saaboteur

So you'll be working right downtown. Do you want to live downtown too? Looking for a house/townhouse as opposed to a condo/apartment I take it? As you can imagine, rentals in the downtown area are mostly going to be apartments or some walk up condo types. I would start looking for accommodation on kijiji - like Craigslist, but seems a lot more people in Edmonton use it.

I suppose for neighbourhoods, it depends on what you'd like. Do you want something quiet, in the burbs? Or into more 'hip' with younger crowd, less families, close to amenities and such?

coldrsx

Great area for work. Well connected by bus and LRT (subway) and lots to do for food/drink.

I live and work in that area and love it. Walking to work is bliss.

There are lots of rental stock in 'mckay avenue' just south, but in central Edmonton you have a lot of options be it apartment, townhouse, house or the like.

Feel free to email me at idgroup@shaw.ca if you have any questions.

Cheers

Ian

Woodson

Ouch. Who did you piss off?

tan0116

Thanks for the lead Ian. I'll check that area out. If I was single and traveling alone I'd opt for condo downtown, but since my wife and pup is accompanying me I might look in the suburbs.

coldrsx

or a balance... try areas such as:

-bonnie doon
-strathcona
-Mckernan
-westmount
-king edward park

saaboteur

Here's my take on Edmonton's neighbourhoods:

I think there are two kinds of suburbs here - those within the city limits, and then the actual bedroom communities which are separate municipalities. Of the latter, the largest are St. Albert and Sherwood Park. Then there's Fort Saskatchewan, Beaumont, and Leduc. I guess Nisku could be in there too, but I actually don't think many people live there, it's mostly a collection of oilfield related commercial and light industrial. The Fort is a bit further out and the people who live there generally work locally or at the nearby refineries. Beaumont and Leduc are close to the airports. Sherwood Park is relatively quiet and only about 10-15 minutes from downtown, but there is the rush hour commute to deal with.

I would say that the best driving routes into downtown Edmonton are from the east, followed by the west, then south, then north. The slog in from St. Albert (north) is bad because there's really only one way in and out, 30-45 minutes at least in rush hour. I personally live in the eastern part of the city, but I work in Sherwood Park. I'm only about 5-10 minutes from downtown if I ever need to head there. From the south, there are a lot of newer neighbourhoods in the past 5 or so years, and it reflects in the traffic. However, there are also LRT links to southern neighbourhoods now, and you can park and ride. Similarly in the north eastern neighbourhoods too.

The neighbourhoods Ian mentioned are all within the city limits. All are lovely, and Bonnie Doon, Strathcona and King Edward Park are within a very short drive to the Whyte Avenue / Old Strathcona district for restaurants, bars, coffee shops, eclectic shopping, etc.

One of my favourite neighbourhoods is Strathearn, followed by Glenora. I'm not sure how much rentals are there, I think most of the residents own their own homes there. Glenora has that 'old money' feel. Both Strathearn and Glenora are very close to downtown, which makes them quite coveted and thus more expensive areas.

If you don't want to pay for downtown parking, then it would be an excellent idea to live near an LRT station, or at least within short driving distance of one. That said, there are also plenty of buses everywhere, but those are no fun...

quonzilla

Hi Brian,

Welcome to Edmonton!

105st and Jasper ave is a great location i use to live in the same building as coldrsx (Ian).

I live in Valleyview ( parkview / crestwood ) now, great location! Dog park near by and about 12 mins downtown.

Very expensive area, but i am guessing you are renting so if you find a good deal it won't be bad.

I'll keep an eye out for you.

To bad you not bringing the s2k up. There is a good bunch of s2k owners in Edmonton.

On a side note...

Hey guys lets do a meet this year! Even though i dont have my ap2 no more, we can still be friends

Oh btw, I am back in the market for a white ap2. low km, stock preferred. If you know anyone selling a nice white ap2, let me know!

Cheers,
Marty

tan0116

Thanks again. I think I'll be moving end of February now and I'll have about a month to find a rental. I'll be given allowances for the parking garage for my office, so I wouldn't mind driving. Traffic in the DC metro area is generally bad but my commute is always against traffic. I planned it that way when I bought my home

Thanks for the warm welcome. I look forward to meeting up with some Canadian S2K owners. Maybe when the weather warms up I might be convinced to drive the S2K up from the east coast Are winter tires still a good idea for March thru April?

saaboteur

I suspect that traffic in DC is much worse than Edmonton. In fact, I recall reading a news story that said Edmonton commuters are some of the least affected by rush hour traffic, compared to other North American cities. Seriously, I get pissed off if I'm sitting in traffic for like 5 minutes - whereas in other cities that is more the norm. That said, for long time residents like myself and others, the trend for increased traffic and population density is very noticeable. From an outsider's perspective, especially one from a much larger city, I suspect Edmonton will seem quite sparsely populated with very free flowing roads!

Every year I am optimistic that all the snow will be gone by March. It never happens. There is still typically snow on the ground, and there can sometimes be hefty snowfalls and very cold conditions. April is better, but the thaw generally starts in mid April. Most of the snow is basically gone by late April / early May. Then you just have to deal with the numerous potholes - some of which have been known to swallow S2000s whole....

There are sometimes weird weather in these months though. I remember one year experiencing -25*C for several days in March. And another year digging out about 2" of snow in April. That's atypical though. The transition months of March/April/May (and October/November) can be tricky times for tire choice. During the day, it may be warm enough in the sun for summer tires. But in the shade or in the evening, you have to be prepared for below freezing temperatures, and of course summer tires won't handle those well. I have the luxury of several cars, and in those transition months I run my fun/summer cars and my winter car. Then when the appropriate season is fully 'on', I de-insure and park as required.

If you wait until you arrive before buying winter tires, you may have a slight conundrum. Sometimes there are shortages this time of year because of low demand. But wait until November and there may also be shortages because of high demand. Our student had this issue, waited nearly 6 weeks for the tires to arrive, and the shop was very busy that time of year. That said, I suggest buying your winter tires in the US because they cost substantially less than here. I generally start thinking about prepping my winter car for the season in August!

Woodson

[/quote]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I look forward to meeting up with some Canadian S2K owners. Maybe when the weather warms up I might be convinced to drive the S2K up from the east coast Are winter tires still a good idea for March thru April?
[/quote]

I don't know about Edmonton, but 2.5 hours south in Calgary, March and April are the two months with the most snow.