# Edmonton, best place to live...



## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Looks like you Edmontonians have something to be proud of...

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/12/03/edmonton-quality-of-life-top-canadian-city_n_2234811.html

Ranked third in the world only behind Berlin and Zurich.

So what do you locals think?


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I'm thankful about living here but I'll still find things to complain about. It usually takes a sobering minute, or longer, to settle down and realize I have it pretty good around here. Still, my current complaint, mostly what I dealt with today that drove me a fair bit crazy, people are idiots in traffic around here, snow or no snow, and the pace could use a slowing down.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

I could mention the mediocre to useless bus service, the insanity of cars, pedestrians and cyclists, not to mention the great sucking black hole that is downtown after 5 PM, but I won't. Instead I will say I do like to live here, I like the weather (believe it or not) and one day the Oilers and Eskimos will make us proud. Oh, yeah, and there are some great music venues and restaurants if you know where to find them.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Let's keep this going, slight bitching followed by a bit of praise. I like this format, therapeutic in a way... I think. 

I feel a little better, to read it and write it.


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## ThePass (Aug 10, 2007)

My brother lives in St. Albert and we spent a week out there last summer. Had a blast. Ate at the Olive Garden, shopped at "the" mall, took it all in....even had a piss in those outdoor urinals!!! Wtf?


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Been here 16 years, since my early 30's, all in one house. Raised 3 kids here, though none born here.

I like it here and can't imagine moving, but at least part of that is just from that 'settled' feeling. Up till this, I'd never lived anywhere longer than 9 yrs (grew up in Winnipeg) and never in one house more than 4.

Anyways, for me a lot of the benefit is economic. When we first came here from Sask., my net pay immediately went up. No PST. Low (at least, not high) property taxes and personal income taxes. Property is somewhat expensive, but don't care, if we do sell our house we buy in the same market - and it's not Calgary or Vancouver expensive.

It *is* Festival City, so there's a least a decent amount of culture here....no, it's not Montreal or Vancouver in that respect though. We get most of the top name concerts. Have most pro sports, though lost minor league baseball recently. West Ed Mall is a big draw, and we live nearby...daughter works there, both sons used to, wife spends my paycheque there.

Downtown isn't as vibrant as it should be, and is a little grubbier than it should be.

The last few winters have been reasonably mild, which is totally OK by me as I'm a bit of a suck about cold weather. The short days only bother me from about Dec. 1 to mid Feb., and the long days in summer are glorious.

Traffic is MUCH MUCH MUCH improved since they've opened 3 out of 4 legs of the ring road (Anthony Henday Drive). Edmonton has horrid north to south routes and not much better east to west, so the ring road has been a godsend - I can actually get to St. Albert, or Sherwood Park in literally half the time it used to take. Getting downtown hasn't improved, however. I don't know much about the public transit system, I haven't ever been on a city bus here and not on the LRT for probably 15 years. I do know they are expanding the LRT, and that there is a park and ride bus station not far from where I live.

It's not a 'world class' city like London New York Paris Berlin, not even Vancouver Toronto or Montreal. But I like it fine, and probably wouldn't if it were any bigger than it is.

I've spent a reasonable amount of time in both Toronto and Vancouver in the past 20 years, and can't imagine living in either.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Halifax didn't make the rankings but I am sure if they were considered they would have made #84.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

smorgdonkey said:


> Halifax didn't make the rankings but I am sure if they were considered they would have made #84.


You missed it Smorg..they beat Calgary .....

I did the 70's oil boom thing in Edmonton in my late teens. I had to leave or alcohol would have taken control of me. Insane trips of to New Eddy by a bunch of young white guys was a window into how life is crappy for a lot of people.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

On a related topic, last week I was presented with offers to relocate in two cities. This is a result of corporate restructuring. My job is basically secure no matter what I decide but they offered nice deals to live in either Nashville or El Paso.

After about fifteen seconds of careful consideration I declined both. They're going to set me up with a small office here in Brantford instead.

I was talking with my wife about it and we relized just how good it is to live in Southern Ontario, and particularly in the little city we live in.

No tornadoes (well rarely anyway), no earthquakes (well again rarely)no hurricanes (obviously), VERY mild winters compared to cities as close as 40km away, relatively low cost of living, good medical care, et cetera, et cetera.


You don't always consider these things until you're obliged to consider moving.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

We did four and a half years there, while I was in grad school at U of A, during the early 80's, in Lawrence Decore days (the mayor). It was a less pleasant place to live then. I found there was very little sense of neighbourhood, with the exception of a few select little areas. It was one giant suburb as far as the eye could see, and the omnipresence of stucco made me feel like I was living in a gigantic bowl of oatmeal.

I was back fopr a brief work-related visit in 2007, and it seems to have improved noticeably. Still, I'm one of those guys who has to go to sleep when it's dark and wake up when it's light, and any other combination just leaves me a mess. If you don't have the constitution for it (even though I don't, plenty do), it can be tough slogging.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Where abouts did you live within Edmonton mhammer?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

The m is for Mark.

We lived near Westmount Mall for a bit, then Michener Park residences, then 68th near 104th. Never really got out of town much, but for a wedding in Barrhead, the occasional trip to Leduc to fly out, and a pair of trips out to Jasper.

My claim to fame was apparently being the first documented human to witness a magpie hunting, killing, and eating a bat. The bird had apparently discovered what the ornothologist I spoke to called a "freebie" - bats living under the roof of the student union building. It would spook them from their sleep during the day and snag one that was disoriented.

Wrote for the CKUA radio guide for a while, doing musician interviews and technology features. Got into big trouble one time over an editorial comment that was perceived as racist. For whatever reasons, some quotation marks that were _supposed_ to be around a sentence, depicting what I felt were deplorable attitudes on the part of FM radio programmers, went missing when the piece finally showed up in print, and it came out looking like it was MY beliefs. Fecal matter and fan collided, and the phones lit up. Fortunately, Teddy Pemberton, Cadence Weapon's dad, came to my rescue. I owe him big.

For whatever negative things I might have to say about Edmonton, I still miss the apple fritters from (now closed) Van Sloten's bakery. Absolute best in the country, surpassing those at the Royal Donut Hole in Amherst, NS. I also sorta miss watching the pheasants and jays duke it out on Saskatchewan Drive from my office window on Sunday mornings.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

Interesting...

Been here for 25ish years. Can't say I'm in any position to move, but I don't think I would if I had the means.

I actually enjoy the summers here and the winters aren't all that bad.... and the fact that I have a great job and a decent home.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Breaking news:












Love,

Calgary


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

Sneaky said:


> Breaking news:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'd be bitter if I lived in Calgary too


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Never been there, but like everywhere in Canada, I'd like to visit as it's a part of what makes us.

As for living there, well...there isn't a city in the world that I find attractive enough to live in. I live in a small town quite happily but would be even happier if I could live in a more rural, wooded, area.

To each their own.

Peace, Mooh.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

Sneaky said:


> HI THERE WORLD! I AM A TYPICAL CALGARIAN!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It's so sad.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I was wondering when someone from Calgary was going to chime in. 8)


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

sulphur said:


> I was wondering when someone from Calgary was going to chime in. 8)


I'm more curious about when robert will chime in to slag us slack jawed yanks again.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

bluzfish said:


> It's so sad.


Don't get me wrong. I don't like Calgary either. 

:sport-smiley-002:


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I'll always look to make friends with the enemy if they help me beat up the other guy I'm arguing with. If that happens to be Calgary at the time, great!


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

I just saw this on CNN, Vancouver is 5th, Edmonton isn't on the list. Who to believe? 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/04/business/global-city-quality-life/index.html?hpt=hp_c3


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I would guess very different overall criteria, with some in common. Most in that list are more what I think of as 'cosmopolitan', more cultural + business oriented. Edmonton has those things but on a wayyyyy reduced scale, not a surprise given the population disparity with most of those cities.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

mhammer said:


> The omnipresence of stucco made me feel like I was living in a gigantic bowl of oatmeal.


That's too funny. I used to travel out west on business quite frequently & recall about 10 yrs ago that Edmonton got voted "ugliest city in N. America", thanks in part to a road in the north end (I forget the name). I thought that was a rather unfair assessment as the river valley & Earl's Girls are quite scenic. I also had some memorable tines at Blues on Whyte & loved playing shinny outdoors after work (back in the olden days when you could check 2 suitcases for free my skates or rollerblades always made the trip).


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Milkman said:


> On a related topic, last week I was presented with offers to relocate in two cities. This is a result of corporate restructuring. My job is basically secure no matter what I decide but they offered nice deals to live in either Nashville or El Paso.
> 
> After about fifteen seconds of careful consideration I declined both. They're going to set me up with a small office here in Brantford instead.
> 
> ...


+1 The more I travel, the more I like it here. We may gripe about taxes & winter (poor non-skiers) but our overall standard of living in Canada is second to none.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

Roryfan said:


> That's too funny. I used to travel out west on business quite frequently & recall about 10 yrs ago that Edmonton got voted "ugliest city in N. America", thanks in part to a road in the north end (I forget the name). I thought that was a rather unfair assessment as the river valley & Earl's Girls are quite scenic. I also had some memorable tines at Blues on Whyte & loved playing shinny outdoors after work (back in the olden days when you could check 2 suitcases for free my skates or rollerblades always made the trip).


Edmonton is still pretty damn ugly. the river valley is gorgeous in the fall and summer though.

in the early spring, its super nasty. we've come a long way but we're still not pretty


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

blam said:


> the river valley is gorgeous in the fall and summer though.


+1

While I found drivers courteous enough, both as driver and as pedestrian, the signage is set up for people driving vehicles that have the driver as least 3ft off the ground. If you're driving anything closer to the ground, you'll find yourself making a LOT of left hand turns you weren't planning on making, or trying to find a spot for yourself between a pair of cement trucks going 120 on the Whitemud before your lane suddenly ends.

When we lived there, one of the big things constraining the city was the tracks just north of downtown. There was, understandably, a certain amount of industrial zoning on each side of the tracks, which meant that the residential and commercial area was squeezed between Jasper and the valley brow, and between Jasper and the tracks. No local walk-in traffic due to that, and consequently little nightlife or commercial areas. Sure enough, I come back 20-some years later, the tracks are gone, and the downtown is chock-a-block with condos, bistros, boutiques, and things to do, which that last picture nicely illustrates. Congrats!

Great pics, incidentally. We moved to Edmonton the summer of 1980, the 75th anniversary of the province IIRC. One of the few times, I'm told, that the High Level Bridge was used for fancy visual display. I think it had a lit-up waterfall.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

nkjanssen said:


> I totally disagree. You can find ugly parts of any major city. Overall, Edmonton is one of the prettiest cities I know of. Sure, flowers in full bloom generally look nicer than snow, but I think it's a good looking city regardless of season...


as much as I dislike calgary, it's a much prettier city than edmonton. quite honestly almost every city in Canada I've visited is prettier _in my opnion. 
_you've also posted photos of select places inthe city that are as i said very nice in the summer and fall. but look on the streets during winter and its just brown slush everywhere. sure the parks and valley are still looking pretty good, but as someone driving through, the majority of what you see is not that pretty.


I visit Vancouver often and its absolutely gorgeous, and I do agree with you that you can find some ugliness in every city, even Vancouver Monteal was also very nice. banff, jasper, canmore, sun peaks, all gorgeous. granted, those are resort cities in the mountains they do have a certain appeal to me.

don't get me wrong. I love where I live. I don't see myself moving away from here. I took this just before the valley went brown


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Yeah, as a long term resident, who has lived in *a lot* of Canada's cities, I agree that Edmonton is not a particularly ugly place. Oh, sure, you get to the east side of downtown, or other places here and there, there is ugliness, it's not the overriding vision though, to me.

Go tour Regina if you wanna see a place that's unattractive. Winnipeg, where I grew up and go back fairly frequently, is very plain and dull, other than along the river - in several places along the river actually. And even those don't have the scenic beauty of our river valley, not close.

Excellent photos above.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

blam .. which bridge is that ?


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

shoretyus said:


> You missed it Smorg..they beat Calgary .....


What did I miss? Halifax beat Calgary? No.

I definitely missed something.

As a person who did live in Calgary, that is an excellent city considering that cities generally do have many 'city things' to deal with.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

I took this just before the valley went brown 

Fabulous Picture!


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

smorgdonkey said:


> What did I miss? Halifax beat Calgary? No.
> 
> I definitely missed something.
> 
> As a person who did live in Calgary, that is an excellent city considering that cities generally do have many 'city things' to deal with.


Just referring to rivalry between the two cities is all. 

Cool bridge that wasn't there while I was


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

blam said:


> as much as I dislike calgary, it's a much prettier city than edmonton. quite honestly almost every city in Canada I've visited is prettier _in my opnion. _


I'm with you. I was in Edmonton quite a few times when I lived out there and I thought that it wasn't very visually appealing at all...in fact, it reminded me a lot of Lethbridge and Saskatoon but don't hold that against me - I'm just being honest!! HAHA!! Edmonton does have close proximity to Elk Island Park though...what an awesome place! Not to mention that Edmonton has a more artsy attitude about it than Calgary which was very cold/corporate if that means anything.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

No doubt you can find good and bad in just about every city. I still have not been to all the major Canadian Cities, never been to Edmonton, at least I don't think I have. Been to Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal and all over the east coast. Of all of those Montreal and Vancouver would be my favorites. But I have been all over the States, just spent a few days in San Fran, nothing special there. Been to LA, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, Boston, New York, All over Michigan and Ohio, New Orleans, Vegas, The Dakota's, Arizona, all over Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma, Seattle, Atlanta, St Louis, Baltimore, Alaska and probably several I can't even remember. Of all of them... if I was told I had to move and had to pick one of them it would be Seattle.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I've spent a bit of time in Edmonton and have driven through Calgary a bunch.

The two top cities that I've been to in Canada that stand out in my mind are Victoria and Saskatoon.
Smaller centers, cozier feel, lots of green spaces and very clean, from what I saw.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I lived in Saskatoon twice for 3 year stretches, and you are bang on. Stoon is a young vibrant city, that swells by (last I heard) 40,000 people during the school year, mostly kids off the farms. Again, if you know where to look - west end of town mainly - sure there is some uhhh grubbiness. But we liked it there a lot, fairly open, nice along the river, lots to do, as I said, a vibrant city. A 20 minute drive to work would be a quite long one there.


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