Calling all Torontonians

[Habanero]

I’m posting this thread in hopes to get some opinions and insight from Torontonians, who have moved to Calgary.
I have some cousins in Toronto, who are looking at moving to Calgary. They’ve asked me about the differences between the two cities, but I’ve only been to Toronto for work a few times and to be honest I don’t know it that well.
They’ve done some googling but all they get is those stupid articles from Global and Mail or National Post saying how great it was to move to Calgary, or how bad it was because it didn’t have a cactus club, etc.
I’m hoping some people here are from Toronto originally and can shed some light on some of the differences, pros and cons, etc.

I’m not looking for any broad comments like Toronto sucks, Calgary is shit etc, only pros and cons.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Beltline_B]

I’ve lived most of my life in Calgary, so I’m not a Torontonian, but I lived in Toronto for 3 years.

FWIW I think it depends on the type of people your cousins are, and what part of Toronto area they live in. When I lived in Toronto, it felt like two different cities, there were the suburbs and Toronto. Most of Toronto, felt like inner city Calgary.

My observation is the people who lived in Toronto the city were kind of dyed in the wool “Toronto“ types. I don’t know if they would be happy in Calgary, They would miss things like the restaurant, nightlife or theater scene and the general density, hustle and bustle.

A second observation is that people in the suburbs of Toronto could happily live in Calgary. They’d get their typical suburban lifestyle, but with cheaper housing, shorter commutes, and friendlier neighbors.

A third observation is that if they live in the suburbs but want more of an inner city life, Calgary might work well for them, as there are some nice inner city neighborhoods within short, walking or cycling from downtown that aren’t overly expensive relative to Toronto. They’re kind of a cross between suburban Toronto and inner city Toronto.

 

[zzkwilliamcanada]

If they could afford living in toronto, stay there . If they could not afford, come to us.
If they have families who need at least 4 bedrooms. And they could not afford 1.5 million house. Come to us

 

[trtcttc]

Agree with Beltline_B above, really depends which area of the GTA they live, we fell in that last category. Not a native Torontotonian, but lived there for 7 years.

The biggest factor for us was we wanted an inner city lifestyle, and if you look up home prices to the North, East, and West of Downtown, a nice single family home is at least 2-2.5m and in some areas 4-5m (i.e. Summerhill/Rosedale). We were about to move out of our condo at the Yonge and Eg area, and the places we could afford were in not so nice parts of the city, or far out to Aurora/Vaughan, and that's still talking about 1-1.5m for a townhouse.

It really depends on lifestyle whether its doable or not. We enjoy the nature of Calgary and not a big concert/sports fan outside of hockey, and the Flames are so much more affordable than the Leafs games. And we don't have a lot of family there and some of our closest friends also moved out of the city in the couple years after covid. So, the lifestyle adjustment has actually been a positive for us. If your cousins go out a lot, to concerts, bars, restaurants, etc. it's going to be an adjustment, but if they don't, Calgary offers far better value for money.

 

[Habanero]

This is good information guys! I was talking to one of my cousins last night and we had a pretty good discussion about it so one of my cousins is more of the suburban type and that’s what she would be looking for. She’s also into nature and outdoor stuff, as it turns out she’s mostly made up her mind and she’s moving to Calgary and I think it’ll be a good fit.

My other cousin is what would fit into beltline’s observation number 3. He lives way out in Richmond Hill, but he wants to live more of an inner city lifestyle. He’s trying to decide between living right downtown Toronto in a small condo or picking a larger space like a duplex or row home. He’s coming out in June and will be looking around at some of the neighborhoods to get a feel of whether he’d like it or not.

He hates living in Richmond Hill, and he’s worried that Calgary’s inner city neighborhoods would be like Richmond Hill so I guess he can decide when the gets the tour.

 

[potatopizzafan]

This is good information guys! I was talking to one of my cousins last night and we had a pretty good discussion about it so one of my cousins is more of the suburban type and that’s what she would be looking for. She’s also into nature and outdoor stuff, as it turns out she’s mostly made up her mind and she’s moving to Calgary and I think it’ll be a good fit.

My other cousin is what would fit into beltline’s observation number 3. He lives way out in Richmond Hill, but he wants to live more of an inner city lifestyle. He’s trying to decide between living right downtown Toronto in a small condo or picking a larger space like a duplex or row home. He’s coming out in June and will be looking around at some of the neighborhoods to get a feel of whether he’d like it or not.

He hates living in Richmond Hill, and he’s worried that Calgary’s inner city neighborhoods would be like Richmond Hill so I guess he can decide when the gets the tour.

Seems like Richmond Hill is a pretty typical canadian car oriented suburban area, so he'll probably be pleasantly suprised by Calgary's inner neighbourhoods

 

[trtcttc]

This is good information guys! I was talking to one of my cousins last night and we had a pretty good discussion about it so one of my cousins is more of the suburban type and that’s what she would be looking for. She’s also into nature and outdoor stuff, as it turns out she’s mostly made up her mind and she’s moving to Calgary and I think it’ll be a good fit.

My other cousin is what would fit into beltline’s observation number 3. He lives way out in Richmond Hill, but he wants to live more of an inner city lifestyle. He’s trying to decide between living right downtown Toronto in a small condo or picking a larger space like a duplex or row home. He’s coming out in June and will be looking around at some of the neighborhoods to get a feel of whether he’d like it or not.

He hates living in Richmond Hill, and he’s worried that Calgary’s inner city neighborhoods would be like Richmond Hill so I guess he can decide when the gets the tour.

I'd say Richmond Hill and Inner city is completely different. Richmond Hill would be like living in Edgemont, but instead of 20 minutes to downtown, it's an hour with regular traffic. I'd say Inglewood is a bit like Queen West/Trinity Bellwoods, Beltline is like the Entertainment district/King West. Kensington and Bridgeland are more like Summerhill/Annex. Obviously a smaller scale of each neighbourhood but that's kind of a rough vibe equivalent in my opinion.

 

[TysonR]

A third observation is that if they live in the suburbs but want more of an inner city life, Calgary might work well for them, as there are some nice inner city neighborhoods within short, walking or cycling from downtown that aren’t overly expensive relative to Toronto. They’re kind of a cross between suburban Toronto and inner city Toronto.

I would fall into that 3rd category. I’ve lived in both Toronto and Vancouver, but lived in suburban areas. I always wanted a more inner city lifestyle, but it was too expensive in those cities.
For myself, moving to Calgary has been very positive, and the longer I live here, the more I like it. I live in an inner city neighborhood, in a space that’s large enough for me, and my wife, two kids and two dogs. Cost is a big factor and I couldn’t have my lifestyle in Toronto or Vancouver.
I’ve also lived in some other cities, including Winnipeg, which is less expensive than Calgary, but lacks some of the urban experience and outdoor amenities you would get in Calgary.
When people from Vancouver, Toronto or Winnipeg, etc., ask me about Calgary. My answer is always the same, that for me Calgary is sort of the sweet spot of cities. It’s big enough to get that bigger city experience, but inexpensive enough for me to actually experience it.
My only real gripe about Calgary is the winters being colder and longer than Toronto.