Living in Edmonton | The TRUTH about Alberta's Capital City

I've lived in Edmonton Alberta my entire life so I wanted to share what it's like actually living here.🙂

Just like any city there are pros and cons 🤔

Here's the cons:

1. Edmonton's weather can be absolutely brutal. We have long very cold winters, that seem to last forever. ❄️

2. Unfortunately Edmonton can be known for having some pretty bad drivers. A lot of people are not used to driving on snow and ice so it can take a while to adjust. Also no one's going to let you in even if you have your signal on lol 😡

3. Edmonton is located almost in the middle of the second largest country in the world. We are very landlocked here. So if proximity to the ocean is important to you I wouldn't recommend moving here.🌊

4. In the recent years Edmonton's crime rate hasn't been the greatest. We rank 20% higher than Vancouver and 40% higher than Calgary.✖️

Pros:

1. There's lots of opportunity to get a job in Edmonton. There's certainly no shortage of work and you can get a job in pretty much any sector. It's a great place for business owners!👩‍⚕️👨‍💼👷‍♀️

2. If you don't want to live in the big city there is many surrounding smaller cities and sub areas around Edmonton. Areas like St.Albert, Sherwood park, Beaumont, Spruce Grove and many others. These places can be a great place to raise a family and are all very short distances to Edmonton.👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

3. Edmonton has a very diverse culture. There is lots to do here and there seems to be something for everybody. We have people from all around the world living in Edmonton so it's pretty easy for anyone to make friends 🕺

4. You are surrounded by nature in Edmonton, there's lots of Crown Land, provincial and national parks within short driving distance of the city. If you enjoy hunting, fishing or hiking there's lots to do around here. 🏕️

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[danielappell]

As a ex-Calgarian I love to hear trash about Edmonton, but I got to tip my hat to the cultural life in your city. Edmonton makes the best of their winters by creating great theatre, great dance performances, and great art exhibitions. Edmonton culture is way more than just hockey and shopping malls. In a very significant way Edmonton is better than Calgary and Vancouver, because the people there know how to come together and have a great time. I love Edmonton, but, yah, winters are shit.

[khadijatopakunle]

So basically, reviews of most cities in different provinces in canada goes like : "it has a bad winter", "there's always road construction going on", "the winter is long", "oh there are homeless people ", "they do drugs ok, got it. 😅 at this point, I'm just going to close my eyes and choose any city on the map.... 😂

[dasalekhya]

Moved to Edmonton from New Brunswick in April 2022
Did not have a doctor in NB for *16 years* ... got a *doctor in Edmonton in 1 day*
yes, it is cold as hell... but at least I am NOT DYING due to lack of medical care

[mkyhou]

I spent 10 years in Edmonton, then moved to Calgary. No comparison, with mountains, Chinooks and much cleaner and larger downtown, Calgary is a better choice. Better road system too, Edmonton lacks a north south highway route into downtown. Edmonton is a good city but unless you are in the trades, or are a government worker, Calgary is a better choice.

[alberthouramoose]

I am barely surviving here in thunder bay ontario, and been unemployed for a very long time, I am sick and tired of my living condition here, so Iam taking a gamble take my welfare check and move to Edmonton at the first of the month and hopefully get a job. Ill be homeless when i arrive in edmonton but crossing a finger that my story will be successful one

[oirasoreusoj]

Moved to Edmonton a couple of months ago from Ontario. The worst aspect is the high amount of homeless, lowlifes, addicts and sketchy people. Every time I go to a shopping plaza or anywhere with a big parking lot I have to check the surroundings, always looking if there are weird people that could break into the car. I have to secured everything in my back yard. I feel like if I weren't in Canada anymore. Positive aspects is lots of jobs, opportunities to make money and affordability. The city has lots of potential to become a nicer, more family oriented place. I will spend some years here but definitely not looking to stay for the long term. Good luck to all the new fellow Edmontonians!

[chrisrunn]

Edmonton isn’t bad you can dress for cold weather, Calgary’s weather I find harder to dress for. Montreal has the worst drivers. It has the same problems as any other city.

[DannieKamete]

As a person living in Europe, it is wild to imagine the size of Canada. It's the size of Europe but with only 5% of the population, meaning major cities (1 million+) are far from each other. Here, you can bike from one major city to another in a couple hours.

[BryanFoster-jc]

Almost in the middle of Canada… May want to brush up on the old geography there.

[McFuzzTravels]

I'm an American and it's hilarious to watch people criticize Canadian cities. Canada feels like utopia compared to the US. Bad drivers or potholes in Edmonton sounds like a beautiful problem to have compared to worrying about getting shot to death in any US city 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️ Can I take your place in Edmonton?

[Aprilsdailychaos]

I thinking of moving my family to Edmonton from interior of BC. The real estate in Edmonton is actually affordable. Cheaper gas in Edmonton, less taxes. I could get a job right away as I'm an ECE workers. Also cold winters are good for my backyard ice rink ❤️

[zuljjin]

Someone can live in a city their whole life and they'll still be ignorant of 70% of the day to day life. Metro areas are large, diverse and complex any 10 minute video is not going to give you a good perspective. Your experience can change living on 1 block vs another, never mind communities, districts etc etc. You can find a home anywhere, and you can experience hell anywhere.

[Prairielander]

I am from Vancouver and live in Edmonton and yes Edmonton has dodgy people. But Vancouver is far worse. The problem I have is a few bad apples really spoil the bunch. The fact that law and justice and welfare just caters to criminals is so stupid. I do jobs for corrections and they are more like resorts for criminals than a punishment. I think there needs to be mandatory work camps for those who cause trouble.

[GringosOnTheGulf]

We left Edmonton Alberta 2021 for Mexico, best decision we ever made.
Cheers from 2 Canadians 🇨🇦 living in Mexico 🇲🇽✌🏼❤️

[benatkinson]

I enjoyed this video. Thanks!

My personal experience is that Edmonton specifically, and Alberta generally, is far better than the places I have lived in southern and eastern Ontario. I was born and raised in Ontario, and I moved to Edmonton in 2002 when I was 27. I lived there for 7 years and then moved to Calgary in 2009, and I am still here.

Personally, I find the weather in Alberta *way* better than in Ontario. Sure, every year we get temperatures below -50 for a week or two, but as they say, it is "a dry cold". When I lived near Toronto and also in Ottawa, the windchill there was brutal, so I would always choose -50 degrees Celsius in Edmonton and Calgary over how cold I felt in the 9 years I lived in Ottawa. I still remember waiting at the bus stop in front of Bonny Doon Mall one day and a girl asking why I did not zip up my jacket; I told her I did not feel cold, and maybe that was because I still remembered how the cold felt in Ottawa.

Also, since the day I moved to Edmonton in 2002, I have always found people in Alberta to be far friendlier than in Ontario. Your comment about turn signals reminded me of driving in Ontario when even cops would not use them, so it is no worse in Alberta. In fact, I have found that drivers in Ontario will go out of their way to get in the way of other drivers. Slowing other people down and being otherwise obnoxious is a sport in Ontario.

Thanks again for this video. I love Calgary, but I would still happily move back to Edmonton if an opportunity arose to do so. I actually consider Edmonton to be my *real* hometown in a lot of ways because it was not only the beginning of a new life for me, but also a *better* life for me. I miss the city a lot.

[sagarratnapathankot]

I m here in edmonton since 14 year never been unemployed, i bought 3 houses. Doing great.

[nathaliablaze]

As an Edmontonian for 34 years now i agree 💯 with you on all these points. FOR ANYONE LOOKING TO MOVE to EDMONTON: The affordability and jobs for such a big city is what has kept me here. To be honest, the weather and driving here can be a total nightmare. I think public transport is slowly catching up but for most part, is far behind when compared to other big Canadian cities. It's a good place to move to if you want a big city feel and vibe without the giant cost attached to it. I can't even imagine how people in cities live Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal survive on an average paycheck. Kudos to you if you can but as a single mom of 2 i couldn't even afford an appartment there but can own or rent a 3 bedroom house here. Thanks for posting this video.

[modestacattaruzza]

I live in my city for 65years, wouldn't have any other way
Thank you.

[TokyoRobb]

Great video! Possibly moving for a job from the US. Love the insight.

[dnice]

Life is, what you make. Ive lived in other parts of Canada and Europe and edmonton is a great place to live especially in the summer. I always find these discussions kind of odd, there are no perfect places to live every city has its pluses and minuses. Go to some of the places you think have it better and you'll hear the average person making the same type of complaints people make in your city. Housing prices has gone up recently but nothing like what is being experienced in major urban cities in Ontario/BC.