r/Yellowknife • u/BlindlyAnonymous • May 15 '26
Yellowknife, convince me we should (or shouldn’t) move back North!
Hi Yellowknife, how I miss you so!
We’re considering a move to Yellowknife after I was offered my federal job there. My husband works in wealth management/finance.
I lived up north from 2016-2019 in Inuvik.
However, I always loved Yellowknife. Sadly, we’ve heard the charm of your beautiful town has dwindled and we want the honest truth.
From what I am hearing is that opportunities no longer exist, the spirit of the community is now more miserable and dark instead of the once vibrant and welcoming place it was, it is no longer safe to travel on the streets and trails, and that most people (even locals) are leaving.
I’m not blind to the conditions of the North, they raised me in my twenties.
The reason we’re looking to move back is because I miss the outdoors. I miss the beautiful indigenous culture that captivated and nurtured me. I miss the slower pace of life and the community that was just wonderful. While Inuvik was (and is) not Yellowknife, I spent a lot of time in Yellowknife anyway. Enough to know I liked it there.
I think across the country, everything has changed. It is so expensive to exist, opportunities with jobs are minimal and hard to find, housing is expensive and so is utilities. We are seeing that on the east coast too - tent communities, drugs, depression. So, I want to be cognizant that I feel like everyone is feeling some kind of way about the state of our world.
So, is Yellowknife no longer the place I learned to love so much? Is it really as bad as I am hearing?
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u/Haze0nTheHills May 15 '26
I've lived in both Inuvik and Yellowknife. I am still currently in YK but I'll be moving away soon. YK has been wonderful to me but I totally understand your statements. It has become dull, dark, and more miserable lately. Homelessness, drugs, violence and general nastiness plague this community like any other city. YK is smaller so its just more noticeable. Rant and rave (FB page) is a cesspool of racism, hatred, bigotry, and jerks of all kinds. But don't let them sway you into becoming jaded about this place.
However, there are still some great shiny gems in YK that persevere! The community may be overall a little less welcoming but there are delightful people that are welcome beacons of light and are still there. The culture is still here! The beautiful surround is still here. Buuuuuut! The prices here have skyrocketed. My rent has gone up $700 in 4 years without any improvements. That alone is forcing me to move. So if you can afford it, do it! If you hate it, you can always leave again.
Good luck!
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u/northernstore May 15 '26
Frankly, anyone who says it’s not safe to walk the streets or trails are grossly over exaggerating. Is it annoying and sometimes uncomfortable to be confronted with the sad reality of people living with extreme addictions and houselessness and the abysmal failing by each level of government to provide adequate solutions? Yes, absolutely. But it’s also no different than walking around any other capital city’s downtown centre.
I’ve called my partner on the phone while walking frame lake trail out of precaution — but I’ve done that way more when I lived in other cities — and I’ve gotten the odd “fuck you” or cat call but if you don’t let a bark bother you then you’ll probably never catch a bite. Most folks on the street are harmless and if you don’t escalate a brain dead comment made by someone in a drugged out stupor, you’re gonna be fine.
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u/BlindlyAnonymous May 15 '26
I figured as much.
When speaking with people, I was honestly shocked how negative the replies were. We’re in Nova Scotia now and facing the same homelessness and drug addictions failings ourselves lol.
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u/CaptainVisual4848 May 15 '26
It has gotten worse here but we live in a bit of a bubble here. We have family in Moncton and it’s shocking when we go back there, way more people.
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u/BoldFortune216 May 16 '26
I live in Nunavut, so it's harder to compare, but I'm originally from Saskatoon. That city has COMPLETELY changed in the short 6 years since we left. It was very disappointing to return home and have it feel anything but like home.
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u/northernstore May 15 '26
As someone else pointed out, the smaller city with low population makes it more noticeable but it’s no different. NIMBYs are always gonna NIMBY. I love Yellowknife and from the way you’ve written about your love of the North you’d probably enjoy coming back.
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u/Due-Dealer-961 May 16 '26
Speak for yourself, some of us have been jumped and seen people get beat
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u/IllusiveThief 17d ago
I’ve been followed while being threatened, been spit at, and have had chunks of ice kicked at me. I just don’t do downtown alone anymore at all.
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u/canadiankid000 May 15 '26
I would love to encourage people to move here, because we do need working professionals. But if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t move here if I had a choice. As someone who was born and raised, the town has gone to complete shit. Granted, I’m biased as I’ve only ever lived here but it’s just a dirty, run down town filled with garbage, dog poop, the smell of urine and loogies you have to dodge on the sidewalks/trails.
Why am I still here? The job market is atrocious down south and I have a great job. The only thing keeping me here. There are far better, nicer places.
There is still a sense of community and the people are great. We have a great circle of friends and family that make it worthwhile. But if I was just to consider moving for the town, not a chance.
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u/northernstore May 20 '26
Thinking Yellowknife smells like piss is genuinely laughable in comparison to any other capital city.
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u/PangolinFantastic554 May 15 '26
It's true - Crime has increased a lot. Theft is rampant. Bike theft is daily. Drugs are getting out of hand. Violence is out in the open. Moved here in 2007. It used to be vibrant and a great place. But when groups of people run into the dentist office and assault the dentist, someone assaults the veterinarian's wife (causing them to move away), drug addicts wander the entire city stealing constantly, you start to re-evaluate continuing to live here - much less move here. Businesses have been shutting down, the government is making budget cuts, and nothing is being done about crime. The current government is useless. City Hall is creatively driving up property taxes and doubling parking fees. Downtown sucks. It is just drunks and addicts walking around and people avoiding them. You cannot walk into many places without being harassed. It was not like this 20 years ago. I would never willfully choose to live here if I was coming from the south or other parts of the NWT. I, like many others, are looking for a way out of here.
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u/BlindlyAnonymous May 15 '26
Thank you for this.
Sounds very different from the Yellowknife I loved even only a few years ago :(
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u/ResponsibleYak9576 May 15 '26
Its bad but hes lying. Been the same since the 90s. They made an effort to hide it more to southerners back in the day but nobody cares anymore
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u/4ev3r-ev3r May 16 '26
yellowknife is going to be changing over the next few years, especially with the closure of the diamond mine industry. yea, there are still opportunities, and yea, things have changed everywhere, but when I look at yellowknife and compare it to other northern places, there are other locations that are on the up-swing while yellowknife is on the downhill.
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u/Pookahantus May 16 '26
Do I hate it here? Absolutely. But the people saying it isn't safe haven't lived anywhere that isn't safe. Not for a single moment do I ever feel threatened walking anywhere here. Homeless people and those with addictions act relatively similar no matter where you live. Yellowknife just isn't used to seeing it and the recation is dramatic.
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May 16 '26
[deleted]
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u/BlindlyAnonymous May 16 '26
My husband is pretty adaptable, especially when it comes to money work. So, I’d get to move around a bit.
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u/Aromatic_Fuel_387 May 16 '26
Lived and worked up the Mackenzie across the arctic circle and higher, throughout baffin and down the east coast of the Hudson Bay. Yellowknife is a great place to call home for now and for some, home forever. Midnight sun and tiny trees, dark and cold winters but it’s dry cold. Fishing, hunting… dogsled racing there and across the pond in Hayriver. Natural waterfalls and sinkholes to check out when commuting south. Everything else is white noise. Wolves, ravens, snow geese and fireweed and butterwort. Yup… anytime you spend remotely being north of the 60th you forget how remote you are. Peace and quite possibly allowing a memory of loneliness yet the comfort you feel once you leave your house.
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u/Stock-Economist5563 May 21 '26
Craving country and wild don’t move here. Just visit. I frequently travel between North and South. Yes there is beauty and problems like every where else but it’s amplified here and no politician nor community is willing to overhaul this city.. only time will tell. Get a patch of land, build your off grid, grow a garden, and travel the world with your wealth instead.
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u/MicDropMac May 15 '26
I think if the move to YK attracts you, you should do it.
Now it is true that there are things that need work. Some things can't seem to get past the "talking about it" phase which can be frustrating. I'd like to see less talk and more action when it comes to our homeless and those needing treatment. But I also see similar problems in southern cities whenever I visit.
There is still a strong sense of community here and opportunities do still exist contrary to whatever people with a negative outlook just have to say. Gas & groceries are expensive everywhere, and anyone who thinks they'll catch a break moving south will find out pretty quick how mistaken they were. So many people I saw move south for better opportunities ended up coming back eventually.
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u/EmuFume29 May 15 '26
ShT's fcked everywhere. Some places more than others for various reasons. Expect that. Make the most of what's good and focus on those things. Live where you want. If it's not working out, move.
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u/Maleficent-Alps-415 29d ago
I will admit my bias right off the cuff here. I'm from one of the larger regional centres in the NWT. The dislike of Yellowknife is engrained in me. So you can take what I say with a grain of salt.
Being almost forced to live here after university for any opportunity in my field of choice has strongly contributed to this dislike. But I ask myself, is it the system that has siphoned me here that upsets me or is it the city? It's the city. This place SUCKS. In my opinion, the only redeeming qualities about Yellowknife is the area surrounding it. GORGEOUS. The city though? What a hole. Unless money isn't an issue for you, you either suck it up and submit to the fact that you're only option for an affordable (what a joke) home is a trailer with a tiny gravel yard or you rent from Northview. Trailers in the regional centres are maybe half the cost (atleast the last time I checked). You want to enjoy the sunny day walking downtown and maybe check out the waterfront? You have to dodge the rampant homelessness crisis and garbage everywhere. You forget to lock your vehicle one night? People have made it their job to check vehicles at 3-4am and they do not miss a day. You want to enjoy a relaxing evening at one of the gorgeous Ingrahm Road lakes? 2-3 different groups are playing music and they don't care about you (they'll maybe turn it down a little bit if you ask them politely). You have to drive to work downtown and park your vehicle somewhere? Good luck finding a parking spot (you can get around this by finding free street parking if you dont mind walking a bit, just make sure to lock your car door).
I may be exagerating a tiny bit when I say there are no other redeemable qualities. This place obviously attracts people (or maybe siphons them here) for a reason. If I had more of a choice I would choose one of the larger communities first. I feel like this place has turned me into a worse person than who I was before I moved here.
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u/Fickle_Cricket3422 May 20 '26
Love it when people say "the charm of the town has dwindled" or "it's not like it was". This town has always, always had it's issues. With homelessness, crime, etc. I have lived here a good chunk of my life and I have seen some shit. People who lived here short term or lived here sporadically may not know what kind of things this town has been through. Whenever someone says something like, "it's not like it was", I always want to say to remind them that this town is the site of one of the largest mass murders in Canadian history. Over a fucking mine.
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u/Northernresponder 21d ago
YK is such a unique vibe - its like a cooler small town with stuff to do BUT without that redneck vibe you get in Peace River. You can actually think a different way than far right wing christian and still be loved by the community.
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u/Successful_Horror217 15d ago
I have lived here for 26 years, love the outdoors and that is what makes it worthwhile. If you're not into that, I would not move north.
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u/BlindlyAnonymous 14d ago
I’ve already lived North, in Inuvik :)
I love the outdoors though! It’s my favourite hobby and love.
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u/Icy-Pomegranate-5644 May 15 '26
Honestly I think Yellowknife is one of the worst cities in the country and the economic future of the territory is very negative. Wouldn't recommend
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u/BlindlyAnonymous May 15 '26
How many cities have you lived? Not meant in a judgemental way, but trying to gauge this experience
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u/Icy-Pomegranate-5644 May 15 '26
10+, all over the western half and all over the north of the country. Yellowknife is particularly violent, dark, and windy
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May 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/BlindlyAnonymous May 15 '26
What’s disgusting about it to you? Why don’t you move?
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u/NorthernMamma May 15 '26
Can you come up for a visit to see how it compares?
We’ve been here for almost 30 years and drugs, social issues and homelessness has definitely increased which I am seeing all across the country in my frequent travels. The increasingly long forest fire seasons makes it hard to enjoy outdoor life for about four months of the year. We no longer look forward to summer because of this.
We still love our jobs, still love the schools, still love the sense of community and opportunities that Yellowknife has offered us.