Border Towns (New York, Plattsburgh, Massena: student loans, home, theater)

[famlife]

what are some nice Quebec/New York border towns/cities/etc for if one would want to work in Quebec and live in New York? an area with things to do nearby, doesn't have to be a bustling place, but with things to do within 30min or so, and opportunities for an English speaking worker in Quebec, with some, but minimal, French language skills.

Montreal is great and i realize that Champlain is really close by. any opinions on this? how many northern New Yorkers spend a good amount of time in Quebec? is it relatively painless to make the trip? is northern New York/southern Quebec a nice area to raise a family? are they very different from eachother?

thanks in advance!

[Sgoldie]

You're probably looking at Massena or Plattsburg on this side of the border. Both are small cities with not much to do though good places to raise children. Plattsburg will put you closer to Burlington and on the beautiful lake.

There is a big difference between northern NYS which is very poor with few jobs and that part of Canada in which most of their economic engine lies. From a cultural standpoint you will be able to receive Canadian television that influences to some extent the attitude which is somewhat different than the American one of those living within its reach.

There is also a big difference between French Canada and English Canada in many ways. You will be close to both Montreal and to Ottawa living in this locale. Both are prosperous, fun, and exciting urban areas. French Canada from a cultural standpoint is heavily Catholic while English Canada is Anglican. Ottawa has more govt/intl related interests while Montreal is a business/industrial powerhouse and is larger.

I'm not sure is it possible to work in Quebec province without speaking very good French. You might want to consider Ontario. Have no idea what the restrictions are, if any, in obtaining work there. There is a lot of cross border activity in northern NY to the major Canadian cities for recreation purposes.

[clynnog]

Originally Posted by Sgoldie

There is a big difference between northern NYS which is very poor with few jobs and that part of Canada in which most of their economic engine lies. From a cultural standpoint you will be able to receive Canadian television that influences to some extent the attitude which is somewhat different than the American one of those living within its reach.

There is also a big difference between French Canada and English Canada in many ways. You will be close to both Montreal and to Ottawa living in this locale. Both are prosperous, fun, and exciting urban areas. French Canada from a cultural standpoint is heavily Catholic while English Canada is Anglican. Ottawa has more govt/intl related interests while Montreal is a business/industrial powerhouse and is larger.

I'm not sure is it possible to work in Quebec province without speaking very good French. You might want to consider Ontario.

French Canada is not these days heavily RC and English Canada heavily anglican. In many ways, both geographic areas are not particularly religious. The real bible belt in Canada is probably rural Alberta, rural BC and small towns in the Maritimes.

Working in QC w/o french is not a good option. Compared to NNY, Mtl and Ottawa are major cosmopolitan destinations.

[plattsburgher]

Hi.
Just curious if you already have a job lined up in Canada or are hoping to get one there? Champlain is very small and except for the border workers and custom workers, very localized in flavor and attitude. I don't particularly think you would enjoy being there. Plattsburgh is like the big city compared to Rouses Pt. and Champlain and is a great place to raise a family. I usually go to Montreal to get a flight and the border crossing is a breeze, HOWEVER, it has become a lengthier process lately and there is a new crossing facility being built which should be finished soon. I know people who live there (in QC) who work in Plattsburgh and know some people from both Plattsburgh and Vermont who work in QC (Quebec/Montreal). It is a very straight shot along the interstate/Northway (I-87) with very little traffic, so the commute is fast. On a good day I can be in Montreal in an hour. Where you get into trouble is during the rush hour traffic in Montreal. If your job is downtown Montreal, you would be better parking at the Metro station outside the city and hopping the subway into the city...............Guess if you could provide more info, I could give better advice. We are seeing many more Canadians here because of the dollar's decline and most Canadians speak English. Some prefer not to, but most of them can.........you probably know that QC is the home of the separatist movement, however it is a minority or people that really believe that Quebec could stand on its own. I liken it to Vermont in that it is really an independent thinking area, but great to visit and the people are very passionate and alive..........Interesting place.

[clynnog]

Originally Posted by plattsburgher

Hi.
I know people who live there (in QC) who work in Plattsburgh and know some people from both Plattsburgh and Vermont who work in QC (Quebec/Montreal).

We are seeing many more Canadians here because of the dollar's decline and most Canadians speak English. Some prefer not to, but most of them can.........you probably know that QC is the home of the separatist movement.

I would think that any Quebecers who are ardent separatists would not be working in Plattsburgh or the US in general. They would be working in QC.

When you say 'most Canadians' speak English, did you really mean 'most Quebecers'.

I'm interested to know if schools in the Plattsburgh/Rouses Point/Champlain area teach french as a course in school or is Spanish taught. Can many people in the area speak any french.

[wwtuman]

I grew up in (actually outside of) a border village - Mooers, NY - very rural (more cows than people). I left the state about 25 years ago.

I think the school system in that area, Northeastern Clinton Central School - encompassing Mooers, Champlain, Rouses Point, teaches French as well as Spanish. (The school's web site shows faculty for those languages, so I assume the languages are still part of the curriculum.)

When I was in school, I took French from 7th thru my senior year -general language instruction and also French culture - with the focus on formal French (as in France), not the dialect of Quebec. We did have a fun weekend field trip to Quebec City during my senior year.

I would say that at least some people in the area speak French, at least when I grew up there., folks did. My father could speak it, having learned it in Europe during WWII. Whether many folks in the north country speak it now, I can't say, but I would presume so, just because of proximity to Quebec.

Originally Posted by clynnog

I'm interested to know if schools in the Plattsburgh/Rouses Point/Champlain area teach french as a course in school or is Spanish taught. Can many people in the area speak any french.

[ckhthankgod]

What about Ogdensburg too? It isn't that far from Ottawa and on the other side of the Ottawa River from Gatineau, Quebec. Gatineau now contains former cities like Hull and Aylmer, among others. I think Gatineau has about 250,000 people in it's population.

[plattsburgher]

There are options given to high school students whether they want to learn German, Spanish or French here.............Noone forces anyone to learn French although my older daughter did, just to be able to go to Montreal and speak the language at the clubs, concerts, music halls, theaters and restaurants..........Many young people head there because in the US, the drinking age is 21 while in QC it is 18. She is in a great health care field now and will have her doctorate in May. I believe when it comes to paychecks, your beliefs may be entirely separatist, but if you are given maximum paychecks and papers to come across the border and work as a dentist, nurse, doctor, pharmacist, researcher, or any other professional person for maybe twice as much as you would make in the world of socialized medicine in Canada, you might put your personal opinions on the back burner. That's what is happening here. There are not a lot of medical professionals beating down our doors here in upstate NY to work on a very large population. In fact, many of our dental poor head to Canada to take a number in a large clinic in Hemmingford, QC and will wait up to have a tooth extracted........Northern NY could use a lot more students graduating from medical and dental schools who need to work off student loans and get some experience............Don't know why it never seems to get done??????? We have no problem getting QC'ers to cross the border to make money!