Moving to BC - Trying to narrow down the options!

Hi chishc,

I'm sure, as a long term former BCer, if you concentrated on Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton or Vernon given your criteria you'll be very happy in any one of those cities.

Myself, I'd choose to live in Penticton. I'd want to keep watch for Ogopogo! hahahaha

But seriously, just look at how beautiful it really is.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Thanks for your input! I haven't really looked into Penticton too much yet. My cousin recommended Kamloops, but I'm not sure I could handle the hot summers - although if it's a dry heat then it might not be a problem. I know I hate hot,humid environments!

I'm still hoping to hear from some other folks in other towns - everything you've got - the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Christy

I was in Kamloops during the summer, only once.... never went back again. Too darned hot for sure! Guess if you can handle that sort of heat it's a nice place to live, but that was before I came to Brazil and had to become accustomed to intense heat.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Sorry for hijacking your thread, this is my first post on here and I didnt want to start another thread that was essentially the same kind of thing I would be asking.

Well I am thinking of moving to Canada, more than thinking at this stage I guess as I want an adventure away. I am planning initially of moving on my own. Maybe a friend will meet up when his Visa runs out in Aus next year.

I will be moving out on a working holiday Visa initially which is now 2 years. Of course I have still to apply for it, I think it opens in January.

Last minute but I just want a life experience. Not going to be easy but I am just going to go for it. Can anyone advise me on living costs in BC, I am qualified in the construction industry so maybe a better area somewhere? I am open to all ideas although BC has peaked my interest because of the nicer climate.

Ideally, a warmer climate would make a great change for me. (nice weather makes you happier imao) I am living in Ireland and I have seen enough rain  and cold to last me a lifetime.

To the poster above, Mr wjwoodward, that place looks like a great place to explore, but would it be a suitable option for someone in their mid 20's? Thanks

No worries about hijacking - maybe between the two of us we can get some useful information. (NOT that wjwoodward hasn't been helpful - Thanks very much!!)

I did recently get in touch with a friend who used to live in BC - and this is what she had to say about the cities I listed. I also fall into the mid-late 20's category. The following bits of information are exact quotes - so I can't elaborate on them, unfortunately, and it's just one person's opinion.

-Kelowna is very touristy
-Kamloops is the biggest center and very hot weather in the summer...dry heat and desert land surrounding. 
-Cranbrook is in a valley and really spread out, smaller town and far from anything really. It's closer to the mountains though. When we drove through there 3 years ago I wasn't all that impressed, but maybe you'd like it.
-Vernon and Penticton are nice places cause they are smaller and still in the tropical-ish area, and close enough to the bigger centres. 
-Revelstoke is quite a bit farther away from anything but they are a decent sized town.....different scenery, beautiful in the mountains setting and i think there's a ski hill pretty close to it.

Pretty much every one of them has a ski hill relatively close by. And where there are mountains, there are rocks to climb! (huge selling point for me). If you want to get away from rain - you may want to avoid Vancouver

chishc wrote:

No worries about hijacking - maybe between the two of us we can get some useful information. (NOT that wjwoodward hasn't been helpful - Thanks very much!!)

I did recently get in touch with a friend who used to live in BC - and this is what she had to say about the cities I listed. I also fall into the mid-late 20's category. The following bits of information are exact quotes - so I can't elaborate on them, unfortunately, and it's just one person's opinion.

-Kelowna is very touristy
-Kamloops is the biggest center and very hot weather in the summer...dry heat and desert land surrounding. 
-Cranbrook is in a valley and really spread out, smaller town and far from anything really. It's closer to the mountains though. When we drove through there 3 years ago I wasn't all that impressed, but maybe you'd like it.
-Vernon and Penticton are nice places cause they are smaller and still in the tropical-ish area, and close enough to the bigger centres. 
-Revelstoke is quite a bit farther away from anything but they are a decent sized town.....different scenery, beautiful in the mountains setting and i think there's a ski hill pretty close to it.

Pretty much every one of them has a ski hill relatively close by. And where there are mountains, there are rocks to climb! (huge selling point for me). If you want to get away from rain - you may want to avoid Vancouver

Thanks for the info

Really, I am still undecided but the places you have listed all sound very interesting indeed. How expensive would it be rent a small flat for one person or most likely I would be happy to rent with others in these areas? I am a qualified construction engineer but would be willing to take on any job upon arriving to get me started.

Will I want to get a decent job and make some money, I also want to travel and explore the country and see around me so these places are of definite interest to me.

I wish I could help you with the job situation and the rent - but I have no idea what it's like there. In my experience elsewhere in the country, smaller cities and towns tend to be cheaper, but I've heard that BC in general is more expensive. I'd still take my chances on it though!

Hi!  I can’t give you information on all the cities you’ve mentioned, but can offer some general background on those that lay in the Okanagan Valley. 

Kelowna is the largest city and is situated alongside Okanagan Lake in the Central Okanagan.  Penticton is approximately 50 minutes drive to the South and Vernon is approximately 40 minutes to the North.  The Okanagan Valley is primarily known for its vineyards, fruit orchards and hot weather in the summer months.  The valley lies in a rain shadow which essentially means we don’t get as much rain as our coastal neighbours.  The climate tends to be very dry in the summer months and temps into the upper 30’s are common. 

Winter weather is colder than you’d find in the Vancouver area, but not as severe as most areas of Canada.  The last few years didn’t bring a lot of snow to the valley … just enough to keep the area ski resorts happy.  Valley residents expect at least one arctic cold snap to come through during the winter.  The temperatures can dip drastically (-20’s) and stay for a few days before lifting.  The local wineries welcome the chill as they have to wait until -8C is seen before picking the last of their grapes for ice wine.  Many of the vineyards were being picked last weekend when the temps were around -10.  Although we’ve had more snow this year than the past few, so far we haven’t had the cold snap that I mentioned above.  I could do without it happening!   

The Okanagan has never been known as a bastion of well paid jobs – locals refer to it as the “Sunshine Tax”.  Here is a government website that you may find helpful in researching wages, job descriptions, etc.   http://www.workingincanada.gc.ca/home-eng.do?lang=eng 

If you’re looking for rental housing, check out Kijiji or the classified section of one of the local valley newspapers.   In comparison to other Canadian locations, I would think that the rents are quite high.

hi!

  i'm thinking of moving to Bc too! most probably this summer..

  we can fix something up if u're interested! currently i live in   Québec but i'm over with french now! can't take it more i guess!

 
best,
Manoj.

Hi. I recently moved to Kelowna and I quite enjoy it. It's not REALLY easy to find a job, but it's not exactly hard either.

We have a one bedroom apartment near town and it's $850/month heat, hot water, and power included. I have a friend who lives in the building next door and he pays $660/month with heat and hot water included. Also, electricity is pretty cheap here. Around $20 -$40 a month for an apartment if you're not running the air conditioner and have heat included.

kelowna.kijiji.ca/f-real-estate-apartments-condos-W0QQCatIdZ37

kelowna.kijiji.ca/f-real-estate-houses-for-sale-W0QQCatIdZ35

I've been told that condos are quite cheap here as the market is flooded. I don't know how true that is, but it's what I've been told.