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Until COVID, I traveled back and forth pretty much monthly between the USA and Canada. On visit No. 10, in 2018, I was asked to pull over to the CBSA facility for a car search, and at that time they had a woman from Immigration come and talk to me. They basically wanted to know why I was traveling to Canada so much, asked for the name and address of the person I visit, etc, whether I was employed and/or owned a home in the USA.
After talking for a while, she said that the reason for the questioning was because 8000 Americans were applying to live in Canada every month and that it had been that way since the 2016 elections. Of course, they knew that other Americans were NOT applying to come to Canada but were instead coming in as visitors and simply not leaving, and they were doing checks on people like me to try to stem that tide.
Just be aware that that literally tens of thousands of other people have the same idea you do.
Wow, this is stunning to hear! I often hear people half-jokingly threaten to move to Canada all the time because of America's increasingly-dysfunctional cultural issues, combined with the massive ineptitude of it's leadership of late, but didn't realize it is actually happening to this extent. Personally, I'm not a good candidate for emigration to another country, otherwise I might also be seriously considering a move of this magnitude. I've thought of the option of moving to a northern US city very close to the Canadian border - maybe upstate New York to the east, or Washington state to the west, then live 6 months in Canada/6 months in the US, but not actually pursuing Canadian residency. But even this solution would be a massive effort and require some pretty deep pockets to make it work. Not to mention the cultural shock of relocating from Texas to near the northern border! Pretty jarring mindset shift. Ha!
So I guess I'm in the American experience for the long haul, come what may. But I have faith that all is not lost, and redemption is possible under the right conditions and given lots of time for people to regain their sanity. I personally blame the current administration, primarily Trump's divisive and agitating influence, for most of our current woes. Not an easy situation to extricate ourselves from, even with more level-headed and unifying leadership at the helm. The damage is done and there's no getting around that harsh reality.
Last edited by BijouBaby; 10-28-2020 at 08:54 AM..
I'll be serious here and will tell you there is a nice, richly cultured and historied country in Europe that would fulfill the vast majority if not all of your long list of criteria that you listed. It is a Christian country encouraging and actively seeking skilled, well educated Christian immigrants, preferably patriotic minded young adults (either singles or young couples) who are strongly family and community oriented and would be willing to start families immediately and be well subsidized by the government for each child produced (including very generously subsidized start-up housing costs) since the country is trying urgently to increase its population.
You would be required to learn the country's language of course but that shouldn't be difficult for you. The country is Hungary and based on your criteria that you listed I think it may be far more suited to you than any other country anywhere else, including being more suited to you than what you already have now in Katy.
By the way, I looked up information about Katy (known in USA as the City of Churches it has more churches per capita than any other city in USA) and it sounds like you already have everything you say you want right there in Katy. So although I don't understand why you would want to leave Katy when it already has pretty much every quality you want, if you have grown up and lived there all your life so far then I do have a better understanding now why you listed the long list of criteria you posted above. You don't want to lose the little utopia that you already have and if USA goes down the tubes you want a back up place that comes as close as possible to being like Katy. Hungary could be just the ticket for you. I don't think Canada would be suitable unless you can eliminate a lot of your expectations.
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First of all, "City of Churches" is not a nickname exclusive to Katy. Many cities in the US (including but not limited to Detroit, Charlotte, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Louisville, Memphis, and Tulsa) have this nickname. Secondly, there are many things I listed in my criteria that Katy does NOT have.
-Katy does not have a low crime rate. Sure it has a low amount of violent crime, but it has a high amount of property crime. I constantly hear on the news about houses being broken into.
-Katy, like all of the Houston metropolitan area, is very humid.
-Commute times in Katy are long. People that live in Katy know about the infamous highways (Katy Freeway and Grand Parkway) that are used to commute to Houston where most of the jobs are. They're known for having lots of traffic, especially during rush hour.
-Katy is neither bike-friendly nor walkable. Many parts of the city don't even have sidewalks period. Matter of fact, there is NO sidewalk that connects my neighborhood (Pine Mill Ranch for the curious ones) to the mall (Katy Mills). Therefore, a car is a must to get from my neighborhood to the mall!
-Sure Katy is technically near the beach (Galveston is about a 1 hour 30 minute drive from here), but are there any mountains near Katy? NOPE. The nearest mountains are the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma which are about a 7 hour drive from here.
-Katy is not conservative, at least not the part of Katy that I live in. Katy is located in 3 counties, Fort Bend, Harris, and Waller. My county (Fort Bend) voted for Hillary Clinton back in 2016 and Joe Biden this recent election. And Harris County has been voting for Democrats since 2008! Waller County is the only reliably conservative county that Katy is located in.
-Katy is not an aesthetically pleasing city, in my opinion. I believe the city has a horrible planning system, where instead of the typical city plan with your downtown in the middle and houses surrounding it, it has houses all over the place, with random businesses scattered in between! And the houses are generic cookie-cutter McMansions. Although there are some people that may like this planning and house design, I do not. I despise it.
-Katy is not ethnically diverse. My definition of an ethnically diverse city is one where the white population is between 50 to 70 percent. The white population is Katy is 77.53 percent.
-The people in Katy are NOT friendly. Of course no one on the Internet will talk about how friendly a random suburb is so I'll be the first to talk about the people in Katy from personal experience. Since Katy is a wealthier, more affluent upper to upper-middle class area, many of the people there are snobs who flaunt their wealth and act like jerks towards you for absolutely no reason. Matter of fact a friend of mine told me about how him and some other guys were in track in our school (Obra D. Tompkins High for the curious ones) and a group of girls in a convertible passed by while blasting the song "WAP" and they flicked them off for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Then you have all the people who try to act gangster, like dear lord...
Anyways, you get my point. Katy is nothing like what I'm looking for in an ideal city, it doesn't already have everything I want, and I'm not looking for a place that's as close as possible to being like Katy. Sorry if I sound rude, I'm just trying to make a statement.
Also by the way, I haven't lived here all my life. I was originally from the Midwest but I moved here 7 years ago.
With all that out of the way, thanks for the Hungary recommendation. I will definitely look into that country.
Yeah, no. Cardston is not far away, and I've been through it a few times. It is notable for being the birthplace of Fay Wray, of "King Kong" fame, and a local park is named for her. It also has a nice golf course that I've played. It's a nice little town.
But. It's almost 100% Mormon. There are no liquor stores nor licensed establishments in Cardston, nor within Cardston County. Yes, you can get a cup of coffee in a cafe (and on the golf course), but you cannot find anything alcoholic without going to Lethbridge, about an hour away. I was surprised once, when filling my tank with gas in Cardston, to find that the gas station sold cigarettes. I figured that they were outlawed locally too, but apparently not.
There's nothing wrong with being Mormon, or being from Cardston. But Cardston is so Mormon, that if you're not Mormon, you might wish to give Cardston a pass. Looking more broadly, if the southern-Alberta area appeals to the OP, however, I'd suggest Lethbridge.
Yeah even though I'm Christian and I want to be surrounded by Christians, I'm not a Mormon. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely look into that city.
Until COVID, I traveled back and forth pretty much monthly between the USA and Canada. On visit No. 10, in 2018, I was asked to pull over to the CBSA facility for a car search, and at that time they had a woman from Immigration come and talk to me. They basically wanted to know why I was traveling to Canada so much, asked for the name and address of the person I visit, etc, whether I was employed and/or owned a home in the USA.
After talking for a while, she said that the reason for the questioning was because 8000 Americans were applying to live in Canada every month and that it had been that way since the 2016 elections. Of course, they knew that other Americans were NOT applying to come to Canada but were instead coming in as visitors and simply not leaving, and they were doing checks on people like me to try to stem that tide.
Just be aware that that literally tens of thousands of other people have the same idea you do.
I was thinking Southern Alberta as well. It's affordable, very dry with low humidity, near the Rockies, cold but still much milder than any other part of the Prairies, socially conservative, high level of religious Christians, Lethbridge is a safe city, has a university, is a metro of about 120k, and is actually quite a nice little city with a vibrant downtown.
However, when moving remember you are still moving to Canada. Canada is MUCH more liberal than thew US in nearly every sphere. Even Evangelicals in Canada tend to be more liberal minded than the same religious groups in the US. Canada is the ONLY country in the developed and democratic world that does not have an abortion law as it is treated as strictly a medical issue and fully funded......that conversation in Canada died 40 years ago. Just moving to Alberta which, along with Sask, being Canada's most socially conservative province, does not mean that you are not intending to move to a far more liberal and non-religious country. Canadians are also VASTLY more accepting of government and high levels of social spending than you will find anywhere in the US. and Canadians, even with ones with strong religious beliefs, tend to be horrified when politics and religion mix unlike the US were it is not only the norm but expected.
Frankly, no matter where you choose to live, will you find Canada a very "uncomfortable" place with you far more socially conservative views. You are FAR better off looking for alternatives in the US than Canada. In Canadian politics our Conservative Party is more in line with your Democrats on social issues.
Yeah even though I'm Christian and I want to be surrounded by Christians, I'm not a Mormon. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely look into that city.
In Canada, if you want to live in an environment that actually "feels" like you're surrounded by Christians, then a community with lots of Mormons is probably one of the only rare options. That and perhaps some parts of southern Manitoba that are predominantly Mennonnite.
That said, most anywhere in Canada you will be "surrounded" by people who are Christian to some degree. But most of them will be discreet, passive, lapsed or only "culturally" Christian.
In that sense, with respect to religion on a public level, most of Canada feels like Western Europe or the more liberal parts of the U.S.
In Canada, if you want to live in an environment that actually "feels" like you're surrounded by Christians, then a community with lots of Mormons is probably one of the only rare options. That and perhaps some parts of southern Manitoba that are predominantly Mennonnite.
That said, most anywhere in Canada you will be "surrounded" by people who are Christian to some degree. But most of them will be discreet, passive, lapsed or only "culturally" Christian.
In that sense, with respect to religion on a public level, most of Canada feels like Western Europe or the more liberal parts of the U.S.
How about the Maritimes? According to a survey, Newfoundland and PEI rank among the lowest percentages of “nones” in Canada.
How about the Maritimes? According to a survey, Newfoundland and PEI rank among the lowest percentages of “nones” in Canada.
Still really low key in terms of religion.
Perhaps not like Quebec which is the lapsed Catholic ground zero, but still much more a cultural thing than an open devotion thing that people talk about a lot in public.
Actually; by comparison to anywhere U.S., all parts of Canada are bereft of the bumper sticker fish symbols and the roadside signs proclaiming "repent" along with some suggesting "Jesus is nigh".
Those things you see frequently in the U.S. just aren't that plentiful anywhere within Canada and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the density of population of the respective countries.
It has far more to do with religion in Canada, for the most part, being considered a "private" thing, not to be trivialized by pasting it all over billboards or declaring your particular belief at the tops of your lungs. That does happen but to a far lesser extent.
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