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Old 08-13-2018, 10:50 AM   #1
woob
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Hey all! We are entertaining the idea of living on an acreage in West Bragg Creek, about 3-5 minutes outside the hamlet of Bragg Creek. I'd like to see if there's anyone who has any input on living in the area?

My primary concerns are:

1. Internet - Considering I'll likely transition to a work from home setup for a portion of the week, I'd need reliable and fast Internet. My initial search on this matter is not proving to be very promising.

2. Commute - I will still be commuting to work downtown and am wondering what that commute is like. I'm thinking combination drive/c-train, so likely looking at an hour on good days, more on bad. Anyone do this commute regularly?

3. General lifestyle - From day to day living, to acquiring goods (groceries, home hardware type products, etc), to medical incidents. Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
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Old 08-13-2018, 10:59 AM   #2
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Are you out of the flood plain of the Elbow River, Bragg Creek? That would be my concern.
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Old 08-13-2018, 11:02 AM   #3
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Are you out of the flood plain of the Elbow River, Bragg Creek? That would be my concern.
According to this, we would be fine: http://maps.srd.alberta.ca/FloodHaza...ty=Bragg-Creek
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Old 08-13-2018, 11:14 AM   #4
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I don't live in Bragg Creek but do have a close friend and cell service has been a little suspect as well. On Rogers
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Old 08-13-2018, 11:20 AM   #5
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I gave this some consideration earlier this year actually, but the commute was the killer for me. Along with that, I think I had a fairly romanticized idea of what it would be like to live out there. There's an enormous amount of work that comes with living in a rural area, and depending on the size of your property that can mean buying a tractor to plow the driveway, and do various other tasks required along with maintaining that larger lot in general.

The commute hits you a few ways though (or at least for me). The obvious is that extra 20-30 minutes each way from basically everything that you do. Then the mileage and maintenance on the vehicle(s).

Socially this would be a huge impact also. It depends on what kinds of activities you're into or what requirements you have for work in the evenings, but it might mean getting a room downtown because you're going to events where you might want to have a drink or two. I know that it would mean staying in the city between say work and a hockey game, because driving for an hour or whatever in between would be virtually pointless. I just couldn't come to grips with that, but to each their own.
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Old 08-13-2018, 11:32 AM   #6
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My sis and her family lived out there for a few years near West Bragg. I don't think internet was a problem, her ex hubby was an IT guy that worked from home a lot. Be prepared for a lot of wildlife in your yard. She had moose, deer and a cougar tried to ear their dog once.

She hated the drive back to Calgary, especially in winter. They ended up relocating to Springbank as she grew concerned about her young kids playing outside by themselves.
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Old 08-13-2018, 12:37 PM   #7
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if you have kids, then you might want to determine how thier activities would be handled. For example, if they play hockey - where do they have to go to prctice? What otehr teams do they play.

i bike a lot out in WBC, and I personally wonder if the folks that live along that road would love to see an alternate route cut intot eh parking lot as it can be a steady stream of vehicles on the weekend.

i would also see driving downtown as somewhat painful until they get glemore/8/sarcee sorted out.

on the plus side, you are outside the city and close to an awesome playground.
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Old 08-13-2018, 01:55 PM   #8
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I might consider it if I would need to go into the city a few times a month. A few times a week? No way. But then I was annoyed when my 5 minute commute turned into a 10 minute one due to new building / increased traffic in the area.

Also, if you have pets, working in the city all day and then staying in for something in the evening might not work.
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Old 08-13-2018, 02:02 PM   #9
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Warning...long winded post coming!

I’m born and raised near the area and bought an acreage three years ago. I’m a bit farther south, but I think the experiences will be similar.

1) internet - we are very fortunate to have Telus high speed in our community as xplornet has just horrible service for our specific lot. Before we bought our place I asked the realtor for specific internet details (provider, speeds, etc.). Our lot also does not get cell service, so we had multiple hurdles to get over. I can see how this would be a deal breaker and my biggest advice is just to get as much information as you can from other people in the area.

2) commute - my commute is 40 minutes door to door to my office downtown, but I go in very early and try to get out before rush hour hits. One thing I do like is since I just need to get out of the city I have a lot of different routes to take if there are any accidents or issues. For me, the highways in the winter are generally in better shape than the roads in the city. I take the extra 20 minutes of highway driving to unwind, but I know not everyone likes driving.

3) lifestyle - since I grew up in the country, this was an easy transition for me, but it is not for everyone. The joke is the 5 year rule: people move to the country and either only last five years and move back to the city or live there the rest of their lives. It does take some extra planning for groceries and “trips” to the city and that seems to be a big deal breaker for folks as well. I’m in the city every weekday, so grabbing groceries isn’t a big deal. We’re closer to Turner Valley/Black Diamond, so we are actually closer to a hospital than we were when we lived in the city. For us, having our own space and “country lifestyle” is well worth many of the negatives. My family has always been part of this community, so that is a big piece for us too.

Some other things I’ve learned:
- any job will take twice as long and cost twice as much it seems.
- a work truck and a chainsaw are a must have.
- if you like gardening you will learn what flowers/plants are deer resistant.
- reading the gear grinder thread about parking and neighbours makes me chuckle.
- always always always do your reasearch on welll water, septic tanks, and possible flooding.
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Old 08-13-2018, 02:28 PM   #10
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I'm just in the process of building a place out on an acreage in the country. The cost of bringing in services, constructing septic fields, wells, etc., is a real eye opener. I lived in the country for 16 years a while back and I can't believe how much more items such as septic tank/fields cost (this item alone can be between $25,000 and $30,000). Anyway, it's still worth it. Nothing like living in the country.
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Old 08-13-2018, 02:36 PM   #11
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I grew up on a Acreage by Red Deer - was just the greatest.

I can't stand living in a City, but I also can't stand commuting so its a real catch-22.
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Old 08-13-2018, 05:05 PM   #12
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If Internet is important for your job, I wouldn't trust/assume, I would ask the sellers for their wifi password and try it. Do a speed test. If your work has a VPN to log in, try that.
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Old 08-13-2018, 05:43 PM   #13
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I lived there for a while and I much prefer the Priddis area. There are so many people out there now. Just the recreational traffic is horrendous. I think it's easier to get nice mountain views around Priddis, Longview and in between as well. I found Bragg to be fairly closed off in the trees but it depends on your spot for sure.



Water is an issue. Everything I owned turned orange. I suppose that it goes with what everyone is saying about researching the property.



The locals are weird. The Powderhorn was kind of fun. The grocery stores suck. Don't park in front of the house next to the ice cream store or the guy who lives there will fill your car up with his hose.
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Old 08-13-2018, 06:27 PM   #14
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The locals are weird.
A friend of mine lived there for 3-4 years, and even though he's the most easy going, social, down to Earth guy, he somehow never integrated into their clique. He ended up moving because of an accumulation of sketchy incidents along the #8, which his wife had to commute daily.

Living there and working in Calgary would drive me nuts. In the summer, the 4-way stop is constantly backed up. In the winter, highway 8 is a sh%tshow. Very pretty town, and I don't mean to slag it, just saying that it's not the same as some of the other surrounding towns. It's not really a Calgary bedroom community. It's more of a small town that happens to be close to Calgary. And from what I've gathered, they like it that way.
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Old 08-13-2018, 07:11 PM   #15
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A very wise neighbour of ours says there’s two types of acreage people...1)the type who move away from the city for peace and quiet and 2) the type who moves away from the city to play with loud toys...and unfortunately they usually end up living next to each other.

It is always a unique mix I find. Again, I can’t speak for Bragg Creek, but in our community we have everything from young folks that like to party to a whole bunch of retired people that just want to be left alone. The money disparity is always interesting too. We have people that are millionaires with all the toys in the world and other vacation homes and then others that are just regular working class.
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Old 08-13-2018, 08:57 PM   #16
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We live in Redwood Meadows and really like it...it’s not an acreage (I have no appetite for that workload) but it’s not bad. I work in the NW so my commute is 30 min and no traffic jams ever. Being embedded in nature while working in the city is great for us.
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Old 08-13-2018, 08:59 PM   #17
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A very wise neighbour of ours says there’s two types of acreage people...1)the type who move away from the city for peace and quiet and 2) the type who moves away from the city to play with loud toys...and unfortunately they usually end up living next to each other.
This is PRECISELY why I never intend to own a house. If someone like this moves next door to me, I want to be able to leave tomorrow--I refuse to even sign a lease. If I ever do own a house, I will have it built in the absolute middle of nowhere in Newfoundland where I can't even see or hear other human activity apart from planes flying over. That will likely never happen, so I pretty much intend to rent forever.

Signed,
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Old 08-13-2018, 11:21 PM   #18
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The time I have to live is in finite supply. I love it out there, but that's way too much of my life spent commuting. I'd rather have an extra 2 hours a day with family or doing hobbies by living close to work.
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Old 08-14-2018, 06:53 AM   #19
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The time commuting is always a fair discussion point. For us, what I like to do most with my family is enjoy nature, so having the opportunity to do it everyday is worth it. I see living in the city and having a cabin or RV elsewhere as a similar cost/benefit analysis. Instead of commuting 6-8 hours on the weekend, I do it on the weekdays and then get to enjoy my weekends. Whatever floats your goat though! I’m glad not everyone has the exact same opinions on it as me, because that would make it far too expensive to live in the country!
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Old 08-14-2018, 09:23 AM   #20
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There seems to be a few bad wrecks on Hwy 8 every year - people making dangerous passing attempts.
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