FLORIDIAN considering moving to TORONTO (real estate market, apartment, find a job)

[blacksax]

Hey!
I am considering moving to Toronto from Daytona Beach, FL. My biggest issue with the idea of moving is the weather as well as handling being in a big city. Any comments, ideas, suggestions, etc?
I plan on getting into the commercial real estate market once there also, so anything helpful in that area would be great as well.
Thank you for your help!
-C

[ThroatGuzzler]

As for the weather in Toronto, it's pretty nice for about 5 months of the year (April - Sept), but the rest is pretty terrible to say the honest truth. Although we don't get as much snow as Buffalo does, the low temperatures would make a Floridan such as you very uncomfortable. That's basically really the only downside for living up here, and big city life is how you make it out to be. It's relevance really.

[TorontoMom]

With regards to getting into the commercial real estate business - though things are not as bad as they are in the US, the market is definitely down with a fairly high vacancy rate. Do your research before making the move to be sure this is the right place for you to come to start a career in commercial real estate. You'll eventually need your real estate license. In the meantime, if you don't mind starting at the bottom, you might be able to find a job. You can research how to get your license by visiting the OREA website (Ontario Real Estate Association Home).

Good luck!

[dude1984]

The climate of Toronto is almost exactly like the climate of Chicago.

Chicago- Chicago - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toronto- Toronto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The link below goes into the neighborhoods.
SoYouWanna find an apartment in Toronto? | SoYouWanna.com

[blacksax]

Thank you all so much for the replies! Besides the things that really matter... Are the cable networks very different? For instance are ABC, NBC, and CBS available television? Also, what is the Gay Village like there?-Mostly men, women, or pretty equal?

[PalmBch]

Expect much colder weather and 1,000 hours of less sun than Florida

[vcrcanuck]

Originally Posted by blacksax

Thank you all so much for the replies! Besides the things that really matter... Are the cable networks very different? For instance are ABC, NBC, and CBS available television? Also, what is the Gay Village like there?-Mostly men, women, or pretty equal?

All the major US broadcast networks are available in Canada. CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox. Many US cable channels are available too. CNN, A&E, TLC among them. The Gay Village in Toronto is centred around Church Street, and it is mostly men. Toronto is a very gay friendly city just about anywhere, though.

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by PalmBch

Expect much colder weather and 1,000 hours of less sun than Florida

Toronto's "Averge Daily Sunshine Hours vs. Approx. Hours of Daylight":

Jan: 2/8 hrs
Feb: 4/9 hrs
Mar: 4/11 hrs
Apr: 6/13 hrs
May: 7/14hrs
Jun: 9/15 hrs
Jul: 9/15 hrs
Aug: 8/14 hrs
Sep: 7/13 hrs
Oct: 5/11hrs
Nov: 3/9 hrs
Dec: 2/8 hrs

[Winter-40c]

Originally Posted by dude1984

The climate of Toronto is almost exactly like the climate of Chicago.

Chicago- Chicago - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toronto- Toronto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The link below goes into the neighborhoods.
SoYouWanna find an apartment in Toronto? | SoYouWanna.com

Those Temperature Averages for Toronto are wrong, Go to The WeatherNetWork.com more accurate than wikipedia.

Statistics: Toronto Pearson Int´l, ON, Canada - The Weather Network

Toronto is Colder on Average than Chicago.

[minibrings]

Originally Posted by blacksax

Thank you all so much for the replies! Besides the things that really matter... Are the cable networks very different? For instance are ABC, NBC, and CBS available television? Also, what is the Gay Village like there?-Mostly men, women, or pretty equal?

Its not very large when compared with Chelsea or the Castro. But there are enough coffee places, restos, bars to keep you entertained.