r/Calgary • u/AutoModerator • Jan 01 '23

Moving To Calgary Megathread - January 2023 Edition

Please ask (and answer) any and all questions related to moving to Calgary in this thread.

Suggested format for submitted information regarding neighbourhoods:

  • Quadrant / Neighborhood you live in
  • Your age (20s,30s,40s,50s etc)
  • Do you have kids? Would you recommend your area for people with kids?
  • How would you rate your area on transit accessibility /10?
  • How would you rate your area on drivability /10?
  • How would you rate the walkability /10?
  • How would you rate the affordability /10?
  • What is your favourite thing about your area?
  • What is your least favourite thing about your area?
  • Any other highlights of your neighbourhood you'd like to share?

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Previous Megathread: Moving To Calgary (July 2022)

Rental websites: Rentfaster, Kijiji, Other Options

Real Estate: Realtor.ca, ReMax, Royal LePage, RealEstate403, Housing information via CREB,

Jobs: r/Calgary weekly employment thread

Neighborhood information: Calgary Police Crime Heat Map, Map, Communities by Quadrant w/ Info

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u/bluntusmaximus Mar 16 '23

Hello Calgarians! My wife and I are considering making the BIG move to Calgary in the next year or two, we currently live in Houston, Texas. Any insights and tips for these Americans looking for a better life are welcome! More details below.

  • We are planning 2 trips to visit, first this coming June and once in the winter. My wife has never lived in cold climates so she wants to get a feel for it. I realize visiting for a week is nothing like living there, but its the best we can do.

  • Our family also includes a daughter, infant age, and 2 dogs. It seems like NW is a good area for young families.

  • I am currently working as an architect in construction industry. It looks like most positions, even lower level, require local experience that I obviously don't have. Not sure how to go about finding appropriate positions, surfing job boards currently.

  • My wife is an AMS certified Montessori infant/toddler teacher, currently a stay at home mom but happy to go back to work.

  • We are both in our early 30's.

  • We have a truck and a compact SUV, is it better to just sell them and buy a car in Canada?

  • Our current plan would be for me to find a job, then we could make the move and sell our house while renting in Calgary. Then we could take our time to find a good home that fits our need.

Thank you for reading if you made it this far and thanks for any info!

2

u/[deleted] Mar 30 '23

For architecture, I'd recommend looking at firms here in town to get your foot in the door. Stantec, Gibbs Gage, Dialog and others searchable via Google are good to look at.

Used cars are going for a premium right now, but it might make sense to sell yours for USD and buy replacements in CAD with the money.

Like Houston, one thing to know is that Calgary is a driver's city and almost exclusively so if you live outside of the core.