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I am originally from Toronto but have lived in Los Angeles for the last few years. I am considering a move to Vancouver for personal reasons - I love LA but may have to leave. My only real concern is the rain! I have only ever visited in the summer when it wasn't bad but I know the winter months can be bad.
I was also wondering about activities. I'm outdoorsy - jogging, hiking, beach, biking. I like spending evenings at small bars/clubs/concerts, eating at quaint (ie. cheap but tasty) restaurants, and having the ability to take some weekend trips out of the city.
What do people do when its raining half the year? Do people still go hiking and spend time outdoors? I found the winters in Toronto can be cold but you could always bundle up and brush the snow off. I don't know about living in the rain. I'm thinking of visiting this winter to see.
I also hear everything is very pricey in Vancouver because it caters to the retired and wealthy. I liked Mount Pleasant (?) area - Main street but was only there one afternoon. Are there other neighbourhoods to check out?
So what should I know.
Regarding the living in the rain thing, I suggest, you read the famous weather thread in Seattle forum. You'll surely get an idea. The Seattle weather thread is very active, as well, and you'll get a lot of response. I know, you're not moving to Seattle, but both cities have pretty much identical weather.
If you liked Mount Pleasant area in Vancouver, I suggest, you also check Commerical Drive. I personally also like Kitsilano neighbourhood.
Hi, where in LA are you? I have lived there the past 4 years..santa monica, los feliz, and la cienega/robertsonish. I lived in Van for a year in 2004..the rain stories are true, it rained most of the year except for the summer, where you get beautiful LA-like weather. Yes Vancouver is very expensive, but so is LA.
There is plenty do here outdoors. I cycle and hike in the rain. The mountains aren't far away so winter activities can be take advantage of. The rain...bothers a lot of people. I go about my life with it but I would prefer L.A weather. The rain itself isn't the problem for some, it's the endless overcast days. Overcast days are quite common for 7-8 months...it can het quite depressing. The rain isn't usually heavy, it's often more like a drizzle... that goes on for months. When I went to UBC I was friends with quite a few people from California. They loved it here for awhile but many of them did have a problem after the 1st year with the rain and overcast skies. If you like L.A's weather, you probably won't like it here in the longterm.
Thanks for the responses so far.
To newyorkguy - I currently live in Silver Lake and love the area. Griffith park close by, good restaurants and good music scene. Even with the rain did you like vancouver? LA can be expensive (esp. westside) but I find cost of living much better than Toronto with respect to food, gas, rent, entertainment.
I love LA's weather but I don't think I need sunshine 90% of the time. I really am curious how people live day-to-day with rain. I hate being cooped up for months at a time. I have a friend who
just moved to van who I think will be able to give me a better assessment on quality of life during the winter months as we are very similar with our interests.
Nobody is cooped up in Vancouver... it doesn't rain all the time. It's mostly just overcast and cloudy during the rainy season. The rainy season? Late autumn, winter, and early spring. If it rains, you just keep doing what you'd be doing if it wasn't raining. Simple.
What makes the rainy season dreary isn't just the overcast skies... it's that it also corresponds with a phemonenon that happens in the northern hemisphere that you may/may not notice: it gets dark earlier in the winter than it does in the summer. In Vancouver, the winter months have really late sun rises and really early sunsets, so you don't get many hours of daylight at the best of time. On winter solstice, it's dark outside by 5pm. By contrast, on summer solstice, it's still light out past 9pm.
But it the short daylight hours in the winter compounds the dreariness of the overcast skies...
... but yes, you do *shock* *gasp* *horror* get breaks of sunny weather.
Remember the WINTER Olympics of 2010? They were hosted in Vancouver in the middle of our winter, in the middle of our rainy season, in February. Look up the video footage on Youtube. Nothing but sunny skies.
Who says it rains nonstop? It's an exaggeration from people who are already miserable and just love to gripe and moan. Vancouver is full of them regardless of the weather. In the summer, they're the people complaining about the first consecutive days of sun complaining that it's too sunny, too warm, etc.
Last edited by Robynator; 10-03-2011 at 08:17 PM..
Thanks for the responses so far.
To newyorkguy - I currently live in Silver Lake and love the area. Griffith park close by, good restaurants and good music scene. Even with the rain did you like vancouver? LA can be expensive (esp. westside) but I find cost of living much better than Toronto with respect to food, gas, rent, entertainment.
I love LA's weather but I don't think I need sunshine 90% of the time. I really am curious how people live day-to-day with rain. I hate being cooped up for months at a time. I have a friend who
just moved to van who I think will be able to give me a better assessment on quality of life during the winter months as we are very similar with our interests.
Perhaps it was my partaking in marijuana in those years, but I didn't mind the rain Got myself a waterproof jacket and went about my day...oh and coffee helps! I lived in Los Feliz, so I know Silver Lake..good area!
I'm from Toronto and moved to Victoria BC after living in AZ for a bit and I can tell you that for me it was dismal. It's not just the rain, it's the dark skies, low clouds etc. that got to me. I was cold (in the bones type of cold) all the time. I should also mention that Victoria is supposed to get less rain than Vancouver (same with White Rock).
It seemed to me like it rained fall, winter and spring, with summer starting in July. I didn't like feeling wet all the time. When I first arrived there I went hiking with someone I met and didn't realize that I needed rain pants as well as a rain jacket (which I had) to hike. My legs were drenched and I was so full of mud by the time the hike was over that I never hiked there again and I LOVE hiking.
I'm back in AZ but have decided I'd rather face Ontario's cold and snowy winters than BC's dark, wet, mild ones.
To each his own though.
PS all that said, it is beautiful in it's own kind of way there if you can take the weather!
Yes the rain can be depressing but less so in Victoria or near White Rock where I live as they both get about half as much rain as downtown Vancouver and you really can notice the difference.
The thing that I will never get use to is how dark and dismal the winter is. Not only is it overcast and drizzle but the sun sets very early.
I didn't really appreciate how far south Ontario is until I moved to BC. Windsor Ont is on the California latitude and you can really tell the difference. You don't get the nice long summer days but at the same time you don't get the terminally grey and dark winters. I guess it's what you prefer and are use to.
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Got myself a waterproof jacket and went about my day...oh and coffee helps! I lived in Los Feliz, so I know Silver Lake..good area!
