Who has moved to Victoria from Calgary

[cKy]

Long story short, I'm moving to Victoria with my girlfriend.

I know there are tons of you guys here from Victoria and I am guessing most of you moved there.

How did you move? (Moving company, U-Hauled it, wtc) How much did it cost (approx)? How long did it take you? Can I move in with you? haha.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

[troutman]

rubecube

[J pold]

Originally Posted by troutman

rubecube

He confessed to regretting it.

[cKy]

Well I have no issues confessing I will regret this if infact I do. I'm still young, I have lots of time to move back if I need to.

[tvp2003]

I grew up in Calgary, moved to Victoria for school, and moved back to Calgary 2.5 years ago.

When I moved out, we took everything we had in our car. Coming back, we used a smallish moving company in BC that was cheap but who ended up trying to screw us in the end. I wouldn't recommend them.

That probably doesn't help you much, but enjoy Victoria, the fantastic weather, and the lack of traffic. I would consider moving back if my current job/life circumstances were different.

[cKy]

We have too much stuff for a car, but probably not enough to justify the $2000 on a moving company. I'm also a little non-trusting that these guys have everything I own in a truck that I am not in. U-haul has quoted us about $750 + gas for 1180 KM's (from google, here to Victoria is 1135 or something - not much lee way there)

Thanks for the responsive, keep them coming.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by cKy

Long story short, I'm moving to Victoria with my girlfriend.

I know there are tons of you guys here from Victoria and I am guessing most of you moved there.

How did you move? (Moving company, U-Hauled it, wtc) How much did it cost (approx)? How long did it take you? Can I move in with you? haha.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Uhaul. $1,000 w/truck, gas, ferry, etc. 3 days. No, but your girlfriend can.

I wouldn't recommend Uhaul because they are a joke, but you almost have no choice if you want to do it yourself. To hire someone it was going to be around $3,000 depending on your stuff.

Whenever I would drive from Calgary to Victoria, I would leave Calgary at about 6pm and travel through the night so you have very little traffic, cops and you make the first boat in the morning. It can also cut off 2 hours of travel if you giver.

[blankall]

I also went to school in Vic (for the 5 year victory lap undergrad. As a result did the move there and back several times.

The best way really depends on what you are bringing.

On the way there I jsut used suitcases. On the way back suitcaes + greyhound shipping.

I know people who did it with U-Hauls and rented vans too. Could be an issue if the weather doesnt improve before your move. I did the trip in a van with a budy and all of his stuff once. There were no real issues other than he expected me to go half on gas and kept picking convenient times when the gas tank was only half empty to stop for his turn to fillup.

The drive itself can be done in one long day or two short ones. A little bit sketchy going through the mountains, but clear sailing before and after that. Be prepared for ferry fees, although the ferry ride itself is quite relaxing and nice. You get to look over the boat and see killer whales etc.

A moving company will always be a much more expensive alternative. Especially when you factor in the extra cost of flying you and your girlfriend out there instead of transporting yourselves in the UHAUL/van.

[cKy]

We had a friend move with a moving company. She lived in a 2 bedroom condo, so had a average amount of things and I believe the cost was $1800.

I have driven to Victoria/the Island (I got family there) countless times and love the drive. It will probably be a 2 day trip - stopping in Kelowna as I have a sister there, then continuing on.

Planning on leaving in March, so hopefully the weather isnt too crappy.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by J pold

He confessed to regretting it.

Yep, it's sucked so far. I think mostly it has to do with my job. I had a really good job in Calgary and I have an awful job out here. The other big problem is I honestly miss being able to go to as many Flames games and big concerts. Now if I want to go to a hockey game or concert I have to factor in ferry, hotel, food, day off work etc.

My girlfriend's parents actually came out and moved us so it wasn't too expensive. My place really sucks because it's so small but it also has an in-suite washer and dryer and a dishwasher.

The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to not move out here unless you are going to school or have a job waiting for you. It's very hard to find a decent job out here and employers know this and take advantage of it.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by rubecube

The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to not move out here unless you are going to school or have a job waiting for you. It's very hard to find a decent job out here and employers know this and take advantage of it.

X2

Unless you plan on working in the restaurant industry, plan to get shafted in just about every other industry.

Although if Calgary slows down as much as some people are predicting, it might not be any better than Victoria in a year or two.

[surefyre]

I moved to Victoria from Calgary just over a year ago as my girlfriend lived out here. It was a really tough adjustment at first as it is a difficult place to meet people at first and the weather in the winter while warm kinda sucks as it is often rainy or gloomy and isn't sunny like Calgary.

After not loving it for the first while, it has really started to grow on me. I had a bad first job with the government but now have a really good job at the university. Victoria is a good place to come if you are looking for public service jobs...but there is not the same level of options in other industries that many Canadian cities have. I do also like that we are close to Vancouver and Seattle (although the ferry sucks).

All in all there are a lot of good things about living here. There are great golf courses and green grass in the winter, the ocean, great camping/hiking, etc.

I should mention it cost about $2500 to move all of my stuff out with a first rate moving company. When my girlfriend moved out from Calgary she had a terrible experience with a slum mover so it is worth the money to go with one of the reputable companies (however, my employer paid the costs).

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have though.

[enthused]

I moved to Victoria from Calgary for school, but have since moved back. I might be one of the few people who really didn't like living in Victoria. Beautiful place, nice people, fun university, but it isn't the kind of place I could live in again.

The weather really got to me. Even though it was never too cold, it rained A LOT. And weeks would go by without seeing the sun. I found it quite depressing, and really drained my energy. Also I think the pace of the city was a bit slow for me. I didn't have a car out there and relied on transit, and seriously I found I had to plan waaay ahead of time to get anywhere. For a city so dependent on transit, it wasn't the best system. However its very bike friendly there which I liked.

I dunno, Victoria wasn't for me but I do know lots of people who absolutely love it out there. Good luck!

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by enthused

I moved to Victoria from Calgary for school, but have since moved back. I might be one of the few people who really didn't like living in Victoria. Beautiful place, nice people, fun university, but it isn't the kind of place I could live in again.

The weather really got to me. Even though it was never too cold, it rained A LOT. And weeks would go by without seeing the sun. I found it quite depressing, and really drained my energy. Also I think the pace of the city was a bit slow for me. I didn't have a car out there and relied on transit, and seriously I found I had to plan waaay ahead of time to get anywhere. For a city so dependent on transit, it wasn't the best system. However its very bike friendly there which I liked.

I dunno, Victoria wasn't for me but I do know lots of people who absolutely love it out there. Good luck!

Interesting. I understand that Victoria isn't for everyone (especially if you covet a decent night life), but I had a very different experience. I thought it was fairly dry during my 2.5 years there, and the 5 degree winters more than offset any gloominess over the spring/summer (which I never really seemed to notice BTW). I lived in a pretty central location, so transit to DT or UVic was a breeze, and having a car meant you could get anywhere in the city in 10-15 minutes (even though the posted speed on most roads is 60 km/h or less).

[evman150]

Rainfall out here is overblown.

http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com...ageprecip.html

On par with Ottawa and Toronto, considerably below a lot of the cities out east. Appreciably below Vancouver.

And it doesn't snow here. We get a meaningful (for us, other Canadians would laugh at what brings this city to a halt) snowfall once a decade.

http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroZine/Engli...feature2_e.cfm

"Victoria and Nanaimo, British Columbia are tied for the most comfortable climate in the country. These two locations have the best combination of 23 categories of "comfortable" weather, including mild winters, abundant sunshine, little fog, light winds, and low humidity."

Oh, and I don't know about other cities, but transit in Victoria seems pretty crappy. Getting anywhere that isn't to or from downtown is very difficult.

And I don't understand people's complaints about the ferry. The ferry system is actually world-class. BC Ferries gets heat for always upping fares, but as far as I'm concerned they are pretty reasonable. I paid 8.50 as a foot passenger a couple weeks ago. No complaints from me.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by enthused

I moved to Victoria from Calgary for school, but have since moved back. I might be one of the few people who really didn't like living in Victoria. Beautiful place, nice people, fun university, but it isn't the kind of place I could live in again.

The weather really got to me. Even though it was never too cold, it rained A LOT. And weeks would go by without seeing the sun. I found it quite depressing, and really drained my energy. Also I think the pace of the city was a bit slow for me. I didn't have a car out there and relied on transit, and seriously I found I had to plan waaay ahead of time to get anywhere. For a city so dependent on transit, it wasn't the best system. However its very bike friendly there which I liked.

I dunno, Victoria wasn't for me but I do know lots of people who absolutely love it out there. Good luck!

This mirrored my experience exactly.

Victoria was amazing for the first 3 years of undergrad, but after the partying had died down I realized there wasn't much in the city for me.

The transit thing really got to me.

[enthused]

Originally Posted by blankall

This mirrored my experience exactly.

Victoria was amazing for the first 3 years of undergrad, but after the partying had died down I realized there wasn't much in the city for me.

The transit thing really got to me.

Exactly! I had lots of fun partying and going to school there, it was just the whole "living there" part that got to me I guess. Personally I just couldn't live there long term.

One thing I would do differently is live downtown. Or close to downtown. Or somewhere that is on a bus route that runs frequently. After living in residence the first year, I moved off campus with friends and we seriously lived in the worst location ever. It took forever to get anywhere. Mostly due to transit...

One thing I do miss is the Sticky Wicket. I loved that place, many good nights there watching Flames-Canucks games and ripping it up on the dance floor with all the oldies, haha.

[vanisleflamesfan]

I'm a bit surprised at the number of people that are complaining about the weather. The weather here in Calgary has got me wanting to jump off a bridge. Endless cold, snow, wind-chill with no end in sight until June... maybe. The other night I read the weather before I went to bed and it said plus 3 tomorrow. I wake up to -16 and snow, fog and miserableness all day. I think that the people who report the weather in Calgary are just lying to us now so that we don't commit suicide.

I was back on the island over the holidays and it was beautiful (even in the snow, at least it was warm).

I will take 2 degrees and rain every single day for the rest of my life if it meant I never had to see another flake of snow or some horrible -48 wind chill.

[Nancy]

Originally Posted by vanisleflamesfan

I'm a bit surprised at the number of people that are complaining about the weather. The weather here in Calgary has got me wanting to jump off a bridge. Endless cold, snow, wind-chill with no end in sight until June... maybe. The other night I read the weather before I went to bed and it said plus 3 tomorrow. I wake up to -16 and snow, fog and miserableness all day. I think that the people who report the weather in Calgary are just lying to us now so that we don't commit suicide.

I was back on the island over the holidays and it was beautiful (even in the snow, at least it was warm).

I will take 2 degrees and rain every single day for the rest of my life if it meant I never had to see another flake of snow or some horrible -48 wind chill.

The grass is greener on both sides of the fence. The weather in Victoria takes a season to get adjusted to, but I would agree that I'd rather take it over Calgary weather, generally. Having said that, I'm pretty sure I'd commit suicide after a year of 2 degrees and rain every day. I think you're overstating your case.

The real problem with Victoria is the job market. If it wasn't for the government jobs, it'd be purely a tourist industry town.

I'd love to retire there, though.

[vanisleflamesfan]

Yes, I am definitely exaggerating. But the point I was trying to make is just that the cold and snow get me down much more than rain. Too much of either sucks, but there is just something about all this cold that really gets to me.