rpm&my_G35

Hi guys,

My wife is looking at relocating for work (big opportunity) and the company I work for also has an Edmonton office. According to my boss, a transfer would be a 'slam dunk' as they are always looking for employees with my training and 25+ years of experience.

We have 3 children 17, 15 and 12 who will not be please to hear we are moving, assuming it happens. They haven't been told anything at this point. Not until we are sure.

My couple questions to for our Albertan forum friends are:

- We will be looking to purchase another 4 BR home in the $450k to $500k price range. What are some recommended neighbourhoods?
For commuting sake, keep in mind that my wife would work near Twin Willows Golf on 137 Ave NW and my Edmonton office is 10830 Jasper Ave NW. We have no issue with ~30-40km commutes. From what I have read, Edmonton traffic is not to bad.

- Is St Albert as nice as many people claim?
- what are the 'better' local high and elementary schools for arts/music
- Are there other areas similar to St Albert?

- Any other useful tips/information you want to share?

TIA
Paul

gtracing

iTrader: (3)

i lived in Edmonton most of my life and finally moved to Vancouver 6 years ago.

I lived in Riverbend, which I believe, is one of the better/quieter neighbourhoods. I would definitely recommend trying to find something in the south or southwest area of Edmonton.

There are quiet surrounding towns like St. Albert and Sherwood Park, however, there's not much to do out there which means you'll have to drive back into Edmonton for any fun.

As for schools, I went to George H Luck for elementary (in Riverbend), and went to Riverbend junior high followed by Strathcona High School. I joined my junior high music band and the arts/music programs there were quite excellent. Strathcona is a pretty good school, however, it focuses more on sports than arts/music. Some may argue that Harry Ainley is a better school overall. There aren't that many high schools in the south side. There are more high schools in the west and north side of Edmonton.

And this is just me...personally...(might even get flamed for this), but stay away from anything that says "North" or "East"....ESPECIALLY NORTH EAST!!!

Finally, yes, you can definitely find a 4bd room house for under $500,000 almost throughout the entire Edmonton. When I moved, housing was still quite affordable, i heard it went up for a bit, but then dropped again.

Hope this helps

canucklehead

iTrader: (9)

i lived in Edmonton for 3 years (U of A), and my wife is from Edmonton. it was tough for me coming from Vancouver (and being a golfer), but the city does have a good spirit.

i echo gtracing's thoughts on North East - avoid it. my inlaws live in Sherwood park which is a good area, and i believe St Albert is decent as well. one of those municipalities has all the refinery money so taxes are low, i believe.

i lived near the University which is a nice area: Glenora, Garneau, Laurier Heights, Parkview, Belgravia are all in the city and are nice urban communities. as for prices, Edmonton is still affordable so check out some listings. i'm not sure exact numbers, but it's way cheaper than Vancouver! my sister-in-law just bought a 5 acre home & property in Sherwood park for $550k. i own a 1700 sq ft townhome in Vancouver for ~$700k. lol.

it depends if you want an urban property close to the "action", or if the suburbs are more your thing. St Albert is a suburb.

137Ave is quite far North so i think your wife will have a bit of a commute, but nothing in Edmonton compares to Vancouver commutes so i don't think it's a big deal.

rpm&my_G35

Thanks, everyone, for the replies.

We are definitely suburbanites now. We like hiking and skiing...outdoor stuff. Clubbing days are long gone.
I think we will focus on the west (particularly northwest close to her possible work) since we keep hearing great things about the area. It would also shorten the drive to the mountains a little
When we want to 'paint the town', it's never too far away.

gtracing

iTrader: (3)

north west has nice neighbourhoods as well. However, with the new anthony henday completed now, commute from south to north is much quicker than before. I would think that staying generally west would be your best bet. You would be close to WEM as well as easy commutes to DT (off topic here, but there's a really good japanese restaurant called Kyoto that's right across from your Edmonton office)...

Like i mentioned before, i use to live in Riverbend (south west), the best part about living in the south side is you're close to the airport....which is a blessing when you have to pick up relatives who are coming into town for xmas holidays.... highways can be quite hectic on the way there if it's snowing like crazy