What is Kitchener like?

[Guest Low Roller]

I just got a pretty decent job offer in Kitchener, so I'm mulling over my options. However I'm finding it hard to decide since I know absolutely nothing about Kitchener... What can people tell me about it? What is the cost of living there (say a two-bedroom apartment)?

[balogna pogna]

I live in Waterloo & because of the 2 Universities the housing can be very expensive in the Waterloo area but there are cheap sublets in the summer when the students leave.

I believe Kitchener & Cambridge have cheaper housing but are a little slummier in some areas.

A lot of 2 bedroom apartments go for $800.00-$900.00 in Kitchener.....Schwa & Elemeno have been looking the last couple months so they may have a better idea.

It's a nice area as it doesn't have big city nonsense but still has all the shopping of a bigger city.

[Schwa.]

i'm moving into a very large 2 bedroom tomorrow for 950$ all in.

I moved here from Chatham on a whim in 2003 and fell in love with the city and the people that live here. Its clean (downtown kitchener is coming along...) and trendy (waterloo only) and the absolute best part is that its 1 to 1.5 hours from every city. the people make it though, lots of cool folk

C'mon down brotha, we'd love to have ya!!

PS-where's the job offer. i could help ya with finding a place and whatnot.

HA, wouldn't ya know it, my roommate beats me to the post. Definitely right about the big city with a small city feel.....and the Starlight is one of the best venues in Ontario IMO.

Edited April 11, 2008 by Guest

[phishtaper]

Kitchener-Waterloo are two halves of one expansive city - consider them as one. It will depend on where your job would be and where you'd want to live relative to that, but it's not a bad place at all to live. Local highways can get really congested during rush hour for people who commute to TO, etc, but within town its not that bad. You pretty well need to have a car to get around efficiently.

I lived all around the area during my life at UW (admittedly, years ago), but still go to visit. Some places are better and safer than others, like any large city. There are a couple of really big malls and lots of small speciality food shops. Kitchener is less affluent and generally less expensive to live, but not as nice as Waterloo. Waterloo has loads of things to do in the "uptown" area, cool restaurants and shops, a nice rep cinema, good clubs.

If I had to move to KW, I wouldn't be upset.

Where is the job located?

[Tooly]

i friggin HATE kitchener, and not because of the folks that live there, or anything other than the new housing market there. i insulate new housing for a living, i sub-contract off the largest insulation biz in ont. possibly canada, and when they send me to kitchener, i cringe every time. i dont know what the trades guys are thinking out there, but the new houses they send me to are SHIT, read: DONT BUY.

i know this is totally OT but i had to vent

fucking stupid kitchener builders

[Hal Johnson]

Who's gonna tell him about the roadways?

[Guest Low Roller]

Interesting so far...

Here's the deal with the offer:

A planetarium display company that I was associated with here in the UK want to expand into Canada. They chose Kitchener because they currently have the North American Sales guy working out of his house there. They asked me whether I would be interested in relocating, opening and running the office there when I move back to Canada. They even said that they would pay for my MBA degree... Obviously very tempting. Professionally it sounds like a slam-dunk.

[Cully]

K-town is sketchy...

[Hal Johnson]

Dude, do it. I mean , the town has its ups and downs, but so does everytwhere else, for the most part its a very decent place to live. Waterloo was even voted smartest place on earth or something stupid like that.

[Guest Low Roller]

I'm beginning negotations with the company in the next month or so. Money talks in the end, so we'll see...

From the sounds of it I'd rather live in Waterloo and work in Kitchener... How's that commute during rush hour?

[phishtaper]

Waterloo was even voted smartest place on earth or something stupid like that.

yeah, and just try to find a tweed jacket with suede elbow patches in September. SOLD OUT EVERYWHERE!

[phishtaper]

How's that commute during rush hour?

it would depend entirely on points A and B. for some routes, you'd take the "expressway" (LOL), for others, surface roads. and it sounds as if you would have tremendous say in where to locate the office.

and WLU has a decent MBA too. close. great opportunity overall.

[Hal Johnson]

Commutes nothing really, especially if your used to larger city traffic.

[Guest Low Roller]

Basically my first task would be to find an office and negotiate the lease, so yes, I will make sure that my commute is dead simple.

[Schwa.]

I've commuted from Kitchener to Waterloo (far side to far side) and it was a 15 minute drive door to door using the expressway. No problems at all. One of the reasons i don't mind moving further from work right now is because of the expressway.

I'm not sure about what Hal is implying about the roadways.....and K-town is only sketchy when Cully is in here City is presently booming too. (aside from the industrial sector which has hit North America inclusive)

[c-towns]

stay away from erb street..

[rubberdinghy]

You'll have to change your allegiance to the Leafs

[PalacePrincess]

There are streets here that have front yards and addresses in Kitchener, but their backyards are in Waterloo. Geographically, it really is just like one city. There are many streets that start in one and end in the other. Traffic all depends on where you have to drive and what route you take. But it's nothing like Toronto. You can get from one end of the city to the other end of the OTHER city in 20 minutes, even with traffic. The only real total jamup traffic situations are on the expressway leading out of the city, and even that is improving a bit since they are adding extra lanes.

Waterloo is more expensive to live in than Kitchener, but it's not like all of Kitchener is a big scumhole or anything. Kitchener is a lot bigger than Waterloo, and there are plenty of nice areas to live. If you're going to be renting an apartment, it'll be much easier (and cheaper) to find one in Kitchener than Waterloo.

Kitchener is also in the perfect location for travelling to places that are not Kitchener. 20 minutes from Guelph, an hour from Toronto, 40 minutes from Hamilton, just shy of an hour from London, approx.2 hours from Niagara Falls, or any of Lake Huron & all of cottage country, different border crossings, etc, etc.

You can find amazingly cheap deals on both residential and office locations... just have to look hard enough and have a bit of luck.

I say go for it!!! Why the heck not?

[Schwa.]

stay away from erb street..

you could end up losing a day

[Cully]

with Whiskey mondays, whip-it Tuesdays, and participation Wednesdays, it is easy to lose a week!

[c-towns]

haha, I've never been there.....thanks to whip-it tuesdays

[phishtaper]

You'll have to change your allegiance to the Leafs

and then of course, another team every April ...

[Schwa.]

Ahhhh, good ole Participation Wednesdays. A virtual cornucopia of awesomeness

[c-towns]

how's the high ankle sprain?

[Hal Johnson]

I'm not sure about what Hal is implying about the roadways...

Really? Really?

The two main streets go north, south, east and west. They cross-over and turn into one another like 5 times. Its absolutley insane. Anyone from out of town, except for Schwa., has a very difficult time getting used to it.