# Where should I move? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 22, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073 "2008-10-22T16:14:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/61 "2008-10-23T20:08:06Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Just as long as you don’t do it when I’m in Iceland. 🙂 No worries, I promised you a beer and I stand by my word. > [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Sorry to disappoint you on multiple fronts, but it looks like [Iceland has no treaty of commerce and navigation](http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/reciprocity/reciprocity_3581.html) with the U.S., so the E visa isn’t going to work for you. But let me know if you come up with a job offer from a U.S. company, and I’ll try to give you the scoop on specific visa issues for that situation. Thank you again for checking this for me! And I’ll be sure to let you know. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/62 "2008-10-23T20:15:01Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > Somebody please tell me that ain’t Hawaii. Cause skiing in the morning and a bbq on the beach in the evening is my definition of heaven. > > And if this works out, I promise to introduce you to some of my female cousins 😉 😃 > [@WormTheRed](#): > > Hey, waiddaminte! Usually? What is the weather like (in centigrades please)? Bah, it can’t be worse than here so no matter. Ha ha ha ha! It is to laugh. The Prairies have an inland continental climate, like Mongolia. Translation: extremes of temperature. My mom was from Saskatchewan and told us stories about walking to school during the winter along the board sidewalks of Regina in -40 temperatures. And believe me, when it’s that cold, F or C doesn’t matter. Toronto is a LOT warmer than that in the winter. There are ads in the Toronto subway advertising a beautiful job-filled life in Saskatchewan. I notice the pictures were taken in the summer. OTOH, nearer the mountains in Calgary, it still gets that cold in winter, but the cold is broken by [chinooks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook_wind), föhn winds that come down the mountain slopes, warm and dry the air, and can cause the temperature to rise thirty degrees in a couple of hours. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/63 "2008-10-23T20:22:08Z")
We’ve heard from San Francisco and Portland, so you may as well hit the other city worth living in on the West Coast: Seattle. Kinda wet and rainy, but friendly people and decent jobs, plus a state government and local population whose political attitudes are much more in line with European ones than much of the country. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/64 "2008-10-23T20:22:15Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > And this means I’m gonna sign up for all sorts of dating-sites to find me an american lass who can sponsor me 😃 I like perfect climates. > > But I also like snow… hmm… > > This is really difficult. I would just like to confirm that it snows in Hawaii. On Mauna Kea, on the Big Island. That’s up where they have the observatory. People can snow ski up there, then hit the beach WAY down below for some balmy surfing. Hawaii: It really is as close to Paradise as you’ll ever get on Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/65 "2008-10-23T20:25:25Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > \ > Hey, waiddaminte! Usually? What is the weather like (in centigrades please)? Bah, it can’t be worse than here so no matter. > > Sounds like a grand ol’ place to live. > > Now I’m gonna klick all those links again and see what happens. > [@Sunspace](#): > > 😃 Ha ha ha ha! It is to laugh. > > The Prairies have an inland continental climate, like Mongolia. Translation: extremes of temperature. My mom was from Saskatchewan and told us stories about walking to school during the winter along the board sidewalks of Regina in -40 temperatures. And believe me, when it’s that cold, F or C doesn’t matter. Toronto is a LOT warmer than that in the winter. > > There are ads in the Toronto subway advertising a beautiful job-filled life in Saskatchewan. I notice the pictures were taken in the summer. > > OTOH, nearer the mountains in Calgary, it still gets that cold in winter, but the cold is broken by [chinooks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook_wind), föhn winds that come down the mountain slopes, warm and dry the air, and can cause the temperature to rise thirty degrees in a couple of hours. That more-or-less covers the weather aptly. Calgary’s summers tend to have peak temperatures in the mid-20s Centigrade, with a handful of days over 30C. Winters temperatures can dip into the -20 or -30 range at times but are generally more in the -10 range and the occasional chinooks make the coldest periods much more bearable. And, yes, I have lived here long enough to have experienced snow here in all 12 months. The upside? We live right on the edge of the mountain rain shadow, so there’s very little humidity, which makes the cold days survivable and the hottest days less sweat-inducing. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/66 "2008-10-23T20:34:34Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > Somebody please tell me that ain’t Hawaii. Cause skiing in the morning and a bbq on the beach in the evening is my definition of heaven. The first picture with the white domed building in the background is indeed Hawai’i. The building is part of the observatory. Many of the rest of the pictures seem to be from field trips to places outside Hawai’i. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/67 "2008-10-23T20:39:26Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > 😃 Ha ha ha ha! It is to laugh.[…]. > [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > That more-or-less covers the weather aptly. […]. I’ve worked as a bouncer outdoors in -30c, with skimpily dressed Swedish co-eds waiting in line 😉 so I know I can survive those temperatures. And my current lack of training-regime might even increase my survivability (that’s not even a word, right). As long as it’s drier than here, it’s all ok. > [@appleciders](#): > > We’ve heard from San Francisco and Portland, so you may as well hit the other city worth living in on the West Coast: Seattle. Kinda wet and rainy, but friendly people and decent jobs, plus a state government and local population whose political attitudes are much more in line with European ones than much of the country. The Rainy City doesn’t sound that cool 😉 The music-scene is quite cool though. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I would just like to confirm that it snows in Hawaii. On Mauna Kea, on the Big Island. That’s up where they have the observatory. People can snow ski up there, then hit the beach WAY down below for some balmy surfing. > > Hawaii: It really is as close to Paradise as you’ll ever get on Earth. Yummie, yummie 🙂 But those pics from **Sunspace** where from Whistler mountain ☹ \*\*ETA: Apparently I was wrong 😃 \*\* Schucks… Hawaii, US West Coast, Toronto, Calgary, Down Under, Singapore… the list just gets longer and longer ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/68 "2008-10-23T20:43:33Z")
**Eva** , correct me if I’m wrong, but if **Worm** ’s got a bit of money, could he buy a business - hotel, laundrette, whatever - and immigrate that way? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/69 "2008-10-23T20:43:37Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > Schucks… Hawaii, US West Coast, Toronto, Calgary, Down Under, Singapore… the list just gets longer and longer Time to get a Round-The-World ticket. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/70 "2008-10-23T20:50:11Z")
I moved to Hawaii specifically for school, but when I first arrived some weeks before the start of the semester, I had to find a place to live and so stayed in a “youth hostel” for a few nights at first. I use quotes because they weren’t all youths. And I met so many people who had gone to Hawaii just for a year or so “to take a break and figure out what to do next.” Even some of the staff were ex-guests who had stayed on when employment there presented an opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/71 "2008-10-23T20:53:22Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > **Eva** , correct me if I’m wrong, but if **Worm** ’s got a bit of money, could he buy a business - hotel, laundrette, whatever - and immigrate that way? Interesting hypothetical. But I’m gonna have to work for someone else, for now. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Time to get a Round-The-World ticket. 😃 I just need to win the PowerBall (or similar) first 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/72 "2008-10-23T21:21:19Z")
> [@Siam Sam](#): > > I moved to Hawaii specifically for school, but when I first arrived some weeks before the start of the semester, I had to find a place to live and so stayed in a “youth hostel” for a few nights at first. I use quotes because they weren’t all youths. And I met so many people who had gone to Hawaii just for a year or so “to take a break and figure out what to do next.” Even some of the staff were ex-guests who had stayed on when employment there presented an opportunity. I’d still need that visa. Where are all those totally hot American women I see on TV when I need them 😃 ---
**Author:** ![criminey.jicket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@criminey.jicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/criminey.jicket)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/73 "2008-10-23T21:21:45Z")
Nooooooooo! You’re an islander, Worm. Do not go to the dark side. Consider BC and _Vancouver Island_. Our provincial capital is desperate for skilled workers. All those baby boomers are retiring, and they need both employees and contractors to fill the gaps until the current wave of young graduates have matured in their jobs and are suitable for advancement. The island also has a good reputation for high tech companies, especially on the Saanich Peninsula, about 30 minutes north of Victoria. There are concerts to go to, loads of great casual, fine, ethnic, and bistro-type restaurants at which to dine, many with al fresco seating. There is the fabulous Royal BC Museum and an IMAX theatre. There are wineries galore, and scads of local farms offering fresh (and often organic) dairy and produce. Elsewhere on this island we have a glacier or two, mountains, and snow-capped mountain views (and a volcano, too). You can golf all year here, and ski in the winter. You can get waist deep in a river to get the grail (Tyee) yourself, or you can buy FRESH oysters, salmon, halibut, and rockfish. You can trap your own crabs and shrimp off some docks. We have the cold and crashing Pacific on our east coast, the deliciously warm Desolation Sound on our west, even an island with a tropical white sand beach. You can kayak on lakes or ocean, and bicycle trails abound. You can cool off in deep, jacuzzi-like holes in the river, and dive off short but high volume waterfalls. You can be outside in the heat of summer here. Back east is hot and humid as hell. Calgary is high in altitude, and to say it’s dry is to laugh. It is parching. On the plus side, it gets tons of sunshine. The island is wetter but warmer. A chinook in Calgary can cause a temperature fluctuating from -20C to 10C in the same day. Expect snow in May and June. Gardening is maddening in Calgary. Palm trees grow here. > [@](#): > > [Vancouver Island Weather](http://www.vancouverisland.travel/general/climate/) - Summertime is reliably warm and sunny, with frequent ocean breezes. Temperatures reach average highs in the mid 20’s Celsius (70 to 80 Fahrenheit) but evenings can be cool. In winter the Vancouver Island region is the most temperate of all British Columbia, with temperatures just below 0 Celsius (32 Fahrenheit). > > Victoria’s weather averages in Celsius (Farenheit) > > January: 5 (41) > March: 5 (41) > May: 11 (52) > July: 17 (63) > September: 15 (59) > November: 8 (46) I’m just sayin’… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/74 "2008-10-23T21:26:20Z")
And Victoria has, or at least _had_, a thriving Pagan scene. 🙂 BC… Vancouver Island… mountains… must go back… My aunt used to live in Courtenay. Visiting her was a rare treat (3500 km away, remember). And she would always call in February and talk about how the flowers were coming up, while we Ontarians struggled through the depths of midwinter. A friend’s parents had a cottage on Savary Island in the strait. There was a palm tree in front of it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/75 "2008-10-23T21:33:53Z")
> [@criminey.jicket](#): > > Nooooooooo! You’re an islander, Worm. Do not go to the dark side. Consider BC and _Vancouver Island_. > > Our provincial capital is desperate for skilled workers. All those baby boomers are retiring, and they need both employees and contractors to fill the gaps until the current wave of young graduates have matured in their jobs and are suitable for advancement. The island also has a good reputation for high tech companies, especially on the Saanich Peninsula, about 30 minutes north of Victoria. > > There are concerts to go to, loads of great casual, fine, ethnic, and bistro-type restaurants at which to dine, many with al fresco seating. There is the fabulous Royal BC Museum and an IMAX theatre. There are wineries galore, and scads of local farms offering fresh (and often organic) dairy and produce. > > Elsewhere on this island we have a glacier or two, mountains, and snow-capped mountain views (and a volcano, too). You can golf all year here, and ski in the winter. You can get waist deep in a river to get the grail (Tyee) yourself, or you can buy FRESH oysters, salmon, halibut, and rockfish. You can trap your own crabs and shrimp off some docks. > > We have the cold and crashing Pacific on our east coast, the deliciously warm Desolation Sound on our west, even an island with a tropical white sand beach. You can kayak on lakes or ocean, and bicycle trails abound. You can cool off in deep, jacuzzi-like holes in the river, and dive off short but high volume waterfalls. > > You can be outside in the heat of summer here. Back east is hot and humid as hell. Calgary is high in altitude, and to say it’s dry is to laugh. It is parching. On the plus side, it gets tons of sunshine. The island is wetter but warmer. A chinook in Calgary can cause a temperature fluctuating from -20C to 10C in the same day. Expect snow in May and June. Gardening is maddening in Calgary. Palm trees grow here. > > I’m just sayin’… 😃 Vancouver Island is quite nice. I’ll concede that. Gardening in Calgary is only maddening if you try to plant things that won’t normally grow here. Virtually every plant we’ve stuck in the ground at my house has grown far beyond our expectations with little or no fuss – it’s simply a case of choosing the right plant for the right place. 🙂 Chinooks kick ass. And they look cool too! ---
**Author:** ![criminey.jicket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@criminey.jicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/criminey.jicket)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/76 "2008-10-23T21:36:50Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > Chinooks kick ass. Yeah, mostly mine when I lived there. Freaking headaches! Should I mention there’s at least 5 microbreweries in Victoria, or is that too OTT? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/77 "2008-10-23T21:48:41Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > . Virtually every plant we’ve stuck in the ground at my house has grown far beyond our expectations with little or no fuss – it’s simply a case of choosing the right plant for the right place. 🙂 > > ! Yes, your lichen garden is likely quite stunning.:p:p (note I am half Canadian myself) ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/78 "2008-10-23T22:00:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, your lichen garden is likely quite stunning.:p:p > > (note I am half Canadian myself) A couple of the “lichens” in our garden: [Lichen 1](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d24/Calgaryjimbo/HPIM1982.jpg) [Lichen 1 Closeup](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d24/Calgaryjimbo/HPIM3344.jpg) [Lichen 2](http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d24/Calgaryjimbo/HPIM3337.jpg) So there! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/79 "2008-10-23T22:00:18Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > **Eva** , correct me if I’m wrong, but if **Worm** ’s got a bit of money, could he buy a business - hotel, laundrette, whatever - and immigrate that way? It’s possible, but the money required is more than what most people would call “a bit” - $1 million in most cases, or $500k if you are investing in a “targeted employment area.” More details [here.](http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=4ff96138f898d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=4f719c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD) ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073/80 "2008-10-23T22:19:36Z")
> [@criminey.jicket](#): > > Nooooooooo! You’re an islander, Worm. Do not go to the dark side. Consider BC and _Vancouver Island_. > > […] > > Should I mention there’s at least 5 microbreweries in Victoria, or is that too OTT? I loooooove good beer. Actually, I just love beer 🙂 And my friend who’s doing his PhD in Vancouver says it’s a great place. This list just keeps getting longer and longer… at least I won’t have any problems finding jobs, considering I’ll be searching on half the planet 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-move/469073.md?page=5)