Living in Okotoks

[opendoor]

Yeah, I've never understood people moving to the country only to live in a generic house on a postage stamp lot. Worst of both worlds.

[Hans Landa]

Originally Posted by Table 5

That's Okotoks. What's the benefit of that? (Besides the cool solar panels).

That's also MacKenzietown, Coventry Hills, Cougar Ridge... etc, etc.

Unless you live DOWNTOWN PROPER, saying you live in Calgary, for the sake of being within the 'City Limits' doesn't afford you any advantages... just more traffic lights and higher property tax.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Hans Landa

That's also MacKenzietown, Coventry Hills, Cougar Ridge... etc, etc.

Exactly. So if you work in Calgary, why drive 30mins extra each way to get the same experience? Also, keep in mind that it might be easy-breasy to drive when everything is perfect....but one good winter snowstorm, or accident on Deerfoot, and you're commute triples.

I understand the benefits of country living (and you bring up lots of good points), but it seems to all go out the window if you live in a suburban style house just like you would in the city.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Great posts - thanks everyone.

Socially, most of our friends are in the very deep south anyways. We would actually be closer to them (and my wife's family) in Okotoks than we are in the far north part of the city.

I'm not particularly worried about the commute either. My drive in to work right now is 20 minutes, but the drive home is consistently 30-40 minutes. It may take me 10 minutes longer if we are in Okotoks.

Scratch everything I said...you'll fit right in there. By the time you move in, I'll bet you could even get that commute down to five minutes.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Table 5

See, that to me makes sense. If you live in that type of setting, I can buy living in the country.

What I don't get is living in a bedroom community and having this view instead:

That's Okotoks. What's the benefit of that? (Besides the cool solar panels).

Yes, clearly that is all there is to Okotoks. That is like saying that all of New York is like Brooklyn or that all of Calgary is like the East Village.

As an aside, how crappy would it be to have a common walled garage with 5 other neighbors when you live in a house?

[Table 5]

I didn't say all of Okotoks was like that....but a lot of it is. It all depends on what type of situation Jiri wants to put himself into (and what his budget is). If it's like Cowpersons, I can get behind it. If it's like the above, I feel sorry for his soul that's about to wither away.

Oh, and if all of NY was like Brooklyn, it would be even more awesome.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Exactly. So if you work in Calgary, why drive 30mins extra each way to get the same experience?

The state of mind is different in a small town. The pace of life is a touch slower and there is a comfort for some in just knowing there are fewer people around.

Originally Posted by Table 5

I understand the benefits of country living (and you bring up lots of good posts), but it seems to all go out the window if you live in a suburban style house just like you would in the city.

Proximity to open spaces is a priority for some. I think it'd be nice to know that I could be out in the country with space to enjoy it in a matter of minutes.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I didn't say all of Okotoks was like that....but a lot of it is. It all depends on what type of situation Jiri wants to put himself into (and what his budget is). If it's like Cowpersons, I can get behind it. If it's like the above, I feel sorry for his soul that's about to wither away.

Oh, and if all of NY was like Brooklyn, it would be even more awesome.

So many people cocoon (not like the movie about immortal oldies in the 80's) that it doesn't matter where they are physically located as long as they are home.

[Hans Landa]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Exactly. So if you work in Calgary, why drive 30mins extra each way to get the same experience?

I understand the benefits of country living (and you bring up lots of good posts), but it seems to all go out the window if you live in a suburban style house just like you would in the city.

Yes, but I also pointed out that (in my specific case... I work off the Deerfoot and not downtown), living in any of the communities I just mentioned, would likely give me the same commute time door-to-door once I wrestle my way to a major artery. In Airdrie, I live on the major artery.

What is a suburban style house? As opposed to what? A hip 700 sq ft condo with no room to install a pegboard wall for my tools or park our two cars inside.
I don't consider any of those communities I mentioned, to be 'the city'. If the City Experience is what the argument is here... then you all best be living in Kensington, in a downtown condo or in that gorgeous area along 4th Street south of 17th Ave.

My house is quite nice. I had enough money left over, after putting 25% down, to install $9.30/sq foot hand scraped white oak floors and equip my kitchen with $14000 worth of appliances (which is what I had in Ontario, I like to cook... the quality of what is within my walls is extremely important to me because I walk on it and live in it).
These are the things that make me feel like I am enjoying a high quality of life.
If I had to buy a 1500 sq ft home in a desirable part of the actual city (my definition of the actual city), then I likely would have much less equity, or the same equity but I'd be cooking on a garbage electric range with a $500 Frigidaire to keep my food fresh and a rotary dial dishwasher.

**** that noise.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by Reaper

The state of mind is different in a small town. The pace of life is a touch slower and there is a comfort for some in just knowing there are fewer people around.

But that seems like it's a lie. Because Okotoks is growing. More people are moving in everyday!

[albertGQ]

Stop quoting big pictures!!!

[fundmark19]

Well I will be making the jump to a parasite community in October and will give a proper first hand experience of what it is like. We looked at Okotokes and Cochrane but decided on Cochrane. Okotokes would have been better for our social life since all of our friends and family live in the south but we decided on Cochrane instead on the ease of mountains as well as commute for my wife.

We currently live in New Brighton so my bus commute is 1 hour door to door downtown and her drive is 40 mins to Northland business centre. Cochrane makes her drive 20 mins and my commute will stay roughly the same but I will drive into the city and take the train. I will carpool with a co-worker most days to cut the extra car maintenance costs down.

I like both communities but Cochrane just ended up having a old time feel to it that I liked a little bit more. Even though I am sure that will change with all the new communities going up. We went for an older community 1996 built house with a nice view of the mountains and rolling hills

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Table 5

What I don't get is living in a bedroom community and having this view instead:

That's Okotoks. What's the benefit of that? (Besides the cool solar panels).

So you pick the worst view in town . . . .?

If its good enough for Bearcat . . . .


Cowperson

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

Stop quoting big pictures!!!

Originally Posted by Table 5

What?

[Madman]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

There's an early morning commuter bus from Okotoks to, I think, downtown Calgary.

That's what I take every day and it's best thing there is. (There are actually 3 buses)

No stress from traffic or weather, no gas costs or wear and tear on my truck and I have a guaranteed seat in a pretty nice bus.

[Madman]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I didn't say all of Okotoks was like that....but a lot of it is.

A lot of it is what? Pictures taken from a crane to specifically show a successful solar panel system?

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

I understand your point just fine, I just don't think it's a very good argument. 30 minutes is hardly a monster commute. Many people move to outlying cities all for pretty much the same reason, getting away from this place. I'm willing to bet most of them are more than happy with a longer commute to live outside Calgary.

If you work in the downtown core, that would be a bit tough, I'll give you that but many people work outside of the core along the edges of the city. I live in Braeside and work near Chinook, moving to Okotoks would add maybe a half hour to my coummute but that really wouldn't bother me in the least. I'd be happy to in fact.

To each their own.

If you're talking an "extra" 30 minutes - personally, I would rather light my own hair on fire and beat it out with a shovel. But I understand what you are saying and that it is certainly a personal choice.

Mathematically, each extra 10 minutes works out to roughly 2 weeks of holidays per year. So for 6 weeks of holidays each year, you have to decide what you want more.

That is also assuming that the extra 30 minutes is truly a reasonable year-round estimate of the additional commute time. I'm amused how people in general tend to vastly underestimate the time interval and so very few overestimate it.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I don't understand how somebody could buy anywhere within a 30 minute drive from Calgary,

Wasn't your wife taking pictures of the view from my backyard not too long ago?

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

I'm not particularly worried about the commute either. My drive in to work right now is 20 minutes, but the drive home is consistently 30-40 minutes. It may take me 10 minutes longer if we are in Okotoks.

i think you might be underestimating the commute time by as much as 10 to 15 minutes.

I live in New Brighton and golf often at River's Edge which would likely be cosnidered on the southern edge of Okotoks - and I allow for 20 minutes or so to get from my place to RE early on a Sunday monring - granted Deerfoot is a little slower due to the reduced speed limit.

also, we went to watch a family member play ball in Okotoks on Sunday - he was playing at a diamond right behind the rink where the Oilers Jr B team plays and granted we went thru the town and had to deal with lights, but once again I'd say the drive was closer to 25 minutes door to diamon.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by Table 5

See, that to me makes sense. If you live in that type of setting, I can buy living in the country.

What I don't get is living in a bedroom community and having this view instead:

That's Okotoks. What's the benefit of that? (Besides the cool solar panels).

What a sad looking place. Time for Nenshi to start bitchslapping these parasites with some awesome solar paneled toll booths! hehe

And i'm not sure where Airdrie guy is getting times from, but it takes 15 minutes from Montgomery to downtown in rush hour and 18 minutes from Signal hill to downtown.