I am from Sacramento, CA and right now and have been thinking about moving to Vancouver, BC. I hear that it is very clean and very gay friendly. I had a job interview in Los Angeles and if I don't get the job, I want to relocate somewhere different. So far I have been thinking about Chicago and New York.. but I like mountains and forest. I know it gets cold up north, but that doesn't bother me. How is the gay scene like? How is the job market like? Its is expensive to live there? I am a 29 year old latin male who speaks Spanish and Italian and would love to make friends who speak both, especially Italian since I need to practice. And if you guys know of any job possibilities for me up there or roommates even- by all means let me know. Vancouver seems like a fun town. And another issue would be, would it be easier to become a citizen or legal resident?? The process easy?? Thanks...
2007-07-13 19:33:18 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ Canada ➔ Vancouver
Vancouver is the largest city in British Columbia with a population of around 2 million people. You have heard correctly that there is a large gay community in Vancouver. As far as temperatures, it doesn't get that cold to often, in Vancouver it is actually very much like Seattle.
http://vancouver.ca/
http://www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/about_vancouver/gay-friendly_vancouver
Below, please find the web site for Canadian Citizenship & Immigration. This site will answer all of your questions about immigration or landed immigrant status.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/
Good luck with wherever you end up!
2007-07-14 02:27:38 · answer #1 · answered by Canadian Ken 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not gay and I'm not male, but I do live near Vancouver. It's gay friendly. Not everyplace in Vancouver is clean; especially the downtown area. The job market is excellent right now, depending on your line of work. I'm not sure there's a lot of Spanish speaking people there, but you may find some; Italian would probably be more likely. Why don't you visit this summer and look around? Then you can get an idea if it's your kind of town.
2007-07-14 08:13:40 · answer #2 · answered by gracel313 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Almost all of Canada now is gay friendly or at least accepting and tolerant.
The most gay-influential Canadian large city, even more than is San Francisco in the USA (but flaunted less) is Montréal. (And if your ethnic background is Mexican here is a hint to become a gazillionaire: introduce to Montréal a decent salsa!).
As for American large cities, if you are too familiar with San Fran and wish a change why would you not have Boston at the top of your list?
2007-07-14 09:01:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I live in Vancouver and I've read some of the answers and there's some important things missing or wrong in them...
Vancouver is by no means Canada's biggest city by population. Toronto has more than twice Vancouver's population. Vancouver is the largest city by area size only, and it isn't actually *Vancouver* that's large, because it's tiny, it's all the cities around it as well. This area is known as the GVRD (Greater Vancouver Regional District), or as we call it, the Lower Mainland.
Please be warned if you're thinking about moving here. VISITING is NOT the same as moving here. Moving here is an entirely different experience. People here pretend to be much more laid back and accepting than they are. Really, they're only laid back and accepting of people just like them. Yuppies want to be seen as rich, so they act spoiled. The ethnics are just as xenophobic as everyone else. And the really rich have all the political decisions here made for them, because they are the real power.
The gays are surprisingly factionist and scary about each gay "group". Of course it's not that you can't come here and find friendlies, but like I said, visiting isn't living here, and a lot of people have made the mistake of assuming it's the same thing. I have some gay friends, and based on their experiences, the gay people here are just as snotty and cliquish as any other group here. It seems more stressful (at least to me) than what I've heard about compared to, say, Montreal, which has problems in other areas of socialization but seems to maybe be a bit easier in the gay section (really, you have to ask someone who lives there).
If you're thinking of moving here, you can take the plunge and make the best of it, or visit and actually *stand back* and watch how people really act around each other. As soon as you tell them you're a tourist, their happy faces will come on and it will be all smiles and hugs. For a more objective view, I suggest just mingling for a bit without divulging your home.
As for the climate, if you're from CA I think the dampness here will bother you. It is temperate here, but in a wet kind of way. Winters are long, damp dark and cold. But skiing and snowboarding are reasonably close by in the mountains. As long as you're waterproof and have some layers, outdoor things are available all year round. Keep in mind what I said about the damp, though. It makes the bones hurt.
There are almost no Italians here (compared to Ontario), but I'm sure you could find some to practice your speech on if you looked. I'm also sure there are people here who speak Spanish, but really, I haven't seen any. That type of thing you really need to research on your own. Keep in mind that as a Latino, you'll be a very small minority here. It shouldn't matter, but it will. I didn't know what "xenophobia" meant until I moved here. There are 3 major races here; Asian, Indian, and Germanic/British White. Like I said, it shouldn't matter, but somehow it does.
It is expensive to live here, but nothing that's not doable. This is the most expensive city in Canada to live in. You may want to consider living in one of the other cities (all the borders touch, so it's not a big deal). It will be much cheaper than living in Vancouver itself. I don't know what you do, but there are, like any city, jobs everyone wants and job not enough people want. Check out workopolis.com or the HRDC Job Bank (the government site for employers to post jobs). The Job Bank will also have jobs posted by employers and temp agencies that might help get you started.
As for housing, it is pretty expensive to really expensive here. Again, it depends on if you want to actually live *in* Vancouver (not recommended unless you luck out and find a roommate) or in one of the adjoining cities. If you're feeling brave, try craigslist.com. It would probably be better for you to visit here and look. Also, for any events or entertainment info at all, the newpaper to read is the Georgia Straight. You can read it online at straight.com . I suggest you do so; it is the most popular current events paper here, and by reading it you'll see the events (many people find this place boring because of lack of entertainment and early bedtimes) that are running and read people's opinions. It should help with the overall impression.
I don't know about visas and whatnot. Try Immigration Canada. They should know what you need.
Don't mistake me; Vancouver and its area are a beautiful place. On the surface, the people here are nice. But I don't want you to make the effort and commitment of moving here before you know what you're actually getting. If you're cool with what's what, then it's good.
2007-07-17 08:11:50 · answer #4 · answered by Razorchilde 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you would be right at home in Vancouver but England is a better place or Russia they just love gays there we got to many now
2007-07-14 02:35:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 5⤋
canada is full of your kind...enjoy
2007-07-13 20:26:43 · answer #6 · answered by biffnasty 2 · 3⤊ 8⤋