Kingston, ON - what is good and bad? (2013, how much)

[the_wanderer]

Originally Posted by Acajack

If you're familiar with Portland in Maine it's probably got a fairly similar vibe and amenities. Portland's city proper is smaller than Kingston but it's metro is way bigger but keep in mind the US calculates metro areas differently than Canada does.


Portland and Kingston may not be the same size but they're not likely that different in the way they feel on the ground.

Portland is next to the ocean. It can make a big difference for many people.

[mapleguy]

Kingston has a large number of both Federal and Provincial workplaces.


Federally, the Canadian Forces base, and the Royal Military College . The afore mentioned penitentiaries .


The Fed is a major employer in Kingston and area.


Provincially. A regional Ministry of Health building... A regional OHIP billing office. A Ontario Ministry of Revenue office. The Frontenac county administration building. A regional Hydro admin and service complex. Ministry of Natural Resources admin and laboratory complex.


Academics. Queens University. A major university in Ontario, and a large employer in Kingston. Two Community Colleges.


Kingston has a lively arts and music scene. A number of Canadian music notables hail from Kingston.


If you want to live a bit out of the city.... look north into the smaller towns with in a 20 minute drive, or on Wolfe Island, a large agricultural area in the St Lawrence river. Serviced year round by a car ferry that is free.


I think that Kingston has a nice mix of modern services, and things to do, combined with a laid back vibe and a respect for the history of it's past.


''XXX.

[saturno_v]

Originally Posted by Marguerite2015

I don't want to be in any sort of "snow belt", mind you. I've dealt with far too much snow here in Maine to want to go to a place that snows more than it does here.

Forget about Canada then other than southwestern BC coastal areas....even in the Maritimes can get very cold.

If COL is one of your major concern you should stay put int he good old US...

[Marguerite2015]

Wow, thanks so much for all of your input. Much appreciated!

I'm not wild about the idea of so many prisons in the town - that just seems bizarre that this one medium sized city would have that many prisons! I wonder why they don't spread the wealth around some. How on earth did that happen?

I should have also mentioned that I'm liberal politically for the most part, really hating Trump, and am trying not to end up in the Canadian equivalent of Alabama. Hopefully Kingston is not anywhere near that, but any input there would be terrific.

As far as snow, I understand - it's Canada. I'm not expecting Hawaii weather. I just don't want to get walloped more than we do here in Maine or end up in the Canadian equivalent of Buffalo.

Thanks again, all!

[jambo101]

Is this what you want to get away from Marguerite=Winter storm blankets Kingston region | The Kingston Whig-Standard

[BMI]

Originally Posted by pigeonhole

I'd like to know if there is a big difference between Kingston's and Windsor's climates ?

Big difference....I think so.

Here is a comparison of Portland, Maine...Kingston, ON...Windsor, ON and Ottawa

PORTLAND.........KINGSTON...........WINDSOR....... .....OTTAWA (airport)
0/-10........jan......-3/-12........jan.......1/-6.......jan.....-6/-15
1/-9.........feb.......-2/-11........feb.......3/-5.......feb.....-3/-13
6/-4.........mar.......3/-6..........mar......8/-2.......mar.....2/-7
12/2........apr........10/1..........apr.......15/4.......apr......12/1
18/7........may.......16/7.........may......21/10.....may.....19/8
23/12......jun........22/12........jun.......27/16.....jun......24/13
26/15......jul.........25/16........jul........29/18.....jul.......27/16
25/15......aug.......24/15........aug.......28/18.....aug.....25/14
21/10......sep........20/11.......sep.......24/13.....sep......21/10
15/4........oct........13/5..........oct.......17/7......oct.......13/4
9/-1........nov........7/-1..........nov.......10/2......nov.......6/-2
3/-6........dec........1/-7..........dec.......-2/-3.....dec.......-2/-10

Portland....1200 mm /47" annual precip...157 cm /62" annual snowfall

Kingston....960 mm /38" annual precip....157 cm / 62" annual snowfall

Windsor.....873 mm / 34" annual precip....107 cm / 42" annual snowfall

Ottawa.....943 mm / 37" annual precip.....223 cm / 88" annual snowfall


Portland ...city population ...66,000....urban...204,000....metro 519,000

Kingston....city population ...124,000...metro 161,000

Windsor ....city population ....217,000 ....metro 329,000 ....with Detroit 5 million

Ottawa.....city popluation ...943,000 .....metro 1,324,000

Conclusion....Windsor has warmest climate, hottest summer, least snow.
Ottawa has coldest winter but warm summer and the most snow.

Keep in mind Portland is in extreme southern Maine on the coast,
northern Maine is colder than Ottawa (in all seasons).

[Marguerite2015]

Thanks everyone for the weather input. I actually live 15 minutes from Portland Maine and have since 1999. I'm well aware of the weather here, and was just hoping to avoid moving to someplace that is actually worse snow wise, along the lines of Buffalo. It looks like Kingston is actually better or on par snow wise with Portland, which I can handle.

As far as politics in Kingston - does anyone know if this is a conservative town? As I'd mentioned, I'd also rather not move to the equivalent of Alabama. Any thoughts on this? Given the military college and prisons in town, I wondered if it's some right wing authoritarian place. Hopefully not.

Thanks again, so much!

[Acajack]

Rest assured that nowhere in Canada is like Alabama. Kingston is a fairly liberal town.

[jambo101]

All that political mumbo jumbo that goes on in the USA stops when you cross the border into Canada,no more Limbaugh et-al ,no more FOX,in fact no one really talks politics in Canada and people dont care or want to know if you are a liberal or a Republican,you'll find the change refreshing..

[zortation]

Originally Posted by Marguerite2015

As far as politics in Kingston - does anyone know if this is a conservative town?

It could be, but I doubt it would be noticeable to someone from the US, possibly "pragmatic conservative"

As stated Kingston is a big government town and public servants tend to vote Liberal...The local MP for Kingston is a Liberal in case you're curious.