I have lived here for exactly 5 years. I'll give a little bio on my experiences so far.
We had planned to move out here, so we had money saved up, and planned on purchasing a house when we arrived. I have family up Island (2.5 hours) and we have some friends that were already out here - so we wernt completely alone.
I had no job when I moved out here, my gf was able to transfer through work. We moved out April 1st, and the job market for my background (IT Support) was nil. I didn't even get a callback or interview until June. I got laid off about 2 months later and couldnt find a job until November. The wage on job #1 was just less of what I made in Calgary. The 2nd job was substantially less. My brother moved out here (trucker) and had a hard time finding a job that suited his pay desires and hours. He moved back to Calgary after about 8 months - he was completely miserable. The job market is really tough and finding a wage you are accustomed to in Calgary will be pretty difficult in my opinion.
Culture - I have heard Victoria is an extremely boring place. It is what you make of it. We don't like to camp/hike or anything, but there is amazing places ot do that within a 2 hour drive if thats your thing. Downtown has some great pubs, and there is always something happening down there. They have the Royals, which is some awesome hockey to get your fix. I don't find people snobby or stuckup at all. I have joined Dodgeball and Softball teams without knowing anyone on the teams and have been welcomed fine.
Weather- It rains less than Vancouver. So when people say all it does is rain in Victoria, they are stupid. The winter weather is grey, gloomy, and cold. The cold damp breeze is just as bad as a crappy windchill in Calgary. It does take some getting used to, but its a far cry form having snow in April like at home. Today is 25 and sunny for example.
Traffic - Getting around town can be a nightmare if you are used to the ring road, deerfoot freeway type roads. They simply dont exist here. They have 2 highways, 2 lanes each. Long weekend traffic is a gong show. As long as your expectations for time are low, it'll be fine - like they say 'This isnt the mainland - slow down'.
Housing - House prices are lower now than they were 5 years ago. But like any where, it is all priced on location. If you want to be closer to water and downtown - you'll be paying for it. We live in Langford, which is about a 15 min drive to DT, and house prices have dropped about $20-$30K in the last 5 years. Not sure if thats the case for Condos however.
Victoria isnt for everyone. There are certain parts of Calgary I miss - Family, Flames games, seeing friends. That being said, this was absolutely the right choice for myself and my gf. We are more relaxed, more active, and generally in a better place.
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