Vancouver for Expatriates - Why Live Anywhere Else?

Vancouver in British Columbia in Canada is an excellent city to live in offering residents a fine quality of life

Vancouver has it all - so it is of no surprise that it is one of the most popular Canadian destinations for expatriates seeking a new life in a country where people work to live instead of living to work, where they enjoy an almost unsurpassed array of sporting and cultural activities, benefit from a temperate climate and have access to some of the best healthcare, employment and education opportunities in the world.

This is our guide to living in Vancouver for expatriates – once you’ve read it you’ll ask yourself ‘why live anywhere else!’

Vancouver is in British Columbia in Canada, it is on the West side of the country and British Columbia or BC is the most westerly of all Canadian provinces.  The American border is just 24 miles from the centre of Vancouver and yet the feel of the city is definitely Canadian! 

Vancouver manages to embrace multiculturalism in a way other cities around the world can only hope of doing.  There is an eclectic mix of cultures and ethnicity all residing for the most part in harmony within Vancouver, and although English is the official language of the city, around half of the children in the city have actually been brought up speaking a language other than English.

Vancouver is a major city in Canada alongside the likes of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal and yet it is a city unlike all others.  It has a far more temperate climate which can be very changeable (four seasons in one day anyone?) but which rarely sees snow settling for prolonged periods of time and which offers many balmy spring and summer days.

The variety of weather in Vancouver allows for an array of sporting activities to be available and enjoy, and because Vancouverites are of the mind that they work to live rather than living to work as previously mentioned, you’ll find them out and about skiing, snowboarding and hiking in winter, enjoying team sports such as hockey and football in the autumn, playing golf in the spring and then enjoying everything from sailing to fishing, rafting to horse riding, camping and hiking in the long summertime.

There are job opportunities aplenty in Vancouver too; it’s a high-tech city with many IT companies or businesses operating in related fields such as bio-technology and even CGI and it’s also a city with a wealth of fantastic health care institutes and educational establishments.  For young and old Vancouver has so very much to offer which is why it’s a great place to live, work and retire.  If you’re interested in emigrating to live in Canada, take a close look at Vancouver – it could just be your perfect destination.