relocating (apartments, renting, mortgage) - City-Data Forum

wd515 · 03-07-2010, 12:35 PM

Here's my situation. I recently graduated university, and have become bored of the city I live in. I have work experience already. My girlfriend has another year to go before she graduates. I am considering renting an apartment until next year as opposed to buying a house (currently live with parents), with the intention of relocating. Now i'm not so sure - maybe I should buy a house - I enjoy the outdoors - a lifestyle which outweighs the nonexistent city life where I live. Now i'm beginning to think I should stay, buy a house and just rely on vacations to get my fill of new sights and sounds. I looked at the prices of apartments in bigger cities (particularly ottawa and some in vancouver) and found out they are more expensive than what I was hoping for considering what you get.
Has anyone else been in this situation - small town or big move?
Any suggestions?

sawan · 03-07-2010, 03:39 PM

Ottawa is boring dont come here on top of which it is a French city so that will limit your job scope

wd515 · 03-07-2010, 05:02 PM

That's a valid point, thank you I appreciate your response.

Robynator · 03-07-2010, 07:40 PM

Where do you live now? It helps so we have some perspective.

Ottawa's not French, it's bilingual - French and English.

Also, what draws you to Ottawa and Vancouver? Those cities are so different, they may as well be in different countries. They offer completely different lifestyles.

wd515 · 03-07-2010, 08:03 PM

You're right, they are a world apart, but I have family in both these cities so it helps.
I live in Thunder Bay. It's weird spending your whole life feeling like you cant wait until the day you can leave your small town, and when it finally comes you're really not sure what to do. Ottawa is a great city, unfortunately many of the job requirements include being bilingual. I hate to bash my hometown, it is a good place to live overall, but I feel like i've done everything there is to do more than twice.

Acajack · 03-08-2010, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sawan

Ottawa is boring dont come here on top of which it is a French city so that will limit your job scope

Ottawa is not a French city. It is in fact a predominantly English-speaking city though knowing French is also a huge asset (particularly for government jobs).

Note that most of the private sector in Ottawa functions predominantly (and in many cases almost exclusively) in English.

netwit · 03-08-2010, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wd515

You're right, they are a world apart, but I have family in both these cities so it helps.
I live in Thunder Bay. It's weird spending your whole life feeling like you cant wait until the day you can leave your small town, and when it finally comes you're really not sure what to do. Ottawa is a great city, unfortunately many of the job requirements include being bilingual. I hate to bash my hometown, it is a good place to live overall, but I feel like i've done everything there is to do more than twice.

I take it you are a relatively young person and young people almost always get bored and can't wait to leave their home towns. You don't say what you degree is in or what work experience you have, but the time to make moves is when you are young, before you have a mortgage and kids to worry about.

I currently live in a rural area and young people are always leaving but an awful lot of them end up returning at some point. There's nothing wrong with that and sometimes causes them to appreciate what they thought they never wanted to see again.

It's better to take a chance, then to spend the rest of your life regretting the chances you didn't take, imho.

wd515 · 03-08-2010, 08:38 PM

thanks, exactly what i wanted to hear and what i was thinking. I'm 25 with a diploma in social work, degree in psychology and almost 5 years experience working with young offenders. I'm looking for new experiences and I think this is the time to do it, unfortunately this also means renting an apartment for a year while waiting for my significant other to finish her school, there's not really a way around that. I have been to all major cities east of quebec and have to say ottawa is the best. Not only is it the cleanest place i've ever been, the people are friendly and it feels like a community, not a big city.

sunshineleith · 03-10-2010, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sawan

Ottawa is boring dont come here on top of which it is a French city so that will limit your job scope

Really? Have the "French" landed? I thought it was a Canadian city. Lots of Canadian francophones and anglophones. But the French have invaded. Scary!

Acajack · 03-10-2010, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshineleith

Really? Have the "French" landed? I thought it was a Canadian city. Lots of Canadian francophones and anglophones. But the French have invaded. Scary!

Well, the dining scene has improved greatly and people on the streets are way better dressed! But watch out for the dog poop on the sidewalks!