The Fifth Best City in the World

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by Igottago

I always assumed you were an ex-Calgarian. How did you become a Flames fan?

Nope, born and raised in Vancouver. Could not be more of a West Coast guy. When I got into hockey as a youngster, the flames were awesome and I loved drawing their logo in Kindergarten class. Ultimately, I jumped on the band wagon in 89, not knowing what a band wagon was. Haven't jumped off since.

[J pold]

Vancouver is beautiful city, there is no denying that. The only real problem I have with Vancouver is the people and their "Holier than thou" attitude. It's like they where born with it or something, what's worse is how people who move to Vancouver get it within two days of being there.

"Vancouver is so much better than (interest place here) because (insert reason here)"

So many of them come off as insecure children who are constantly looking for approval from others. Yes I understand you live in a great city, yes I understand that it's better than where I live, yes I understand you think it's god's gift to the earth, but just shut-up about it already. Let the scenery and all of its other features speak for themselves I don't need you gawking in my face all of the time.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

"Vancouver is so much better than (where J Pold lives) because (J Pold lives in that city and not in Vancouver)"

[J pold]

Transformers sucked.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by rubecube

I find it kind of silly when they don't factor in cost of living into these rankings. Also, do they mean the Greater Vancouver Area of just Vancouver proper?

Cost of living is overrated for Vancouver. Do you mean cost of buying a house? Inflation has hit Calgary hard. In my experience having lived extensively in both cities in the last 5 years it is a lot cheaper to eat out in Vancouver. Rent can be bad in Vancouver near the core, but Calgary's rent has gotten pretty crazy too.

I found the cost of living to be pretty similar. As I said, Calgary has been hit hard by inflation in the last 5 years with restaurants in Calgary having passed Vancouver for the most part in my experience.

[Table 5]

How bad is the rain in Vancouver? I've thought about moving there many times, but I'm just not sure I can get over the gray skies all the frickin time. I could handle the expensive prices, I could handle the dirty skids, I'm just not sure I could handle the constant rain and grayness. I can take grey skies, I'm just not sure I could take it for 2 months at a time.

The sun is honestly one of the best things Calgary has going for it. People don't realize this till they leave.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

I found the cost of living to be pretty similar. As I said, Calgary has been hit hard by inflation in the last 5 years with restaurants in Calgary having passed Vancouver for the most part in my experience.

As someone who is considered moving to both, the difference in cost of living is not that much of a factor anymore. Both are expensive and overpriced. Frankly Calgary more so, because I think Vancouver actually can justify it considering its location, density and standing in the world.... Calgary, I'm not sure.

[burn_this_city]

My girlfriend is from Vancouver, I think she said 50ish days straight of no sunshine was the longest she remembered.

[Table 5]

Jesus Jones, I don't know If I could do that.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Table 5

How bad is the rain in Vancouver? I've thought about moving there many times, but I'm just not sure I can get over the gray skies all the frickin time. I could handle the expensive prices, I could handle the dirty skids, I'm just not sure I could handle the constant rain and grayness. I can take grey skies, I'm just not sure I could take it for 2 months at a time.

The sun is honestly one of the best things Calgary has going for it. People don't realize this till they leave.

I'm a born and raised Calgarian, living in Van for the past 4 years and I don't mind it.
It is very dark and grey sometimes, but I find it's a fair trade off for the cold in Calgary. I can still go for walks in the rain, go running and I play outdoor soccer year around. To me, that's worth the rain.
Having said that, I know other Calgarians who have moved there and been more sensitive to the grey so I think it's a personal thing.

As for the cost of living, it's marginally higher in Vancouver but not by much. Housing on the other hand is considerably higher.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Table 5

How bad is the rain in Vancouver? I've thought about moving there many times, but I'm just not sure I can get over the gray skies all the frickin time. I could handle the expensive prices, I could handle the dirty skids, I'm just not sure I could handle the constant rain and grayness. I can take grey skies, I'm just not sure I could take it for 2 months at a time.

The sun is honestly one of the best things Calgary has going for it. People don't realize this till they leave.

According to this site (http://www.currentresults.com/Weathe...est-cities.php) Vancouver gets 161 days with rain. However, that doesn't necessarily mean it rains the whole day. It's not really the amount of rain Vancouver and Victoria get that is the problem. It's the fact that most of the rain comes in bunches, where you can go 1-2 weeks of straight rainy days.

I'm someone who definitely gets seasonal affective disorder, so I can understand the hesitation of moving out here. It can really be hell if you don't know how to cope with it.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by rubecube

I'm someone who definitely gets seasonal affective disorder, so I can understand the hesitation of moving out here. It can really be hell if you don't know how to cope with it.

The reason I ask is that I tend to suffer from pretty bad migraines....often brought on by the onset of rainy/cloudy weather (might sound weird, but happens almost every time). It's mostly brought on when there's a sudden change of weather though, which might be a more prevalent thing in Calgary than Vancouver, ha.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by Table 5

How bad is the rain in Vancouver? I've thought about moving there many times, but I'm just not sure I can get over the gray skies all the frickin time. I could handle the expensive prices, I could handle the dirty skids, I'm just not sure I could handle the constant rain and grayness. I can take grey skies, I'm just not sure I could take it for 2 months at a time.

The sun is honestly one of the best things Calgary has going for it. People don't realize this till they leave.

The rain is not a big deal. It really isn't. Myths about 50 straight days of no sunshone are absolute crap. It doesn't rain for weeks and weeks with no stopping. If it did, Vancouver would have some major flooding issues. Every few years, there can be a pretty bad storm, like 2006 I believe, but those are rare.

I'm not trying to sugar coat it and see winters are always pleasant because they're not, but they are nowhere near as bad as they're perceived by the masses here. There are a lot of gray days with a slight drizzle, but people turn that to be major rain storms. Lots of people here say the gray days would make them depressed. That's just looking for reasons to hate. Who really gets depressed by weather, honestly?? If weather has the much effect on you, you got more problems than having to carry an umbrella.

At the end of the day, it's a matter of what you like, what you're used to. I personally couldn't stand the cold of Calgary and I was only there for three days this past weekend. I don't like having to always bundle up. I don't like always having to wear gloves, or a touque, or a scarf to go to the grocery store. I like going outside in the winter in a light jacket and jeans. The exact thing I just wore outside as I walked to the store 20 mins away.

[Daradon]

It's funny, I see Melbourne and Vancouver continue to bump, rotate, or take the top spots. (As well Vienna has been a staple for a while) To me the reason that I thought it's interesting because I have spent a lot of time in both cities and have always said the two are so similar.

Nearly identical in size (for the greater areas) with nice centers but annoying sprawled communities all around. Close in climate and natural geography, Melbourne being Australia coldest city and Vancouver being Canada's warmest. Obviously both being on the Pacific ocean and both having mountains or psudeo-mountains. Both have a very hippie stoner culture, the Aussies mixing that with surfing and Canadians with boarding. Both have large Asian and Indian cultures (even more so than other major centers though that's pretty much a given everywhere now). Both are large centers (compared to the rest of their countries anyway) for environmental and social activism.

I could probably think of other things.

Nice to see Calgary continues to move up the list. We've been creeping up a few spots every year.

P.S. I very much enjoy both cities, just wish Canucks fans weren't such over proud, under intelligent, hockey d-bags.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

That's just looking for reasons to hate. Who really gets depressed by weather, honestly?? If weather has the much effect on you, you got more problems than having to carry an umbrella.

Kind of an ignorant statement. Lots of people are affected by the weather and something like seasonal affective disorder is a well documented medical condition.

[Mad Mel]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I always thought to myself that if I have no money for some reason when I retire, living in a place like Vietnam or Thailand would be cool. You could stretch your budget pretty far, much more than you could in Canada.

Although I'm sure I'm missing something here that others have already looked into.

Vietnam is kickass. I wouldn't live in a big city like Ha Noi or HCMC (too crazy busy all the time), but somewhere like Da Nang is heaven, and like you said, dirt cheap. I spent a week or so there, and had the same retirement thought you did. My buddy (a Saskatchewan boy who had never seen an ocean until he was 23) lives in Ha Noi and just bought land in Da Nang; apparently he isn't planning on leaving any time soon.

For me, now that I live somewhere that has good weather, it would be really hard to live anywhere in Canada again other than southeast Vancouver Island.

[Vena]

Originally Posted by Table 5

The sun is honestly one of the best things Calgary has going for it. People don't realize this till they leave.

Totally agree. I moved to Calgary from Victoria. I loved it there. Beautiful city and a lot of really great days, but the dreariness of cloudy days would get to me along with the various types of rain. The sunny days are beautiful here. I love that it can be -40 outside, but still be brilliantly sunny.

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Cost of living is overrated for Vancouver. Do you mean cost of buying a house? Inflation has hit Calgary hard. In my experience having lived extensively in both cities in the last 5 years it is a lot cheaper to eat out in Vancouver. Rent can be bad in Vancouver near the core, but Calgary's rent has gotten pretty crazy too.

I found the cost of living to be pretty similar. As I said, Calgary has been hit hard by inflation in the last 5 years with restaurants in Calgary having passed Vancouver for the most part in my experience.

I don't think the cost of living in Vancouver, or even in BC in general is overstated at all.

While Calgary rent/housing has been getting more expensive, it still doesn't touch Vancouver's, especially in the down town area. Kitsilano is a bit less.

Owning a car is also very expensive. The cost of auto insurance is 2-3x as high as in Alberta. Gas is between 20-30% more, it has been around $1.20/l for a while now. Less significant expenses are also higher, like parking and car washes. Plus, traffic and the stop and go driving are bound to reduce fuel efficiency.

Don't forget the 12% sales tax on everything too!

On the other side of things, I do think the lack of sunshine is overstated, although this is my first winter in Vancouver and I may not impacted by weather as much as others.

[Sainters7]

I lived in Vancouver(Port Moody) for a couple years about 5 years ago, it definitely rains a lot in the winter. I know prolonged lack of sunlight affects a significant percent of the population (I've heard around 60%), including my boss, who finally had to move back to the B.C. interior because he couldn't handle it anymore.

Rain doesn't bother me though, actually I love it. It really relaxes me for whatever reason. I remember when I was out there at one point it rained for 37 straight days (and it wasn't even a record), and when it finally stopped for a good week, by the end of that week I was hoping it would rain again. I'd move back if I could.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Kind of an ignorant statement. Lots of people are affected by the weather and something like seasonal affective disorder is a well documented medical condition.

So is Cristiano Ronaldo being a whiner and a diver. But VFF refutes those fact too.