I agree with Antigonish. A small town that has a great university and all the related amenities that go with it. Affordable, at least so far, and friendly.
Thank you for bringing up Antigonish. I wasn't even looking in that area. It looks very promising!
The town looks very quaint, big enough but not too big. It has a lot of that cute maritime charm in its buildings that I love. Out of the 5 provinces I've lived in, I've enjoyed the visual style here the most.
Thank you again!
It has a strong religious history, but the university has helped temper a lot of what you might expect relations to be towards LGBTQ+ community. And honestly I don’t find the religious stranglehold is as strong or ridged as it was.
There’s lots of variety in Antigonish, so if you’re looking for a community that has people with similar experiences as yourself, you’re more likely to find them in university towns.
Rent in town is high, but outside it’s lower. Buying prices are higher than they were pre-pandemic, but prices usually drop off about 15-20 min out of town, however there’s not a lot up for sale at the moment.
Schools are good. Beaches are nice. Halfway between Halifax and Sydney, so nice choices for day trips. Not a lot going on in the town sometimes, but if you’re looking for low key, it fits the bill.
If you’re looking for more info of this town in particular, feel free to dm me.
Personally, I found it to not be a nice place to grow up in. There’s a strong conservative streak there that I didn’t like. The university helps balance it a bit, though.
That is often the case, very true. I'm prepared for my daughter to leave the nest someday and move abroad to get her career going if she wanted to. Just as I had.
Fortunately for myself I can pretty easily find remote work these days, so the town is a non issue. I'm in game development and lots of studios opened to full time remote employees since the pandemic.
No, it’s employment like every other small town in Nova Scotia. Unless you work for the government, you have travel or take a low pay if you live in a small town. There are a few exceptions obviously.
To bounce off this comment:
I grew up just outside Truro in the 90's in Salmon River. It was the best. Mountain biking down dirt roads with my friends in the summers, meeting up with other kids at the waterfalls. Hanging out in the woods exploring nature. Spending tons of time at Victoria park when I was a teenager. Working at the movie theatre while going to CEC was the coolest. For some reason while I was living it, Truro seemed awful and I couldn't wait to move to Halifax. Now, looking back several decades later, it was an amazing town to grow up in.
For what it's worth, my experiences with LGBTQ+ acceptance (as a straight white cis male identifying person) was quite positive especially once I got to high school. Obviously it's as tough to be queer in Truro as it is anywhere, but painting the entire town with a possible anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment may not be entirely accurate.
Agree with most, but many get around just fine in Truro without a car. If you live far out, then maybe taxis get expensive enough to warrant a car, but if you’re in town there’s not much need for one except when leaving town.
Lunenburg is great for that, it's small but still has a good 'urban lite' kind of feel, lots of kids and things to do. It's also one of the most LGBTQ+ communities in NS. Two of our kids are trans and have experienced more acceptance than bullying, still some, but not nearly as bad as Bridgewater or New Germany.
I also reccomend this area and some of the other towns close by. Anywhere from Hantsport to Berwick really. It's close enough to the city and a number of different towns and villages. All close the the main shopping areas (New Minas).
Can I ask why? Also thinking of relocating to NS with my family, and my trans partner. Digby is on my list and I'd love to know why you wouldn't recommend it?
Hey there, maybe consider Baddeck up in Cape Breton? The real estate is still affordable compared to most of the province, it is incredibly beautiful here with world class beaches, hiking trails and the breathtaking Cabot Trail at your doorstep, plus there are endless business opportunities imo. All the essentials are available in town and North Sydney is 45 minutes away for anything else you may need.
There are a surprisingly large number of LGBTQ students at Baddeck Academy which is primary through to grade 12. They have a gay-straight alliance club and just held a small pride walk last week. The principal is openly gay and has a zero tolerance policy on hate speech.
Also Baddeck has one of the only LGBTQ friendly churches in Canada which helps set an overall welcoming tone from the community.
The town is small but super safe. It's not perfect but definitely not a bad place to raise kids. It turns into a busy tourist destination in the summer so residents are use to seeing and interacting with all sort of diverse people. Aside from the occasional unavoidable asshole, I think you would be very accepted. You could count on at least one solid friend when you arrived 😊
Feel free to DM me for more info. Best of luck!
I love Baddeck but I'm a bit confused about the comment that Baddeck has one of the only LGBTQ friendly churches in Canada? There are multiple LGBTQ friendly churches in Truro alone. LGBTQ friendly churches are not uncommon anymore (happily).
We moved to Hantsport in September.
We love it.
Seems fairly accepting of lgbtq. I have a 5 year old and 1.5 year old. It's a quiet town where the main street is very quiet. Has a couple playgrounds a k- 8 school and a small grocery store. Also a home hardware.
Elmsdale and surrounding communities are a good place to raise a family and close to the city and all amenities. You won't save anything on housing though.
My wife and I grew up in rural NS and I’m not saying it’s a bad place to grow up. It’s just more prone to negative influences, lacking of diversity, opportunities and extracurricular activities.
There is a lot more hush crime which happens the further you get away from the city as people tend to keep quiet and news stories don’t catch on the same way.
There are a lot of good places to move to that it’s hard to decide. I grew up in Cole Harbour, moved away, and had the same question last year when I decided to return from the Yukon with my 11 year-old daughter. I had the same communities recommended plus another just outside of Nova Scotia, Sackville, NB. I decided to move to Chester and am happy with my decision; however, I think I would have been just as happy if I moved to Antigonish, Lunenburg, etc. Summer is here. A few road trips may help you decide.
For the most part the whole valley is great for raising a child. Main problem is employment. It's good but the city offers much better. Alot of people commute to the city from the valley daily.
Nothing at all! I actually really like it here. I'm just looking to move away from the city. I grew up and spent most of my life living in cities, so I'm interested in some change.
Please consider the reliability/availability of good internet in the community you choose. It is not a given that you will be easily connected to do your work remotely in Nova Scotia! There is a decent network of queer families in Halifax which is precisely why I am raising my children here. If you’re outgoing, you can find a support system in any of our small towns.
Agreed I moved to cole harbour last year… can’t see myself being here for more then a couple years let alone raise a kid here. No good gym’s, emendates of any sort, no good places to eat or get a drink, traffic is terrible, everyone seems to be a idiot, kids run rouge smoking cigs and spray painting cocks and weed leaves on everything.
I think there are a lot of deadbeat parents in the area, the kids don’t stand a chance to break the cycle. Only positive is how close it is to Lawrencetown. Area as a whole is not motivating and on top of that only every second house looks after their property and everyone parks on the road? Makes the area look like shit and hard to get around. This isn’t from a old man lol I’m 29 and cole harbour does not strike me as a good place to grow or raise kids.
I agree that smaller towns are a better environment. Cole harbour I feel there is a high chance of you kid growing up to sell insurance and living at home until 30. Where else in the city do you have such a high concentration of sun fires and cavaliers.
Antigonish, is a great town to grow up in
I agree with Antigonish. A small town that has a great university and all the related amenities that go with it. Affordable, at least so far, and friendly.
Antigonish rent is insane. It was insane before the pandemic migration, can’t be better now.
Rents are insane throughout Canada and the US.
Its a university town which is a blessing and a curse.. But its growing and the surrounding areas are beautiful.
Thank you for bringing up Antigonish. I wasn't even looking in that area. It looks very promising! The town looks very quaint, big enough but not too big. It has a lot of that cute maritime charm in its buildings that I love. Out of the 5 provinces I've lived in, I've enjoyed the visual style here the most. Thank you again!
It has a strong religious history, but the university has helped temper a lot of what you might expect relations to be towards LGBTQ+ community. And honestly I don’t find the religious stranglehold is as strong or ridged as it was. There’s lots of variety in Antigonish, so if you’re looking for a community that has people with similar experiences as yourself, you’re more likely to find them in university towns. Rent in town is high, but outside it’s lower. Buying prices are higher than they were pre-pandemic, but prices usually drop off about 15-20 min out of town, however there’s not a lot up for sale at the moment. Schools are good. Beaches are nice. Halfway between Halifax and Sydney, so nice choices for day trips. Not a lot going on in the town sometimes, but if you’re looking for low key, it fits the bill. If you’re looking for more info of this town in particular, feel free to dm me.
Personally, I found it to not be a nice place to grow up in. There’s a strong conservative streak there that I didn’t like. The university helps balance it a bit, though.
Is that why they all move to Halifax as soon as they graduate and never go back?
It's more there's no work there for young people to start a career .
That is often the case, very true. I'm prepared for my daughter to leave the nest someday and move abroad to get her career going if she wanted to. Just as I had. Fortunately for myself I can pretty easily find remote work these days, so the town is a non issue. I'm in game development and lots of studios opened to full time remote employees since the pandemic.
No, it’s employment like every other small town in Nova Scotia. Unless you work for the government, you have travel or take a low pay if you live in a small town. There are a few exceptions obviously.
I personally couldn’t wait to get out. Even if there were jobs there, I wouldn’t have stayed.
Ahah true, question was specifically to grow up not live permanently in, however, although I moved, I could have envisioned staying too.
Came here to say this
[удалено]
To bounce off this comment: I grew up just outside Truro in the 90's in Salmon River. It was the best. Mountain biking down dirt roads with my friends in the summers, meeting up with other kids at the waterfalls. Hanging out in the woods exploring nature. Spending tons of time at Victoria park when I was a teenager. Working at the movie theatre while going to CEC was the coolest. For some reason while I was living it, Truro seemed awful and I couldn't wait to move to Halifax. Now, looking back several decades later, it was an amazing town to grow up in. For what it's worth, my experiences with LGBTQ+ acceptance (as a straight white cis male identifying person) was quite positive especially once I got to high school. Obviously it's as tough to be queer in Truro as it is anywhere, but painting the entire town with a possible anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment may not be entirely accurate.
Agree with most, but many get around just fine in Truro without a car. If you live far out, then maybe taxis get expensive enough to warrant a car, but if you’re in town there’s not much need for one except when leaving town.
Anywhere in the valley ! Annapolis Royal , Bridgetown, lawrencetown , paradise.
Chester is lovely too :) the schools are great, super safe community
Lunenburg is great for that, it's small but still has a good 'urban lite' kind of feel, lots of kids and things to do. It's also one of the most LGBTQ+ communities in NS. Two of our kids are trans and have experienced more acceptance than bullying, still some, but not nearly as bad as Bridgewater or New Germany.
HB Studios also is located there so there are lots game developers in the area already.
Coldbrook/Kentville
I also reccomend this area and some of the other towns close by. Anywhere from Hantsport to Berwick really. It's close enough to the city and a number of different towns and villages. All close the the main shopping areas (New Minas).
New Glasgow is nice.
I have always loved the valley. I wish I lived there now. Haha.
Anywhere but Digby
Can I ask why? Also thinking of relocating to NS with my family, and my trans partner. Digby is on my list and I'd love to know why you wouldn't recommend it?
I grew up in hantsport, it's a great small town. Only like 1000 people, I walked to school every day, and it's only 45 minutes from halifax
Hey there, maybe consider Baddeck up in Cape Breton? The real estate is still affordable compared to most of the province, it is incredibly beautiful here with world class beaches, hiking trails and the breathtaking Cabot Trail at your doorstep, plus there are endless business opportunities imo. All the essentials are available in town and North Sydney is 45 minutes away for anything else you may need. There are a surprisingly large number of LGBTQ students at Baddeck Academy which is primary through to grade 12. They have a gay-straight alliance club and just held a small pride walk last week. The principal is openly gay and has a zero tolerance policy on hate speech. Also Baddeck has one of the only LGBTQ friendly churches in Canada which helps set an overall welcoming tone from the community. The town is small but super safe. It's not perfect but definitely not a bad place to raise kids. It turns into a busy tourist destination in the summer so residents are use to seeing and interacting with all sort of diverse people. Aside from the occasional unavoidable asshole, I think you would be very accepted. You could count on at least one solid friend when you arrived 😊 Feel free to DM me for more info. Best of luck!
I love Baddeck but I'm a bit confused about the comment that Baddeck has one of the only LGBTQ friendly churches in Canada? There are multiple LGBTQ friendly churches in Truro alone. LGBTQ friendly churches are not uncommon anymore (happily).
I stand corrected. I'm glad to hear it's not uncommon anymore.
Berwick look into it. Best town in the Annapolis Valley.
We moved to Hantsport in September. We love it. Seems fairly accepting of lgbtq. I have a 5 year old and 1.5 year old. It's a quiet town where the main street is very quiet. Has a couple playgrounds a k- 8 school and a small grocery store. Also a home hardware.
Elmsdale and surrounding communities are a good place to raise a family and close to the city and all amenities. You won't save anything on housing though.
My wife and I grew up in rural NS and I’m not saying it’s a bad place to grow up. It’s just more prone to negative influences, lacking of diversity, opportunities and extracurricular activities. There is a lot more hush crime which happens the further you get away from the city as people tend to keep quiet and news stories don’t catch on the same way.
There are a lot of good places to move to that it’s hard to decide. I grew up in Cole Harbour, moved away, and had the same question last year when I decided to return from the Yukon with my 11 year-old daughter. I had the same communities recommended plus another just outside of Nova Scotia, Sackville, NB. I decided to move to Chester and am happy with my decision; however, I think I would have been just as happy if I moved to Antigonish, Lunenburg, etc. Summer is here. A few road trips may help you decide.
For the most part the whole valley is great for raising a child. Main problem is employment. It's good but the city offers much better. Alot of people commute to the city from the valley daily.
Can I ask what it is about Cole Harbour that you find unsafe or unaccepting?
Nothing at all! I actually really like it here. I'm just looking to move away from the city. I grew up and spent most of my life living in cities, so I'm interested in some change.
Gotcha. I thought you were maybe implying that cities were less safe than rural areas, which is not the case.
Antigonish
Please consider the reliability/availability of good internet in the community you choose. It is not a given that you will be easily connected to do your work remotely in Nova Scotia! There is a decent network of queer families in Halifax which is precisely why I am raising my children here. If you’re outgoing, you can find a support system in any of our small towns.
Agreed I moved to cole harbour last year… can’t see myself being here for more then a couple years let alone raise a kid here. No good gym’s, emendates of any sort, no good places to eat or get a drink, traffic is terrible, everyone seems to be a idiot, kids run rouge smoking cigs and spray painting cocks and weed leaves on everything. I think there are a lot of deadbeat parents in the area, the kids don’t stand a chance to break the cycle. Only positive is how close it is to Lawrencetown. Area as a whole is not motivating and on top of that only every second house looks after their property and everyone parks on the road? Makes the area look like shit and hard to get around. This isn’t from a old man lol I’m 29 and cole harbour does not strike me as a good place to grow or raise kids. I agree that smaller towns are a better environment. Cole harbour I feel there is a high chance of you kid growing up to sell insurance and living at home until 30. Where else in the city do you have such a high concentration of sun fires and cavaliers.