all 64 comments

[–]Rum_Titan 13 points14 points ago

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Tonight I am going to my friends new house for a housewarming party. I live downtown, but he lives off the peninsula which some would consider outside the 'main' part of the city. A cab to his house from mine (he lives in Clayton Park) runs a grand total of $12. He has just bought this house for $300k and change. Its has 5 bedrooms.

Vancouver was recently deemed the most expensive city in Canada. Halifax is definitely not, but with the recent $25B shipbuilding contract, we are garaunteed growth over the next 30 years. Buy now!

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[–]DZ302 -1 points0 points ago

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Really buy now, and not in a year or two from now, because houses and everything else are going to go up years before we actually see benefit from the contract.

[–]MJM83[S] 0 points1 point ago

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I understand $25B is a large sum of money. How many people work at the shipyards? What is the real estate market saying? I couldn't imagine a rise higher than 10% in one year...

[–]DZ302 0 points1 point ago

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I think they're expecting 6% in the first year. Rent is also going up everywhere, and apartment owners sort of have the idea that, if you can't afford it, we don't care because someone who can will take your spot.

I think there might be like 1-2k people at the Shipyards, I really have no idea, but I can tell you that they're ready to strike if they don't get some kind of benefit out of the contract, compared to what they had before.

[–]MJM83[S] 0 points1 point ago

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looks like "15,000 jobs annually over the next 30 years", and Halifax would see $1 for every $11 spent on the ships totalling; " the province should earn about $275 million over the 30-year life of the combat boat contract in Halifax". So yes, fairly major impact.

And in some other articles found real estate rise is currently 4% but won't be seen fully for 12-24 months.

So yes, economic future is looking up.

[–]JonPublic 0 points1 point ago

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My house just popped by 10%, and I live in an admittedly nice neighborhood, 25 minutes out of town.

Real estate's getting crazy. Low interest rates are a contributor as well, but this is a city that is coming on in terms of growth.

[–]jbrydle 4 points5 points ago

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I'm a Vancouverite living in Halifax. Halifax is great. Vancouver is better. If you can stand renting, stay where you are! If not, then yes, Halifax is the best alternative to Vancouver with affordable housing. Be warned - even when the transit is running its an awful system. It's basically where Vancouver was before the Skytrain. I'm talking' pre Expo line. Good luck!

[–]zeebooraffe 3 points4 points ago

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It doesn't rain on all the time though, and people are much friendlier. Driving in the city sucks, It is an old city and planning was never made for its expansion, I avoid driving here at all costs. -former british columbian

[–]TiFox -1 points0 points ago*

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It doesn't rain on all the time though, and people are much friendlier.

It doesn't rain all the time, but it does snow often and the temperature with the wind chill will drop to -30C often. People are NOT friendlier in the maritimes, just because you know my name or ask how I am, does not make you friendlier.

  • edit That statement should read:

Despite the rain that Vancouver gets, the weather in the maritimes is harsher and the people think they're friendlier.

[–]OmegaX123Dartmouth 0 points1 point ago

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Most people in the country, and Americans who have been to various parts of Canada, think we're friendlier too. And sure, the weather is harsher in the winter and spring, but the summer and fall are calm (for the most part), warm (until mid-fall), and beautiful.

[–][deleted] ago

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[–]OmegaX123Dartmouth 0 points1 point ago

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NBA professional, no, but NBL, we have the Rainmen.

Oaklawn Farm Zoo (not in Halifax, but in the general area, not far outside HRM), and several other smaller ones. No aquariums, but so what?

Looks to me like you're reaching to find reasons why BC is better than here.

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[–]OmegaX123Dartmouth 0 points1 point ago

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NBL. Canadian version of the NBA. It may be new, but it doesn't make it any less valid. And I don't know a single member of the team, and am not a basketball fan in the first place, so your argument is rendered invalid by sheer idiocy.

Do you really think that the only way a city matters is if it has attractions, and not even that, but attractions that meet your oh-so-superior standards? Tourists love us, industry loves us, we just won the government's big shipbuilding contract. We're Canada's gateway to the world.

EDIT: Okay, I'm done. You're either a closed-minded idiot, or a troll trying to piss me off, or maybe even both. Goodbye, see you never.

[–]noodlepanda 0 points1 point ago

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It snowed in July? Are there any news articles about that? (Not trying to be a dick, but my quick google search didn't show anything and I don't remember that. Also, I live here so you would think I would remember it.)

[–]mcinnismediaHalifax 0 points1 point ago

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Hearing this statement, somebody from N.S. wouldn't say you're wrong. That's how nice they are. This coming from a newfie.

[–]lenisefitz 0 points1 point ago

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I agree, I hated the transit system. I remember getting kicked off the bus many times as a kid and as an adult. One bus driver said, "I saw you go into that store. Your transfer is not for stop-overs." and it was not out of time. What a guy. I had one driver who wouldn't let me on the bus one foot from the stop when I was 7 months pregnant. I have waited at a stop in the winter for an hour and a half for a bus that was supposed to be there in 15 minutes. That was cold.

Those things would never happen in Vancouver. The transit rocks here.

[–]OmegaX123Dartmouth -1 points0 points ago

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The only thing 'better' about BC, in my opinion (and this isn't knocking BC, I otherwise think Hali and Van/Vic are about equal), is higher income in certain fields, and the fact that my ex (who is my ex only because I had to move back here and she couldn't, and we couldn't deal with the distance) lives there. Certain stores we don't have here too, I suppose. And if you're the cultured type, the wax museum in Victoria (which I never got to visit when I was there).

[–]TiFox 0 points1 point ago

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I otherwise think Hali and Van/Vic are about equal

This statement shows how ignorant you are to Canadian cities.

Van/Vic? Is that like Charlottetown/Hali or Tor/Reg? Although, you CAN compare various Maritime towns/cities, Vancouver and Victoria are two completely different cities with nothing in common, except that they're both in BC.

And if you're the cultured type, the wax museum in Victoria

facepalm

[–]OmegaX123Dartmouth -1 points0 points ago

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Dude. I did not imply that they are the same city, or even 'identical to' one another or whatever you think I said. Just that they are equally pleasant cities to Halifax.

And what the fuck, re: the facepalm? It (the wax museum) exists (I know from both seeing it and from my ex, who has lived in BC her entire life, telling me about it both before and after I saw it myself), it is art, art is culture, so I don't see your objection to me mentioning it, or to me calling it cultured, or whatever you're objecting to.

I lived in BC for some time, and other than that I have lived in Halifax my entire life. I know both areas (granted I know Halifax better).

[–]TiFox -1 points0 points ago

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The discussion was Vancouver as to Halifax.

Dude, nobody cares if you lived in some buttfuck BC town.

I apologize for mocking you for feeling cultured because you went to the wax museum : {

[–]myflyhifi 4 points5 points ago

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I have been living in Halifax for 2 years, having moved from Chilliwack, BC. I miss the mountains. There are a lot more elderly people. Everyone drives at 10km below the speed limit. House prices are less than in BC and much less than in Vancouver, but higher than I expected. Contrary to what you may be told, it is nearly impossible to find a doctor taking patients outside of Halifax. Taxes are higher, cost of living is also higher than expected. Halifax is small but has better entertainment/night life than Vancouver. Lots of pubs - they are everywhere. Hope this helps.

[–]zerojayHalifax 12 points13 points ago

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Eh... I've always found that when people say "convince us", they're coming into it with the wrong attitude from the start, but good luck with whatever you choose.

[–]catalot 2 points3 points ago

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As another Vancouverite (I came to Halifax for school) I am looking forward to going back to Vancouver eventually. There are a lot of good things about Halifax if you like those things: ie. small town atmosphere, small size, ocean/mariner aesthetic. I also miss the culture of Vancouver. Halifax has culture, but the international type is in very small doses. And some people like that.

Housing prices are indeed cheap, although rent is the same if not higher. Jobs are also not plentiful, unless you work in shipbuilding.

[–]maoro 0 points1 point ago

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I think this is fair... It would not be fair to expect Halifax to compete tete-a-tete with Vancouver. They are just two completely different beasts. I think you really have to come to Halifax for some specific reasons like the ones you mentioned or perhaps people having kids want a more affordable and community focused place to raise kids (vs vancouver proper).

I say all this as someone who moved from Toronto for none of the reasons listed.

[–]catalot 0 points1 point ago

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They are two very different items indeed. It all depends on what you're looking for. As to raising kids, I would also caution OP to look for houses in the south end or around Quinpool, since there are some real crime problems in areas such as Dartmouth, Fairview, Sackville, and Spryfield.

edit: not to say Vancouver doesn't have its crimey areas. Surrey for instance, and that's a big place. Not to mention downtown east side lol.

[–]zane411Nova Scotia 2 points3 points ago

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No noisy buses on the road to distract you in your day to day commute. Hope you drive.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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We're contemplating spending 10 million dollars to make a public service worse... Imagine what we're willing to spend to actually improve something!

[–]zane411Nova Scotia 0 points1 point ago

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I ain't spending a damned thing, my taxes go to Student Loans.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Given that neither of you could be directly employed through the shipping stuff, I would instead move inland to somewhere like Toronto or Winnipeg. Give up on your dream of home ownership - it's not happening with less then six figures banked for a down payment at $60k/yr before taxes.

Halifax has an absurdly competitive labour market, because Cape Breton is emptying out and moving into Halifax. Rent and property prices are also about to explode, and everyone knows it - don't expect any sweet deals. Nova Scotia is economically dead, the only good things happening in the foreseeable future are this shipping contract and maybe some lucky oil/gas discoveries offshore.

Halifax also lacks the big entertainment industry that would generate regular income for your seamstress ladyfriend.

I would advise against it, unless you're willing to retrain as a pipe fitter or welder or something and she's willing to get HR certed so she can work in an office while you work in the yards.

[–]catalot 1 point2 points ago

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In terms of jobs, I'm in Costume studies at dalhousie and all the profs tell us that there's almost no work for a seamstress or tailor in Nova Scotia. They always reccomend going to Ontario, Alberta, or BC. Not sure about baking/pastry chef work though, or bus drivers.

[–]tifsimHalifax 4 points5 points ago

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Moving from BC to NS is a bad idea.

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[–]tifsimHalifax 0 points1 point ago

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Rent and food are about equal costs here, except for produce. We only have one hydro company who likes to F us in the A. Our parks suck, there isn't much to see or do and the police will harass you no matter who you are as soon as you start having fun.

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[–]tifsimHalifax -1 points0 points ago

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also, donairs.

[–]JohnoTheFoolishDartmouth 2 points3 points ago

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With a $30 billion ship building contract over the next 20 - 30 years, the economy is looking more solid than it has for some time.

There are plenty of reasons to move to Halifax so I will sum it up with the following:

The sun comes up on the right side.

[–]MJM83[S] 1 point2 points ago

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haha. I would miss the beautiful sunsets we get over here...

[–]JohnoTheFoolishDartmouth 2 points3 points ago

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Our sunrises are spectacular.

[–]registeredexpert 0 points1 point ago

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I get to sit on my back deck and watch the sun set over a small valley and nothing but rolling hills, lakes, and trees between me and the horizon. Our house is at the top of a hill about a 20 minute drive from downtown Halifax, with a full view of the mouth of Halifax Harbour from the front, on just over an acre of land. And we paid roughly half that $750K you mentioned. I say give it a shot, or a least come out for a visit and see what you think.

Also, what Johno said about the sunrises.

[–]MJM83[S] 0 points1 point ago

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that sounds nice, thanks for sharing!

[–]fluffityfluff 1 point2 points ago

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Well, you would make 60k alone as a bus driver. However their shifts are fluffed so you'd be working 45hrs/week but spending 13 hrs a day away from home to get the 9h shift done. I don't know if that's the case in Vancouver.

Halifax isn't very bike or pedestrian friendly, if that matters to you.

Prov tax rates are much higher than BC (http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html). Halifax city rates are 1.45%, though surrounding municipalities are about 1.25%.

The shipbuilding contract will supposedly provide some economic backbone for the area. I have my doubts about how much of the money will effectively trickle down into the local economy.

If you move into suburbia and have property then I imagine it will be like any other suburban area around the country, with the differences mostly in tax rates.

I hate driving around the city. But this is true for almost any city.

There are lots and lots of lakes around. If you like the lakes and shore you will love Halifax+area.

Halifax county (along with Kings/Annapolis in the valley area) are the only counties with any real growth in Nova Scotia.

[–]aradil 1 point2 points ago

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Well, you would make 60k alone as a bus driver.

I'm more than 100% sure that's not true as a starting salary, considering the average I heard was 55k. I don't know if it's based on experience or seniority, or if they use both.

[–]papercrane 1 point2 points ago

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Every bus driver makes $23.29/hr (except for Access-a-bus, they make a bit less)

Which is $50,000 a year for 40 hr weeks. To make 60K you'd have to pick around another 300 hrs of overtime in the year.

[–]fluffityfluff 1 point2 points ago

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which seems to be the norm according to numbers thrown around recently. most of their shifts run slightly over 8 hours as the routes don't fit a perfect 8h day

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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You can work 48 hours a week in Nova Scotia before you trigger overtime.

[–]MJM83[S] 0 points1 point ago

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What do you mean by Halifax city rates are 1.45%?

[–]th3vanHalifax -1 points0 points ago

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Halifax isn't very bike or pedestrian friendly

this is rather untrue imo. lots of bikes around in the warmer months, and a fair amount in the winter as well!

[–]fluffityfluff 0 points1 point ago

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You may have a very limited definition of Halifax. Take a bike ride north of Quinpool. You'll find far fewer cyclists. You do see them, but so many people do not cycle because they fear for their lives :P

[–]CaptainOmarHalifax 0 points1 point ago

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as far as housing goes for around 250K around here, or even 20 minutes out in sackville you're getting quite a bang for your buck, im currently looking at buying in that price range, and im finding some houses with 4bdrm 2bth for 230ish, so housing is cheap

[–]MJM83[S] 0 points1 point ago

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Another question... about the weather: it's not a solid snow winter every year? it fluctuates between freeze/thaw? What's the coldest it gets on average? I remember seeing in the past some serious winter ice storms- are those frequent? thanks guys you da best.

[–]mcpasty666Nova Scotia 0 points1 point ago

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Winters are stormy, but mild. Officially we're the warmest province in Canada, but we're nowhere close to being as warm year-round as Vancouver. The coldest week of the year will be -20 for a few days usually. We can get a frigid -35 day or two, but not every year. It's a constant freeze-thaw. Like today, it snowed in the morning, and now it's 5 degrees.

Storms, we get one every couple weeks or so in the winter. Most start as snow, turn to freezing rain, then finish as rain. Snow never lasts on the ground for more than a few days, and pretty often not even the entire day. The further from the Atlantic coast you go, the more snow you get. Oh, also, hurricanes can happen in the fall, but they're nothing serious. Just fodder for the news and an excuse to leave work early.

One thing that took some getting used to I found when I moved here was the wind. It's really gusty in HRM, and really often. I wouldn't get a house on a hill or in a big clearing for that reason.

[–]lenisefitz 0 points1 point ago

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I moved from Halifax to Vancouver. I would not move back. I love Halifax. I love Vancouver. Each for completely different reasons. It is NOT easy to find a job in a city where most people are university educated and may have a couple of degrees to their name. If you are trying to get a job as a janitor in a hospital you have to have some university. Transit operators do not make as much as they do in Vancouver. People are WONDERFUL. You will make friends fast and have many social events to go to and things to do. I love the history of the Maritimes. It is much older than Vancouver but you are going to miss that really cool restaurant that they just opened on Water Street. However, lobster and steaks are only $16.00 at Peddlers Pub, oh wait, that is closed. Historic Properties is mostly boarded up the last time I visited last spring. I hope that has changed. They have some small restaurant/bar/pubs on Spring Garden Road and they never get any great entertainment like Vancouver. I know it is expensive here but you are young. Retiring in Halifax is better than being their when you are 20. I would live in Halifax in a minute if I could have the same job in my field for the same money. It would be so easy to have a house paid off in five years but that is not how economics works. I would never recommend Alberta but if you want to make the same amount of money nad have cheaper housing then Alberta would be it.

[–]hooligankingHalifax -2 points-1 points ago

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Do not bother coming to Detroit of Canada. This city is shit. mark my words bro. great ppl but thats abt it.

[–]Waaaabot -1 points0 points ago

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Dude. I've been to Detroit, we have a long way to go.

Also Go Wings!!

[–]Walrasian -2 points-1 points ago

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Halifax is awesome, but you will notice a lot of amenities you take for granted are missing. For instance, doing winter stuff. There is no skiing here, in fact there is no snow. Or concerts. Prepare for maybe one or two in the summer and expect them to be things like Metallica or Tom Petty. While those acts are good music, they aren't really contemporary. The acts we see tend to not have a current album and are kind of chosen for having the broadest appeal. A lot of the time i go see the band not because i am excited to see them, but because it is a concert. It is not like in a similarly sized city anywhere else in Canada or the US because it is so far from another major venue (Montreal is 12-14 hours away). In fact, I end up driving to Portland, Maine to see a lot of bands. And Portland is a small town about 9-10 hours away. We have great restaurants, we just lack the same amount of mid-priced cool restaurants that you get in a larger city. We also lack good seafood. It is kind of a weird that we live next to an ocean and most of our fish is haddock or farmed salmon.

For me the positives outweigh the negatives, but I often wish I lived somewhere like Ottawa, Quebec, or Montreal.

[–]maoro 1 point2 points ago

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One thing I am grateful for since moving here is that I have learned to dig in on the local/regional music scene more. I'm not one for drinking the kool-aid but I have found that I am seeing better music, in better venues, with better crowds than I ever did in Toronto or Montreal. In fact I moved here from Austin, TX which is a big music town and I was shocked at how much Halifax felt like it in that way.

For MTV/MusicMusic stuff,. yeah,. Halifax is possibly (literally) the worst in North America (Territories excluded). Check out some non-famous stuff though and you might be surprised.

[–]Walrasian 0 points1 point ago

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I watch a lot of local bands, but it tends to be the smallish bands touring the country that I like best. I missed the sheepdogs because I wasn't fast enough getting a ticket. That is the type of band that I miss seeing.

[–]KrisspCape Breton 2 points3 points ago

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Winter stuff: Brand new free to public Emera Skating Oval used last year for the Canada Games. Ski Hills are available about an hour or so out of the city. "in fact there is no snow." This is a little extreme, while its a unseasonably warm winter, I wouldn't call this the norm. Also, I see snow right now!" "Or concerts." While It's true we only get huge events a couple times a year, my favourite part about halifax is that this year alone I've seen several of my favourite bands-not in huge impersonal venues but in small, beautiful bars like the Seahorse. We also have an amazing local music scene, of course, being the Maritimes. "We also lack good seafood." Where have you been eating?

[–]Walrasian 2 points3 points ago

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Please don't think I am insulting Halifax, he is considering moving here and he needs to know that things are different here. We don't get enough snow to do most outdoor winter activities. That's outside the city, not just downtown. That is every year not just this year. Wentworth tries to make as much snow as it can, but it is always icy compared to hills out west. It is also really flat and it has 800 feet of vertical drop. If you snowmobile, snowshoe, or go ski touring, NS isn't great. I like it here, but if you are used to Vancouver, the out of doors in this part of the country is really disappointing during winter.

So you saw some bands you like, great, so have i, but take a second and go to ticket master and look at what a smallish (50k) city in Maine gets for bands. Try one small venue like the portland state theater. They get bands like Ween, the black keys, artic monkeys etc etc. that is constant, all year long, not one band per year but one band like that per month in the winter with more in the summer. That is what people expect when you talk about there being a lot of bands. Or should we talk about the music festivals in the summer? Compare the one here to say harvest in Fredericton. Nowhere as good, but when you look at what takes place at Vancouver's blues fest you will want to cry. Compare what we have to a city that is only slightly larger like Quebec or Winnipeg and you see all the acts you are missing out on by being here. There just isn't anywhere near the variety you get from living anywhere west of NB. I have fun here and I enjoy my weekends, but I also realize that I am not seeing all the bands I would like to see. Halifax has lots of advantages, but they come with costs as well.

[–]gruselig 1 point2 points ago

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I'd have to agree with you there, winter here is weird. It gets cold, it snows, warms up, melts and turns to ice when it gets cold again. Lather, rinse, repeat. Martok and Wentworth do reasonably well, but I've never personally been. The trails here are great for cross-country skiing, though. Not sure I can agree with the seafood comment, though, but I do agree with the lack of nice restaurants. My favourite on the Waterfront closed up years ago, and I've yet to find I enjoy as much as I liked the Sweet Basil.

For most of my life I wanted desperately to move out of Nova Scotia, and I finally made it. I'm stuck back in Nova Scotia again, outside of Halifax in the county, and I miss "real" cities and civilization.

[–]Walrasian 1 point2 points ago

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The seafood thing is all relative. When I visit my brothers in other cities, say Michigan, they have things like fresh tuna, squid, mahi mahi, turbot, tilapia, mackerel, grouper, sea bass, snapper, char, trout, etc all available at the same fish counter. When you go out west to a place like Vancouver or Victoria, the selection just gets even bigger. Culturally, I just don't think we eat fish like they do. Well we do have waaaaaayyyy better fish and chips.

If you are missing good restaurants, maybe a trip to the coastal cafe on Robie for breakfast will reinvigorate your faith in humanity. Or at least you will have some delicious french toast.

[–]gruselig 0 points1 point ago

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I've always enjoyed Clearwater's selection, but I don't indulge in seafood much. Living over in Denmark and Germany has taught me appreciation for good, fresh seafood - in one country you get none, in the other all you get is herring (at least, where I was living).

I might give it a shot if I ever make it down to Robie. I tend to spend most of my time when I'm in town near the waterfront or on Barrington, but I might have to make an exception.

[–]DZ302 0 points1 point ago

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Maybe I'm crazy, I've lived in Ottawa, Montreal (when I was very young), Toronto and Halifax, but I want to live in Sydney. I've been to Vancouver for 2 weeks, (my sister lives there) and hated it, mainly everyone's attitude.

[–]MJM83[S] 0 points1 point ago

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funny. They do say it's easy to make friends in Halifax. People are more laid back? Vancouver does tend to have a bit of a rushed feel to it at times. But a ride around the seawall early in the AM or a trip up the north shore mountains can fix that. The small town feel is something we look forward to in Halifax.

[–]sixthree0five 0 points1 point ago

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I'm from Victoria and spent a couple years over in Vancouver (Burnaby) and can back up what people say about it being easy to make friends here. It's definitely less rushed than Vancouver and the people are insanely friendly. At first it was sort of creepy, but it's really refreshing to just be able to strike up a conversation with a random and not be made to feel like a pervert or stalker.

[–]maoro 0 points1 point ago

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ok,. if small town feel is what you are looking for then that is really what Halifax is good for. In fact it wasn't until I stopped wanting it to be a city that I finally got the hang of it. Instead of expecting to go downtown to a bustling shopping district or trendy scene I just go to a lake for a swim or the woods for a hike instead.

I think a lot of folks answering here are assuming you want Halifax to be as-good or better than Vancouver on the big-city metrics. That just won't happen.

[–]mcpasty666Nova Scotia 2 points3 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

That band thing really gets to me a lot. It's heartbreaking every time any significant non-Canadian band announces a 30-city North American tour that stops at Montreal or Quebec City or Rochester.

Kevin Smith (who came here 3 times in 4 months this winter and loves us) compared us to a stack of playboys he found in the woods: an awesome undiscovered trove/market that nobody knows about because it's so out of the way.