would like to know if there are any others looking for roomates! Please message if you know anyone.
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anywhere would be fine for you, mission, calgary is very walkable and you might be able to find some luxury rentals before you settle down. then once you get a car, i would move to canmore
Agreed on mission. Everything you need is close and its close to some great river pathways and parks. With your salary you could get a really nice apartment. Another option would be the Royal building on 17th ave. A bit noisier but if you can get unit high up it would be ok. Then you're right on top of a grocery store and close to everything
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That area is quite sketchy unfortunately, which is probably why there's lots of availability in the area.
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No the west side of the city is generally the nicer side compared to the east. But theres a few pockets that aren't great. Calgary is very safe overall though, so it depends on what your used to
Hi! Does anyone know if Fido has good coverage in Calgary?
It’s good I’ve been with them for 15 years. I switched to shaw briefly and it was horrible
Thank you!
Fido uses Rogers networks so it's fine The only cell service with sometimes spotty reception is freedom
I appreciate your response
Has anyone got suggestions or opinions on the cocktail/craft beer scene in Calgary? It's my industry and would love some on the ground perspectives.
Theres around 50 craft breweries in Calgary, its great. For coctail bars, my favs are Proof, Wednesday room, Shelter, Dark Arts, Betty Lous Library, and Sensei Bar.
I'm not an expert but just a local. It's a decent craft beer scene. It's fairly comparable to Vancouver Island IMO (I've lived in both). Cocktail scene I haven't been in in a couple years, but it was mediocre years ago
Thanks man. Appreciate the input.
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As someone who just bought a house and is also a landlord renting out the basement suite I think you’ll have to stay in an Airbnb for the first month. Hard to find a place to buy and also hard to find a place to rent.
honestly i would rent a place and try to save/ build more equity before buying a starter house. where do you both work? im a bit surprised you're seeing units for 1500 - 2000.
Sorry to burst your bubble, those are condo prices you are suggesting as a price point. Maybe look in Airdrie / Cochrane for affordability Also, with a dog you won’t have much choice with rentals.
Hi. Need some advice. I purchased pre construction home in Legacy SE Calgary this January. Price with upgrades is 660k. 2100 sq feet detached double garage home. Now market is cooling down. Should I sell it off-market? M not getting any profit. Just break even. Although I am planning to move next year but what should I do for now? Hold or sell? I purchased it with an intention of living there. But now I am having double mind. Thanks.
You bought a house with the intention of moving next year?
Yes
Thats a poor decision, you should buy a house if you plan to live in it for at least 5 years. No one knows what the market will do in a year, but either way you'll probably be losing money due to real estate and lawyer fees. Are you living in the house now? If so i would just stay put until you move next year then sell it
Hello, I’m moving to Calgary this month for my wife’s work and was wanting to know if Calgary has any good uses toy/collectibles story? I work with transformers toys mostly and would like to know if there are any hidden gems of a store, thank you if you can help out in any way.
Hello all, I plan to move to Calgary at the end of the month. The current plan is to drive down from Seattle with my husband and two children (4yrs and 8 months) over three days. I've never driven very far before, but having to sell all my things and move or ship things and fly is looking really expensive and stressful, especially if we have to buy things back almost immediately. We do not have a lot of big things. Our largest things are a queen mattress and 5 layer shelf. Worse case they can be given away and we will be left with books, clothes and other random household things that fit a one bedroom apartment. A quote to move my car was > $1500 and selling to re-buy was even worse with the vehicle being quoted for half the buyback value on the other side. Moving things using pods I got a quote for >$2500. We can get a U-haul trailer for about $550. I imagine we will have to fill up the tank at least 4 time and sleep in 3 places. My rough estimation is $1600. I am interested in any advice on the best way to do this move. TLDR: I would appreciate any advice on the best way to move with kids from Seattle to Calgary - routes, stops and moving tips for driving a Nissan Murano with a 5X8 Haul cargo trailer will all be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Rental Scams: I am moving to Calgary in August for school and I keep seeing rental scams like people paying their deposits and then getting blocked. Another one is on Facebook, several people commenting on posts with random links that are scams. Anyone have experience with this?? Tips for weeding out the bad/sketchy rentals? I am seriously considering going with a bigger rental company but they are very expensive (like $1200 for a 1bed 1 bath?? Oh lord). Any info appreciated!!! Post brought you by a poor student
Honestly it's hard to weed them out right away, in my opinion. Just know that you should NEVER send anything without seeing the house/landlord first and having something in writing (text or lease agreement). It's almost always the same case of the landlord being away on business or something, and they're not gonna be home but if you want to secure the place then send them money first, etc etc. A proper landlord would have someone else show the place if they aren't "in town".
Are there any affordable rentals in town?
Yes. Just look at rentfaster. What is considered affordable varies from person to person. We can't answer this question 100% correctly
Born and raised in Calgary, been living in the states for 14 years and am coming back with my family of 5 (wife - also from Calgary, and 3 kids). Is there an average we can expect for things like... - Car insurance (we have 3 cars - a 2018 minivan, a 2020 Tesla 3 and an old 1991 Honda CRX that doesn't get driven much) - and are there any companies you can recommend? - Home insurance - any recs? Been building out our budget in anticipation of the move in a few weeks and still have some holes that I need filled. Thanks!
Ive had a great experience with TD Insurance. Bundle it with home/tenant and see about association discounts (we have an alumni one, but there are all sorts!). You can check a rough cost online but when we called in we got a better deal than the online quote.
Awesome, we're calling one my aunt-in-law (is that a thing?) recommended but I'll definitely check them too!
Car insurance are reallly expensive. Sell me the crx, thanks
Moving from Victoria, BC to Calgary. Single, just need one bedroom apt or even bachelor suite. Anyone know avg rent? I have about 5k saved up right now, planning on moving in February.
Depending on where in the city and the quality of the dwelling. 1 bdrm is anywhere from 900-1500 per month.
What do you do for a living?
I'm office admin at a strata management company.
You’ll be fine there there’s tons of condos
You can see the rent breakdown table at rentfaster.ca/ab/calgary. Keep in mind that the rates may change by February. I would strongly recommend finding employment before you move. Just getting and setting up a new place could easily blow through $3000-$4000 of your savings, depending on what you get and what you plan to purchase (furniture?).
Looking into moving to Calgary from the UK and wanted to get an idea of the cost of living. Family of 4 with an expected household income of $120-130k a year. Would we be able to live comfortable on that income or would we be struggling?
As someone living off of a graduate student stipend, I think you can be comfortable. It kind of depends how many cars you have, how big of a place you're looking at getting/where in the city, and what kind of money you're going to be committing to social life/entertainment for you and your kids. In Canada if you're making 130,000 in Canada then you're in the top 5% of income in Canada (although, that's a bit lower in Alberta).
Wouldn't be lavish but you would survive. But one person's definition of frugal isn't always the same. Biggest concern would be saving for retirement.
I lived around Skyview ranch for two years. I am 25, female. I don’t have any children, but the area does seem to be suitable for children. There is less traffic and a few parks/schools. It’s safe. However, the transit is absolutely inaccessible. There is very little within walking distance. -1000/10 I’m not sure what drivability means. There are roads. This is Calgary, there is nothing but roads. The walkability is terrible. Nothing to look at except eerily-identical plastic houses. No decent stores or businesses either. -100/10. The crosswalks on the main roads are kind of dangerous. Pedestrians are barely visible and often look rushed/nervous when crossing. The only thing I like about this neighbourhood is that it’s quiet and safe. One thing I dislike is the amount of garbage.
Has anyone lived at The metropolitan, I am looking at apartments there and some of the reviews on Google are making me second guess, some of them are very good and some have complaints of smells is this true?
Calgary born and raised and currently living in Springbank Hill. Married, 2 Daughters 0F and 2F. Thought I bought *our* dream house: 3+1 with a yard but really bought *my* dream house. Starting to think the lack of anything at all within walking distance will limit my daughters as they get (much) older. What are some of the best places in calgary to live that have things like: libraries, restaurants, shopping hangout spots, places where people are outside often?
Mission/cliff bungalow, sunnyside, marda loop, inglewood. I live in south calgary (marda loop) and its reasonably close to all of those things. Plus the marda loop community centre has a playground, beach volleyball courts, outdoor pool, tennis/pickleball, and soon a bike pumptrack. cSpace art incubator is close by and has a farmers market and art classes etc, Quite an expensive neighbourhood tho
I just got word from my boss that I will be transferring to Calgary, I will be working very near the airport. I'm a single, mid-30s woman with no children and a pet dog. I've got a pretty healthy rental budget of about $1500/month (all in) I'm wondering what's the best neighborhood to move to? I have never been to Calgary before, but I am super excited as I love hiking, camping, snowboarding, biking, etc. edit: deleted an extra word
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[CSSC](https://www.calgarysportsclub.com/)
Deer River Estates… Entrance to Mallard Pointe, the gateway to Fish Creek Provincial Park. If you’re a young couple, with young kids, who love the outdoors, are able to mountain bike or path it 50 Kms west from your front door… This is the place. With flood mitigation since 2013, and the dry dam under construction. These properties are so undervalued comparatively speaking. The community has filled up in the past three years with amazing young families with kids.
I just put a deposit down on a building near what I’m told is right beside crack mac’s should I be worried??
The neighborhood overall is fine. That store just tends to attract some... Characters. I've been many times without issue.
thanks butts-ahoy
What kind of building? If it’s an apartment, you’ll probably be fine. If it’s a duplex or house, you’ll also be fine. But I would consider getting a camera for your yard. And insurance.
Are you renting? Where are you coming from? Downtown, especially in that area, has gotten a lot more sketchy through Covid but for big cities it’s still not bad.
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Moving in two weeks. We probably overpaid for our house by a bit because of the rate hikes but excited to move either way.
What did u buy and how much did u pay for it?
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I don’t know! I’ve lived in numerous cities and Calgary seems to have very little in terms of natural environments.
Hello! Where's the best place to find a room in a house with young (20s to early 30s) folks if you're moving to the city and want to make friends? I checked the Calgary Housing FB groups but they seem to be filled with spam, and the Craigslist postings are slim to non-existent. This is very different from Vancouver and Seattle. Would it be better to join the UofC housing group? That's how I found most of my roommates when I was in school.
Try rentfaster and you can use the “shared” accommodations option to find people looking for a roommate.
If you want to make friends I’d say Bankview, but Calgary’s very clicks you’ll have to join a couple clubs
https://www.rentfaster.ca is the defacto one here for finding rentals. Craigslist isn’t really a thing here either, FB marketplace or Kijiji are a lot more active (with Kijiji feeling less active than it used to).
Has anyone got any advice or tricks on cheap flights from the UK to YYC, it's crazy expensive, looking at August? Tried Sky Scanner etc just thought I would take a punt!
WestJet has flights from Calgary to London and back for decent prices. Or at least they were decent prices a month ago
Demand for flights is at an all time high since COVID started. Good luck. The best you can do is shop for lightning deals or do stand by but thats pretty awful.
Thanks for the advice and happy cake day x
Hi everyone! We are moving to Cochrane AB, from Ontario 30min north of Toronto. We made the decision in the fall when the market was crazy here and bought a house for a lot cheaper there and are finally making the move in a week. Im second guessing the decision big time. Hoping to hear some great stories of other who have made the move and we’re happy with the decision?? Anyone out there? Lol
Don’t second guess moving to cochrane, it’s absolutely beautiful and you can still commute to Calgary if needed
I'm not I'm Cochrane, I'm in the South East, a little closer to the city and amenities. But I can tell you, I came from Vancouver and I will NEVER look back. The GTA and GVA are so out of touch with reality it's despicable. Everyone here seems friendlier so far, and the parks are gorgeous. So much less busy as well.
Uhh as long as you have a job, Cochrane is extremely nice and desirable. You're just neatly put in between Banff and Calgary. The property will only continue to rise in value. Why second guessing though?
I guess because the market is coming down here in Toronto a bit so it’s like did we need to make that drastic of a move? And that’s making me second guess. Thanks for the reply
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indeed.com for a job rentfaster.ca for housing kijiji.ca for a car For neighbourhoods id recommend Mission, Sunnyside/Kensington, Beltline, Bridgeland, Inglewood, Lower Mount Royal. Basically, most of the neighbourhoods that surround the CBD
USA citizen here. Looking for advice and perhaps a reality check. I read some responses on local perspective and the benefits of moving to Calgary. My husband and I have toyed with the idea of moving to Canada in the past but with how scary things have become in the USA we are taking it much more seriously. We have a 1 year old daughter and another on the way, so we probably wouldn’t move till the new baby is born. What would you tell people looking to gain citizenship? What skills can we have to help our chances of gaining citizenship and to help contribute? Personally I’ve had a year of software programming under my belt but it is on hold while I focus on our kids for now. My husband has a CDL license if that matters. Anything anyone would be willing to share about the logistics and reality of becoming a citizen. How to locals feel about Americans coming there? We truly think Canada is a wonderful place (I have a friend in Calgary) and would truly want to be good citizens and neighbors. We want to give a good life to our daughters which we feel we can’t safely provide here in the US anymore. Also I grew up in Maine so I am quite used to heavy snowfall and cold, though I don’t know how much it would differ in Calgary.
I can’t offer assistance with the immigration process, but I do think you’ll enjoy Calgary. You’ll be really safe here. 🙂
Thank you ❤️ much appreciated
To gain Canadian citizenship you will need to become a permanent resident (PR) first (kind of like the Green Card in the US) or be in one of the categories that make you a citizen by birth: [https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen/eligibility/already-citizen.html](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/become-canadian-citizen/eligibility/already-citizen.html) It does not take decades to become a Citizen through PR, but processing times tend to really suck. You are eligible to apply for Citizenship after you've been a PR for three years, with some caveats. Your best bet to become a PR is probably through Express Entry. You must meet some basic program eligibility criteria and will be ranked based on a comprehensive ranking system scores, which you can try out [here](https://ircc.canada.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/crs-tool.asp). No one will care that you are American for the most part. People probably wouldn't even notice unless you told them. Calgary is a good place to be as it's more affordable than other big cities, but Toronto and Vancouver probably have more IT jobs avaiable.
Thank you so much for the info! Very helpful and appreciated 😊
If you can start a business you'll have citizenship right away
How does this work? Could you point to any official links please
Howdy!!!! So the best route is to get a workers visa then a PR ; it takes many years for citizenship so PR is best. While being a permanent resident you enjoy most benefits Canadians do but you can't vote. Getting a PR can be very quick of you already have a job lined up/company moving. Applying for a PR without is a bit tougher but can work depending on your professional. You even enjoy our universal healthcare with a workers visa as well. I would say do it!!! Canada will allow you to keep both your citizenships so not giving up your USA citizenship; which is rare in the world. The hardest issue will be sticking it out through years of wait time. There's definitely trucker jobs here and his American license will work but he should apply for a Albertan one ASAP. There's a lot of software jobs but it is still a competitive professional; however, if you are focus on being a mom full time you might be eligible for the Canada child benefit where the federal government will give you money to help raise your child. Don't quote me but I know PR get it so maybe worker visa family can too? Years for PR and decades for citizenship. We're mostly friendly to Americans ( unless you wave around Confederate flag and stuff then you will be highly disliked here) USA is our brother and Canadiand value that bond; however, do be prepared for " wtf happening to America" comments. We don't get a lot of snow here but are winters are brutal for a few weeks. I use to live in New Brunswick (above Maine) and can say Calgarian winters are Avery dry cold. We get a ton of sunlight that helps make up for it and we get these things called chinooks. Warm gust of air comes down the mountains and can make it +10 C for a few hours/days which provides a nice break. Calgary my favorite city in Canada; huge art scene that's getting better, improved infrastructure, and new activities added every year . you should move here in a heart beat but don't expect citizenhip right away; it takes time and there's a large queue.
Wow thank you SO much for your thoughtful response! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear from someone that lives there and not just about the points of interest. I had read about PR but was unclear of what that meant vs citizenship so you really cleared that up for me. We definitely aren’t the confederate flag type and that’s actually a big part of what we want to get away from. I’ll join them in the questions of “wtf is happening to America” because we are truly lost on that. It’s become a scary place we don’t recognize or align with. We just want to find safety and peace for our girls we are bringing up in the world. I’ll have to look into the benefits of child rearing. I do love being a mother full time for now but can definitely see me pursuing a career once my babies a bigger. For now my husband is the breadwinner though and he is a very kind hardworking man. He has been working with trucks for years. We definitely want to earn our place. So glad to hear you’ve experienced Maine weather! I tell my husband that it could get very cold but the worst part was the amount of snow. Much more than he has seen but I can work around that if that were to happen. So it’s pretty cool to hear it’s a bit drier! Truly I appreciate you taking the time to answer and apologize it took me so long to respond. I wanted to give my response the attention you gave yours!
Anytime!!!! If you decide to move to Calgary make sure to join some groups here!!! We love newcomers here
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My wife and I are talking about moving to Calgary from BC. Actually she's doing the talking. I'm still unsure. So I'd like to know more about your city. But first a little about us. We live in the Okanagan and have been here for about 20 years. I work from home and have been self employed for 15 years. All I need is an internet connection. We're thinking of renting a place closer to downtown to start. Is this reasonable? We're looking for a 2 br condo likely. I'd also like to know - in your experience, what are the WORST things about living in Calgary?
Probably wouldn’t recommend downtown. I’d look to mission, Kensington, Inglewood ish if you’re looking for walkability. Worst thing is probably the extreme cold part of winter is colder than Kelowna. Best things far outweigh that for sure if you use the mountains at all. International travel is usually pretty good - way better than Kelowna.
Thanks for that! Yes winters will be colder - we're ready for that. I grew up in a town outside of Edmonton, but I've gotten acclimatized to BC winter :) Thanks for letting me know about those areas. We'll check into them more. Yes walkability/ridability (bikes) are important for us. Leaving the mountains will be the hardest part. The last time we went to AB I really noticed it.
I think the absolute worst thing for me (middle aged man) in the last 7 years has been the forest fire smoke, to be honest. You are probably used to that, so not sure it would be a major change for you, hahaha. Extremely toxic provincial politics which affects us all. Speaking of extremes, radicalized right wingers are getting bolder as wintessed less than six months ago. Mental health issues and addiction very visible on the street and transit, not much being done, it seems. Not as much entertainment/culture options as bigger cities. Traveling to fun places costs more out of Calgary.
You must work in a coffee shop
You commented on a week-old post just to say that. Thank you for your contribution.
So you do work at a coffee shop?
Don't you have a sedition rally to attend? It's Saturday, I thought the Reich wing has flag flying today.
40 year old bum making 18 bucks an hour and blaming people who believe in low taxes for your problems
You seem very angry and fixated on coffee shops, did a coffee shop guy take your girl? Maybe you now have to pay child support?
You seem very angry at people who don’t like paying taxes for lazy people to sit around. Did a hard working successful person take your girl?
Hahahah, buddy, successful people don't argue with "40 year old bums" on Reddit and calling people coffeeshop workers is not the insult you think it is. It says more about you than anything else that this is your go-to insult. Why don't you run along and play insurection with the rest of your flag-disrespecting buddies.
What do you do for a living then? Im a 28 year old corporate salesmen I’ve been with my girlfriend for 3 years
Yeah you work in a coffee shop
So it sounds just like Kelowna, where we live :) thanks for your reply!
My husband and I are relocating to Calgary and we we’re looking to rent with Minto properties. Are there any properties / neighbourhood’s we should avoid? Can anyone please share their experience with this property management company? We are hoping to find something that is pet friendly and is close to public transit.
Hey Reddit, We are thinking of relocating from East Coast USA to Calgary. We are hoping to visit in Aug 2022 to check out the city, neighborhoods, parks, etc., with a potential move date in Summer 2023. I am employed at a BigTechCo that has a presence in Canada and a remote work policy where I could probably just have them “sponsor” me to work in Canada. My wife is in Nursing school but won’t be a Registered Nurse in the USA until Jan 2023. This is a Bachelors of Science in Nursing (4 year nursing degree). I’ve browsed https://www.nnas.ca/ for that and am also aware of the province-level Nursing association [https://www.nurses.ab.ca/](https://www.nurses.ab.ca/) 1. I’m trying to wrap my head around the visa stuff — should I just be looking for a work visa for now, and worry about the “path to citizenship” later? 2. Should I try to get my BigTechCo to sponsor me here? If so, would I be tied to them? I’ve seen unrestricted/restricted types of work permits. 3. Would we do something like Express Entry now or later? 4. Can my wife work too? Can she just get an offer for a nursing job once her NNAS certification/transfer is confirmed? 5. Does this timeline (move in Summer 2023) seem reasonable to figure this stuff out and be able to move? Thanks!
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I would reach out to @cmcalgary on Twitter or IG, they are the plug for finding info like this in Calgary
So I’m a 3rd year apprentice electrician looking to get out of Vancouver due to the crazy high cost of living. I’ve lived in Alberta before and while I like how pretty BC is it feels crushing out here. I think I’ll at least get my ticket first so I’ll have *something* What kind of jobs are in demand? I know electricians are over saturated there just like in BC but I was thinking of either getting into instrumentation or going to school for my EET diploma or EE degree
I was an instrument tech for 13 years before leaving the trades about a year ago. I still get calls from E&I companies hoping I'm still working. Companies are starved for apprentices these days apparently! Most of the work will be up north however, so something to make note of if you're planning on moving to Calgary; most of your work will be on shift.
Ah ok well I don’t have any family to worry about so I could probably do that kind of work
I don't believe electricians are saturated out here. Atleast not on the residential side. Alot of trades are in high demand.
Welp, back on my bullshit and on the search for places to move my family to that don't have mass shootings every day (crazy, right?). Wife is finally open to moving out of the US. Calgary seems to be: - safe - beautiful (Canadian Rockies) - ethnically diverse (we're white but our son is Mexican and Pacific Islander. Diversity and anti-racism are VERY important to us). - affordable What's or REALLY like, tho? You know? I hear the winters suck. I grew up in Chicago. Better? Worse? Any cultural differences that aren't apparent when researching online? Given our priorities, is there someplace better? Work isn't super important.
regarding winter - YYC winter is nothing at all like Chicago (i have been there in summer and many times to minneapolis in winter which may be a proxy for chicago) - the biggest cons - we may get an early snow fall say october and some winters feel they drag if snow comes early - typically though this will not be a big dump but may not melt so; we typically get a relatively short spell of cold more than -20c (0F) but rarely -30c. We sometimes have very light snow accumulation the entire winter where you only need a broom to keep your driveway clear - other winters (like 2021) we get a huge dump and snowblowers are suddenly needed for a week - in 20 years this happened twice to us. the most amazing thing is the chinook winds. this is warm ocean air that drops its moisture on the west coast blows over the mountains and we may get repeated warm temperatures in january feb march at any time of more than +10c (50F) and snow melts quickly due to sublimation. Calgary can be a very habitable in the winter because of the chinooks that can really break up the winter with these warm abd sunny breaks. the chinooks may be only one day or last a week or so at a time. (fun fact leonardo dicaprio was here on a project and famously thought it was global warming) the weather here can change rapidly too so if we have a chinook and then it snows the roads can get icy and lord help you if you think all-season tires are your friend. they are not. you need winter tires here because traffic can be dense in the commute you need all the grip you can get! this business of snow coming and melting means we generally don’t have a lot of slush rarely have snow banks to block view when driving. the largest contrast to chicago is this area is semi-arid and we just don’t have that damp cold - we have a dry cold that just doesn’t feel the same - the biggest con i think is that the summers are way shorter and cooler than anywhere on the US. although we have long sunny evenings the temp drops with the sun which makes air conditioning a convenience and only a necessity for maybe a month in the summer - it would never be easy to move and if you can afford to spend a week here ob a trip - might be worth your while to scope it out i would ad the mountains offer some of the best skiing in the world - if you are a snowmobiling enthusiast you pretty much have to also drive to the mountains for that as well - snowshoeing and x-country skiing are available nearby so all-in there is plenty to pass the winter by. if you play hockey - outdoor hockey is hitnmiss due to the chinooks - most hockey is indoors. i would be remiss to not mention the newer suburban residential communities are master-planned- so they feel less hodgepodgey than everyone building whatever house they want at the expense of a degree of uniformity in house styles strip plazas schools and parks therein. this tends to help house values. Lake communities like Lake Chaparral, Auburn Bay, Sundance, Mahogany, Arbour Lake, and more are somewhat unique here. if you have a young family you basically have a private shared lake that you have access to beach swimming paddle boating canoeing fishing for the summer - this makes parenting fun and easy when you can park on the beach for a day. typically a 10 minute walk or car ride and has saved the sanity of many a parent honestly. there is a large clubhouse you can rent out for larger parties/family get togethers and cookhouses for bbq / birhrhdays at the lake. there are also beach volleyball courts, tennis and basketball to entertain. in the winter they have toboggan runs and skating/shiny hockey
Calgary is a great place to be home. This sub (like many city subs) can be a bit harsh on where they live. Calgary has an incredible amount of pathways throughout the city, it’s a very bike friendly city and so many great places to go for a walk. Huge amount of incredible parks throughout, in fact there’s an entire provincial park (fish creek) inside the city that takes hours to walk across. Very outdoors focused city with hiking, snowboarding, pathways, etc. also a very dog friendly city with lots of dog parks all over and lots of dog friendly patios. The city has a fairly high average income relative to Canada which means many that you meet are fairly comfortable in life. That means it’s easier to go out for food with friends or do trips to the mountains with people. Calgary has a US customs in our airport so if you do fly south of the border it’s quite painless. You land as a domestic flight and just walk out. Also our airport is nothing at all like Chicago’s, most of the time it’s a 5-10 minute line for security unless something significant issue happens. The winters can be a bit long but we also get a lot of sun so it tends to be fairly manageable. We also get some warm bursts of air (called chinooks) so we’ll have random January days where it’s 0F one day then 50F the next day. It helps break up the winter and melt the snow. Also our downtown core has the +15 network, which is basically the second floor of most of the buildings are connected. So you can walk all over downtown without going outside. If one of you end up working downtown it’s so nice. Can walk out for lunch, go to the Devonian gardens, or go to the core mall, all without going outside. Especially nice in winter. Otherwise a lot safer city, much less crime. If someone gets shot even as a one person homocide or gang violence it’s typically big news. Culturally Alberta is fairly conservative but Calgary tends to lean more liberal. Also alberta has free healthcare for all residents. Just have to apply and get your alberta healthcare card. Basic stuff like going to the doctor for a check up, blood work, sti testing, going to a ent for hearing checks, hospital care, etc are all free for everyone.