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I am planning to move to Calgary with my family.
To give you a background, we are currently living in Tokyo, Japan.
My wife is an MBA degree holder with specialization in HR. My son 3 yr old goes to school. He was diagonized with mild symptoms of autism.
My work location will be SW though I plan to rent a house in NE. I searched & found few houses available in Temple, Harvest Hills, & Taradale. Google maps indicate that commutation would take 30 min one way, so that shouldn't be an issue as in Tokyo it takes hours to travel. I don't have the salary details yet hence i can not think of budget for the expenses. I was browsing through past threads to find answers to all my questions but as you would know the everyone's requirement is unique! Hence posting few questions.
So on to my questions
1. Which area would you recommend in NE?
2. What would the steps to be followed for my wife to get a job?
3. Recommended Montessorie schools in or around NE?
4. What support facilities are available for families in need of help w.r.t. Autism Spectrum Disorder?
5. How much would be monthly expense for a family of 3 with main expenses as House Rent, Medical Insurance, Education, Utilities, Gasoline, Car Insurance etc?
The NE is generally the least desirable area of the city. But the nice neighbourhoods of the NE would probably be Panorama Hills/Coventry Hills and there are many new developements happening around there. Beddington and Huntigton Hills are also pretty nice areas to live in.
I am planning to move to Calgary with my family.
To give you a background, we are currently living in Tokyo, Japan.
My wife is an MBA degree holder with specialization in HR. My son 3 yr old goes to school. He was diagonized with mild symptoms of autism.
My work location will be SW though I plan to rent a house in NE. I searched & found few houses available in Temple, Harvest Hills, & Taradale. Google maps indicate that commutation would take 30 min one way, so that shouldn't be an issue as in Tokyo it takes hours to travel. I don't have the salary details yet hence i can not think of budget for the expenses. I was browsing through past threads to find answers to all my questions but as you would know the everyone's requirement is unique! Hence posting few questions.
So on to my questions
1. Which area would you recommend in NE?
2. What would the steps to be followed for my wife to get a job?
3. Recommended Montessorie schools in or around NE?
4. What support facilities are available for families in need of help w.r.t. Autism Spectrum Disorder?
5. How much would be monthly expense for a family of 3 with main expenses as House Rent, Medical Insurance, Education, Utilities, Gasoline, Car Insurance etc?
Thank you in advance
Welcome to Calgary!
NE & SE should give you the best prices for rent. But I do encourage you to look around. The commute of 30 minutes may not seem that long to you, but in the middle of winter it could be a lot longer.
If you are working in the SW, look around that area. Each section of the city has something for everyone.
What kind of house do you want to rent? 2 story, bungalow? Is a garage important? Age of the house?
Downtown is technically considered the SW but is right in the centre of the city. If you are working downtown any quadrant should be okay since many roads and bus routes lead to downtown... Calgary though is a city that has purposefully limited parking downtown but without the corresponding transit to back it up. Try to locate as close to work as you can to reduce your commute time. Calgary is only a city of 1 million... Having to commute 2 hours a day is too much of a sacrifice while living in a small town, IMHO.
If you are working in other areas of the SW, try to find a home in same quadrant. SW Calgary is mainly residential so it shouldn't be a problem.
Thank you everyone! All your responses are very helpful for me understand about Calgary.
Joules21, I would like to rent a 2 story not older than 15 years with a garage or even an outside parking would be good enough. Thanks for the link on education.
Ajau, I will be working near 7 Ave SW. I completely agree with you - to rent a house close to work place. Can you please give some instances of decent property near to 7 Ave SW?
If you want to rent a place, may I suggest rentfaster.ca. If you are looking for something less than 15 years old, you'll have to look at the edge of the city. Calgary grows very quickly.
The NE of Calgary is the least desirable area to live in excluding areas like Country Hills (which are more technically North Calgary). The SE area (Dover, Forest Lawn, Applewood) are all less than desireable neighborhoods. Calgary Police offer a crime map to show you which neighborhoods have what type of REPORTED crime.
One of the cheaper & nicer areas of Calgary is Somerset Bridlewood, which is at the end of the train line. It's a complete community with it's own shopping, etc, and relatively safe.
Thank you for the informative post, it is really helping me to understand more about the place. Each post is worth millions! It is real fun reading all the posts. Thanks again.
You might want to look at the west side of the city... Look to the West Hills area for newer homes. Plenty of schools (both private and public) shopping, closer to the mountains, etc. This area is primarily settled by white collar oil & gas types and middle management. Mostly folks who've moved to Calgary to create careers for themselves (such as yourself). Don't expect sophistication though, remember Calgary is still a small town that attracts small town folks but it is getting better as more folks move here from other countries.
You might want to look at the west side of the city... Look to the West Hills area for newer homes. Plenty of schools (both private and public) shopping, closer to the mountains, etc. This area is primarily settled by white collar oil & gas types and middle management. Mostly folks who've moved to Calgary to create careers for themselves (such as yourself). Don't expect sophistication though, remember Calgary is still a small town that attracts small town folks but it is getting better as more folks move here from other countries.
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Thank you!
