From the East, loooking to move out West... - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

HPLovecraft · 01-04-2007, 11:20 AM

So, I'm a guy from the East - Prince Edward Island - and I'm looking to move out West. I've been trying to escape this damnable prison island for years, now. I've lived in Halifax for a short while, but that really didn't work out, so I switched my sights to FURTHER away - that being Alberta, particularly the Calgary area.

I've heard many different things about the place... most of them very good. My brother works out in the oil industry out there, and he loves it, but that's not what I'm looking for. Ideally, I'd like a job in the hospitality industry. I have a good amount of experience working in hotels, doing buffets, fine dining, etc. I also have a lot of experience in IT that isn't very hotel related.

Anyways, I know it likely wouldn't be very difficult to find a starter job in a hotel someplace in the big city of Calgary, but I thought I'd see what my good buddies at CP thought, first.

How is the hospitality industry way out there? Is there any good Calgary-centric websites that I could use to look for jobs? What are some decent hotels to work for? I used to work for the Rodd's chain, and may look to get a job with one of their hotels out there (if they even have any!) since I have experience with them...

What's housing and the cost of living like? Would it be a real big change for a guy from the east? I realize the cost of living is higher there than it is here... What about crime in the city, etc?

Also, keep in mind that I'm only 21... I'm not looking for an executive job and a plush mansion.

Anyways, just any info or advice you guys could give would be great. And if you think I'd be better off going to a different area of Alberta, let me know that, as well! I'm all ears, really... I'll just go wherever it's deemed best.

RedHot25 · 01-04-2007, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

How is the hospitality industry way out there? Is there any good Calgary-centric websites that I could use to look for jobs? What are some decent hotels to work for? I used to work for the Rodd's chain, and may look to get a job with one of their hotels out there (if they even have any!) since I have experience with them...

What's housing and the cost of living like? Would it be a real big change for a guy from the east? I realize the cost of living is higher there than it is here... What about crime in the city, etc?

Well, I have done the opposite move of you not too long ago - from west to east. Calgary is basically my hometown, and where we would like to end back up at.

That said, given your age and you seem to want a move for the experience...

-Hospitality. ITs not Calgary, but a lot of people go out and work in the hospitality in the mountains nearby, especially during the ski season. I would suspect that you would find a lot of young people doing that, with many doing a similar thing as you.

-Be prepared for the SIZE. PEI is small, very small (I know I am stating the obvious to you). The amount of time it basically takes you to drive the entire island is what it would take to get from one side of Calgary to the other. Well not quite, but considering we did PEI in basically 3 hours give or take, its not extremely far off.

Size of everything will likely be a big adjustment for you - just as it was/is for me at the momment, with me going from huge to small. Halifax is peanuts compared to Calgary.

-We haven't lived there in a good couple of years now, but with friends and family there, and going back for the odd visit, we still get an idea of whats going on. Someone can fill you in a lot better, but I imagine living expenses (renting for you) is still pretty high, but depending on where you live

.

-TRansit is not very good in my opinion (having lived in other cities), but the C-Train (similar to buses, just a train) is not too bad. If you can be near the route you can get to and from the core areas of the city not too bad.

-Hmmm, what else....well I will add some more stuff as I think of it.

Cheers.

Titan · 01-04-2007, 11:34 AM

calgaryjobshop.ca or .com is a good place to start

ALL Restaurants and Hotels are desperate for people. The idea of working in Banff for a while might be a good way to ease your way into Alberta living as it is small but close to Calgary. Housing is a big issue both in Banff and Calgary. I would look for a place before coming. Try the Calgary Herald and Calgary Sun classifieds online for a place to rent first.

HPLovecraft · 01-04-2007, 11:36 AM

Thanks for the reply! It's really appreciate, since I'm starved for information from people who've actually lived there.

I'm not really into the idea of working in some of the reorts in the mountains... I actually know a few people who did that, and it's not for me. Of course, I'm open for all ideas, though. I'm not only wanting to move for the experience, but I wouldn't mind staying, at least for a little while, if I like the place.

4X4 · 01-04-2007, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titan

calgaryjobshop.ca or .com is a good place to start

DO NOT SUPPORT THESE GUYS. I hate their commercials...

habernac · 01-04-2007, 11:42 AM

you'll find it extremely expensive compared to PEI, housing wise. Rent is through the roof, explore housing options before moving here.

Fozzie_DeBear · 01-04-2007, 11:45 AM

-Finding a job will be the least of your problems, finding a place without a help wanted sign is pretty rare...if you are competant and show up for an interview dressed really well you will have lots of opportunities in the service sector
-Finding affordable housing in a part of the city that you like, that will be the trick...if you come out at the end of the school year, you will have more opportunity to pickup student type housing.

RedHot25 · 01-04-2007, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

Thanks for the reply! It's really appreciate, since I'm starved for information from people who've actually lived there.

I'm not really into the idea of working in some of the reorts in the mountains...

Quote:

Originally Posted by habernac

you'll find it extremely expensive compared to PEI, housing wise. Rent is through the roof, explore housing options before moving here.

Fair enough, but as people have mentioned housing will be the killer. Have something lined up before you come...which can be a bit harder to do. Do you have any friends and/or family in the area that could the dirty work for you?

Another idea, although it is expensive, would be to fly out, appartment hunt around the city for a couple of days and just get the feel of things.

Another thing - sorry if I'm getting off on tangents here for you, just let me know - that I found that you will have to adjust to is the pace. Calgary is go, go and go some more. PEI, Halifax, etc.....well they are a bit more laid back to say the least. You will notice a different pace. Not necessarily good or bad, just something to be aware of.

HPLovecraft · 01-04-2007, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedHot25

Fair enough, but as people have mentioned housing will be the killer. Have something lined up before you come...which can be a bit harder to do. Do you have any friends and/or family in the area that could the dirty work for you?

Another idea, although it is expensive, would be to fly out, appartment hunt around the city for a couple of days and just get the feel of things.

Another thing - sorry if I'm getting off on tangents here for you, just let me know - that I found that you will have to adjust to is the pace. Calgary is go, go and go some more. PEI, Halifax, etc.....well they are a bit more laid back to say the least. You will notice a different pace. Not necessarily good or bad, just something to be aware of.

Yep, so I've heard... I feel like the adjustment to an actual decent sized city will be the hardest part for me. I look forward to it, but at the same time I'm sure it'll leave me a little home sick for the laid backness of the maritimes.

Also, I really don't have the moola to afford to fly out just for that... I'd basically have to fly out for the move, and that's it.

How much, on average, do you think something like a bachelor apartment, or small 1 bedroom apartment would go for in your average part of town? Probably hard to really nail it down, but does anyone have a ballpark figure?

burn_baby_burn · 01-04-2007, 12:05 PM

Finding a place to live may be tough. Unless you have a place lined up with your brother. I just read a story in the Red Deer Advocate about a guy who moved to Calgary from PEI. I can't remember what kind of job he got. But he was working a full time job and was living on the street. He had been doing this for six weeks and was hoping he could get into a homeless shelter soon. When you have employed people living in the streets. You know affordable housing is tough to come by.

HPLovecraft · 01-04-2007, 12:09 PM

Giving the Calgary Herlad classifieds a cursory once over, there seem to be small apartments in the SW area of the city that are rather affordable... From $600 to like $1K. Of course, the low range is more affordable for me.

Pretty crazy, considering for $600 a month in Charlottetown you can rent REALLY nice apartments.

Is the SW part of town no good? Is that why they seem to be cheaper?

Burninator · 01-04-2007, 12:10 PM

The biggest downside IMO of Calgary is the cost of living. I'm the same age as you so trying to find a place to is proving to be quite expensive. Some websites to visit to look for rent are http://www.rentfaster.ca/ and http://www.homerent.ca/. To give you an idea, if you wanted a one bedroom apartment in the inner city, it would be $850 - $1100 a month.

Burninator · 01-04-2007, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

Giving the Calgary Herlad classifieds a cursory once over, there seem to be small apartments in the SW area of the city that are rather affordable... From $600 to like $1K. Of course, the low range is more affordable for me.

Pretty crazy, considering for $600 a month in Charlottetown you can rent REALLY nice apartments.

Is the SW part of town no good? Is that why they seem to be cheaper?

Chances are they are further away from the downtown. Apartments seem to get cheaper the further you are away from the core. Depends where you plan to work your commute could take awhile.

RedHot25 · 01-04-2007, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

Giving the Calgary Herlad classifieds a cursory once over, there seem to be small apartments in the SW area of the city that are rather affordable... From $600 to like $1K. Of course, the low range is more affordable for me.

Pretty crazy, considering for $600 a month in Charlottetown you can rent REALLY nice apartments.

Is the SW part of town no good? Is that why they seem to be cheaper?

Ha, I don;'t know, but I know quite often that the NE part of town has a bit of a reputation (right or wrong, but it does have it), so you may be able to find something a bit cheaper there. But there are some sketchier areas...e.g. forest lawn. Likely can get something there pretty cheap, but not the greatest area of town.

HPLovecraft · 01-04-2007, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burninator

Chances are they are further away from the downtown. Apartments seem to get cheaper the further you are away from the core. Depends where you plan to work your commute could take awhile.

Hm, well that's not a problem... I wouldn't complain about commute time if it made it so I didn't live on the street, lol.

So... Forest Lawn is off the books. That's another thing I'd have to be aware of, and I know it sounds really Valley of me, but going to a big city, crime is a real factor compared to Charlottetown (where it's basically non-existent) and even Halifax (where it isn't all that bad either).

RedHot25 · 01-04-2007, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

Hm, well that's not a problem... I wouldn't complain about commute time if it made it so I didn't live on the street, lol.

So... Forest Lawn is off the books. That's another thing I'd have to be aware of, and I know it sounds really Valley of me, but going to a big city, crime is a real factor compared to Charlottetown (where it's basically non-existent) and even Halifax (where it isn't all that bad either).

Ha well be careful what you wish for re: commute time

. I am assuming no car, and if you have to rely on buses rather than the train in Calgary, well....good luck!

And are you actually sure about the crime thing? If I remember correctly, Halifax (per capita) I think has one of the highest crime rates...or highest violent crime rate or something like that? To be honest with you, I feel safer in Calgary than I do Halifax....

ken0042 · 01-04-2007, 12:31 PM

Here's my online rental links. Hopefully they are all still being used:

http://www.rentfaster.ca/
http://www.lowcostrent.org/
http://www.homebase.ca/
http://www.calgaryhomesforrent.com/index.cfm

You could also rent out Flames_Gimp's basement!

HPLovecraft · 01-04-2007, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedHot25

Ha well be careful what you wish for re: commute time

. I am assuming no car, and if you have to rely on buses rather than the train in Calgary, well....good luck!

And are you actually sure about the crime thing? If I remember correctly, Halifax (per capita) I think has one of the highest crime rates...or highest violent crime rate or something like that? To be honest with you, I feel safer in Calgary than I do Halifax....

Really? Well, in that case, maybe it won't be such a worry. Maybe it's just the big city striking fear in me.

shane_c · 01-04-2007, 12:53 PM

From one maritimer to another.... stay home. You may be wanting to escape there right now but come out here and you will really miss the place. Yes there are jobs a plenty here but compared to back east the cost of living is MUCH higher. If home ownership is a dream of yours and you are coming out here with nothing then forget about it. Our mortgage is sky high and it leaves no money for anything else. I'm not sure if things have improved any but the vacancy rates for rentals is extremely low and you hear stories on the radio about people coming out here and having jobs but also having to live in shelters. If you like water, trees, hills, and any sort of nature then stay away. There is nothing in Calgary in that regards unless you go out to the mountains. You could of course go to some of the parks around the city but you usually still here traffic, and they're lame anyway. We've been here almost 3 years and feel it's slowly killing us. We're hoping to move back to NS (i.e Halifax) in the spring, or at least somewhere else that can give us an enjoyable life. PM me if you want more details or need any more info.

RedHot25 · 01-04-2007, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shane_c

We're hoping to move back to NS (i.e Halifax) in the spring, or at least somewhere else that can give us an enjoyable life. PM me if you want more details or need any more info.

I think in all honesty, at least from my experience and others, it really depends on where you ultimately classify as home. Calgary is that for us, and while it does have all its warts, its ultimately where our family and a good portion of friends are. Halifax for us, while nice....just doesn't cut it. I'm not making this a "my city is better than yours" type of thread...but there are some drawbacks and positives to each city. Where do you go to a park in Halifax, without a vehicle (and I live right by the Commons...you can find a similar thing in Calgary...i.e. a flat area with grass). And I find Halifax transit to be worse than Calgary (thats not saying much, however), and that the bus drivers are snappy, that you can;t even touch water in the harbour. Etc etc...it does have great points, like a lot less traffic, near the water, small town feel, etc.

I think it just comes down to where you want to ultimately call home, and what type of setting/lifestyle you like.