Is anyone here living (or lived) in Calgary? I know a few are in Edmonton, but we've ruled that out as a place to settle down. My DH got a call back regarding a great job in Calgary, and although the job isn't his yet, it's time we start considering the possibility of heading west rather than east. He works in the energy business, so Calgary is a good fit for him professionally.
At any rate, I can read statistics and travel articles forever about life there, but can anyone give me the real scoop? Is housing really that outrageous (I'm guessing yes)? Are there hip areas or does the cowboy theme still run strong (we lived in Colorado for awhile, and the western thing was a bit out of control for us)? I understand there is an enormous Chinatown and even a Little Italy, and of course immigration is huge there now so it must be getting more diverse. What about recreation? I know it's an hour or two to Banff, but outside the touristy stuff, are there many parks nearby (closer to the city, for every day stuff) for hiking, camping, snowshoeing, etc? Okay, and this is dumb, I know, but it is a real fear of mine: are there many grizzlies in the foothills, or do they keep to the higher elevations? I'm admitting to one of my huge paranoias here, so please don't laugh. My husband is very concerned that we'll never go backpacking again because I'll be too afraid.
Thanks for any help; we are really trying to keep an open mind about where we might end up, and want to learn as much as we can before making any decisions.
oh, I visually work at Calgary, most of customers are based in Calgary, I went to Calgary for training.. yep, house is very expensive, but compare with where......300k---400k could get you a reasonable ranch. Calgary, tons of jobs....
I told you guys before, we went to a sushi place, waitress just told us, we don't have enough people working on Saturday, gotta be at least one hour before being seated...you guys might check around..
I was joking... hey, maybe you need hire me, I could make sashimi.."you seriously"..."hey, manager, somebody wanna apply job here."
"no, i was just kidding..."
"oh, we start at 16.50 for the line cook, wanna consider?"
Calgary? no, there is some rednecks, but they are ok, pretty friendly..if you know who is King Ralph..no shootguns...no worries.....
lol, grizzly only lives in my area with a lot of trees and salmon, not in Calgary..
well, go and take a look there in summer or winter. maybe check out calgary stampede in summer. lol, that's what I like, redneck stuff......
but don't ask question like " do you smoke dubee"... there is huge culture difference between Calgary and Vancouver Island, I think we are very liberal, they are more conservative.
I personally actually consider moving to Calgary before, but not sure... since I could still work for Shaw over there and makes way more money, but the problem is house.. And there is no ocean, no friends there, I grow up on the island, I don't know...lol..
lol.. if you move to Calgary, let's forget about some terminology like "Pine apple express, VW bus, dubee,NDP, kite surfing, PST..."
"lol, grizzly only lives in my area with a lot of trees and salmon, not in Calgary.."
Yes, DB, I know there aren't grizzlies IN Calgary, I meant in the foothills/nearby mountains. :) We are pretty outdoorsy type people, but like I said, I'm REALLY paranoid about brown bears (and mountain lions, and avalanches, for that matter). I am NOT a mountain person (see fears of mountain lions and avalanches), but would be open to giving it a try out there. I'm just looking for some real experiences and insight into the city that I wouldn't easily get off the net or from travel books.
The housing prices are really daunting; even if salaries make up the difference (which, like where I grew up in California, is unlikely), you'd still need the hefty downpayment. The profits from the sale of our house here wouldn't come close, so that is a real concern.
as a resident of Lotusland (aka Vancouver) there are 2 cities in Canada I would consider moving to - Kelowna and Calgary.
Tax wise, Alberta is progressive and you will keep more of your earnings there. Cowboys are an endangered species, and they use western stuff more for tourism these days.
Many corporate head offices now reside in Calgary which has really changed the complexion of the city.
Recreational life is more than Banff. There is Canmore, some beautiful lakes in BC that are close. As DB suggests, you need rivers, and forest areas for bears. You are safe. :)
As for the cost of living... at the moment the economy is hyper hot. I would not buy a house at the moment. I truly think Alberta is going to see a correction in prices. They cannot continue the way they are. Rentals are also expensive. Your biggest challenge will not be finding a job... it will be finding appropriate housing, schooling and daycare.
If you are lucky, perhaps an employer would assist in finding appropriate housing.
when I swim in some remote lake... we see baby bear all the time, but I actually never see huge 500 LB grizzly...
My friend's kitchen was broken in by baby grizzly, she was so scared that baby grizzly's parents gotta come here again.
Therefore, you must cover your garbage bin, never left food in the kitchen and open the windows/doors.
I think grizzly will never attack human randomly as long as you do not seem to harm their kids, like human...eh?
I don't know if there are any drug/crystal meth problems in Calgary..
that's something worry me very much here on the Island, in case I have a kid in another 5--10 years.
yep.. see if you could find a place to rent first...I agree with Joohliya, no need to rush into market now... shop around and hold on, especially like us newcomers, we don't know if we will love this community or not.
The least thing you wanna find out is after you move in, your whole community loves grow-op, or your next door party all night alone, playing music like DB.
Jobs are a dime a dozen in Alberta, housing is not.
Calgary is one of the harder places to find a place to live.
Just be aware that Alberta doesn't have rent control laws, so if your month to month all they need is a 90 day notice to raise the rent, and they can raise it as much as they want, your a little safer if on a lease but at the end of the lease its the same, no max on the amount they can raise it.
If Calgary is anything like Edmonton you should see diversity.
Well, thanks everyone. We are pretty on the fence about the idea of moving there; the big benefit is that there jobs aplenty and companies are willing to hire Americans so it could be a good place to get started, but the downsides include the lack of housing, the general region (it really isn't our style), and the proximity to the things we most love about Canada (read: northwoods!). However, the city sounds interesting, the weather sounds too good to be true (not too cold in the winter, cool in the summer--can that be right?!), and we're up for an adventure, so we'll try to keep our minds open. The decision isn't ours to make right now, so we're trying not to stress.
wannabecanadian Wrote:Well, thanks everyone. We are pretty on the fence about the idea of moving there; the big benefit is that there jobs aplenty and companies are willing to hire Americans so it could be a good place to get started, but the downsides include the lack of housing, the general region (it really isn't our style), and the proximity to the things we most love about Canada (read: northwoods!). However, the city sounds interesting, the weather sounds too good to be true (not too cold in the winter, cool in the summer--can that be right?!), and we're up for an adventure, so we'll try to keep our minds open. The decision isn't ours to make right now, so we're trying not to stress.
they can't refuse hiring person based on race...
Departure Bay Wrote:they can't refuse hiring person based on race...
Being American is not a race and yes they find creative ways not to hire someone with little or no Canadian work experience.
I am personally experiencing how companies treat those with little or no Canadian experience.
I've been out of work 2 weeks now, and I get alot of interviews but I've heard we need someone with more Canadian work experience or we can't verify out of country references more times then I care.
Just hope an offer comes soon.
I am to the point I am going to Mcdonalds and KFC , some around town pay 10/hr.
wanna work for us?????
not sure if you are good at people skills, maybe a little bid computer..
I wish you are in B.C still, maybe I could help you ...
I hired my girl next door and my girlfriend's friend's redneck dad.
but please do let me know if you wanna work for us?
Departure Bay Wrote:wanna work for us?????
not sure if you are good at people skills, maybe a little bid computer..
I wish you are in B.C still, maybe I could help you ...
I hired my girl next door and my girlfriend's friend's redneck dad.
but please do let me know if you wanna work for us?
I've sent them my resume in the past.
Wow AWA: I'm sorry to hear that you're having such a hard time. I haven't been able to help wondering if all the complaints about needing "Canadian experience" applies to Americans or mostly just for people from farther away, but hearing stories like yours shows that it certainly can be the case. Hearing about your struggles makes me feel like we probably should take the job in Calgary (IF he gets it) or at least continue to look there, since they do seem to have fewer reservations than elsewhere in the country. Even if Calgary doesn't prove to be forever-home to us, it could be a great place to gain experience and make contacts. We've been surprised by the places we've lived and ended up loving, so we'd hardly go in heavy hearted anyway! :) Anyway, I appreciate all your input, and am wishing you the best in your job search.
HEY guys, ever consider owning your own business? wannabe, why not buy a franchise like a cafe in Calgary or even Ottawa? I believe your personality might be best for owning a little cafe and smile everyday....
they gotta keep coming back.
Thanks, DB! We did used to own a coffeehouse/cafe, in Minneapolis. It was a lot of fun, but really hard work; glad we did it when we were young and before we had kids. We might consider doing something similar at some point, but right now isn't the time. That's so nice of you to suggest! :)
The report below is for Edmonton but it would give you an idea what the rental market is like in Alberta, Calgary will just be a little worse then Edmonton is.
PDF file.
I am sure there is probably a similiar report for Calgary online somewhere as well.
Both Edmonton and Calagry had the greatest increase in rents with Calgary at 19% and Edmonton at 9%.
Prices to buy are just as out of control, if you do end up here and buy make sure the house is already built, contractors have issues meeting deadlines, I worked with a lady who bought a house before it was built, she was supposed to move in October 2006, but due to labor shortages they did not even break ground until Nov. 2006 and she will hopefully move in July/August 07.