Would you move back to Penticton from Calgary?

[lexie44]

We left Penticton in 2003 for Calgary and while we never made a lot of money here Calgary did offer good services for our children. We want to move back to escape the cold winters and enjoy the slower pace of life. Hopefully we could get jobs at the hospital again but I'm wondering how well our kids would do in a small town. Any advice on the local schools? (grades 2-8, south end of town). Is the cost of living crazy? I know wages are lower in Penticton but is it enough to live on? Has anyone left Calgary for Penticton lately? Sadly Calgary is falling apart but Penticton still feels like home. Any experiences or advice is appreciated.

[fluffy]

Big expansion going on at the hospital, could mean a bunch of hiring.

[fall]

Short answer, No. Visit in the summer.

[twobits]

The only thing higher in Calgary than here is just your heating bill and wages.

[OREZ]

Another short answer:

No.

[Bunnyhop]

We left Penticton in 2003 for Calgary and while we never made a lot of money here Calgary did offer good services for our children. We want to move back to escape the cold winters and enjoy the slower pace of life. Hopefully we could get jobs at the hospital again but I'm wondering how well our kids would do in a small town. Any advice on the local schools? (grades 2-8, south end of town). Is the cost of living crazy? I know wages are lower in Penticton but is it enough to live on? Has anyone left Calgary for Penticton lately? Sadly Calgary is falling apart but Penticton still feels like home. Any experiences or advice is appreciated.

Your kids would do as well in Penticton as they do in Calgary. We have very good schools, there's lots of sports, dance, etc options for them to participate in. Yes, wages are lower in Penticton than in Calgary but "jobs at the hospital" should provide a sufficient wage to live on.

Penticton is a great place to raise a family. My advice would be to start job searching, make contact with a realtor for housing, and get real information that you can use to make your decisions. some people do really well here, some people struggle but stay, and some people aren't able to make a go of it and leave. You could fit into any of those categories

[fall]

Penticton experienced a decline in population to the tune of two thousand plus residents last year.....for a reason.

[Bunnyhop]

Penticton experienced a decline in population to the tune of two thousand plus residents last year.....for a reason.

Those are the people in the 3rd category I mentioned. Btw, do you have a link to that stat? Not saying I don't believe it but I'm curious where the number came from. I recall a recent story on Castanet about real estate sales in the south Okanagan being at a record high this year. So how does all that work?

I'd be interested to know if the population of Calgary has declined in the last year or two.

Edited to add: Never mind, this is a copy and paste from a Penticton Herald article from January 2016. "Population estimates from BC Stats indicate West Kelowna grew 5.3 per cent from 32,744 in 2014 to 34,484 in 2015.
Meanwhile, Penticton's population decreased by 0.25 per cent from 34,050 to 33,854."

Thats a decline of 196 residents.

[fall]

http://www.pentictonherald.ca/news/arti ... fa4ba.html

[phasyluck]

If there was work I'd gladly move to Penticton. Kinda sucks that Slack Alices is gone though, that devalues the place for sure.

[fall]

http://www.pentictonherald.ca/news/arti ... fa4ba.html

The two thousand number I was thinking of may have been the decline in school enrolment over the years. (the reason schools are shutting down)
None the less Penticton is the only Okanagan city that saw a decline in population in 2015.

[lexie44]

Thanks for the replys. People are leaving Calgary too. The only reason our population remains is due to new births otherwise there are more people leaving than moving here. There are few jobs available and as minimum wages increase (up to $15), property taxes increase and the new carbon tax starts Jan.1 businesses aren't hiring as there is too much uncertainty in the future.
For the short answer NO replys could you elaborate a little? Is it just a general feeling about Penticton or are there specific things that you don't like?

[fluffy]

For the short answer NO replys could you elaborate a little? Is it just a general feeling about Penticton or are there specific things that you don't like?

There are people who can't really be happy anywhere, weigh the bad reviews with the good. If "no" reviews aren't offering details about what they're unhappy with then that could be an indication that you should take that review with a grain of salt.

The big thing about the Okanagan is an employment situation that lets you enjoy the quality of life the area had to offer while at the same time providing adequately for both the present and future. If you have some marketable professional skills do some homework to see what the employment situation is in your field. If you can have a job lined up before you move here that's a huge chunk of the game already played.

[OREZ]

Thanks for the replys. People are leaving Calgary too. The only reason our population remains is due to new births otherwise there are more people leaving than moving here. There are few jobs available and as minimum wages increase (up to $15), property taxes increase and the new carbon tax starts Jan.1 businesses aren't hiring as there is too much uncertainty in the future.
For the short answer NO replys could you elaborate a little? Is it just a general feeling about Penticton or are there specific things that you don't like?

I like Penticton. It would be a great place to retire. If you had a pretty decent employment opportunity it would also be a nice place to live. I gave a short "no" because it didn't seem to me from your post that either of those situations were the case with you.

I don't think Penticton is a great place to look for work or a fun place to live with no money. Same applies to pretty much the entire Okanagan. For some reason, a lot of people move here without considering that or doing anything in the way of job market or housing cost research... And then a few months later, they're on here complaining about housing costs and lack of job opportunities.

Not trying to be a negative Nelly, just sayin'

[youhavegottobekidding]

Used to live in Penticton. Left because the Golf Course sucks big time as there is NO competition so they will not improve it. Cost to join is $4500 per person. Are you kidding me? They think they are Calgary I guess. Not worth that money. Taxes are too high and getting higher with this Council. They are spewing $$ like little Trudeau does......

Moved to Osoyoos with a beautiful 36 hole course and at the cost of only $3600 a couple I think it is? Taxes are way lower.

Lovely friendly people. Of course I am retired so don't need a job.