Urgent - need info

Hi

I will be moving to Edmonton soon. Have no clue about the place nor have friends there. Came across this forum and thought it might help me.I need info about good residential area in Edmonton, someplace that has Indians around and also safe.Will be moving with my family, husband and kid. I lived in toronto for a while, is Edmonton very different from toronto?Please give me some suggestions.
Thanks!

Can someone please respond to this one? Or if you could post a similar link, I would appreciate it. I searched on this forum but did not really find a suitable posting.

Thanks.

Depma,

I too have stayed in Toronto before & I find Edmonton is less crowded, more relaxed & very very friendly, helpful people than Toronto. Climate is of course different & not that many Indian/Asian grocers like Toronto.

The areas North of Central Edmonton are a big NO !! More crime, mostly Catholic or French immersion schools as population has more French/Canadians.
Central Edmonton in the downtown/business region. Only suitable for singles, students -- certainly not for family living.
The Westend [ below the central region, in the southern part of Edmonton] has good scenery, River valley views, closer to downtown etc. but traffic becomes an issue in peak time.

A majority of Asians [ Indian/Pakistani/Chinese/Fillipinos] and Westindians prefer the Southern region of Edmonton . It is very safe & family friendly. Esp. the southwest is very good , but more expensive than the southeast. Avoid the areas close to downtown, Whyte Avenue and anywhere north side.
Indians are mostly residing in the area called Millwoods (which is in the southeast). In Millwoods itself, some neighborhoods are much better than others.

How old is your kid ? Must consider the school for that particular locality also, before you decide on the flat.

There is another forum called connect2edmonton dot com. There is a section in that called AskEd. You can browse thro' that also.

IF you need any more info. , I'm ready to share what I know .
All the best :)

Grace, thanks a lot for the information. My child is 2.5 years old, so we are good from the school standpoint for now.

Do you suggest Millswood then?

Depma,

Most welcome :)

It also depends on whether you like the community/environment, so better to come here & personally get the feel of the place. I would recommend Jackson Heights, Pollard Meadows , Silver Berry, Wild Rose communities within Millwoods as they are newer, less shabby looking & much safer than those around the Millwoods Town Mall [ that area is called Lee Ridge i think ].

You would've done some research online to book accomodation for initial months ? Are you looking for furnished , with bed/sofa/kitchen appliances etc.If you've not yet found anything satisfactory, you can find very good quality / reasonable rates at bwalk dot com ; good service also & located all over the city.

It also depends on where your / husband's office is located, and how you plan to commute to work. Though the ETS [ Edmonton Transit System ] is very good & a popular choice, most newcomers prefer to stay close to the place of work in the initial months at least. So if your office is in downtown area, then probably the Boardwalk Center [ can find it in the link above ] would be the right choice.

On weekends can drive thro' the city & see which area/community you prefer.

When is your scheduled move by the way ?

Grace

Thank again. I 'll be moving sometime last week of Nov, Plan to stay in a hotel for first couple of weeks. That'll give me time to look around the places that u suggested.

Will get in touch with u again if i need to know anything.Thanks a lot!

Good idea Depma.
Enjoy the move and good luck :)

Depma,

Just wanted to attach a map of the communities in Edmonton. Hope you find it useful.

Thanks Grace. The map will be of great use to me once I move.

How long have u been in Edmonton?I noticed in one of your other threads that u moved from Montreal. Howz the weather compared to Montreal/Toronto?

Hi Depma,

It has been a few weeks under one year, since we moved from Montreal.

In Montreal there was TONS of snow & near constant rains ... always wet, damp, slushy because within 15 mins. of snow the whole roads would be blocked in piles. Here there is not that many mountains of snow + very milder, pleasant rains. Yes, you do get temp. of -36 + windchill etc. gives it blizzard conditions but that is just few days in a year.

Though Edmonton is more chilly than either Toronto or Montreal, it gets the max. amount of sunlight in entire Canada ! Yes, even when temp. is -27 , it will be a bright & sunny day