What's it like living in Canada?

I'm from Newfoundland. I live in a small town by the coast. I love living here, it's beautiful and most people are friendly. But the winters can get pretty bad!!! :P

I live in Nova Scotia, Canada.

I love where I live, the summers are beautiful and the winters aren't to bad. The annapolis valley is a especially beautiful place and it's only an hour or so away from Halifax. :D

I was born right next door (Dorset), but moved to Canada as a baby.

I now live in the Yukon Territory, although being military, I lived all over the country.

Some big differences: Most Canadians live in cities - about 85% of us. But, this country is massive, so the spaces between the cities is quite empty in many areas. E.g., you know how in England, there is a village ever few miles? Where I am, in the just over 500km to the "city" (26,000 people), there are 3 villages, with populations of 40, 150, and 400. That's it - the rest is wilderness. Just forests, mountains, rivers, and the one road. At this time of year, it would be quite likely to drive to the next place, about 180km away, and not see a single other vehicle on the highway. I moved here from Ottawa, which is in the central part of the country. The trip was just over 6000km. To get to the other end of Canada from here is about 8400km by road - something like that. To put this in perspective - the trip across Canada one way is longer than from Exeter to Ankara, Turkey - and back. Exeter to Karachi, Pakistan is a similar distance from here to St. John's, Newfoundland - still in Canada.

Things are new here. In England, people still live in houses that are 400 years old - or more. In my home town, there was a huge debate over the school building where I went to Primary school. The school no longer used it, but people wanted to preserve it, as it was the oldest public building in the community. It was finally torn town. The date it was built? 1929. That was the oldest building! Parts of the East might be a few hundred years old, but most places in the West, are less than 150 years old - often a lot less.

You have heard of the cold here. Well, that can be true - it certainly is where I live, where we had temperatures below -40C this week. But, parts of Canada are much like Devon. In Vancouver, and the surrounding area, they can grow palm trees. I grew up in a desert area - looking just like an American cowboy movies (some of which were filmed there). It was very hot, and dry. But, much of Canada is much colder than the UK in winter - and warmer in summer.

The cost of living here is much lower. While house prices are crazy in Vancouver, and Toronto, etc., they are still far, far less than in the UK - maybe 1/2 or even 1/3 as much as over there. Mind you, the houses are much more temporary in construction - no modern houses are made with brick or stone (except in rare cases). Fuel is about 1/2 the UK prices, and food probably 3/4 or so. Going to the UK, the price for everything looks much the same as Canada - but, in pounds, not dollars! (E.g., a sandwich in a pub - say 5pounds - but $5 in Canada).

The scenery here is stunning. Yes, Devon is okay, but for shear majesty, you cannot beat Canada. The Rockies by Banff and Jasper are everything you have heard of. The openness of the prairies is amazing - the farms there are measured in "sections" - which is a square mile (640 acres). A typical farm would be 2 1/2 sections, and some can be 4 and 5 sections. Imagine, a single farm, 2 miles long, and 2 miles wide!

We are more frontier minded in some ways. People look to themselves, and don't bother neighbours so much - we are thus tolerant, and put up with a wide variety of things from our neighbours. That is especially true where I am - you can live pretty much how you like to, and no-one bothers you. Want to live in a tent? Sure. Prefer an outhouse to a flush toilet. Okay then. People don't even comment on stuff like that up here.

Canadians are much friendlier than in the UK, but less civil, somehow. You will not find the neat lineups at a bus stop, for example. That was something I really liked in the UK, but we have lost that here. But, striking up a conversation with a stranger in Canada is simple - a lot tougher in the UK.

I have made trips back to the UK, to where I was born, and while there are things I liked (West Country Cider!!!!!), Canada is a much better place to be.

I live in Toronto, and i love it!!!

you get the suburban and city life :)

downtown is a lot like newyork, just without the crazy traffic

the weather is AMAZING! its super hot in the summer and pretty cold in the winter :)

we get all forms of weather, except for the dangerous ones like earthquakes, etc!

also, living in Canada is great because of the health care, and the very nice people, and its such a peacefull country :)

i live in vancouver bc

it really is beautiful

mountains

snow

rain

its a mix of all the weathers

we have snowy winters and blazing summers

it a very nice place

i live in ontario just north of toronto and its amazing!:) although we do get a lot of snow you get used to it and its so pretty i just couldnt image the holidays without snow..canadas great!!!:D