What's living in Vancouver like?

[CJDoesTheJackal]

Does it really rain pretty much daily from November to April?

Does it ever get old?!

Housing is really expensive

Expensive. And yes it rains a lot. We arrived in January and didn't realize we could see mountains from our apartment until April!

Expensive, wet incessantly. Not as bad as Wales etc but wet. Cold in the winter. I grew up in Vancouver and moved back from the U.K. a couple years ago.

We are here at the moment. Of course it's stunning. Moving here in a couple of years could be an option. It's hard to imagine how much a rainy few months would get you down. It's worse than the UK? We are getting the train to Seattle on Friday. I guess they're quite similar weather wise.

They're pretty much identical for weather. Scenery is fairly similar.

It's been nice mostly of July and part of August - was raining here on Saturday though and miserable, if you were here then?

It rains most of November ish (sometimes October start) through April ish. Depends on the year. 2018 April was gorgeous but rain was relentless in May. This year it was the opposite. It's just hard as it doesn't let up most of the time and gets depressing. I moved abroad to a desert for six years and get depressed I've ended up back here.

The cost of living is very high as well.

I went in March and cant remember it raining once in 10 days. They'd just had very late snow, though! Salt spring island nearby had snow.

I fell in love with the place tbh and would love to live there.

I've lived in Vancouver for about two years now. I don't think it actually rains that much, but when it has been overcast for a while and the clouds lift it is wonderful to see the mountains again. I really like living here, it's a fun multicultural city, and compared with London (where I've lived most of my life) manageably small and relaxed. The biggest downside is the price of housing but living costs aren't too bad and there is plenty to do. British Columbia is very beautiful.

Lived Vancouver most of my life. My parents were born here in the 1920s.

Yes, it rains. The climate is temperate rainforest. Yes, I get tired of the rain but honestly it usually doesn't bother me much. Maybe I am so familiar with it that it seems natural. It is very hot right now, which is usual for August.

We do get nice days in winter and when they occur, the city is breathtaking, with snow capped mountains and the sea.

It snows maybe 3 or 4 times a winter but it melts fast. Once in awhile we get more snow that sticks around longer.

All manner of outdoor sports are doable year round. The joke is you can sail on English Bay in the morning and ski in the afternoon. You can golf most of the winter.

Schools are generally good. Excellent access to post secondary with UBC and many other options. Our kids were educated in Vancouver and have done very well. One a scientist in the UK and one of the leaders in his field.

Good health care. Also good availability of alternate medicine.

A very vibrant restaurant and foodie scene. Vancouverites are spoiled for choice.

The city has a very large Asian population. You can eat any type of Asian food you fancy for reasonable prices. Our grandchildren grew up using chopsticks as well as knife and fork as we tend to be adventurous with food. You can do that in Vancouver. I really miss it when we are away.

Lovely beaches you can use year round. In winter, walks on the beach with oh so happy dog off leash.

Housing is ridiculously priced I am afraid. A huge barrier. My husband and I are professionals and we have struggled all our lives to afford to buy housing. In the late 80s we managed to buy a house in a desirable area by pooling our funds with another couple and buying an older home split into two. We sold that some years ago. We had tripled our money but with our half share could still only afford a condo. It is a large one and we are comfortable but value for money it isn't when compared to other places.

The other cost of living items are fairly on par with, for example, Cambridge in the UK where we spent time each Spring. our major supermarkets are much like Sainsburys or Waitrose. If you like to cook you can find ingredients for even the most exotic dishes.

Vancouver has changed dramatically in the past 10 years. It is still changing. There is construction all over. To be honest it is a bit unnerving.

It is my home but sometimes I feel a bit squeezed out. Traffic can be awful. Drivers are not very courteous. It is much better in the UK for driving.

I think Vancouverites can be a bit smug. Our last mayor crowed about the greenest city but I question how green it is to dig up a bridge at least 5 times in the past 15 years to create bike lanes in varying configurations, each supposed to be better. Also, there was promotion of "eco density" basically meaning high rises, which are now being shown to consume vast amounts of energy. At least our electricity is hydro generated, so it is essentially carbon neutral.

Hope that helps! Sorry for the essay. I am actually a rare breed in Vancouver being second generation. I love my city very much despite its growing pains.

It’s rainy and gloomy from late October to the end of March. It’s the only city in Canada my husband can’t stand, despite its physical beauty. My sister and BIL lived there for six years, and couldn’t wait to leave.

I don't know about about anyone else but Vancouver rain doesn't seem so bad when you realize that Calgary can get a freezing cold blizzard at the end of May. It's true, we experienced it.

And Winnipeg is nick named Winterpeg.

And in Toronto the summers can be so hot and humid Heaven help you if you don't have air con.

Just sayin'.

Thanks all.

We have two boys, ages 16 and 14. DS1 just finished his GCSEs. DS2 is about to start them. We could in theory leave in 2 years but we'd only do so if they came too. We live in Hampshire in the UK at the moment but don't much like it. We lived in SE Asia for a year a few years back. My DH works for a huge US company and we could go to either Seattle or Vancouver or elsewhere if we wanted to. The other option is to move to London but we'd only want to go to an expensive area such as Hampstead or nearby lol. It's all a bit of a pipedream re Vancouver. We've never been before. I knew I'd love it. It seems we really are seeing it at its next. It's stunning right now. We are staying in Coal Harbour and have views overlooking the water. Perhaps the best thing is to visit for a couple of weeks each year.

Have a good look at UBC. It is a world class university. Our youngest DC did his undergrad at UBC and got a scholarship to a major university in the UK for his PhD. He was told his UBC degree was a factor in his favor and his undergrad skills were better as a result. His now wife did the same.

I lived in Seattle, rainfall is the same as Manchester annually but it's dryer in the summer and wetter in the winter. If you are British you won't notice that it's very different. Both cities are very expensive, drugs everywhere and a really bad homeless situation (was in both cities last year the stench of cannabis was overwhelming)

Yes we've smelt cannabis a couple of times but not as much as we thought.

I have British friends who left Van after two years because it was too grey and rainy.

My honorary dd is at UBC starting third year. She loves it. The real dd is at UBCO. It rains way less and she is happy as Larry.

I'm there now :) everything is very expensive! Factor in cost of living as well as properly prices. Have a look at Sooke near Victoria:)

Yes, UBC Okanagan is in Kelowna. I have a close family member doing civil engineering. Kelowna is much drier and sunnier. Right on a beautiful lake.

The homeless situation is indeed a problem. It is mostly in one area. Drugs similar. I have not noticed any change with legal marijuana in Canada. A lot of resources go into the Downtown Eastside, but as a city in Canada with a warmer climate we do find people who are struggling come here where they are safer from harsh weather. It is sad. I sound a bit elitist here, but honestly we see almost none of the homeless and drug issues unless we go to the Downtown Eastside. Vancouver tried to implement harm reduction as much as possible. We had one of the first safe injection sites.

We've just left. It see s we were very lucky with the weather. We were supposed to get the train to Seattle but we've been unable to so took another rental vehicle when we returns us at YVR. We are now sat in the car at the US border.

Very sad to say goodbye to Canada and particularly Vancouver. In our hotel pool I struck up conversations with two different people in the space of half an hour. I'm not one for small talk but it was so lovely. In the UK we daredn't make eye contact much of the time.