For those struggling with affordability in Vancouver, a popular suggestion has been to leave, but many folks who have left decided to come back according to a recent Reddit thread.
The question is, why?
You’d think that leaving to a place like Alberta, where rent is way, way cheaper, would be reason enough to stay.
That doesn’t seem to be the case, though. Let’s look at some of the experiences of Vancouver residents who have left for cities like Calgary or Edmonton and come back to the West Coast.
Redditor throawayboi put the question out for the Vancouver subreddit, asking, for those who left Vancouver and came back: what made you come back?
The top comment was someone who said they moved to Edmonton for work and cheaper housing and stayed there for almost ten years.
“I liked it there,” they said.
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“My life was decent. I had a nice house, and my kids had a great school and daycare.”
So why’d they come back? They found a job that paid enough to support their family in Vancouver and felt “a bit isolated in Edmonton” without their family being there.
Someone else agreed while giving Calgary a bit of a shout-out.
“I was in the same boat; I lived in Edmonton and felt isolated. I feel like if I started a life in Calgary, I would have never left.”
Another Redditor said, “It took me nine years, four cities and three countries, to come back to Vancouver.”
They returned because they primarily get around by walking and biking, enjoy kayaking and the trees, and love the Vancouver Public Library.
“I feel Canadian. And part of this feeling is taking responsibility to help solve the social problems that the city has,” they added.
Sentiments around being with friends and family seemed to be the primary reason many returned, with finding a job that could pay the bills in Vancouver being another top priority.
“Moved to Toronto for grad school and graduated into a pandemic. Came back because job prospects sucked all around, so why not just come back home where all my family and friends are anyways?”
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