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Thanks Nuala. How close I want the mountains? Close enough that they are visible from where I would live. They are so magical! I don't even ski... but I could eventually learn. It doesn't even matter.
Anyway, maybe this is one dream that I may have to give up on for now. My kids do enjoy living in Saskatoon, and they've made many friends here. The people here are so friendly (aren't most Canadians?). We've moved around many times, and the kids are getting tired of it. Maybe I should just wait till they are living on their own. We could retire in Squamish maybe. (No, I can't wait that long...)
How about taking a week or so off and driving all the way to Vancouver and back? Nothing better than seeing it with your own eyes, feeling with your own skin. Or taking Via Rail so no driving distractions...
What about Surrey? Contrary to what a lot of people might say, it's actually not a bad place to live. They have excellent schools, 95% of the neighborhoods are very safe, and there's decent transportation.
What about Surrey? Contrary to what a lot of people might say, it's actually not a bad place to live. They have excellent schools, 95% of the neighborhoods are very safe, and there's decent transportation.
Sorry for not replying sooner, Rina. I guess I forgot to check back here.
I visited Surrey in 2007. Maybe I was in the bad part of Surrey, because I didn't like it.
This summer we are visiting the Okanagan Valley. It's just a resort visit, so I probably won't learn much about the normal lifestyle. Anyway, hopefully we will make time to look around outside of the resort area.
try Nanaimo...cheaper lifestyle, 1.5 hour ferry ride to Vancouver, warmer drier weather than the general Vancouver area, plus has Vancouver Island university....most neighborhoods are within 8 minute drive to the sea shore, great views across the water to the coast mountains....way cheaper realestate than the Vancouver area
I spent a couple years in Mission and would not recommend it... It's a small, run down looking community... I know everyone has different tastes, but I really, really didn't enjoy it. :/
I ended up choosing to live in Abbotsford. We moved here end of August 2011. I love it here! Plenty of mountain views here, and I still get awestruck when there isn't a cloud in the sky (which admittedly doesn't happen very often) and you can see all of the mountain peaks! There is the North Cascades with Mt. Baker towering over the valley (the most majestic peak of them all, and it's seen throughout the city) and Mt. Shuksan, which is rising from behind Mt. Baker, but is only visible from certain spots in the city; there is the Cheam range, the Garibaldi range (Golden Ears, Mt. Garibaldi)... they all are so glorious!
The only thing I regret about Abbotsford is that shopping is not such a great experience, but hopefully that will change with the opening of the huge mall on Mt. Lehman this Spring (I'm mostly excited about the grand Cineplex Odeon that's coming there! This mall was supposed to open last year). Here is a YouTube video of the Highstreet Mall construction. The newly renovated historic part of Downtown Abbotsford is cute, but the rundown buildings in the older parts of the city are an eyesore, and Downtown overall is a bit depressing. But other than that, this is a lovely city and it's growing rapidly! If I do need to get away for a livelier experience, I don't have to drive too far: Langley (only half an hour away) has plenty of shopping to offer and Vancouver is also just about an hour and a half away.
As for schools, the University of the Fraser Valley is pretty decent, and in the past year I have taken a few short courses there myself. My daughter takes the BFA course there, while my other daughter is attending the Abbotsford Collegiate (recently renamed to its original name of Abbotsford Senior Secondary since it moved into a brand new building in Fall 2012). And the weather here... awesome! Aside from the rain, which I got used to, the mild climate here is just fantastic. This winter feels like an extended fall/early spring. Compare that to the -30's and -40's temperatures in Saskatoon!
In other words, for me, this is as close to perfect as it gets!
Sounds like an incredible place. Glad you followed up to let us know what decision you made and that you sound rather happy with your move. I read that religion plays a larger role in Abbotsford in comparison to a majority of other cities in Canada. Do you find this to be true?
How's the humidity there? What about snowfall? I've researched the numbers but am curious to hear a more personal account.
Any other Pros/Cons you can think of living there?
I'm from Utah (Utah Valley to be specific) so I've been lucky enough to have Mountain views on every side of me I enjoy the lack of humidity here. There's not much rain. Our Summers can be pretty hot sometimes (especially this year. ugh. record-breaking #'s, usually triple digits). I'm not a big fan of snow and we tend to get quite a bit- a lot depending on the year. The religious 'pressure' here in Utah feels awful to me. Does religious 'pressure' exist much in Canada? Abbotsford?
Humidity-wise, the mountains, water, beaches, outdoor and cultural activities in most of B.C. sounds ideal to me.
Abbotsford is probably the worst city in Canada in terms of 'religious pressure' (massive Mennonite community, huge number of churches) but coming from Utah, you will find it a relief anyways. It's not so bad at all, I grew up in Abbotsford and was non-religious, I found it fine. You will find most people are some form of Christian though (but there is tolerance in terms of religion and nobody thinks ill of you for not being Christian).
I think Abbotsford being "the worst" for religious pressure, is still much nicer than even more liberal states in the US. Such divisions are not really strong here like the US.
There's no humidity. There is little snowfall, maybe a few days/week at most, and it's very light. I live in Montreal now and wow, the difference!!! The summers are never really hot and the winters never really cold.
I moved because of my husband's job but if I had to raise my kids back in British Columbia, I would be fine to do it in Abbotsford. I prefer east Abbotsford though, not the west. The university is excellent, I graduated in 2009 and the classes are small, you actually get to know your teachers.
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How close I want the mountains? Close enough that they are visible from where I would live. They are so magical! I don't even ski... but I could eventually learn. It doesn't even matter. 
Abbotsford
Aside from the rain, which I got used to, the mild climate here is just fantastic. This winter feels like an extended fall/early spring. Compare that to the -30's and -40's temperatures in Saskatoon! 
