Article after article online highlight the issues that Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver face in terms of expenses for young people. In fact, a recent article written by Vice recently explained how “[i]n order to live a fairly fun, condo-saving life in Toronto, you need to make between $88,000 and $115,000" Easy peasy, right?
Of course, because it’s Vice, they accounted for thousands of dollars’ worth of partying expenses per month… but nonetheless, the general idea is that major Canadian cities cost a lot to live in. So, tons of blogs will write articles about what “underrated cities” Canadian youth should consider living in, but Winnipeg never seems to make the cut. For that reason, I’m here to give my two cents on the subject and lay out couple reasons why I think that Winnipeg is a great city for newcomers to live in.
Inexpensive Housing in Beautiful Neighbourhoods
Some of the city’s most beautiful and sought-after neighbourhoods, like River Heights, Tuxedo, Wolseley, Bridgewater, cost a fraction of the price that similar homes in other cities cost. These neighbourhoods keep you close to the action, and actually allow you to live in your free time without being held down by brutal expenses.
Culture
The music scene in Winnipeg has been flourishing in recent years. With the support of organizations like Manitoba Music and Manitoba Film & Music, artists are developing their talents and industry are starting to pay closer attention to this city. What that means for us as music consumers? Great entertainment year round. Thanks to events like Festival du Voyageur, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Winnipeg Pride, Folklorama, Jazz Fest, etc. etc. we’re constantly fed top quality entertainment at fair prices.
There’s also a great photography scene in Winnipeg, and organizations like From Here and Away create a welcome environment for veterans and newcomers alike to learn and share their experience with like-minded people.
I could go on and on about the beautiful culture of this city, but we’ll leave that for another blog post coming soon.
Air Quality(?)
Somewhat underrated, but potentially worth mentioning is the air quality in Winnipeg. I’ve heard from a few people who used to live in Toronto that they moved to Winnipeg to start a family because of the cleaner air conditions. I thought that was an interesting comment! Certainly places in BC like Kelowna have us beat in this regard, but hey, we might be better than Toronto.
On a similar note, access to healthcare was voted as a major strength of this city by Moneysense magazine, as well as our healthy population growth.
The Winnipeg Charm
There’s a special bond that Winnipeggers have to one another no matter what city you end up in. My friend told me a story of recently being in Toronto for Canadian Music Week where he ran into Corin Raymond at The Cameron House. Corin’s a widely respected Canadian musician who spent many years living in Winnipeg. When he found out that my friend was from Winnipeg, he devoted a song to him and his band, and made a special point of hanging out to talk after the show.
It’s that kind of charm that Winnipeggers have to make any place feel like home.