Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am 27 years old and I cannot drive, nor do I ever want to. I spent two years; one in Ottawa and the other in Toronto and felt like an alien. You must know how to drive in Ottawa.
After much thought I've realized that Vancouver, or perhaps Vancouver island is the place I'd like to settle. I am sick of commuting, of mainstream culture and realize that what I love most is nature. Trekking, astronomy, skinny dipping and all that natural stuff. Vancouver is the best mainstream city for nature lovers.
I have some money saved and this is a life changing decision. Of course you'd say better go, live for a month and see what you feel. But if I had to ask you for an answer, would you say I can just run and live in the mountains or Oceans of vancouver(island) without ever needing a car?
PS- I have a steady source of income and no need for a real job.
My brother in law has similar ideals in life, he found an affordable log house up a dirt road about 18 miles west of Cowitchan Bay on Vancouver island,he grows his own food and has a few dozen chickens, problem is although its very pastoral you do need a car to get into town on occasion..
Looks like this http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...1/79600001.jpg
I think you would be better off on Vancouver Island and using the bus system though (UVIC is a large university with decent transportation surrounding).
Vancouver itself would require bumming rides off Craigslist or comprehensive bus trips to actually go to the ocean or mountains (it's quite yuppy urban).
If hippy is what you want, head over the gulf. I think you will enjoy it. Biking all year round is good enough too, it rarely snows and rain dries.
I think you would be better off on Vancouver Island and using the bus system though (UVIC is a large university with decent transportation surrounding).
Vancouver itself would require bumming rides off Craigslist or comprehensive bus trips to actually go to the ocean or mountains (it's quite yuppy urban).
If hippy is what you want, head over the gulf. I think you will enjoy it. Biking all year round is good enough too, it rarely snows and rain dries.
Lol wut? Of course you can go to the ocean and forests using transit, there's a solid and frequent bus and skytrain network, upscale doesn't mean no transit. I would say if you want a carfree lifestyl and love nature Vancouver is perfect and someone can easily live that lifestyle, in fact I do. Vancouver Island is nice but it's rural, cars are 100% needed for living in a rural environment like that.
Well I'm curious what neighbourhood you live in when I lived by central park it takes so many bus transfers and skytrains to get anywhere on the north shore to grouse or Spanish banks! OP seems to hate mainstream culture, if he wants to live amongst the rich and pretend then sure, but getting yourself a bike and being around the nature on the island is much more real iykwim...?
Downtown Vancouver is 100% walkable and one can live easily without a car. Nature is all around you and public transit can get you most places you are seeking.
..... I cannot drive, nor do I ever want to. ........ would you say I can just run and live in the mountains or Oceans of vancouver(island) without ever needing a car?
PS- I have a steady source of income and no need for a real job.
Yes you can.
Look to the Fraser Valley or to several of the islands, or consider a small town somewhere along the Sunshine Coast.
You could live rurally and very close to nature on your doorstep more easily on Vancouver Island and some other smaller islands that are serviced by ferries, or along the Sunshine Coast - and also in several of the smaller more rural communities on the north side of the Fraser River in the Fraser Valley anywhere east from Maple Ridge all the way out to Aggasiz or Hope. Close to nature, mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, and there is still availability of scheduled buses and/or trains and/or ferries for when you need to go into a bigger town.
There are many, many thousands of CITY people living in the city of Vancouver without cars. They use shanks mare, bikes or rely on transit to get around. It takes time to get around that way through all the congestion though, and while it is a beautiful city it's not what you could call living the natural lifestyle with nature on your doorstep while living in the city. So if you want quick and easy access to REAL nature while only using a bicycle I would suggest you forget about the city of Vancouver and any of the metropolitan areas close around Vancouver.
Well I'm curious what neighbourhood you live in when I lived by central park it takes so many bus transfers and skytrains to get anywhere on the north shore to grouse or Spanish banks! OP seems to hate mainstream culture, if he wants to live amongst the rich and pretend then sure, but getting yourself a bike and being around the nature on the island is much more real iykwim...?
Just imo after living in Vancouver 26 years
Central Park is in Burnaby, so if you lived in Vancouver you lived right on the eastern border of Vancouver and Burnaby.
I am not rich but live in downtown Vancouver and know many average people who walk to the beaches downtown or ride their bikes to Kits or the beaches all the way to Spanish Banks. Same with the mountains..through Stanley Park, over the bridge you then in the foothills of the Northshore.
If I lived near Central Park I would of caught either a Kingsway bus downtown to the beach, or once downtown one transfer on Granville to get to Spanish Banks. Or I would of caught the Skytrain downtown, got off at Granville Station and transferred if I didn't want to go to the beaches downtown'
For Grouse mountain it is the same, one transfer. Agreed it's not a great as living within walking distance in Vancouver, but again, many people do live within walking distance.
Regardless, even as you have mentioned in other posts I believe, that access to nature is much easier than Montreal and I'll add Toronto.
Well I'm curious what neighbourhood you live in when I lived by central park it takes so many bus transfers and skytrains to get anywhere on the north shore to grouse or Spanish banks! OP seems to hate mainstream culture, if he wants to live amongst the rich and pretend then sure, but getting yourself a bike and being around the nature on the island is much more real iykwim...?
Just imo after living in Vancouver 26 years
I live in Kitsilano, and it doesn't have to be easy everywhere in the city limits of Vancouver to exist and be a possible lifestyle for someone in Vancouver. I'm not rich BTW, I just live in a small apartment and spend most of my time outside.
Regardless, even as you have mentioned in other posts I believe, that access to nature is much easier than Montreal and I'll add Toronto.
But there was NO nature in Toronto! Nor in Ottawa....I don't mean parks and such. Full fledged wilderness like the ocean and mountains full of grizzlies and cougars.
See, whilst I enjoyed city life for what it was I got sick of the attitude and the lifestyle. Every Friday was about getting wasted and hopefully getting laid. Every discussion was about politics or cars or smart phones. I got sick of people talking about Justin Beiber and discussing the latest lame music. Got sick of hipsters and sites like Perez Hilton.
I've always been a nature boy. In fact my dream girl is someone I can go trekking with without her getting bored(which happened on a date in Ottawa, her words: "Rishi, what is so charming about woods".)
When I zeroed in on all the cities I wanted somewhere where I could escape in the wilderness with like minded individuals and I figured that in cities like Vancouver, it'd be in the genes to be a country person!
I want to shut the television and cut the Internet to a minimal: would I find a group of likely people in Vancouver, considering how I've read you'd find more rollerbladers than car owners in Vancouver.
Anyway thank you for your advice. I will do my research.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
