This video is going to cover the 5 things I love about Vancouver, the 5 things I don’t like it and 5 things that fall right in the middle for me.
This video is all about the pros and cons of living here in Vancouver, BC so stay tuned.
Hey, everyone, I’m Craig Veroni with RE/MAX Masters Realty. I’m a local real estate agent here in Vancouver, BC. I was named one of the top 50 video influencers in real estate, in North America, for the past 2 consecutive years for the way I utilize video to sell my client’s homes and educate them as well. I shoot a ton of videos about what it’s like to live, love, and own here in Vancouver so, if you haven’t yet, please subscribe to my channel, hit that thumbs up button and don’t forget to click on that bell so you can be notified immediately when I have a new video out about what’s it’s like to live here in Vancouver.
This video is going to cover the 5 things I love about Vancouver, the 5 things I don’t like it and 5 things that fall right in the middle for me. So, let’s jump into it.
The 1st thing I love about Vancouver is the endless amount of activities you can do in this city. Vancouver is known for its active and outdoorsy lifestyle for good reason. Downtown Vancouver is incredibly walkable. For a big city, we’re actually a small city geographically so you can easily walk from one end of the city to the other. It also has a ton of bike paths and bike lanes for you to enjoy to mention the world-famous Stanley Park and the seawall. This is one of the only cities in the world where you can go skiing in the morning, Jump in your kayak or on your mountain bike mid-afternoon, and have a round of golf later that same day. Everything in this city is so close and accessible. It’s why we love to spend so much time outdoors. Not only that but we’re also incredibly close to Whistler, Kelowna and all the wineries in the Okanagan, Vancouver Island and all the other Islands in between, as well as being a stone’s throw from the Canada/US border. Now with all those people wanting to get around the city to take advantage of all the amazing activities, it leads me to the thing I don’t like about Vancouver and that is the traffic.
I know every major city has its traffic issues and from what I know about the traffic in Toronto, I think we don’t have it so bad but traffic is definitely a pain in the butt if you have to do a lot of commuting. If you live here for a while you’ll get to know the shortcuts and routes to take when things get busier and if your job allows you to be more flexible with when you drive, there are certainly better times to be moving around the city than others. And if you are stuck in traffic, just focus on the 2nd thing I love about Vancouver which is the scenery and natural beauty of the city.
Vancouver is gorgeous. It’s a beautiful city with natural beauty to look at in nearly every direction. If you aren’t staring at the ocean, it’s the mountains, the trees, the flowers, and all the lush greenery. Our cityscape and skyline is also lovely to look at, as is the Lionsgate Bridge. And in the wintertime when the Northshore mountains are covered in snow it’s a stunning sight. But the flip side to all this lushness and greenery is the 2nd con about Vancouver and that is all the rain.
Yes, it does rain a lot in Vancouver and during the fall and winter months when we turn the clocks back it gets dark around 4:30 pm. So the days tend to feel much shorter. and if you’re off to work early in the morning and don’t get home until 5 or 6 pm, it can be a drag feeling like you’re in the dark all the time. Now hopefully you have an office with a window or can get outside on your lunch break. Here’s a look at the rainfall for the past year. As you can see, November, December, and January were our wettest months. But look, we live amongst rainforests which is really freakin cool. Did you know that BC is home to almost half of North America's coastal rainforest, and close to 25 percent of the world's temperate rainforests? The towering coastal temperate rainforests of Vancouver Island are globally rare, covering less than 1% of the earth's surface. That’s pretty cool. So yes, we have to put up with the rain but at least we don’t have to deal with -40 degree winters with endless amounts of snow.
The 3rd thing I love about Vancouver is it’s food and beverage scene! I have traveled a decent amount in my lifetime and eaten some terrific food around the world but my god are we ever spoiled in Vancouver. The food here is world-class and you can get pretty much anything and everything you want. Just pick a culinary ethnicity and we’ve got some of the world’s best right here. That goes for the wine, beer, and spirits as well. BC is renowned for its wine. The various microclimates in our province produce some phenomenal wine. The Okanagan is only 4 hours away and is home to a ton of wineries to visit. Our craft brewery scene here is incredible and we are also home to award-winning vodkas, gin, and other spirits. Now the flip side to that and the 3rd con about Vancouver is its cost of living.
It’s expensive to live in this city. I recently made a video about the cost of living in Vancouver and you can find that here. Yes, food is expensive, gas is expensive, clothing is expensive. We are a world-class city and rated as one of the most livable cities in the world. Naturally, we are going to attract people from all over the world who also want to live here and that makes things expensive. But that leads me to the 4th thing I love about Vancouver and that is its diversity.
The people in Vancouver are awesome and we have such a beautifully diverse culture here. I know Vancouver has a rep for being unfriendly and honestly, I don’t know where that comes from. I’ve lived here for over 40 years and I still meet new people on the street who are incredibly warm and friendly. I think if you’re a naturally outgoing, friendly person you’ll attract the same kind of people. And with all kinds of local Facebook groups, you’re sure to find people and make friends with people who have similar interests and values. Vancouver’s cultural diversity is definitely one of our strengths, in my opinion. Living here allows you to meet people from all over the world and I love that. I absolutely love getting out and meeting new people and finding out their story. Luckily my job as a real estate agent allows me to do that every day. As I said, this is a world-class city that attracts people from all over the world. One of the cons that come with that is it also affects the price of real estate.
Real estate is definitely expensive in Vancouver and some xenophobic media outlets would love for you to believe it’s because of foreign ownership. Sure it affects real estate prices as it does in any city around the world but it is not the root or sole cause of our lofty real estate prices. Trying to explain why real estate prices are what they are is a complex discussion and would take too long for this video so I won’t go into that. As you move outside the city center to neighbouring cities and communities home and rental prices do get a little cheaper. Emphasis on little.
The 5th thing I love about Vancouver is its water and air quality. The air is fresh here people and the water is amazing. It comes out of the tap crisp, cold, and delicious. We should be a no-bottled-water city because there is no need to have bottled water here. And the 5th con about Vancouver would have to be the price of gas. We have the highest gas prices in Canada for some reason yet no one can tell us why.
Now here are 5 things, which for me are right in the middle. Meaning I could go either way on them. #1 is the transit. Now some people complain about the transit in this city but I personally think it’s very good. We have the sea bus, Skytrain and regular bus systems and they are terrific. I live in North Vancouver and when we have to go to the airport I don’t drive. We hop on the sea bus with our carry-on luggage and then take the Millennium Skytrain line to the airport. It only takes 40 minutes door-to-door. You can’t drive there that fast.
#2. Marijuana is legal here in Vancouver. Of course, many people are ecstatic about that and many people hate that it is. I don’t partake but I also don’t think it being legal is a bad thing. I certainly don’t agree with how the government has handled the whole thing but that’s another matter.
#3. The amount of bike lanes in the city. I know a lot of people hate the bike lanes in the city and as someone who lived on his bike when I attended college, I think there definitely is a need for them. We are following the lead of a lot of other world-class cities and if it is working for them, I don’t see why it shouldn’t for us as well. Every city needs as many modes of transportation available to its citizens as possible, in my opinion.
#4. The weather. We talked about how much it can rain in Vancouver in some months but the other thing about the weather here is that it will change if you give it 5 minutes. It can be dark and pouring rain one minute and brilliantly sunny the next. You have to be prepared for anything. The other thing about the weather in Vancouver is that you just can’t beat Vancouver when it's sunny out. It's stunning particularly in the summer months.
#5. The last thing in the middle for me is the casual dress code of Vancouver. Some people hate the ubiquitous Lululemon apparel and polar fleece. It’s a fact that no matter what time of the year it may be, you can always find someone in Vancouver wearing shorts. It’s hilarious. Look I’m an active outdoorsy guy so I have a lot of active-wear but I also like to dress up frequently. The great thing about Vancouver is you can just do you.
So there you have it. 5 things I love about Vancouver, 5 Things I don’t like, and 5 things, which for me, fall in the middle.
I’m a local real estate agent here so if you have questions or you’re thinking of moving to Vancouver, BC or your job has you relocating here, give me a call. I know Vancouver and it’s surrounding areas incredibly well. I’ve lived here for over 40 years and would love to help you find a home here as well.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this video. If so, please give this video a like and leave a comment down below. I’d love to hear what some of your pros and cons are. I shoot a ton of videos about Vancouver and what it’s like to live here so if you haven’t yet, hit that subscribe button and the bell so you can be notified when I have a new video out.
Thanks for watching. Have a fantastic day and remember, this is where you Live. Love. Own Vancouver!
Hey, everyone, I’m Craig Veroni with RE/MAX Masters Realty. I’m a local real estate agent here in Vancouver, BC. I was named one of the top 50 video influencers in real estate, in North America, for the past 2 consecutive years for the way I utilize video to sell my client’s homes and educate them as well. I shoot a ton of videos about what it’s like to live, love, and own here in Vancouver so, if you haven’t yet, please subscribe to my channel, hit that thumbs up button and don’t forget to click on that bell so you can be notified immediately when I have a new video out about what’s it’s like to live here in Vancouver.
This video is going to cover the 5 things I love about Vancouver, the 5 things I don’t like it and 5 things that fall right in the middle for me. So, let’s jump into it.
The 1st thing I love about Vancouver is the endless amount of activities you can do in this city. Vancouver is known for its active and outdoorsy lifestyle for good reason. Downtown Vancouver is incredibly walkable. For a big city, we’re actually a small city geographically so you can easily walk from one end of the city to the other. It also has a ton of bike paths and bike lanes for you to enjoy to mention the world-famous Stanley Park and the seawall. This is one of the only cities in the world where you can go skiing in the morning, Jump in your kayak or on your mountain bike mid-afternoon, and have a round of golf later that same day. Everything in this city is so close and accessible. It’s why we love to spend so much time outdoors. Not only that but we’re also incredibly close to Whistler, Kelowna and all the wineries in the Okanagan, Vancouver Island and all the other Islands in between, as well as being a stone’s throw from the Canada/US border. Now with all those people wanting to get around the city to take advantage of all the amazing activities, it leads me to the thing I don’t like about Vancouver and that is the traffic.
I know every major city has its traffic issues and from what I know about the traffic in Toronto, I think we don’t have it so bad but traffic is definitely a pain in the butt if you have to do a lot of commuting. If you live here for a while you’ll get to know the shortcuts and routes to take when things get busier and if your job allows you to be more flexible with when you drive, there are certainly better times to be moving around the city than others. And if you are stuck in traffic, just focus on the 2nd thing I love about Vancouver which is the scenery and natural beauty of the city.
Vancouver is gorgeous. It’s a beautiful city with natural beauty to look at in nearly every direction. If you aren’t staring at the ocean, it’s the mountains, the trees, the flowers, and all the lush greenery. Our cityscape and skyline is also lovely to look at, as is the Lionsgate Bridge. And in the wintertime when the Northshore mountains are covered in snow it’s a stunning sight. But the flip side to all this lushness and greenery is the 2nd con about Vancouver and that is all the rain.
Yes, it does rain a lot in Vancouver and during the fall and winter months when we turn the clocks back it gets dark around 4:30 pm. So the days tend to feel much shorter. and if you’re off to work early in the morning and don’t get home until 5 or 6 pm, it can be a drag feeling like you’re in the dark all the time. Now hopefully you have an office with a window or can get outside on your lunch break. Here’s a look at the rainfall for the past year. As you can see, November, December, and January were our wettest months. But look, we live amongst rainforests which is really freakin cool. Did you know that BC is home to almost half of North America's coastal rainforest, and close to 25 percent of the world's temperate rainforests? The towering coastal temperate rainforests of Vancouver Island are globally rare, covering less than 1% of the earth's surface. That’s pretty cool. So yes, we have to put up with the rain but at least we don’t have to deal with -40 degree winters with endless amounts of snow.
The 3rd thing I love about Vancouver is it’s food and beverage scene! I have traveled a decent amount in my lifetime and eaten some terrific food around the world but my god are we ever spoiled in Vancouver. The food here is world-class and you can get pretty much anything and everything you want. Just pick a culinary ethnicity and we’ve got some of the world’s best right here. That goes for the wine, beer, and spirits as well. BC is renowned for its wine. The various microclimates in our province produce some phenomenal wine. The Okanagan is only 4 hours away and is home to a ton of wineries to visit. Our craft brewery scene here is incredible and we are also home to award-winning vodkas, gin, and other spirits. Now the flip side to that and the 3rd con about Vancouver is its cost of living.
It’s expensive to live in this city. I recently made a video about the cost of living in Vancouver and you can find that here. Yes, food is expensive, gas is expensive, clothing is expensive. We are a world-class city and rated as one of the most livable cities in the world. Naturally, we are going to attract people from all over the world who also want to live here and that makes things expensive. But that leads me to the 4th thing I love about Vancouver and that is its diversity.
The people in Vancouver are awesome and we have such a beautifully diverse culture here. I know Vancouver has a rep for being unfriendly and honestly, I don’t know where that comes from. I’ve lived here for over 40 years and I still meet new people on the street who are incredibly warm and friendly. I think if you’re a naturally outgoing, friendly person you’ll attract the same kind of people. And with all kinds of local Facebook groups, you’re sure to find people and make friends with people who have similar interests and values. Vancouver’s cultural diversity is definitely one of our strengths, in my opinion. Living here allows you to meet people from all over the world and I love that. I absolutely love getting out and meeting new people and finding out their story. Luckily my job as a real estate agent allows me to do that every day. As I said, this is a world-class city that attracts people from all over the world. One of the cons that come with that is it also affects the price of real estate.
Real estate is definitely expensive in Vancouver and some xenophobic media outlets would love for you to believe it’s because of foreign ownership. Sure it affects real estate prices as it does in any city around the world but it is not the root or sole cause of our lofty real estate prices. Trying to explain why real estate prices are what they are is a complex discussion and would take too long for this video so I won’t go into that. As you move outside the city center to neighbouring cities and communities home and rental prices do get a little cheaper. Emphasis on little.
The 5th thing I love about Vancouver is its water and air quality. The air is fresh here people and the water is amazing. It comes out of the tap crisp, cold, and delicious. We should be a no-bottled-water city because there is no need to have bottled water here. And the 5th con about Vancouver would have to be the price of gas. We have the highest gas prices in Canada for some reason yet no one can tell us why.
Now here are 5 things, which for me are right in the middle. Meaning I could go either way on them. #1 is the transit. Now some people complain about the transit in this city but I personally think it’s very good. We have the sea bus, Skytrain and regular bus systems and they are terrific. I live in North Vancouver and when we have to go to the airport I don’t drive. We hop on the sea bus with our carry-on luggage and then take the Millennium Skytrain line to the airport. It only takes 40 minutes door-to-door. You can’t drive there that fast.
#2. Marijuana is legal here in Vancouver. Of course, many people are ecstatic about that and many people hate that it is. I don’t partake but I also don’t think it being legal is a bad thing. I certainly don’t agree with how the government has handled the whole thing but that’s another matter.
#3. The amount of bike lanes in the city. I know a lot of people hate the bike lanes in the city and as someone who lived on his bike when I attended college, I think there definitely is a need for them. We are following the lead of a lot of other world-class cities and if it is working for them, I don’t see why it shouldn’t for us as well. Every city needs as many modes of transportation available to its citizens as possible, in my opinion.
#4. The weather. We talked about how much it can rain in Vancouver in some months but the other thing about the weather here is that it will change if you give it 5 minutes. It can be dark and pouring rain one minute and brilliantly sunny the next. You have to be prepared for anything. The other thing about the weather in Vancouver is that you just can’t beat Vancouver when it's sunny out. It's stunning particularly in the summer months.
#5. The last thing in the middle for me is the casual dress code of Vancouver. Some people hate the ubiquitous Lululemon apparel and polar fleece. It’s a fact that no matter what time of the year it may be, you can always find someone in Vancouver wearing shorts. It’s hilarious. Look I’m an active outdoorsy guy so I have a lot of active-wear but I also like to dress up frequently. The great thing about Vancouver is you can just do you.
So there you have it. 5 things I love about Vancouver, 5 Things I don’t like, and 5 things, which for me, fall in the middle.
I’m a local real estate agent here so if you have questions or you’re thinking of moving to Vancouver, BC or your job has you relocating here, give me a call. I know Vancouver and it’s surrounding areas incredibly well. I’ve lived here for over 40 years and would love to help you find a home here as well.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this video. If so, please give this video a like and leave a comment down below. I’d love to hear what some of your pros and cons are. I shoot a ton of videos about Vancouver and what it’s like to live here so if you haven’t yet, hit that subscribe button and the bell so you can be notified when I have a new video out.
Thanks for watching. Have a fantastic day and remember, this is where you Live. Love. Own Vancouver!