Speculation and the Real Estate Market Bubble

[14 of spades]

I've been to Halifax AND Ottawa (and Vancouver for that matter).

 

What's the specific commentary about all the above cities, and therefore of Vancouver?

[joe_collector]

What's the specific commentary about all the above cities, and therefore of Vancouver?

 

It depends on what you want. I needed to find a nice city to raise our kids in, away from the gangs, drugs, junkies, pimps, shootings and other fun parts of city life, and the two we came down to were Ottawa and Calgary. Victoria was up there too, but still too many forest faggs and vegans.

 

But if you want to smoke pot all day, hug trees and leech off the government, then Vancouver is definitely the place to be.

[the blob]

wait a minute, i thought that all of canada was a utopian crime-free paradise where the medicine is free, the unemployment checks are generous, the otters are friendly, you can leave your doors unlocked and your kids can play hockey in the street? that's what we keep on hearing down here at least.

[goldust40]

What's the specific commentary about all the above cities, and therefore of Vancouver?

 

It depends on what you want. I needed to find a nice city to raise our kids in, away from the gangs, drugs, junkies, pimps, shootings and other fun parts of city life, and the two we came down to were Ottawa and Calgary. Victoria was up there too, but still too many forest faggs and vegans.

 

But if you want to smoke pot all day, hug trees and leech off the government, then Vancouver is definitely the place to be.

 

Reactionary posts like that belong in the Water Cooler, not here, JC. Too many "Forest faggs"??

[goldust40]

wait a minute, i thought that all of canada was a utopian crime-free paradise where the medicine is free, the unemployment checks are generous, the otters are friendly, you can leave your doors unlocked and your kids can play hockey in the street? that's what we keep on hearing down here at least.

 

Well, that's the impression we were given watching Bowling For Columbine.

[joe_collector]

Sorry, that's a relatively common term for west coast tree-huggers and has absolutely no connotation on sexual orientation whatsoever.

[goldust40]

Sorry, that's a relatively common term for west coast tree-huggers and has absolutely no connotation on sexual orientation whatsoever.

 

My bad. Should've guessed that it would mean something else in Canada...

[Silver Surfer]

Besides if your going to live in a big Candian city, Vancouver is really the only choice.

 

That's a bit of an odd statement...

 

Toronto?

Montreal?

Calgary?

Halifax?

Edmonton?

Ottawa?

 

what's your reason for saying that?

 

I suspect you've never been to Halifax or Ottawa.

 

Well I live and grew up in Vancouver and I think it was recently voted the best place in the world to live, or at least in the top three. Haven't been to Ottawa or Halifax but I have a good friend who moved here from Ottawa and he doesn't miss the -20 below winters. Can't beat Vancouver for the year round living, ocean, mountain scenery, etc. Not too many places you can ski and then jump on your sail boat all within a half hour to an hour. Have been to Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto and really its no comparison.

[shadroch]

While I really enjoyed my few days in Halifax,it can't be considered a big city.

Any place thats population swells with the arrival of a couple of big cruise ships

can't be considered a big city,even by Canadian standards. Nice casinos though.

I believe its also the only place in North America where the Union Jack flies over soveriegn territory. Kool graveyards and bars as well.Would have enjoyed it even more it only I hadn't quit smoking pot.

[Kevin Boyd]

Well I don't think Vancouver will slow down too much, might dip slightly but with the Olympics in 4 years the market will keep on chugging. Besides if your going to live in a big Candian city, Vancouver is really the only choice.

 

That's the best laugh I've had in this section of the forum all day.

 

I lived in Vancouver for four years as a child. It was nice enough but I've no urge to return there for anything other than a holiday. Even then... there are other places I would rather visit first.

 

Like Halifax. I would like to visit Halifax sometime.

 

 

[The Black Hand ®]

There's certainly a feeling in CA that the bubble is about to burst. Our house was just appraised at 4 times what we paid for it only 9 years ago.

 

I can't imagine very many young couples can afford anything in the current market.

 

I think the california bubble won't 'burst' but just flatten out with little increase over the next few years.Our primary residence has increases in value 15 times since we purchased it years ago, but to be able to get something we'd be happy with would cost that much in the area we live in. If we wanted to maximise the return we'd have to buy a home out of state and away from the ocean.Of cours there's a reason we live where we live, it's just so darn beautifull. Only 15-20% of people who live in our area can afford to buy a home, think about that, young working couples just don't make enough these days, at least in our area to buy a home without some kind of help from their families. It's a crime.

[14 of spades]

Well I live and grew up in Vancouver and I think it was recently voted the best place in the world to live, or at least in the top three. Haven't been to Ottawa or Halifax but I have a good friend who moved here from Ottawa and he doesn't miss the -20 below winters. Can't beat Vancouver for the year round living, ocean, mountain scenery, etc. Not too many places you can ski and then jump on your sail boat all within a half hour to an hour. Have been to Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto and really its no comparison.

 

typical response from an, I-Live-In-Vancouver-You-Live-Somewhere-Else-Why-Do-You-Even-Bother-To-Live?Vancouverite.

 

i know about the skiing, the beaches, the scenery etc. of Vancouver. if you like the outdoors, Vancouver is a beautiful city, fine. but not everyone likes suffering from allergies 365 days a year, driving an hour into work, everyday overcast windy/rainy weather, and the virtually zero nightlife. is it my intention to trash vancouver? no. but us non-vancouverite Canadians do eventually tire of the pompousity.

 

the mayor of Toronto used to say Toronto was the best city in the world to live. did i agree with him at all? absolutely not - i thought he was an insufficiently_thoughtful_person for saying that. he didn't have the experience of living in EVERY OTHER city in the world, so how could he make that determination?

 

now you're claiming that Vancouver is in the top-3 in the world? (and yes, when you CITE someone else's work, you are claiming it yourself) have you been to London? Paris? New York? Madrid? Istanbul? Beijing? Tokyo? Hong Kong? until you have - don't go around saying Vancouver is better than someone else's city, most definitely if you've never been there. quality of life indexes aside - go ask a vancouverite who just lost his job yesterday - ask him if he thinks he's living in paradise.

 

remember - by the time you guys get the Olympics in 2010, Calgary will have beat you to it by 22 years.

[The Black Hand ®]

Vancouver's nice, but Vancouver Island's nicer. I use to live in Seattle and would hop over the border to have fun. Nice people over there.

[october]

Well I live and grew up in Vancouver and I think it was recently voted the best place in the world to live, or at least in the top three.

 

On what grounds? I have been many places, and Vancouver wouldn't even make it into the top 10. Obviously I have never lived there, but after visiting it didn't strike me as anything special. Paris, London, Barcelona...these are the cities that immediately come to mind as ideal places to live.

[shadroch]

I've never been to Vancouver,but I have seen it placed on many top ten places to live.

Its all relative. The state of Oaxaca in Mexico is my favorite spot on earth,and I have traveled extensively. Yet everyday,hundreds of its inhabitants risk death to sneak into the USA to work as busboys or nannies.

[FlyingDonut]

My top 5

 

1. Barcelona

2. Santorini

3. Cape Town

4. Carmel/Monterey, CA

5. Paris

 

 

all of these places assume that you would have some cash - I can't imagine living in Cape Town, for example, with no money. Cape Town on South African Breweries' expense account?

[Silver Surfer]

Just to give you an idea, take a look at this link of one of the 3 ski resorts over looking the city. Equally spectacular during the summer months and keep in mind Whistler is just over an hour drive from here and it drawfs the local mountains.

 

Voted by Conde Nast as the "best city in the Americas" in 2004.

 

The View From Above

[Silver Surfer]

Right next to Grouse is Seymour Mountain. Refresh the pages to get a different pic.

 

Quiet Day at the Office

[14 of spades]

Post deleted by 14_of_spades

[14 of spades]

perhaps you'd like to consider that "the best city in the world to live in" is a concept very specific to the individual.

 

the chief of a native aboriginal tribe in Australia, who speaks no English - is perfectly at home in his hut in the Australian outback. get him to make the move to Vancouver - what good would that do him? he'd be on the streets.

 

i'm sure to a person born and raised in Vancouver like yourself, Vancouver is the place to be. good for u. congratulations you are in paradise.

 

but if you don't understand the limitations of your own grand-sweeping statements, that's your loss. it suggests you haven't visited the many beautiful cities of the world. why would anyone who knows no one and has no job there, want to leave where they live just so they can live in Vancouver? what's the point?