I heard a lot of people came to the Toronto suburbs between the 80's-90's, places like Mississauga and Oakville, because they heard it's such a great place to raise a family. That was completely true. I had a fantastic childhood in the area - but now, that's simply not true. Traffic, crime, druggies and hoodlums hanging out in the formely nice areas. Maybe the richer areas around the lake are nice, but screw paying $10k in property taxes.
So, what is it today?
Kanata? Regina? Small town Alberta? Utah?
I got a 4 bedroom in kanata for 300k. Im close to everything, dont need a car, have lots of trails and yet enough space to get away from the beaurocrats. When i moved in my neighbour said something to me about coronavirus and the Americans crossing at roxham road and I said the virus didnt come from America and he shut up and we havent said much since hahaha. I have a syrian family on the other side and theyre pretty cool. They wave and seem friendly. a few houses went up for sale the last month or two and they all sold so thats a good sign.
In regards to British Columbia:
In Vancouver, you need $1 Million, just to be broke
In the Okanagan, you only need $500,000, just to be broke.
It's a tough call under current situation in the country and the globe. Alberta would be my choice if weather would be warmer. Small town with noticeable farming community and few Mennonites. Catholic school and bit if a home schooling. Making living might be tough, depends on your skills
I've heard great things about north bay. Some of the small towns on Bruce Peninsula are nice if you can find work in your industry and don't mind winter.
Raymond, Alberta. Small town of just over 4000 people but close to Lethbridge, Alberta (a city of about 100,000). Raymond is a great place to raise a family and the town is very safe. Low cost of living and decent property taxes. Winters are mild (compared to the rest of the Prairies) and the mountains are super close (Waterton is just over an hour away). The town residents are majority LDS (Mormon) but are very friendly and welcoming even if you’re not LDS. Highly recommended!
While I enjoy Kanata I would consider moving to a small town Alberta or BC. Are there thriving conservative small towns?
I moved from BC to AB and now currently reside in SK. SK has the best people I've ever met. Even the cities have a "small town feel" to them (sort of).