Where to live in BC?

Lori75 · Apr 15, 2009

I live on Vancouver Island, but I am wondering how far North Vancouver is from Children's. North Van is nice. West Van is $$$$. Surrey is horrible. I work with a nurse from Port Moody, it sounds nice enough. I am not the best responder though...I have never lived on the mainland, I just like to visit there. Where are you moving from?

loriangel14, RN · Apr 15, 2009

You would have better luck posting on the Canadian forum.

Mod Note: My computer is on the fritz and I missed this thread. I've moved it to where it belongs... and am getting a new computer for my birthday! ~janfrn

Teebee5 · Apr 15, 2009

I live have lived in Coquitlam, Burnaby and East Van.

Are you only looking at BCCH?

South Burnaby by the skytrain is a nice quite area, Coquitlam and further out you can get bigger places if you are buying but the commute might be an issue, depending where you want to go.

Its 20ish minutes driving from Metrotown(South BUrnaby) to BCCH.

Vancouver is nice, but you will pay more money, try looking in South Burnaby, Upper New Westminster and Coquitlam.

If you don't have a car look for places near the skytrain or a rapid bus route, going by bus you will have to take at least 2 depend where you live, however the new skytrain line will open in September and has a major stop at Oak and Cambie which is near BCCH.

translink.bc.ca will give you ideas of where to look, also google maps will show the transit stops too.

Goodluck!

Tee

rockstarjk · Apr 15, 2009

Lori75 - I'm moving from Ontario.

I will be shipping my car over to BC.

I will be working at BC Children's!

Thanks for all the advice! Keep it coming!

Fiona59 · Apr 15, 2009

I grew up in Vancouver and still visit every couple of months. Everywhere has a crime rate, some places just seem to draw more media attention.

I would stay out of Richmond and off the North Shore, the bridge make the commute a nightmare.

Burnaby can be rough in some areas, just as Surrey can be. I have family that live there and have never been burgled or witnessed a driveby, unlike family in the "nicer" areas of Vancouver.

Coquitlam and those suburbs have the traffic congestion to deal with. 45 minute communte? Hell, it can take that to get to Childrens from the North Shore or Richmond it there is an accident to tie up traffic.

rockstarjk · Apr 17, 2009

Hey Fiona59,

Well an accident certainly makes ANY commute longer. But accidents don't happen everyday. I know everywhere has a crime rate, but some places have lower crime rates. Coquitlam I read has a low crime rate as does Richmond and Burnaby.

I'm just looking for the typical. We all know murders can happen even in the nicest part of town. Thanks for the help though!

AirforceRN, RN · Apr 17, 2009

Housing has become more affordable in Vancouver recently...although it is still quite expensive. Suggestions highly depend on what you are willing to spend or have as a mortgage. Obviously the further out of town you go, the cheaper the houses...the longer the commute.

Personally...the area bounded by False Creek to the North, Main St to the East, SW Marine Drive to the South and UBC to the West is a very nice area. You have a good choice of very expensive and "less" expensive homes...many with rental basements to help with the mortgage.

Richmond is alright and with the new skytrain opening up the commute shouldn't be too bad.

North Van and West Van are also very nice areas but prepare to pay out the nose and be ready for a long commute.

I don't know much about the areas outside of Van like Burnaby, PoCo, Coquitlam etc but I'm sure they have nice areas too. With nurse's hours you should be avoiding the traffic for the most part...but expect AT LEAST a 45min drive into the city from Coquitlam, obviously longer for Maple Ridge.

I did a short stint at BCCH and loved it. Congrats on the job, I hope you enjoy it too.

tareija · Apr 18, 2009

Hi Rockstarjk,

I've lived in Vancouver all my life. As far as the safety issues go, there are parts of Surrey, New Westminster and East Vancouver that are nice neighbourhoods and safe, and there are also areas that are less nice. It really depends on which area you are in. Also, do you have kids, and are you looking to rent a home or buy one? I agree with the other posters that the west side of Vancouver (west of Main Street) is really nice, but very expensive if you want to buy a home. Right now I live in East Vancouver, and I love it.

If you are working at BCCH, I would recommend avoiding any other the suburbs that require driving over a bridge to get to work, as this will add to your commute quite a bit. So, Surrey, Richmond and North Vancouver are out. Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows don't require a bridge commute, but based on traffic I'd say your commute would be at least one hour each direction to work.

Coquitlam and Port Moody both have some nice areas, and would be cheaper to live, and have nice parks and nature areas, but they are both quite suburban. If you have a family, this can be nice, but if you are a younger person there is maybe not as much going on in those neighbourhoods. Vancouver is of course more urban. Lots of the neighbourhoods in Vancouver are quite good in terms of being able to walk or take public transit everywhere you need to go. If you are younger, then it can be nice to be right in town if you want to go out in the evenings and such. Burnaby is in between Coquitlam and Vancouver, it is maybe a bit less suburban than Coquitlam but less so than Vancouver proper.

Again, a lot of it is down to personal preference and lifestyle, as well as to the neighbourhood you pick. Coquitlam, Burnaby, etc. are all actually their own small city, and they are quite large and have a diversity of areas in them. Good luck, and do let me know if you'd like any other info.

Fiona59 · Apr 18, 2009

Hey Fiona59,
Well an accident certainly makes ANY commute longer. But accidents don't happen everyday.

Have you ever driven in those areas???

sweet0176 · Sep 28, 2009

Hey@

Just wanted to know if you are working at bc childrens at the moment in the nicu? If so, can i ask you a few questions about the nicu there? I am an RN who has worked in ontario for a year in a nicu...Not sure where i want to go, but vancouver might be the answer. THANKS:)

Blakpepa · Oct 21, 2009

I moved to North Burnaby 4 yrs ago from Toronto and couldnt imagine living anywhere else. Everything I need is right here. My area is very clean, quiet and very accessible by public transit. The rent I pay would easlily be doubled if I lived in Vancouver. Everytime someone drives me home, the first thing that comes out of their mouth is "I love this neightbourhood" lol.

The only thing I dont like about living in BC is the cost of living. It was very shocking for me when I first moved here because I had no idea that the cost of living could be so expensive. I suggest you check out craigslist, think about how much you are willing to spend, what type of lifestyle your looking for and go from there. DO of course avoid Surrey and East Vancouver. Surrey is pretty much like Scarborough(if your from Toronto, you understand what I mean) and East Van is like Regent Park.