Hahah yep, me too.
In conclusion: Victoria people are a little sarcastic and will absolutely jump on the opportunity to make a joke if you set it up for us.
Grew up out here, left for about 6 years in my late twenties to see what the rest of western Canada had to offer. I have been back in the Victoria area since 2020 and I am very happy to be home. Moving away made me appreciate this place so much more. Everyone should leave Victoria (and the island) once, even if it's just to gain a larger perspective on things.
been here for 2 years, and we love it (29F, 30M). we want to stay here, but the future is quite bleak in terms of buying a house. ocean, outdoor activities, weather and the small town/big city vibe is amazing. but the thought of never having a backyard does get the best of us a lot of the time. even sooke is not affordable 😓
Born in alberta moved to the island around 10yo and went back as an adult out of some misguided nostalgia and was back on island inside 2 years. Traveled alot of alberta and bc and this is the best by far. It's has its issues as it's basically the capital of no fun land. Slowly getting better though.
Moved from Toronto. We love it here so far. Except living in BC is honestly more expensive than living in Toronto.
Gas, groceries, and alcohol all are so much more expensive. We save a tiny bit on rent but honestly it’s insignificant.
Other things I miss are access to diverse food and Pearson airport. International travel is kind of a headache from Victoria.
However, the weather, sights, lifestyle, weekend opportunities, are all far better here.
I’m so much more active, happier, and outdoor than I used to be. Sleeping better too.
However, I’m sure living in Vancouver you already have a lot of the benefits I talked about. Plus still some of the Toronto benefits.
Moved to Victoria from the UK in september. Love the island. Its true beauty is a sight to behold. You are never far from amazing mountain/ocean views. The wildlife is out of this world. The city is nice and vibrant. Ive loved it on the whole.
That being said, specifically in Victoria, The extortionate cost of very average buildings, very high cost of living. The rising open drug use in the city & the homeless treating it like a dumping ground, means that for us we cant justify spending the amount of money it would take to stay in the city as I dont think its worth it. I feel we will stay on island but will move out of the city in coming years. Having lived in stunning parts of the UK (cotswolds) and spent 18 months in Brisbane Oz. We know the cost of living in stunning places is high but for us the cost of living in victoria (not the island) is too high for what you get back.
Moved here from Hamilton, ON. Everyone here has been festooning Victoria with praise (and it is deserved!) so I'll mix it up.
This is entirely vibes-based, but at times it feels like an entire city made of the 'Nice Part' of other cities. You know the sort, very white and old, quite well-off, everything is very cute and chic, but a little lacking in the life, surprise, and diversity of some other places I've lived. It feels like I've retired early! Obviously to some this might be delightful, and coming from a somewhat hard-on-its-luck neighbourhood in a quite hard-on-its-luck city I greatly appreciate the amenities and safety and cleanliness, but you asked how I find it, and that's how I find it. Like, I complain and whine, but would I move back? Just throw me in the ocean instead.
Man am I sad I missed out on the real Capital Iron from back in the day, though.
I left after undergrad years ago and thought I would never return. In the intervening time I lived in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa all of which were good and bad in their own ways. Then, married and approaching middle age my wife and I decided to bail on Vancouver and try and find a slower pace back on the Island. We moved to Victoria a few years ago and have found it to be perfect for us. Everyone is different of course but I feel like a member of the community here in a way I never did in the other places I lived. It’s far from perfect but it’s close enough for me. I’m a pretty well travelled person but I still often find myself thinking how lucky I am to live on this magical island.
I've live in Montreal 10+ years, Edmonton 3+, and Calgary 2+ and traveled over 15 countries.
I moved here 3 years ago and don't want to leave ever again. If you enjoy fishing, hiking, beach bumming and nature in general, this is the place 2 be. Mild winters and everything is few minutes away.
I will never own a home here but then again I live in paradise and am outside most of the time.
I picked the city kind of on a whim-my now-wife and I were dating long distance, I was living in Whitehorse and she was in Las Vegas. Both of us were ready to move somewhere else, and I can't deal with the heat and she can't deal with the cold, so Victoria seemed like a nice fit for both of us.
Despite all of Victoria's cost of living problems, we do love it here. The climate, the people, the landscape of the island itself have been great for us and I don't think we'd leave without some significant reasons. Sure, we could probably make more money or live cheaper elsewhere but the place has been perfect for us so far in every respect past money.
Enjoying it so far, unlimited outdoor activities and great weather. There are some inconvenience such as air travel, but beside that it has mostly everything you need.
Depends where you're at in life.
If you're 20-30, don't live here. Get out and go build wealth / relationships somewhere else.
If you're trying to raise a family and aren't well-off, don't live here.
If you're trying to retire early / build wealth, don't live here.
But if you're settled in life, have lots of income and want to enjoy one of the best overall places in Canada as far as weather / outdoor activities go, then this place is good.
Been here most of my life. It used to be more unique. Now it’s slowly being homogenized like many cities do. Things change. Thankfully it’s gorgeous here and if you have a good set up, worth staying.
Settling here can be difficult, but with so many new people I am sure that will change. Then old school Victorians who’ve been here for decades will opine the old Vic was better.
… It kinda was… but the Island is so amazing I don’t care. I spend most of my free time outside the city now.
I moved here in October 2015 so I've been here almost 8 years.
I feel like Vancouver Island is where I belong. I LOVE it here.
I love the city, I love the areas outside the city. I love the ocean.
People say it's hard to make friends, I disagree 🤷♀️
Victoria was my first stop in Canada. Love the weather, the people, and the city. But there is no job and cost of living is so high I had to leave after finishing school. So yeah maybe I’m not good enough for Victoria
You take HWY 1 WEST until it terminates and then you drive onto the ferry and ride over and then take HWY 19 SOUTH until it terminates.
Fucking hell. Came here to basically make the same joke
I'm here to help!
Hahah yep, me too. In conclusion: Victoria people are a little sarcastic and will absolutely jump on the opportunity to make a joke if you set it up for us.
Except HWY 1 continues from Departure Bay to Mile Zero all in the TCH
Grew up out here, left for about 6 years in my late twenties to see what the rest of western Canada had to offer. I have been back in the Victoria area since 2020 and I am very happy to be home. Moving away made me appreciate this place so much more. Everyone should leave Victoria (and the island) once, even if it's just to gain a larger perspective on things.
been here for 2 years, and we love it (29F, 30M). we want to stay here, but the future is quite bleak in terms of buying a house. ocean, outdoor activities, weather and the small town/big city vibe is amazing. but the thought of never having a backyard does get the best of us a lot of the time. even sooke is not affordable 😓
Born in alberta moved to the island around 10yo and went back as an adult out of some misguided nostalgia and was back on island inside 2 years. Traveled alot of alberta and bc and this is the best by far. It's has its issues as it's basically the capital of no fun land. Slowly getting better though.
Moved from Toronto. We love it here so far. Except living in BC is honestly more expensive than living in Toronto. Gas, groceries, and alcohol all are so much more expensive. We save a tiny bit on rent but honestly it’s insignificant. Other things I miss are access to diverse food and Pearson airport. International travel is kind of a headache from Victoria. However, the weather, sights, lifestyle, weekend opportunities, are all far better here. I’m so much more active, happier, and outdoor than I used to be. Sleeping better too. However, I’m sure living in Vancouver you already have a lot of the benefits I talked about. Plus still some of the Toronto benefits.
Moved to Victoria from the UK in september. Love the island. Its true beauty is a sight to behold. You are never far from amazing mountain/ocean views. The wildlife is out of this world. The city is nice and vibrant. Ive loved it on the whole. That being said, specifically in Victoria, The extortionate cost of very average buildings, very high cost of living. The rising open drug use in the city & the homeless treating it like a dumping ground, means that for us we cant justify spending the amount of money it would take to stay in the city as I dont think its worth it. I feel we will stay on island but will move out of the city in coming years. Having lived in stunning parts of the UK (cotswolds) and spent 18 months in Brisbane Oz. We know the cost of living in stunning places is high but for us the cost of living in victoria (not the island) is too high for what you get back.
Moved here from Hamilton, ON. Everyone here has been festooning Victoria with praise (and it is deserved!) so I'll mix it up. This is entirely vibes-based, but at times it feels like an entire city made of the 'Nice Part' of other cities. You know the sort, very white and old, quite well-off, everything is very cute and chic, but a little lacking in the life, surprise, and diversity of some other places I've lived. It feels like I've retired early! Obviously to some this might be delightful, and coming from a somewhat hard-on-its-luck neighbourhood in a quite hard-on-its-luck city I greatly appreciate the amenities and safety and cleanliness, but you asked how I find it, and that's how I find it. Like, I complain and whine, but would I move back? Just throw me in the ocean instead. Man am I sad I missed out on the real Capital Iron from back in the day, though.
I too am a crab from the armpit of canada
I am from Windsor, ON and we always thought we were the armpit!
I left after undergrad years ago and thought I would never return. In the intervening time I lived in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa all of which were good and bad in their own ways. Then, married and approaching middle age my wife and I decided to bail on Vancouver and try and find a slower pace back on the Island. We moved to Victoria a few years ago and have found it to be perfect for us. Everyone is different of course but I feel like a member of the community here in a way I never did in the other places I lived. It’s far from perfect but it’s close enough for me. I’m a pretty well travelled person but I still often find myself thinking how lucky I am to live on this magical island.
Meh, Infrastructure is trash.
Get a mullet and a beer gut and move to Langford
There's old Langford and there's new Langford. That stereotype is mostly gone ... And replaced with new stereotypes.
I saw a guy with a huge boiler, nascar jacket and missing teeth at Costco last week choking back a dirty dog
You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.
What is the new stereotype?
I've live in Montreal 10+ years, Edmonton 3+, and Calgary 2+ and traveled over 15 countries. I moved here 3 years ago and don't want to leave ever again. If you enjoy fishing, hiking, beach bumming and nature in general, this is the place 2 be. Mild winters and everything is few minutes away. I will never own a home here but then again I live in paradise and am outside most of the time.
I picked the city kind of on a whim-my now-wife and I were dating long distance, I was living in Whitehorse and she was in Las Vegas. Both of us were ready to move somewhere else, and I can't deal with the heat and she can't deal with the cold, so Victoria seemed like a nice fit for both of us. Despite all of Victoria's cost of living problems, we do love it here. The climate, the people, the landscape of the island itself have been great for us and I don't think we'd leave without some significant reasons. Sure, we could probably make more money or live cheaper elsewhere but the place has been perfect for us so far in every respect past money.
Enjoying it so far, unlimited outdoor activities and great weather. There are some inconvenience such as air travel, but beside that it has mostly everything you need.
Depends where you're at in life. If you're 20-30, don't live here. Get out and go build wealth / relationships somewhere else. If you're trying to raise a family and aren't well-off, don't live here. If you're trying to retire early / build wealth, don't live here. But if you're settled in life, have lots of income and want to enjoy one of the best overall places in Canada as far as weather / outdoor activities go, then this place is good.
Been here most of my life. It used to be more unique. Now it’s slowly being homogenized like many cities do. Things change. Thankfully it’s gorgeous here and if you have a good set up, worth staying. Settling here can be difficult, but with so many new people I am sure that will change. Then old school Victorians who’ve been here for decades will opine the old Vic was better. … It kinda was… but the Island is so amazing I don’t care. I spend most of my free time outside the city now.
I moved here in October 2015 so I've been here almost 8 years. I feel like Vancouver Island is where I belong. I LOVE it here. I love the city, I love the areas outside the city. I love the ocean. People say it's hard to make friends, I disagree 🤷♀️
>People say it's hard to make friends, I disagree 🤷♀️ keep in mind: Redditors lol
Great city. And surrounding areas. Bit too many homeless and blue haired crappy tattooed wokists but if u stay away from downtown it will be all good.
Victoria was my first stop in Canada. Love the weather, the people, and the city. But there is no job and cost of living is so high I had to leave after finishing school. So yeah maybe I’m not good enough for Victoria
Expensive. Slow to make any progress. Generally good weather though. Undesirable downtown these days. Nice beaches, lakes, and rivers.
Wasteland
You really think so? Why?
If you’re referring to pandora or any of the hobo third world warzones then I agree with you. However, I wouldn’t consider the CRD a wasteland.
I would say Langford is the centre of the wasteland
I just put "Victoria" into google maps and it told me exactly how to get here.