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Post by WettCoast on Mar 18, 2008 19:49:53 GMT -8
Vancouver may have a reputation for rain, but for average July precipitation, Vancouver is the fourth driest city in Canada:) Only Victoria (by far), Dawson (Yukon), and Yellowknife have less precipiatation than Vancouver in July (on average). John, I do not know where you got those stats from, but I am fairly certain that there are dozens of places in the dry belt areas of southern BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan that are drier in July than Vancouver. To list a few: Kamloops, Kelowna, Vernon, Cranbrook, Lethbridge, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Swift Current.... Maybe the criteria is 'cities'. If so than Dawson, Yukon, hardly qualifies (pop. less than 1000). Nevertheless, the climate in Vancouver, and on BC's south coast in general, is usually pretty nice during the May to September period.
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Post by Queen of Nanaimo Teen on Mar 18, 2008 21:34:38 GMT -8
Of course I love all the little cities all over Vancouver Island (as well as the big ones). But I do have a love for the Kootenays. Being in Nakusp is so awesome, the area is so beautiful, so if Kaslo.
As mentioned by other people, the Okanagan is a beautiful and great place to live. I'm getting sick of it though, and I can't wait to move to Winnipeg after I graduate. I guess I just take our area for granted!
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Mar 19, 2008 7:21:43 GMT -8
Vancouver may have a reputation for rain, but for average July precipitation, Vancouver is the fourth driest city in Canada:) Only Victoria (by far), Dawson (Yukon), and Yellowknife have less precipitation than Vancouver in July (on average). John, I do not know where you got those stats from, but I am fairly certain that there are dozens of places in the dry belt areas of southern BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan that are drier in July than Vancouver. To list a few: Kamloops, Kelowna, Vernon, Cranbrook, Lethbridge, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Swift Current.... Maybe the criteria is 'cities'. If so than Dawson, Yukon, hardly qualifies (pop. less than 1000). Nevertheless, the climate in Vancouver, and on BC's south coast in general, is usually pretty nice during the May to September period. Something to remember, too, I think the precipitation is measured at the airport, which gets approximately half the rain of the north shore. Stats are a great thing, but you always have to remember to qualify them!
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Post by Barnacle on Mar 19, 2008 8:21:08 GMT -8
As mentioned by other people, the Okanagan is a beautiful and great place to live. I'm getting sick of it though, and I can't wait to move to Winnipeg after I graduate. I guess I just take our area for granted! You'll be amazed at how flat it is, guy. I usually manage to survive about a week out on the prairie, then I have to come home to get some topography.
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Post by Balfour on Mar 19, 2008 8:26:02 GMT -8
Although many of my relatives are from Winnipeg, I'd go crazy over there. There are no good places to go skiing...
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Post by Barnacle on Mar 19, 2008 8:31:23 GMT -8
Nearest one I know of is Blackstrap Mountain Provincial Park, between Saskatoon and Regina. It's about a 400-meter tall pimple that some enterprising individual put a ski lift on the side of.
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Post by Northern Exploration on Mar 19, 2008 9:01:56 GMT -8
Hahaha. The pimple brings back memories. After the Quapelle Valley the pimple was the only landmark between Regina and Saskatoon. All of us in the college called it that. I didn't fare well in Regina when I was in school there and to combat my extreme case of cabin fever, tried to get away most weekends. Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary and yes even Winnipeg were common destinations. Edmonton was the most common and usually the longest drive. The landmarks were the Pimple, Saskatoon, the Battlefords, Lloydminster, then Edmonton. If you broke the trip up that way in your mind the drive went faster and seemed less boring. In summer (when I had retreated to Toronto or Vancouver), the scenery was at least a bit better with the green, yellow and golds of the fields rather than the white sterile of the snow cover for most of the school year. It usually snowed Thanksgiving weekend or was at least bitter cold for the annual Edmonton/Sask. CFL game. The snow started to melt around Easter. Much longer winter than I was used to. Now I think there is at least bare ground a little more due to climate change. Everyone used to say it was a dry cold. That doesn't hold water when it is 40 below and too cold to skate or enjoy any winter activities.
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Post by Nickfro on Mar 19, 2008 16:13:06 GMT -8
As mentioned by other people, the Okanagan is a beautiful and great place to live. I'm getting sick of it though, and I can't wait to move to Winnipeg after I graduate. I guess I just take our area for granted! Wow! I think that is the first time I have ever heard anyone make a statement like this! I figure there's surely a motive behind it for you (good on you for it!), but it's amazing how many people have been moving from the prairies to the Okanagan, and not so much the other way. Being a ferry fan, one would think you would rather move closer to the coast instead of proceeding to the middle of the country, and that's another reason why your statement caught me off guard. Myself, having grown up close to water, I don't think I would be able to tolerate an inland town without any lakes nearby.
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Post by piller on Mar 19, 2008 18:37:46 GMT -8
Nearest one I know of is Blackstrap Mountain Provincial Park, between Saskatoon and Regina. It's about a 400-meter tall pimple that some enterprising individual put a ski lift on the side of. Talking about pimples, there is small mountain called the pimple (at least by the locals) immediately north of Bralorne, BC. In the days before satellite TV, the townspeople mounted TV antennas on the mountain and ran about a thousand feet or so of cable to their homes for TV reception. There are still the remains of several antennas. Now it is great viewpoint for the west end of the Bridge River valley and environs. The area is great of backcountry skiing and snowmobling in winter and hiking in summer!
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Post by Scott on Mar 19, 2008 20:54:34 GMT -8
Vancouver may have a reputation for rain, but for average July precipitation, Vancouver is the fourth driest city in Canada:) Only Victoria (by far), Dawson (Yukon), and Yellowknife have less precipiatation than Vancouver in July (on average). John, I do not know where you got those stats from, but I am fairly certain that there are dozens of places in the dry belt areas of southern BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan that are drier in July than Vancouver. To list a few: Kamloops, Kelowna, Vernon, Cranbrook, Lethbridge, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Swift Current.... Maybe the criteria is 'cities'. If so than Dawson, Yukon, hardly qualifies (pop. less than 1000). Nevertheless, the climate in Vancouver, and on BC's south coast in general, is usually pretty nice during the May to September period. I got the stats from the Canadian Global Almanac (1999) which is admittedly old, but average weather stats wouldn't change that much. And a lot of the cities you mentioned aren't included, that's true. Except for Calgary which gets on average almost twice the rainfall in July than Vancouver;) From Environment Canada and World Climate (for international) Vancouver (Airport) - 39.6mm Calgary (Airport) - 67.9mm Kelowna - 36.9mm Kamloops - 29.5mm Lethbridge - 47.5mm Medicine Hat - 40.6mm Regina - 64.4mm Charlottetown - 85.8mm Toronto - 67.5mm Windsor - 81.8mm Montreal - 91.3mm Victoria - 19.5mm London, UK - 44.8mm Tokyo, Japan - 135.6mm New York City - 105.0mm Paris - 57.0mm Now if we went to "sunshine hours".. I think Vancouver might fall down the list a lot;)
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Post by kylefossett on Mar 20, 2008 8:32:27 GMT -8
Nearest one I know of is Blackstrap Mountain Provincial Park, between Saskatoon and Regina. It's about a 400-meter tall pimple that some enterprising individual put a ski lift on the side of. Talking about pimples, there is small mountain called the pimple (at least by the locals) immediately north of Bralorne, BC. In the days before satellite TV, the townspeople mounted TV antennas on the mountain and ran about a thousand feet or so of cable to their homes for TV reception. There are still the remains of several antennas. Now it is great viewpoint for the west end of the Bridge River valley and environs. The area is great of backcountry skiing and snowmobling in winter and hiking in summer! skied up there last winter. was some good times
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Mar 20, 2008 9:47:56 GMT -8
New York City - 105.0mm Paris - 57.0mm Now if we went to "sunshine hours".. I think Vancouver might fall down the list a lot;) lol...yes very true. I know from my experience, NYC can get that 105mm total in 50mm doses!
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Post by Northern Exploration on Mar 20, 2008 10:22:52 GMT -8
Those doses always happened when I was in a suit walking from one meeting to another. I was walking from a clients to one of my favourite restaurants. Only two cross town blocks on 27th from 9th to 7th (cross town are the long blocks). The minute a drop of rain appears the cabs turn invisible too. When I left the client it was grey but not raining though of course once I started out it began. Despite having an unbrella my suit pants were soaked, you could pour water out of my shoes. I was staying downtown across from the WTC which was too far to go to change in that weather. Since it was summer and sticky the restaurant had their ac blasting. So my legs were soaked and cold. Not a great meal.
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Mar 20, 2008 11:08:59 GMT -8
Uggh...lol...that I can empathize with. When I first visited Philly, my hotel was right across the street from the convention centre. Every time we would get a break, the sky would open and down would come about 10mm of rain in five minutes. You couldn't cross the street without getting soaked through, even with an umbrella.
Now if you think I exaggerate, I've seen rain rates here as high as 12 inches per hour, or 300mm per hour, especially during hurricane season.
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Post by lmtengs on Sept 25, 2009 9:59:45 GMT -8
To reopen a dead thread, I will list my favorites. Prince Rupert: A small fishing Community on the North Coast, Beautiful Prince Rupert has gone through so many changes over the years, many depressions, but still the residents grit their teeth and keep on smiling. Vancouver: BC's biggest City, host of Expo 86 and the 2010 winter Games, Vancouver is a great place to live, work, or play. My favorite communties specifically are East Hastings Canada's poorest community, it humbles you to walk through there, Gastown, a beautiful piece of history, and Vancouver's transit hub, and North False Creek, with awesome views of the sea, the skyline, and excellent biking, walking, and other rec opertunities. Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows: You can do anything here, from biking to hiking, swimming to skating on frozen lakes, golfing to fishing. Maple Ridge is very photogenic too. My favorite spots are Port Haney, Downtown, Golden Ears Park, and the Dykes Telegraph Cove: Telegraph Cove is a quaint resort community, perched on the rocks on Vancouver Island's North-East Coast. They have great whale watching opertunities there, as it is a short boat ride to Johnstone Strait. Steveston: Another fishing community, Steveston is a suburb of Richmond. Steveston features some of the best seafood in BC, and according to me, the best Ice Cream. At one place, they make the waffle cones right in front of your eyes, fresh! Hedley: Situated along the Crowsnest hwy (3) between Princeton and Penticton, this tiny mining community, almost a ghost town offers daily tours of the the Mascot Gold Mine just outside of town. Harrison Hot Springs: On the south shore of Harrison Lake, this town features a large resort hotel with hotspring-fed pools as it's main income. I have more favorites, but too many to list
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rt1commuter
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Post by rt1commuter on Sept 25, 2009 11:16:25 GMT -8
Are we doing this now? OK, I'll take a shot: Penticton - My favorite place in all of BC, fantastic swimming, hiking, best climbing in the province (yeah, better than Squamish!) great skiing. I'd give anything to live there! Vancouver - Big, lots of different kinds of food, a fun transit system, top notch cycling, skiing off the city bus! Golden - Skiing, skiing, skiing oh and skiing. Kicking Horse Resort is out of this world! Then theres Roger's Pass Also close to great ice climbing. Queen Charlotte - It's like Tofino or Ukee without all the stupid tourists and tacky shops. Campbell River - Theres just something about it I really like. Could be how it's tucked up against Discovery Passage, it's got a very unique flavor. Prince George - Lots of industry (not much of that left in the province!), 2nd worst air quality in the country (rivaled only by Sarnia), fanstastic people, fantastic pubs, beautiful area. Oh, and the towns mascot is made of septic tanks!
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Post by Koastal Karl on Sept 25, 2009 11:25:04 GMT -8
a few more of mine
Campbell River Tofino Port Hardy-not much there but I think it's a neat little town Prince Rupert- again not much there but still is a neat little coastal town Smithers- it's pretty and in the mountains 100 Mile House/Green Lake area as we used to have a cabin on Green Lake when I was younger, I love the country up there it's so nice and relaxing and away from the big cities. Hope- neat little mountain town and the gateway to the interior
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Mill Bay
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Post by Mill Bay on Sept 25, 2009 11:33:28 GMT -8
The audience will now have 10 minutes for rebuttal, mostly for Luke with regard to Telegraph Cove and Harrison Hot Springs... way to choose two of the most tourist corrupted locations. Believe me, both places are nothing like what they used to be before condo developments and resort hotels. Both have definitely lost a lot of their charm and appeal since being redesigned as tourist hot spots.
I have a long list of towns, which i still need to refine, so for now, I'll just go with favorite cities, which are the two Royal cities in BC, Victoria and New Westminster, although both are now being obscured by the ceaseless viral infection of condos. It's too bad that the whole shoreline of the inner harbor practically is suffocated by condos, and the same thing with New West: high rises everywhere blocking out the nice views overlooking the river.
I think it would be nice if BC and the Island had remained separate provinces each one with its own capital city, because I think New Westminster often gets ignored and no one knows its former status as capital of the mainland colony. I also think it's quite fitting that the only quasi-V-Class ship left is still named after one of the Royal cities, following in the tradition of Queen of Victoria.
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Post by lmtengs on Sept 25, 2009 14:32:42 GMT -8
Believe me, both places [telegraph cove and harrison hotsprings]are nothing like what they used to be before condo developments and resort hotels. Both have definitely lost a lot of their charm and appeal since being redesigned as tourist hot spots. It really irritated me that they're building a massive residential development just beside telegraph cove. It totally ruins the nice atmosphere there. That ugly condo building was a mistake too. I have a long list of towns, which i still need to refine, so for now, I'll just go with favorite cities, which are the two Royal cities in BC, Victoria and New Westminster, although both are now being obscured by the ceaseless viral infection of condos. It's too bad that the whole shoreline of the inner harbor practically is suffocated by condos, and the same thing with New West: high rises everywhere blocking out the nice views overlooking the river. Where was the parliament building in New West anyway? I've always wondered...
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Post by Dane on Sept 26, 2009 0:22:10 GMT -8
It's too bad that the whole shoreline of the inner harbor practically is suffocated by condos... Why? What would a city be without residents?
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Post by lmtengs on Sept 26, 2009 8:41:46 GMT -8
It's too bad that the whole shoreline of the inner harbor practically is suffocated by condos... Why? What would a city be without residents? Condo's look BAD when instead you could have a shoreline of parks and historic buildings. In Vancouver, it's ok, because that's what the city is known for, but Victoria is more like Vancouvers little sister, and she should stay that way.
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Post by Northern Exploration on Sept 26, 2009 18:24:33 GMT -8
The problem with not being in favour of condos is the alternative. If cities don't become denser with condos, more farmland is going to be swallowed up for less dense houses, semi's and townhouses. Sprawl results meaning more roads and expressways. Transit can't keep up to get people out of their cars because the system becomes too massive. Dense housing leads people to become more transit friendly and even to walk more. People in New York are one of the healthiest and fittest groups in the US due to the amount of walking the typical person does. Condos are also much more affordable for first time buyers getting them into real estate and not just paying rent but building equity.
I have thought about this topic alot as a large development is being considered 5 minutes walk from my house. It is a neighbourhood of single family homes and a plaza/health/fitness facility to be razed for a couple of condo towers surrounded by high density townhomes.
Victoria can't expand much more unless you want continuous city up to Swartz Bay and then up to Sooke on the other side. The Malahat is a barrier on one side and the ocean on the other side. I certainly wouldn't want to see the Cowichan Valley become a bedroom community with track houses all over because people are forced to go there due to lack of housing or if prices increase too much. People are already commuting that road now to Victoria my relatives included.
Without intensification, Victoria would become sprawling with the roads getting worse and worse. Either that or massive amounts of money would have to be spent on catch up building a much more extensive transit system. Victoria doesn't have to have a bunch of towering buildings, but it badly needs intensification and then a smaller but good transit system.
Calgary relatives have one of those nice condos near Laurel Point and don't contribute much to the city because they aren't there much to purchase goods and services. Hopefully the growth in the city isn't due to part time residents.
Ironically Willamsburg, Virginia exists today because the capital moved to Richmond further inland and development froze. It stayed a sleepy backwater with a large amount of original buildings remaining intact, modified slightly over the years, or just under the surface of the ground enough archeology to allow restoration of other buildings that were lost. People were too poor to massively redevelop. So today in thanks to Goodwin and Rockerfeller's money and interest, people can visit a town from the late 1700's and step back in time. In most other cases, cities either grow or die a slow death as they decline.
Back to the topic of the thread, I like a lot of towns/cities on the coast, just due to their location. While not what it used to be Tofino would be the top still. I still enjoy Victoria quite a bit but haven't been there when the cruise ships are in port. Telgraph Cove has always been a stop for me on the way to Port Hardy, and while a hotel/resort might be needed I hope the town's character doesn't change much. Port Alberni has such an amazing location, I would love to see a minor amount of development there to take advantage of it and replace some of the lost resource jobs. Burnaby and New West bear little resemblance to when I lived. Many other places are also vastly different and have no draw for me.
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rt1commuter
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Post by rt1commuter on Sept 29, 2009 8:41:36 GMT -8
Although population density is a good thing no doubt, look at the model of cities such as London or Amsterdam. Although there are some high rise developments, much of the town is based on low-rise townhouse type of properties. 4-5 stores, with several house sized apartments in each. We can still have density without resorting to massive, ugly, poorly built, and expensive high rises. In either case, both cities have a high population density, such that can support a viable transit system, and car ownership is optional!
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 29, 2009 11:49:43 GMT -8
Although population density is a good thing no doubt, look at the model of cities such as London or Amsterdam. Although there are some high rise developments, much of the town is based on low-rise townhouse type of properties. 4-5 stores, with several house sized apartments in each. We can still have density without resorting to massive, ugly, poorly built, and expensive high rises. In either case, both cities have a high population density, such that can support a viable transit system, and car ownership is optional! Yes, the sooner 50% of the population realizes they need to live in a stack of shoe and hat boxes, the better! ;D I say that even though I both live in a suburb and contribute to the construction of various ugly, and sprawl-friendly commercial box buildings! Myself, though, when I design, it tends to be much more old school, as NE can attest; he's seen some designs I have worked on; and personally, I like the idea many cities are now pursuing plans to refurbish the old warehouse districts into urban developments. These old buildings have significant character and deserve a new role in the urban plan.
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Post by Northern Exploration on Sept 29, 2009 16:31:14 GMT -8
Although population density is a good thing no doubt, look at the model of cities such as London or Amsterdam. Although there are some high rise developments, much of the town is based on low-rise townhouse type of properties. 4-5 stores, with several house sized apartments in each. We can still have density without resorting to massive, ugly, poorly built, and expensive high rises. In either case, both cities have a high population density, such that can support a viable transit system, and car ownership is optional! Yes, the sooner 50% of the population realizes they need to live in a stack of shoe and hat boxes, the better! ;D I say that even though I both live in a suburb and contribute to the construction of various ugly, and sprawl-friendly commercial box buildings! Myself, though, when I design, it tends to be much more old school, as NE can attest; he's seen some designs I have worked on; and personally, I like the idea many cities are now pursuing plans to refurbish the old warehouse districts into urban developments. These old buildings have significant character and deserve a new role in the urban plan. His dream house is very old school. ;D Good design is both ineteresting, pleasing and yet practical in my mind.
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