Apartments for Rent in Vancouver, BC
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Living in Vancouver, BC

There are many pros and cons to living in Vancouver. The climate is moderate and there are a ton of parks and green spaces wherever you go. For the ski or mountain biking enthusiasts, Vancouver is near Whistler, Grouse, and Cypress Mountains and dozens of hiking trails dot the surrounding areas. For the people who want to take it easy, there are 9 beaches outlining the coastal perimeter of the city.

If you’re new to Vancouver or don’t speak the language, don’t worry. The people are friendly and no matter what language you’re most comfortable speaking, whether it’s Chinese, Punjabi, Tagalog, Korean, Farsi, French, or Spanish, there will almost always be someone who can help.

For all its plusses, living in Vancouver has its downsides as well. The city sleeps early so if you’re a night owl, there might not be too much for you to do outside of the nightclubs and late-night eateries on the “Granville Strip” in downtown Vancouver.

Vancouver, BC employment & economy

Tech is a major force in the economy with software development, biotech, aerospace, and video game development making up a large percentage of the job market in Vancouver. All the big technology companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, and SAP have offices here.

The film industry is also a large source of employment and economic growth in Vancouver, sometimes referred to as “Hollywood North”. Vancouver is home to 2 of the largest special effects studios in North America and the film industry pumps $1 billion into the economy every year. Many popular movies and TV shows were filmed here including Riverdale, Deadpool, MacGyver, and Star Trek.

Education in Vancouver, BC

The top universities in Vancouver are University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. There are also other trades-oriented schools like the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Vancouver Film School and Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

Most Vancouver students are automatically assigned to the public schools in their neighbourhood, it’s very important that you move into an area with good schools.

The top secondary school in Vancouver, as ranked by the Fraser Institute, is Lord Byng in the West Point Grey neighbourhood, followed closely by University Hill on the University of British Columbia Endowment Lands and Point Grey in Kerrisdale.

For younger families, the top elementary school is Dr Annie B Jamieson in the Oakridge neighbourhood. This school is ranked highly due to its music programs, cultural diversity and Mandarin Bilingual Program. Following close behind is Kerrisdale elementary in the Kerrisdale neighbourhood and Graham Bruce in the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood.

Vancouver is also home to many prestigious private schools including St. Georges, West Point Grey Academy and Crofton House.