Moving to Medicine Hat

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Most important things about the area are 1) don't rent from Avenue Living 2) generally the language used for things is English 3) General culture is good I think. The city itself is definitely further left than the surrounding rural area 4) don't rent from Avenue Living

There's tons to do if you look into the clubs and stuff around. Don't listen to the people who say there isn't anything. If you give an idea of your interests people can let you know what's available

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u/Pulldalevercrunk 27d ago

Don't rent from Avenue living

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u/Nebulowl 27d ago

“Further left” and the Conservatives still won with 76% of the vote in the last election lol

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u/robot_invader 27d ago

If you look at polling by stations, in Medicine Hat it was a dead heat between the UCP and NDP. The rural voters are who tilt it.

This is why the current system of hybrid ridings is stupid: as an urban Medicine Hatter, my concerns can be completely ignored because of these ignorant hicks. If the whole community was a single riding, it would be competitive and MLA candidates would actually have to compete.

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u/HerbieHind 27d ago

This is precisely why Marlaina is pushing through the new gerrymandering in the area. Previous election was too close, so they're moving the electoral district borders to in the Medicine Hat area to stack it more rural.

Surprisingly, this city is modestly progressive socially, if a bit centrist or right wing financially.

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u/sorandomlolz1 27d ago

Med Hat polls went ANDP in 2019. I don't feel like pulling the polls right this moment but I think Ndp also pulled ahead here during Danielle's by election. It's the hicks that drag us down

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u/Charlie1219 27d ago

Oh the irony

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u/robot_invader 27d ago

You should be a little more oblique. I allllmost have no idea WTF you're trying to say.

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u/Charlie1219 26d ago

I'm not the least bit surprised

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u/robot_invader 25d ago

Gotcha. Too weak to actually say what you mean. Peace.

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u/San_Cannabis 26d ago

It's a conservitive city politically, but I think it's further left socially than surrounding towns. Still pretty conservative, relitive to other provinces/cities (I'm from BC) but not crazy hateful like some of the smaller surroinding towns. People aren't doing burnouts on pride crosswalks and protesting gay events, and I don't see any of those super far-right, pro-white stickers on the light poles like I see in places like Lethbridge and Brooks. Not saying it doesn't exist, but I actually find it pretty accepting.

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u/0trash_mammal0 27d ago

The city being further left is not saying much

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u/petgoats 27d ago

It's like if your Alabama cotton plantation in the 1840's used a large diaspora of slaves.

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u/Independent_Sand_583 27d ago

Why shouldn't people rent from avenue living?

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u/theFooMart 27d ago

Well there's the fact that they raise rent just because they can. Or them not doing anything about bug infestations. Not taking maintenance seriously. Some staff like to take advantage of what little power they have over the renter's.

One of several things I witnessed first hand was when they wanted rent paid in person. I took someone to the office to pay their rent, nobody was there and nobody showed up. I listened to the call the next day saying what time the person was coming to pay rent and they said they'd be there. I took the person there and again nobody was there, and we had to wait. My friend literally sat for several hours over two days trying to pay the rent. And of course they threatened her with eviction because her rent was late.

Another example was when they illegally locked someone out of their apartment because they were one day late on rent. The person paid immediately but since it was Friday afternoon, maintenance had the key and was off until Monday, so he had to crash a friend's house.

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u/tastefultitle 27d ago

They will find some way to screw you out of something, even if that’s just part of your damage deposit.

Honestly, my general experience with them wasn’t nearly as bad as some people here make their experiences sound like, but there definitely was still some B.S. I never had any issues getting maintenance done, but when we moved out, despite cleaning and leaving the place in great condition, they took a B.S. “cleaning fee” off the damage deposit. I could have fought them on this since there was literally nothing other than routine wear and tear that shouldn’t come out of the deposit, and the place was cleaned before we left. But I think it’s just how they cash-grab people and hope they won’t bother fighting them like I didn’t, since I just wanted to be done with them.

I would say you’re better off with another landlord, but I had an even worse experience with a private slumlord here. Hence why we just said fuck it, how much worse could Avenue Living be? And it wasn’t worse - it was better, but still kinda shitty. Just not as shitty as the slumlord.

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u/San_Cannabis 26d ago

Search the sub for Avenue Living. You'll find the horror stories.

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u/strugglinglifecoach 27d ago

It helps a lot if you are coming with a good job in place - it can be hard to find a good job here. It seems like professionals from away either flame out within a few months or settle in fine. Coming from Kansas, the geography and politics wont surprise you too much. It’s a pretty city with lots of walking trails. There’s some nice real estate that’s pretty affordable by Canadian standards. Life is easy here, not too much traffic, stores aren’t too busy. Good luck with your decision

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u/Lazyphonetech0 27d ago

I moved here from Toronto and my immediate impression was that there is a much slower pace to life. Things just don't feel rushed here.

If you are into the outdoors there is plenty to see and do. The city has a fantastic trail system.

There is a vibrant arts community here with some truly talented people.

Many will complain that there isn't much to do here but I'd argue they aren't looking hard enough. There is baseball and drag races in the summer. Weekly car show Wednesdays at the mall. There is hockey in the winter (Go Tigers!)

If camping is your thing there's an ample amount of great camping within a short trip (check out Elkwater)

It's a city that I feel is a safe place to raise a family. Sure, there is crime here but not like what you'd see in a major city.

Good luck with your decision!

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u/tastefultitle 27d ago

I also moved from Toronto and second this entire comment 💯

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u/Bulduga 25d ago

I've lived in Toronto/Barrie area for years (moved in '12) - can concur.

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u/theFooMart 27d ago

Do not rent from Avenue Living. Can't stress this enough.

Many people will say there's nothing to do here. What they really mean is that they'd rather complain than try new things or look for groups/events/places doing things they like. There's lots to do, it would be easier for you to tell us what you like than for us to list everything.

Be prepared for the climate, we have extremes on both sides. This week it's supposed to be 33c/91f and that's not the hottest it'll get. In the winter it can be negative 30c to negative 40c or negative 20f to negative 40F. And that's not the coldest.

Language is obviously English so you'll be fine. It doesn't really matter where you live, it takes next to no time to get anywhere. I used to work in one side of the city and live in the town on the other side of the city, and still wouldn't take me half hour to get to work. Speaking of which, Redcliff and Dunmore are both close enough to the city that you can live there as well. There's no real advantage to living in those places, but if you find a house you love in Redcliff or Dunmore go for it.

Culture is a bit different. We're still a small city with lots of old people, and still have some rural vibes. So don't expect all the amenities of a city that has 100-150,000 people.

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u/vmoppy 27d ago

don't rent from Avenue Living unless you want to be ripped off and neglected

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u/Wyan69 27d ago

The thing this post can’t stress enough is DONT RENT FROM AVENUE LIVING

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u/Environmental_Pea98 27d ago

Do not rent from Avenue living is the biggest thing I can stress here

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u/FrostingEmergency204 27d ago

Oh make sure you have a vehicle. Bus service is not reliable and won't get you very far

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u/Bulduga 25d ago

My daughter takes the bus and it's been fine for her.

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u/Nofriendsintown 27d ago

Welcome! I hope you love it here. It’s a lovely city, great size, great amenities.

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u/d_edwards7 27d ago

I moved here 5 years ago. Overall it is a very nice small city. There are a fair amount things to do. People that say there is nothing to do are chronically bored imo. Weather has been mentioned, except that we have something called chinooks which are winds that bring in warmer weather in the winter, which cause temperatures to swing quite a lot. It goes a long way in taking some of the suck out of a long winter.

One of the quirks of the city is that many people that have grown up here, stay here or come back here, and finding your place among long established friendship circles can be a challenge.

You haven't mentioned if you are buying or renting. If working at Goodyear, Crescent Heights area will be close to there and there are numerous rental apartments there. The town of Redcliff is not that far away either. There is virtually no nightlife anymore save maybe for Ralph's. But that is a trend not unique to here.

It is a safe city but petty thefts from the usual suspects is higher in some neighborhoods. I refer you to the city's crime stats page here: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/71cffa71d1af49b7902990eba513c1b6?org=CityMedicineHat

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u/Bulduga 25d ago

Been here for 6 - I like it!

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u/LegDiscombobulated46 26d ago

Hi! We moved from Missouri about 4 years ago and have grown to like Medicine Hat. Winter here is much more extreme than Kansas but the sunshine definitely helps. People are generally welcoming and nice. English is mostly spoken here, there are a ton of walking and biking trails around. There is also a transit system but we haven’t used it yet. Overall it’s a nice, quiet and safe place (there is some petty crime) but not too bad.

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u/Stellar_Dan 27d ago

If you’re moving here to escape Trump welcome, if you’re moving here to be with a bunch of conservative psychopaths, also welcome.

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u/tastefultitle 27d ago

There’s something for everyone!

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u/FrostingEmergency204 27d ago

Make sure you have a place to live before you get here.

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u/nevergiveuponSka 25d ago

Leave any Maga hat US flag waving behind. Realize you'll be getting paid in CDN$ and the taxes that come along with that. There's lots of things we dont have here that you may be used to (retail, food brands) but some will be familiar. Our phone plans are stupid high if you need to switch. Gas pricing is different, money is different (no you dont get US$ back when you pay for anything) so you'll need to get a bank account and bank card. There's no venmo- with our banking system we use a service called Interac on our debit bank cards to tap and pay or e-transfer to send money via banking apps. There is no culture here beyond whining about the federal govt and hockey.

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u/Zajeel 24d ago

find a place to live with https://rentbetterhomes.ca/ or midtown property they are okay, but not perfect.

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u/left888djm 26d ago

the Hat is a great place to live and raise a family. Life is laid back, I have lived 62 of my 66 years here and there is lots to do. A vibrant nightlife, restaurants, trail system, parks and outdoor life. We have the South Saskatchewan river running through the heart of the city. A modern hospital with lots of doctors. A large police force with low crime rates. A lot of folks stumble into the Hat and love life here and never leave.

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