Newcomer to Edmonton

[Newtonian]

Hello,
I shall be moving to Edmonton for work from the UK at the end of this month. My place of work is the Edmonton research park.I would appreciate advice on a suitable location for renting an apartment. Is the rent for a studio in downtown Edmonton extremely steep as compared to an area further south? Is an annual allowance of $48,000 sufficient for renting downtown or would that just be economically unviable? Also I would like to live in an area that is well connected and busy but also not killing rent-wise.Does this exist?
This will be my first visit to Edmonton and I am extremely apprehensive about the weather!!!:| I would be grateful if any of my queries were answered.

Thank you so much,
Newtonian

 

[karrie]

I'll be moving to Edmonton too, sometime this spring/summer, so 'welcome!', sort of. lol.

Edmonton has great public transit from what everyone I know there has to say (some, friends without cars), so nearly any rental you get will be reasonably well connected to your work. RIght now the rental situation is pretty tough from what I hear though, less than 1% vacancy rates (admittedly this is word of mouth). I wish I knew more about the neighborhoods and what you can expect for rent, but perhaps others on here can give you more help with that. Best of luck!

 

[hermanntrude]

i had no problem finding a place, i'm living in the old centre, south of the river, near whyte avenue, for $750 a month. u should have no trouble.

call me when u get here and we'll go for a pint

 

[hermanntrude]

PS the weather is cold but easy to bear. it's quite dry so u dont feel it much. Wrap up with plenty of layers, wear a hat and scarf and gloves, you'll be fine

 

[Newtonian]

I'll be moving to Edmonton too, sometime this spring/summer, so 'welcome!', sort of. lol.

Edmonton has great public transit from what everyone I know there has to say (some, friends without cars), so nearly any rental you get will be reasonably well connected to your work. RIght now the rental situation is pretty tough from what I hear though, less than 1% vacancy rates (admittedly this is word of mouth). I wish I knew more about the neighborhoods and what you can expect for rent, but perhaps others on here can give you more help with that. Best of luck!

Hey!! Great to hear from you. Thank you so much for your help, any information is valuable really. Yeah I heard about the shortage of suitable renting space in Edmonton and cannot afford to be choosy.If I can get any useful information I shall be sure to pass it on to you.
Thanks!!

 

[Newtonian]

PS the weather is cold but easy to bear. it's quite dry so u dont feel it much. Wrap up with plenty of layers, wear a hat and scarf and gloves, you'll be fine

Hey! Glad to hear you did not have much trouble with finding a place to stay. Fingers crossed when I am on the hunt. I shall be arriving in Edmonton from India and am absolutely unprepared for the cold. All I have is my winter jacket that was good for London weather.Thanks for the advice though will make sure I am wearing my entire wardrobe before leaving the house!!

 

[hermanntrude]

Hey! Glad to hear you did not have much trouble with finding a place to stay. Fingers crossed when I am on the hunt. I shall be arriving in Edmonton from India and am absolutely unprepared for the cold. All I have is my winter jacket that was good for London weather.Thanks for the advice though will make sure I am wearing my entire wardrobe before leaving the house!!

You will probably want a lot of t-shirts (not all at the same time, but a t-shirt is a good base for all the layers), a few good wooly jumpers (sweaters) and a heavy coat. I have one which was a present (possibly you can hint to your family that this is what you need), which is stuffed with down. it's wonderfully warm. The hat is important as is the scarf. your face can get very cold very quickly. There is a girl here at my workplace from mauritius. she says it is very cold but still not a big deal. she recently came home from a holiday, when she left it was +30, when she arrived it was -25. must have been a shock.

it's a really neat town. I like it here

 

[drak]

Hi there Hermanntrude and newtonian
I am looking to move to the colonies this July. Is a British driving license valid in Alberta or do I need to resit the test there? Ive been reading some rental horror stories here - where can I find reasonably priced apartments near the University ? Ive been looking some websites and most apartments around the area seem to be expensive. How are the ones offered by Cap reit - Garneau towers , I think?
Cheers

 

[hermanntrude]

I've replied to your email. In addition, i expect it'd be unwise to continue to refer to canada as "the colonies". that terminology is rather dated and could be frowned upon

I've walked past garneau towers many a time. never been inside though so couldn't really tell u. There are apartments all along the old strathcona region, or you can live downtown and commute using the LRT (kind of like a puny underground railway).

 

[drak]

:wave:Thanks hermann
The 'colonies' bit was in jest- my Indian ancestry is proof! Will reply to your mail as well - thanks for getting back. Ive been to Edmonton last summer and really like it so am looking forward to the move.
Cheers