Moving to Victoria

[Shirley123]

Hello.
Hi. I am Shirley and I am moving to Victoria. ETA - mid September 2009
Any and all suggestions gratefully received including modes of transportation, etc.

 

[Ron in Regina]

To Victoria from where? What kind of suggestions are you looking for?:roll::-?

 

[VanIsle]

Yes - I do have one suggestion. Move to Nanaimo instead. Victoria is too expensive.

 

[#juan]

I would pick Nanaimo.
When we moved from the lower mainland, we did a lot of research. We wanted to try island living and we decided on Gabriola Island. We lived on Gabriola Island for seven years. We enjoyed that island but it eventually got to be just too isolated....That extra ferry coming back from the mainland was the killer. We decided to leave Gabriola and we had a choice of Nanaimo, Victoria, a whole lot of smaller communities if we wanted to stay on the island. We ruled out Victoria because it was a lot more expensive than any other place on Vancouver Island. We finally picked Nanaimo, and one of the reasons was the ferry. If you take the B.C. Ferry boat from Vancouver to Victoria, that ferry doesn't go to Victoria, it goes to Swartz Bay which is thirty kilometers away. The ferry to Nanaimo go right to downtown Nanaimo. As it turns out, the ferry terminal is just ten or twelve minutes from our house. We keep Victoria for the odd weekend...It is only an hour and a half from Nanaimo by car and we live in a quieter, less expensive city.

 

[talloola]

Your're right juan, victoria is very expensive, and that ferry is so far away, but in
our case, we don't go on the ferry, but once or twice a year anyway, so don't even
think about.

I like 'not living in Victoria' because we keep it for special week end getaways, as it
is a very special city with lots to do, and very pretty, (as is the whole island), so
it's nice to spend the odd week end there, fish and chips on the dock, and walking
the town to see the nice shops and such.

We love the mid island, nanaimo, parksville, quallicum, courtenay/comox,
campbell river,
and even port alberni, if you live in any one of them, you have easy access to
any of the others.

 

[VanIsle]

Yesterday I had a customer who had just returned from Victoria. He said it was un-believably busy down there and he couldn't figure out why. I told him that I think it's because everyone has this strange idea that Victoria is the only city on this Island. I really believe that. So many people seem to think that anywhere else here is just some tiny place. We are not huge but neither are we like, 20,000 people. Kreskin - we need some advertizing from CR now.

 

[Kreskin]

I was there last Monday then drove the Malahat home during rush hour. I couldn't believe the log jam.

I guess if you're moving there for work or to spend all your money then it's ok.

 

[Shirley123]

I am moving from Toronto to Victoria. Why Victoria, because my sister is there and she and her husband have invited me to stay with them until I get on my feet. So it is a starting point. I have lost my job here in Toronto and can only drown if I stay.
I had thought of renting a U-haul and driving myself out. I have talked to several people and have decided to go with a mover. I am taking only my personal items. Selling and / or donoating my furniture that I am not taking. B.C. is definitely in a better position than Ontario.
Shirl
Shirl

 

[shadowshiv]

Welcome to CC, Shirley.:smile:

I hope that things will work out for you in Victoria.

 

[VanIsle]

I am moving from Toronto to Victoria. Why Victoria, because my sister is there and she and her husband have invited me to stay with them until I get on my feet. So it is a starting point. I have lost my job here in Toronto and can only drown if I stay.
I had thought of renting a U-haul and driving myself out. I have talked to several people and have decided to go with a mover. I am taking only my personal items. Selling and / or donoating my furniture that I am not taking. B.C. is definitely in a better position than Ontario.
Shirl
Shirl

Well then, Victoria is obviously the best place for you to be going. Truly bring only what you need. Make it so that you can rent the shortest moving truck for your stuff. I know you are getting a company but they are expensive so the less you bring, the better it is. Unless it's changed, movers charge by weight and the ferry (which you cannot avoid) charges by length. The movers will charge the ferry back to you. If you can do without it - get rid of it was our motto when we moved to the Island. We just bought new stuff here.