Are people really mean in BC?

[JLM]

The worst place in BC is Kelowna IMO. It is just too rushed and because of geography too cramped and the people really are grumpy. In the summer it is the tourists that are friendly. In the winter it is grey, overcast, windy and just generally miserable; summer is ruined (for locals) with tourists and/or forest fires.

Vancouver used to be a very friendly place but it has changed in recent years.

If you want friendly go to Bella Coola or some other small town that needs tourist dollars. That's the best way to get friendly - pay for it. ;-)

Lot of truth in what you say there. I think Greater VAncouver is a little worse than Kelowna but not by much. Kelowna is grossly over rated as are their real estate prices. Bella Coola is not bad or at least wasn't when I was there in the early 80s. Williams Lake is more of a happy medium, all the amenities and only 3 hours from Prince George or Kamloops, but a little too cool for us old codgers in winter. But really, Michelle if you are looking for "friendly" you are wasting your time and as in most cases "friendly" is just a reflection of yourself- if you just get busy and don't sit around dwelling on it it most like will never be an issue.

 

[sensualspirit]

Thanks for anyone who actually answered my question instead of talking down to me. I appreciate it.

I'll repeat again that there are places that are friendly, & then places that are not. You don't have to agree with me, but I would appreciate not being lectured as to "every city has both" or the spiritual "you are a reflection..."

I'm not stupid & I have TONS of common sense. Thanks to the person who thinks he isn't mean with a comment like he made.

I find that kind of talk mean & that's what I'm talking about. If you don't have anything nice to say, then just don't say it.

You guys can say you are joking, but give me a break, I know a joke when I read one & if you don't know how to show people you are joking thru your written word, then I feel you shouldn't be on MBs writing.

I didn't realize Kelowna was that bad, Vancouver I already knew about, & the person over here who told me about Victoria.

VanIsle, yeh I can't afford to re-buy everything otherwise that would be an alternative Where did you move from?

Thanks


Michelle

 

[captain morgan]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I read about a year ago on forums that people in Vancouver are really nasty just like in Toronto.

This came from many people who live in Vancouver.

Now I'm hearing from someone who moved from Kingsville, ON to Victoria that people are nasty there too so they moved back to Kingsville.

I thought the nastiness was local to just Vancouver b/c it's a big city, so my question is, are people really that mean in BC?

Why are they so mean?

With all that beautiful weather & scenery, what is the problem? I don't understand.
[/FONT]

The general problem that you will face relates to a variety of issues... In terms of the major centers:

The cost of living is high.. The cost of housing is astronomical and generally translates into forcing many/most to rent.

Job opportunities do exist, however, if you are seeking 50-60k per year or better, you'll have very stiff competition.

Population density is high and this impacts the housing and rental markets. It's not uncommon to see 3+ people living in a small 2-bedroom place. The younger population is somewhat transient as a result and this too reflects in an attitude of suspicion and a colder reception of others.

These are a few factors that you'll find in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna... I'd wager that these elements are rarer in the smaller communities, but take my word for it, they are front and center in the cities.

Consider these elements and you can imagine how it impacts the attitudes of people that relocate to the West Coast with pre-conceived notions of what they hoped they would find.

 

[shadowshiv]

You've spent a fair amount of time talking/listening to me. I've lived in BC all my life. I'm a cashier so I talk to a lot of folks in a day. I've had 4 people get nasty. One BC woman who still wears a red face everytime she comes into the store. Two from Ontario who loudly yelled about the cost of groceries in BC because according to them (and they may be right - I don't know and I don't care because - I live here)groceries cost more here. I thought they were really just embarrassing themselves by the fuss they were making. Not like I could snap my fingers and lower the prices. I don't own the store (I wish!). The fourth was an oriental man who was angry with me because I did not know the name of a vegetable, in his language. I held up whatever it was and asked several other cashiers and no one around me knew and neither did any customers. Someone nearer the produce section whipped over and found out. He yelled at me - "You no try". I don't think I have to. Oh well. I've lived in several towns and cities and the people in BC are friendly. One of these days girl, you are going to believe me when I tell you that you are wasting time by not getting here!!:lol:;-)
I don't know what your weather is like right now. It's been so sunny and beautiful. It was and may still be 28 degrees today. (how do you like that Shadow?)

*pouts*

I don't like it very much at all! Too darn cold here during the evenings(it was around 5 degrees last night. In JUNE!!!).:-(

 

[Ariadne]

Seems to me that even the meanest person will smile if you're nice to them.

 

[JLM]

Seems to me that even the meanest person will smile if you're nice to them.

Right on - I'm getting the feeling here that the thrust of this thread is more about what others can do for poor me, instead of what are the opportunities that I can take advantage of by rolling up the sleeves and getting down to business. Not everyone feels obligated to be nice to every new comer.

 

[Ariadne]

It takes about 6 months in a city to start to connect with what's going on. There's always a feeling of isolation at first. There's nothing special about BC that couldn't be said about, say, Montreal, Ottawa, or any other city in the country. If someone finds that no matter where they go in BC, people are rude, chances are that person is likewise rude.

 

[JLM]

It takes about 6 months in a city to start to connect with what's going on. There's always a feeling of isolation at first. There's nothing special about BC that couldn't be said about, say, Montreal, Ottawa, or any other city in the country. If someone finds that no matter where they go in BC, people are rude, chances are that person is likewise rude.

You bet- or just displays an "attitude".

 

[VanIsle]

*pouts*

I don't like it very much at all! Too darn cold here during the evenings(it was around 5 degrees last night. In JUNE!!!).:-(

You are living in the wrong province Shadow. It is 9:00 A.M. and it is a balmy 20 degrees right now. By around 4:00 we should be looking at close to 30 (not bragging or anything);-):smile:

 

[taxslave]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I read about a year ago on forums that people in Vancouver are really nasty just like in Toronto.

This came from many people who live in Vancouver.

Now I'm hearing from someone who moved from Kingsville, ON to Victoria that people are nasty there too so they moved back to Kingsville.

I thought the nastiness was local to just Vancouver b/c it's a big city, so my question is, are people really that mean in BC?

Why are they so mean?

With all that beautiful weather & scenery, what is the problem? I don't understand.

Thanks


Michelle
P.S. Someone who is seriously considering moving out there from Ontario (used to live in Toronto area until last year & yes, I then realized after moving that people in the GTA are nasty, cold, etc.) I don't want a repeat of that.[/FONT]

Perhaps it is the attitude these imports brought with them from Ontario. BCers are fairly tolerant but we don't take well to attitude. Especially from Toronto.

 

[SteveBee]

I live in Toronto but visit Vancouver often and over all I find that regardless of where you are in the world, You're going to run into your fair share of unfriendly people. On the other hand it's only a matter of time until you'll meet a handful of good people which easily makes up for all the jerks! ;-)

 

[L Gilbert]

Right on - I'm getting the feeling here that the thrust of this thread is more about what others can do for poor me, instead of what are the opportunities that I can take advantage of by rolling up the sleeves and getting down to business. Not everyone feels obligated to be nice to every new comer.

Right. But there are advantages to smiling, saying "hi", and "paying it forward". It usually comes back eventually if not sooner.

 

[L Gilbert]

It takes about 6 months in a city to start to connect with what's going on. There's always a feeling of isolation at first. There's nothing special about BC that couldn't be said about, say, Montreal, Ottawa, or any other city in the country. If someone finds that no matter where they go in BC, people are rude, chances are that person is likewise rude.

6 months? Holy crap!! When we moved here, it took about a week. And that was at the beginning of winter. I went outside to shovel snow (1st snowfall) and ol Hugh Smith from 2 doors down walked over with his shovel and pitched in.
Springtime rolled along and next door's house caught fire. I went over to pitch in. Ended up getting one of the pumpers running again (had a mechanical problem) and made a couple suggestions on how to attack the fire (it's a volunteer fire dept here).
If it'd taken 6 months to slide into things here, we'd been looking at moving again.

 

[karrie]

ya know sensual, I will grant you that some places can come across differently than others. But not that the people are inherently any worse, just that mannerisms are more brusque, work is more busy and at a faster pace, etc. Fort St John was like that. It was a booming oil town, and people just RUSHED everywhere. You had to get past the insane pace of life to really get to know the people. You couldn't jump to conclusions from what you saw as people rushed by on the street. Vancouver might be faster paced. It might be more brusque, I don't know. But people are people, and I don't think there's anything about Van that draws 'bad' people in to populate it. I think you'd do just fine there.

 

[talloola]

Perhaps it is the attitude these imports brought with them from Ontario. BCers are fairly tolerant but we don't take well to attitude. Especially from Toronto.

You mean 'the center of the universe' right? (just kidding), but a very common
expression for 'toronto' from many west coast hockey lovers, not sure if that
expression goes to others areas of the west coast, in regard to toronto.

 

[talloola]

Yeah, all people are really 'mean' in B.C., enter at your own risk.

 

[sensualspirit]

This is what I wanted to hear, thank you VERY much.

Just a note to everyone, small town doesn't necessarily mean friendly.

Kingsville is a very small town & so is Leamington, but I find Windsorites way more friendly.

I'm beginning to think they are the only city that has overall nice people LOL

Could it be b/c it's a border town?

I joke around saying maybe it's the pollution that makes them friendly.

And they are feeling it bad over here b/c of the big 3 & they are still nice.

I walk into stores & most (never all, but to me it's the majority that matters) really care about helping you, not just getting your money.

They will refund you if there's a problem whereas in TO it's always a fight.

You know you never know what friendly is until you encounter it when moving.

I had nothing to compare anything to when lliving in the GTA till I moved here.

So I'm still very confused (no one has really satfisfied my curiousity) as to why BC is soooo much more expensive.

I saw the rentals (still have to get more of a feel), & they are inline with not necessarily Toronto, but the outskirts like Miss., Brampton, etc.

But you are saying it's hard for people to even get a good paying job, so I don't get it.

I knew it was like that in Vancouver, but there are many other cities to choose from.

So what do people think they are going to get in BC?

For me it's clean air & water, milder winters & a "green" attitude.

For others it could be something different.

I heard a while back that people in BC dislike Toronto. I never understood why. I still don't. I mean most of them haven't lived there, so how would they know what I've experienced?

Thanks for sharing.


Michelle

The general problem that you will face relates to a variety of issues... In terms of the major centers:

The cost of living is high.. The cost of housing is astronomical and generally translates into forcing many/most to rent.

Job opportunities do exist, however, if you are seeking 50-60k per year or better, you'll have very stiff competition.

Population density is high and this impacts the housing and rental markets. It's not uncommon to see 3+ people living in a small 2-bedroom place. The younger population is somewhat transient as a result and this too reflects in an attitude of suspicion and a colder reception of others.

These are a few factors that you'll find in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna... I'd wager that these elements are rarer in the smaller communities, but take my word for it, they are front and center in the cities.

Consider these elements and you can imagine how it impacts the attitudes of people that relocate to the West Coast with pre-conceived notions of what they hoped they would find.

 

[sensualspirit]

Hi Karrie,

Well I thought it was the fast pace livestyle too, but I feel it's much more than that.

There is trust over here that you don't get over in Toronto. Most people have a smile on their face & like I already mentioned, really seem to care about you when serving you.

Also striking up a conversation is much easier for me b/c I can feel how open their energy is. I had to get used to it when I first moved here, LOL, that's how foreign it was for me.

It makes me happy

Thanks


Michelle

ya know sensual, I will grant you that some places can come across differently than others. But not that the people are inherently any worse, just that mannerisms are more brusque, work is more busy and at a faster pace, etc. Fort St John was like that. It was a booming oil town, and people just RUSHED everywhere. You had to get past the insane pace of life to really get to know the people. You couldn't jump to conclusions from what you saw as people rushed by on the street. Vancouver might be faster paced. It might be more brusque, I don't know. But people are people, and I don't think there's anything about Van that draws 'bad' people in to populate it. I think you'd do just fine there.

 

[L Gilbert]

This is what I wanted to hear, thank you VERY much.

Just a note to everyone, small town doesn't necessarily mean friendly.

Kingsville is a very small town & so is Leamington, but I find Windsorites way more friendly.

I'm beginning to think they are the only city that has overall nice people LOL

Could it be b/c it's a border town?

I joke around saying maybe it's the pollution that makes them friendly.

And they are feeling it bad over here b/c of the big 3 & they are still nice.

I walk into stores & most (never all, but to me it's the majority that matters) really care about helping you, not just getting your money.

They will refund you if there's a problem whereas in TO it's always a fight.

You know you never know what friendly is until you encounter it when moving.

I had nothing to compare anything to when lliving in the GTA till I moved here.

So I'm still very confused (no one has really satfisfied my curiousity) as to why BC is soooo much more expensive.

I saw the rentals (still have to get more of a feel), & they are inline with not necessarily Toronto, but the outskirts like Miss., Brampton, etc.

But you are saying it's hard for people to even get a good paying job, so I don't get it.

I knew it was like that in Vancouver, but there are many other cities to choose from.

So what do people think they are going to get in BC?

For me it's clean air & water, milder winters & a "green" attitude.

For others it could be something different.

I heard a while back that people in BC dislike Toronto. I never understood why. I still don't. I mean most of them haven't lived there, so how would they know what I've experienced?

Thanks for sharing.


Michelle

We were in T O once in the summer. 35º at about 105% humidity is not fun. White outs at the other end of the year also aren't fun. We'll stick to the Kootenays, thanks. lol

 

[talloola]

I live in Toronto but visit Vancouver often and over all I find that regardless of where you are in the world, You're going to run into your fair share of unfriendly people. On the other hand it's only a matter of time until you'll meet a handful of good people which easily makes up for all the jerks! ;-)

That's absolutely right, and it's just common sense to know that, doesn't
matter where you are.