Should you move here?

The answer to that question is maybe.........so let's compare Toronto vs Calgary

Jobs: Calgary wins hands down. There are jobs at every corner out here BUT....the wages are often the same in mid level positions. If you work in Calgary at a Tim Horton's, you'll make much higher wages. If you work in a mid level administrative position, you'll get paid the same. If you work in a top tier position, stay where you are. You'll get nothing extra monetarily moving out here. If you're coming from a small town or the East coast....the wages are higher....but read on.

Housing/Rent: Calgary's housing market is more expensive than Toronto. I compared the cost of condo's in the core between the two cities and Toronto was cheaper. You won't find a decent 2 bedroom condo in Calgary for less than 300K. That can be gotten in Toronto for 230K-250K. Rent's are mostly the same, but in Calgary there is no choice. You'll find a place rather easily if you'll pay 1200 bucks a month for a 1 bedroom, but if you're looking for a place for 800, good luck. You'll find about 20 of them listed in the renters guide. They disappear the same day. I went buy a place with a for rent sign in Bankview, and there were a line of cars outside all filling out applications. There is also no rent control in Alberta, so that 800 dollar flat could easily become a 1200 dollar flat.

Taxes: Much is made by the right-wing about how much lower taxes are here. There is no PST on purchases. On the other side, the price of EVERYTHING is higher. Health Care is 44 dollars per person, so if you're living with your GF/wife, you'll pay 88 bucks a month. The transit system is passed it's capacity and pushed to the limits. When it snows, they do not plow any roads, but MAJOR roads. So if you get 30 cms of snow, you wait for the snow to melt. Get snow tires. If you have children, there are many areas in the new suburbs that have no schools. Some kids ride on the bus for 1 hour to get to school. The only public service that seems to be superior is the license office.

People: I find Calgarians to be a friendly group. They are far less cynical than those in the 401 corridor (Southern Ontario). They are also more friendly. BUT and this is a big BUT....they are less able to cope with the stresses of city life. Those in Tdot seem better equipped to deal with long lines, grumpy people & the usual bullshit that comes with living in a city. There are many Calgarians that have just relocated from small villages so they get the "bright lights, big city" mentality. BUT....there are more and more cosmopolitan city types living here than there was even 5 years ago. This has changed the nature of the city, so it has grown into a true urban centre. Calgary is also very young, but much less ethnic than Toronto, but that too is changing.

Nightlife/Things to Do: Calgary has a very good arts & entertainment scene. That might shock a few people who think this place is all about oil and burgers, but it's the reality. The major difference is that there is less "old money" and less pretentiousness in the arts community. I'd say the two are about equal, but as Toronto is a larger city, it's going to have more access to fringe arts groups.

Calgary is a lone city. The next major city is Edmonton, and outside of that, the only other place you'd go on a regular basis would probably be Banff. You are in close enough that you can fly to Vancouver in an hour, visit Seattle, or go to California, or if you love the true north, it's a short flight to the Yukon and NWT. None of these places are within a day's drive.

Toronto is different. In a single day, you can drive to Montreal, NYC, Chicago, Ottawa & see everything from the Pelee Island Winery to the never ending forest in Northern Ontario. Ontario is more diverse in landscape & because it's more populated, there are more places to go within a short distance.

Cinema: Calgary has 3 arts cinemas & a fairly good number of film festivals. U of C offers up film as well. The most notable theatres are The Uptown, Globe & Plaza. North East Calgary, which is the ethnic enclave, has cinemas that play Indian and Chinese films.

Radio: I'll give this to Calgary. mostly. From an FM radio standpoint, Calgary wins. The radio is a bit more diverse out here & the playlists a little larger. Toronto radio is very bland and takes no changes. Calgary has the usual country, rock & light rock stations, but also has decent alternative, pop and triple AAA stations (Toronto has none). I admit to missing Z103dot5. Vibe 98.5 isn't even in the same league.

Television: Both cities are covered by the usual Global, CITY and CBC...... I prefer the television media out here on CBC and Global, perhaps because it's new? CITY TV is taking some time to get used to. If you're from the GTA, it was a staple, so not seeing the same faces takes some time to get used too. Where Calgary totally is lost is ethnic programming. Toronto has OMNI 1 & 2 & Calgary has nothing. The solution is to buy Bell Express Vu. The time zones also make it easy so that you can watch Letterman at 9 30 if you wish, or a Leaf or Canadians game at 5 PM on a Saturday.

I'll write more later. This is already too long.