Vancouver - would you move there?

[Swimminguphill]

Hi my DH has had an approach from a company in Vancouver and we are considering whether it would be viable for us to move there. We have 2 DC aged 7 and 5 and I currently work freelance in the cultural sector. I have looked online and a lot of people seem quite down about Van even though it's a beautiful location with lots of outdoorsy activities. We are an active family and love mountains, lakes, watersports etc. but we also really enjoy culture, intellectual debate and being around people who enjoy the same. Will we feel like fish out out of water? Also we are a bi-cultural family and what we enjoy about London is that this is completely unremarkable. Although Van appears to have quite a few immigrants I get the feeling there's some slight unease there, and that it might be difficult to fit in. We've both lived abroad/moved countries before and so we know about the difficulty you can have in making close friendships so we take that as given. I guess we've considered smaller cities in the UK but have always stepped back as we didn't know if we'd fit in as a family. I would hope a large city like Vancouver would be quite accepting. I'd have no concerns about Toronto on that score but would welcome any experiences people have had of Van?

Sounds great I hunt monsters. I guess we are looking for a fun neighbourhood which is friendly for me & the kids. Currently we have loads of families nearby that the kids play with and I drink wine with the mums! I also have quite a few friends who are either interested in or work in the arts. Basically not too corporate would be great but safe is also important.

Don’t buy me socks do you have kids? Do parents make friends through school kids in the neighbourhood etc?

Also sorry so many messages, one art gallery is fine for us! Although I work in culture it is more community culture/participatory arts and libraries etc which I find translates well in many places. So that’s why I was more interested in whether things are ‘going on’ rather than opera etc although I like that too...

Also our neighbourhood atm has lots of south Asian, Chinese, Korean, South African and all European nations including East European. Less other African/ME although there are some, but loads of mixed families. All quite MC though.

Hi OP. I’ve been living in the U.K. for 8 years now but was born and raised in Vancouver.
I’ll be honest, there are things I can’t stand about the place, namely the cost of living, the quite frankly corrupt property scene, and terrible public transport. I still would encourage you to go though! It’s seriously one of the most beautiful parts of the world, and if you can afford it, you can have a really nice life there. It can be tricky to make friends in Van but sometimes you just have to be the one to make the first move and people will bite your arm off! Trout lake is a fantastic, diverse neighbourhood with a stronger sense of community than other wealthier areas. Commercial drive is nearby and is great for families, it’s still got a bit of a hippie vibe. I grew up not terribly far from there—Kensington/south Fraser area. The Cedar Cottage area near kingsway is nice too and a bit more affordable (for Vancouver!) I loved my childhood in East Van, and it was a much rougher area than it is now.
Yy to reading up on First Nations history, and do a bit of research on the Downtown Eastside. There is quite a lot of visible homelessness and drug use in Vancouver, but it’s still a relatively safe city. And yes, it’s very ethically diverse.

*ethnically

swimming We didn't have kids when we lived there, but we have friends who are still there who have kids. I work in education which is why I know a little about the school system. We lived downtown - in the west end and then crosstown. I loved both areas. This was 10 years ago and there were a lot of families downtown then, almost all living in apartments. I know there must still be a lot of families because my friends talk about the public schools being oversubscribed, but I have also heard there are fewer families downtown than there used to be. One thing I noticed about downtown were all the playgrounds! It's also very safe, and I never had problems with the public transport personally.
One thing I loved was commuting by bike along the sea wall, and going to the beach and Stanley park after work and on weekends. My friends take their children to the beach after school - quite different from growing up in london!

I also agree with what other posters have said about looking outside of downtown as well. I never lived outside of the dt area but there are some great places, especially if you want to get a house rather than an apartment.

Another Vancouver fan here. I grew up not far from there and loved living in South Van. Lots of fabulous things about the city but cost is definitely a negative. Every time I go back I am horrified with the prices!

Just asked British dh if he would move back. He said no way. No sense of humour, it has no soul, no culture. But, he did love the mountains, outdoor activities, winter sports....hmmm. you have sparked a debate in my house tonight!

I think East Van would be a good fit for you OP. My children are older now (dd just finished Grade 12 and ds at university) but the schools are good round here and there seem to be lots of kids in the parks. I think Vancouver is pretty friendly, although we used to live in the Interior where people were very chatty and it usually turned out that you knew / worked with their friends or family and people tended to be a bit more down to earth which we liked.

Hi Loopy sorry I missed that message earlier. Thanks for the challenge it’s actually useful. I have been clear with DH that he has to love the job/company or this just will never work, but he has been looking to make a move for a while. We have discussed moving to Canada in the past, although I always thought the opportunities would be in Toronto so hence this thread I guess. I would definitely get a visa through his work, that has already been discussed, whether I’d get work is another matter I think! I’ll start networking once we know if we are definitely going and my networks are quite international so who knows what might turn up.

We have also discussed Seattle as our friends there are people he used to work with, but funnily enough Vancouver is more appealing generally and now Trump is in power I won’t travel with my family to the USA on principle (sorry!). My brother lives in NC and my mum is American (although we don’t qualify for passports as she never registered our births with the embassy) so I do have an inkling about the continent of North America (e.g. buildings overwhelmingly new and spread out, roads in a grid, sales tax and tipping, politeness etc.).

How good does your reason need to be though? Isn’t life for living? If you get an opportunity maybe you should at least consider it before turning it down?

All the chat about political correctness etc actually makes me feel more positive tbh. I’d take that over naked hostility to foreigners and kids throwing stones at Eastern European kids in playgrounds (observed in Bridport UK). I don’t live 100% British typical lifestyle in the UK and I enjoy that.

Obviously I worry about the kids, they have great friends here but tgere’s No guarantee in our community that they’ll be there for the whole of their childhood. Lots of people have said they might be posted overseas or have to seek work abroad due to Brexit. If we think they will enjoy life in Vancouver we would make that change so they can have some of the everyday experiences you mention. My youngest gets a horrendous bronchial cough/croup every winter, all winter and I’m convinced it’s the pollution in London. We have discussed moving to the Home Counties for that reason but we like city life and the diversity and bustle. Maybe Vancouver is the best of both worlds? Sorry, long post again.

Sorry clarification I won’t fly to the USA, not putting my family through that immigration experience! Quite like the idea of sneaking in over the border though.

East Van, which was once a very dodgy area of Vancouver, is rapidly becoming trendy but not in a bad way. I love it there and yes, a great place for young families. We live on the North Shore, 5 minutes walk away from one of Vancouver's two major ferry terminals. I wouldn't recommend the North Shore; trying to cross either bridge (Lion's Gate or the Second Narrows) is a major hassle. Public transportation is a must; traffic is horrendous. Racism is not an issue here, nor is homophobia, nor any sort of discrimination. Political correctness is rigidly adhered to by almost everyone, which can be annoying but at least it keeps the peace! Weed (marijuana) is about to be legalised and there are pot shops everywhere but alcohol is only sold in "liquor stores" and selling alcohol to minors (under 19) is rigidly enforced. Medical care is similar to the NHS but there is no private care here. Vancouver is surprisingly clean and everyone recycles. There are lots of bike lanes - cycling is encouraged - and walking is what we do. Fabulous beaches, very clean, and some spectacularly beautiful lakes, mostly near Port Moody. If you love the outdoors - hiking, kayaking, sailing, etc - and don't mind getting wet (it rains A LOT from November to April), you'd be very happy here.

I think Walnut Grove is sweet. Suburban but sweet. Anything south like Langley is nice too -a lot like Surrey, England (I personally like the similarities). If you like bigger cities live in Downtown. I think Van. is pretty diverse too, unlike the rest of Canada.
And very expensive as everyone says.

I'm trying to think of everything that's different here. We moved from Europe a few years ago so it's still easy enough to compare. Bullying is not tolerated in schools, public or private, LGBT teens are encouraged to "be themselves", which is marvellous. There are "community centres" with every activity imaginable for all ages offered at very reasonable rates. Yoga, Pilates, martial arts, swimming, tennis, dance, sailing, gymnastics, fully equipped and supervised gyms, art courses, etc, etc. There are day camps for children during holiday seasons - a godsend for working parents - and many other activities.

Thanks everyone this is all so helpful and giving me a much better picture. I also heard the bridges are a nightmare and although heard great things about North Van had discounted it on that basis for a first place to live at least. Now all I have to do is wait and see what happens with the job opportunity. Lots of calls in the diary for next week and then we’ll take things from there. Love mumsnet for this kind of thing!

another vote for "Avoid North van". The bridges are very, very bad. I live close to the ironworkers memorial bridge and we used to go to NV regularly because it had some shops we liked. We avoid it now, even on weekends. It's just not worth it. It's got so bad that some NV businesses are thinking of moving because they can't a. get staff who are willing to commute across the bridge and b. losing customers who won't commute across the bridge.

A lot of young families seem to be targeting Langley now, but fair warning, it's a fair commute to DT Van. I also love east van - the trout lake area is great. Burnaby is also great, with lots of shopping as is Richmond.

My advice would be to rent for a bit first and see which area you like - Van can be a funny nut to crack and a lot depends on the kinds of people in your neighbourhood.

Good luck!

Agree with diodati about schools. Kids are much more accepting of differences - I think because none of the schools in our area have an ethnic majority so if everyone is different no one gets to decide who is in and who isn't, if you know what I mean. And in terms of activities for kids/teens, there's so much to do - skiing, water sports, etc etd

I am getting excited! It's out of my hands at the moment though, dh is negotiating on salary & package, then we have to make the call...

I love Van.

But: housing is expensive, the people can be superficially friendly but not actually, I find people sometimes humourless and wearingly PC (which sounds good but I am considered annoying right-on in the UK), the relationship with First Nations is a stain on the soul of Canada that isn't healing, there's a LOT of street homelessness, it's a fairly homogeneous culture which is stifling, public transport is a joke.

But Canadians are helpful, kind and nice. They like their country generally. There is a history of making the most out of things. It's pleasant. Really pleasant. Politeness is policed with passive aggression which makes for a nice but rigid culture.

@MrsTerryPratchett I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds Vancouverites superficially friendly.

Ok we are going over for a rekkie in October. I have 2 days. What do I need to do in that time? My DH will be in the office most of the time so I’ll be flying solo. I am thinking I need to visit some estate agents and perhaps line up some visits to schools, as well as generally wandering around areas we might like to live... any other recommendations?

A family member went out to Vancouver for 2 years - he negotiated rent of a large house and private school fees for his 2 kids as part of the deal. Surprised it's not on offer if your dh has been hunted to fill this position?

Sounds like a great deal oldbirdy not super keen on going private but don’t think it’s that kind of offer - some relocation costs but then we are on our own. They might help with finding a place to stay but again, I want input in the area and property. A big house isn’t really our thing, I want a friendly, vibrant neighbourhood.