Quote:
Originally Posted by Rerun
I've been an Okotoker for 3 years now and just love it! Would never consider moving back to the city.
Its way quieter out here compared to most places in Calgary and you can actually even see the stars at night. Traffic is way less too. I work in SE Calgary (near the Flying J truck stop and it takes 20-25 minutes to drive to work... almost the same amount of time it took when I lived in Woodbine in SW Calgary.
Rarely a day goes by that I don't see deer or hawks or even a coyote of two (I can hear them howling most nights when it gets dark). If peace and quiet are what you are looking for and you like being closer to nature, Okotoks is the place for you.
I live about a 15 minute walk from the Sheep River and I frequently take my dog there for a swim. He loves it.
Okotoks has lots of green spaces and a very extensive bike/walking path system that meanders through most of the different neighborhoods.
I personally can't think of a single neighborhood in Okotoks where a person out for a walk would feel unsafe.
As for shopping, there really is no need to go to Calgary unless you want to go to a mall. We have Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Home Hardware, Costco, Safeway, Sobeys, SuperWalmart, Winners, Marks Workwearhouse, and a good selection of restaurants (fast food and better dining spots).
We have a small cinema here with two theaters. There's a 5 pin bowling alley, a great athletic centre with a pool, a hockey arena which is home to the AJHL Okotoks Oilers, and terrific baseball stadium which is home to the Okotoks Dawgs (Western Major Baseball League champions in 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009).
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I don't want to turn this into a match between Inner-City versus out of city, but I just found it intresting that all your points could be used for the Mission area where I live.
-Commute time is 5 mins (although you do win on the noise department)
- Pathways along the river, numerous parks, coulee like areas.
-Lot's of wildlife, Deer, Rabbits, Coyotes etc.
- Tons of people walking around, never feel unsafe day or night
- Live on the river, dog loves to go swimming in it.
-Shopping is all within walking distance. Safeway down the block, Chinook mall 2 mins away.
- Outdoor pool in Stanley Park, more river, parks and paths
-Nearby the saddledome, Corral, bowling, movie theatres etc.
Anyway, not going to turn this into an argument, just want to point out that many of the things people use to justify moving out of the city, can be found right here. After living in Bridlewood, you could never pull me out of Mission.
. However, I do understand the appeal. If you don't work in Calgary, I would say find the neighbourhood best suited for you.