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Old 01-14-2008, 03:00 PM
 
Location: Tampa
30 posts, read 84,258 times
Reputation: 15

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Quote:
Originally Posted by mishigas73 View Post
I lived in New Orleans for 3 years, and simply couldn't take another summer there.



Like I said, it depends on where you are.

I've given you what I feel are the "nicest areas in the US" (I'm sure others will disagree, but it's just my opinion).

Unfortunately, with just "visiting" places, you don't get the full vibe of them. It wasn't until this past fall, when I actually started going to Vancouver on a regular basis, that I was able to form my own true opinion about it. But, at least start with that much.

I applaud you for getting on forums like this to get input as well. But, GO to these places, and see for yourself. You can get impressions of them even in a couple of days. And, remember, like I said, no move is permanent.



I'm an American, and have no plans of living anyplace else in the near future. As far as which is "better"? I can't answer that question for anyone else.
Certainly is hard to answer for someone else......BUT.....I grew up in Toronto, but also lived and was born in UK, now choose to live in Florida, after trying Indiana and Virginia.
Canada is much more like the UK than most places in the US.......the population is more recently immigrated and you will certainly find more of the things you would find in the UK there.........food, tv shows, etc. But, it is also very much like many parts of the US....it was a British Commonwealth country flying the Union Jack until the '70's, so it has more of a British feel, but is still very 'americanized' if that says anything. Toronto is a beautiful and vibrant and very large city with all the amenities of New York or London, but much cleaner and safer.........it ranks third behind London and New York for Theatre, has the largest Chinatown in North America. It is expensive as taxes are high compared to the USA, and of course, weather is cold in winter and moderate the rest of the year...........I like heat and sun, so Florida is my home forever now. I miss the healthcare system (not having to pay out of pocket) but access is better in the US. I miss the legal system (not as litigious as the US), and I miss gun control....but.....I chose to live in the USA and wouldn't move back to Toronto now for any reason.....but that's just me.
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Old 01-14-2008, 03:02 PM
 
Location: Tampa
30 posts, read 84,258 times
Reputation: 15
long hot summers.............probably seems like it coming from Uk, but Canada is not on my list of l o n g or h o t summers.......... depends on your perspective..........it's certainly better than anywhere in the UK!

I have lived in Britain Canada and several states in the US......it's easy to travel anywhere from almost anywhere in North America..........I vote for Florida!
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Old 01-14-2008, 03:04 PM
 
Location: Tampa
30 posts, read 84,258 times
Reputation: 15
great job of describing the differences.........you said it all
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Old 01-21-2008, 01:24 PM
 
45 posts, read 341,444 times
Reputation: 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotslass View Post
The thing im looking for is long hot summers, i dont mind a winter if i have to put up with it..I want to be safe too.
Hi Scotslass,

I can't tell you much about Canada as I have never lived there. I can tell you that I have visited Vancouver, BC and it truly is beautiful. However, you will get lots of rain throughout the winter and spring and it is the constant drizzle type of rain where you will have grey skies for a long period of time (Seattle and Portland have the same climate). I currently live in Colorado Springs and go to Denver frequently (and have many friends there). Also, I have lived in Charlotte, NC and spent a summer in Atlanta, GA. My oldest brother lived in Atlanta for 10 years and I have spent a lot of time there too. All I can say is that based on your desire for a long hot summer, all the cities you previously listed in the US would give you that. Atlanta, Charlotte and San Antonio all have long hot summers. These areas would also be humid (although I am not sure how much humidity San Antonio gets - I do have a friend that lives there and loves it). Pheonix, AR will give you heat all year round with extreme temperatures in the summer. Denver, IMHO, has the best climate of all of them. Our summers are hot and dry. Despite what some people may assume about Colorado, the front range is fairly temperate. Denver is large city with a lot of culture. We get about 300 days of sunshine a year. That said, I really liked Charlotte and Atanta. Charlotte doesn't have as much nightlife as Atlanta or Denver but is a very nice metropolitan area. Charlotte, Atlanta, and Denver have had good job markets over the past couple of years. However, keep in mind that if you are planning on moving to the US soon, we are on the verge of a major recession and there is a likelihood that the job market in many areas of the country may not remain strong. Colorado has tended to have a boom bust economy in the past. The last recession during the dot.com bust really hurt us. There were literally thousands of layoffs state wide in high paying techie jobs. Charlotte and Atlanta's economies seem more diversified to me. San Antonio, TX is probably the most affordable as far as housing. I just know that TX in general is more affordable but I have never lived there so I can't speak from experience. I have heard nice things about San Antonio, however. As for Canada, I have only heard good things about it. There are some beautiful areas but the cost of living is more expensive. I remember going up to Vancouver for the day one time while visiting a friend in Seattle and the prices for food were shocking to me but that was a long time ago. I have extended family from Nova Scotia but have never been there.

Good Luck
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Old 01-22-2008, 05:36 AM
 
3,728 posts, read 4,854,971 times
Reputation: 2293
Robynator

Quote:
- The gun issue. In Canada, owning a gun is pretty much unheard of and totally unnecessary unless you're up to no good. In the U.S., there's a definite "gun culture" and a lot of people that think guns are "neat". There's a lot of "gun hobbyists". For somebody that grew up in Canada where guns are almost exclusively owned by hunters, guys I work with having gun collections (Magnums, Glocks, etc.) is an eye-opening experience and an obvious cultural difference.
Where did you live in Canada? There are about 7-12 million guns in Canada and about 200-260 million guns in the US. Gun culture is not as common in Canada, but saying it doesn't exist is ignorant.

Quote:
- This is a huge generalization, but the American attitude is more "I should be able to do what I please, the government can't tell me what to do, ever", and the Canadian attitude is, "It's OK for the government to regulate certain things, as long as it makes sense and is for the greater good". I find American society to be more individualistic in general, whereas Canadian society is more prepared to concede individual freedoms if they're in the best interests of everybody.
That is a bad thing.

Quote:
- The military is a much bigger deal in the U.S. than in Canada. Growing up I didn't know anybody that had been in the Canadian army (and I grew up in a city of 300,000-plus), but since living in the U.S. I can name 10 people off the top of my head that have served, and unfortunately know a guy that died serving in the Middle East a couple of years ago. Big cultural difference there.
I grew up in Winnipeg and I had several family members who served in World War Two and Korea. I also had two driving instructors at my high school who both were in the Canadian military at one point. One was a former drill instructor (he was fun...) and the other was stationed in Germany during the 1980s.

Canada also has half the military per capita than the US, so of course it is less. Canadians not around anyone we can really use force against and are too small to be able to afford large military.
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Old 02-06-2008, 12:29 PM
 
Location: Strathclyde & Málaga
2,975 posts, read 8,095,190 times
Reputation: 1867
Im still open minded to Canada but i think i may go to the US for weather and i know people who live there.

Thing is would i be accepted in the south as i am not conservative, im not a church goer and i enjoy going out and socializing.
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Old 02-06-2008, 12:51 PM
 
6,304 posts, read 8,979,897 times
Reputation: 8149
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotslass View Post

Thing is would i be accepted in the south as i am not conservative, im not a church goer and i enjoy going out and socializing.
It absolutely depends on where you go in the "south".

As I've told you, I lived in New Orleans for 3 years. I'm not conservative, nor a church goer, and like doing the "socializing" thing. I didn't have a problem there, nor in many other places that I visited down south. There are many places in the southern states that totally go against the "Bible thumping" stereotype.

What I would suggest is, if you have some places in mind, post a thread in the appropriate state's forum on here. Explain your situation (trying not to speak of any "stereotypes", as that usually only breeds defensiveness). I would do it like, "this is who I am...is there a city or location that would be absolutely wonderful for me?". I'll just about guarantee that you'll get some good responses, and probably some ideas of places that you haven't even thought about yet.

Good luck, again, with your search.
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Old 02-06-2008, 12:56 PM
 
Location: Lexington, South Carolina
732 posts, read 3,546,848 times
Reputation: 313
Scotslass:

I am a Canadian (from Regina,SK) and have been living in the U.S. for about 4 years. I have spent a lot of time in Calgary, AB, Vancouver, BC as well as Washington State and, now, San Antonio, Texas. The answers to your original question were, as expected, as diverse as the persons who responded (and their relative experiences.)

I think your level of happiness will depend on your expectations (realistic?) the amount of research you put into your decision and the effort you make to meet people and understand your new home upon your arrival. The possible choices you gave were so diverse that it's hard to really pin down what you're looking for. If warm weather is important to you, then the Southern United States would be a suitable choice. If universal healthcare is important to you - Canada is the best place to be.

That being said, there are many pros and cons to both countries (and the various cities among them...) What I can tell you, from my own experience is that that Regina, SK has beautiful summers (but so do a lot of other places) and really cold winters (but it's always sunny.)
Vancouver is pretty but I really couldn't stand the rain and grey-ness. I need the sunshine. Canadians always talk about problems with guns in the U.S. but (even in Texas) I haven't really noticed it to be much of an issue. The local news here reflects just as much gun-related crime as that of any large city in Canada. There may be statistics that refute this but I'm going by my personal experience and observations - it's really not that bad.

San Antonio, TX has great weather- year round and is a nice city with a small town feel (in fact, I feel like the people here are MOST like the folks back in Regina - friendly and down to earth). Housing and cost of living here is super-affordable - even cheaper now than in Regina. We have a 4 bedroom house that's 2300 square feet with a huge yard, community pool etc. and it would probably cost about 170,000 US to buy in the current market. Not sure what the job market is like, though.... I guess it depends on your field.

Anyway, city-data is a great place to start for gathering initial research but you may want to spend a bit of time in a few places to really decide.

Good luck with your decision!
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Old 02-14-2008, 03:16 AM
 
Location: Strathclyde & Málaga
2,975 posts, read 8,095,190 times
Reputation: 1867
Is $50,000 per year good as a household income for 2 people to have a good quality of life in the US? I'd be moving to the southern states i.e Texas, Alabama, Georgia, or North Carolina.

Could i afford a house at $200,000 and have 2 cars too and not struggle?
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Old 02-14-2008, 06:12 AM
 
Location: Calgary, AB
315 posts, read 1,622,354 times
Reputation: 138
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotslass View Post
Is $50,000 per year good as a household income for 2 people to have a good quality of life in the US? I'd be moving to the southern states i.e Texas, Alabama, Georgia, or North Carolina.

Could i afford a house at $200,000 and have 2 cars too and not struggle?
$50K per year for two people might get you by in rural Texas but it won't go far. Make sure to check the cost of real estate. In Atlanta, $200,000 will buy you a small house in an OK part of town. In rural Texas, $200,000 will buy you a bigger house on a lake/river with a pool.
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