What is it like living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada as a student and how does it compare to living in Toronto, Vancouver, Waterloo or Montreal?

The U of A is a good quality Western university comparable to state schools in the western US, but only really shines in Oil & Gas and Agriculture. Edmonton is a nice place in the spring, fall and summer but the other eight months of the year are hellishly cold. Edmonton ends up being pretty insular and awash with oil money, and it's kind of warped the culture. The U of C is similar, but not as cold. Canada has remarkable undergraduate institutions in smaller cities, but for PhD's you are better off in the Vancover, Toronto and Montreal unless your goals are really, really specific to the area. You may wish to consider Queens in Kingston; Concordia in Montreal or Ryerson in Toronto if your program fits in their areas of expertise.

I have lived in Edmonton for over 30 years now, and attended the University of Alberta. I also lived in Victoria, BC., and frequently visited Vancouver while at university in Victoria. I have also spent time in Toronto, Montreal, and Waterloo, so I think I can speak a bit about all of them. If you are intended on going to university, the first thing you should be considering is the school, and the particular faculty that you are going into. The University of Alberta is really a world class school, with over 30,000 students in attendance. There are some faculties that are truly the best both in Canada, and North America. As was noted above, both Medicine and Engineering are top-notch faculties, but there are other ones that are great as well: Sciences is very comprehensive, with thousands of courses and specialties. Agriculture and Forestry are exceptional, given that Alberta is in the middle of the prairies, and forestry is a major component of the Alberta economy. The campus is quite beautiful, with many buildings remaining from the early 1900's, and there are many beautiful old trees everywhere on the campus. The campus itself is in a very beautiful and old part of the city, and it borders the incredible river valley. Edmonton itself is actually a very beautiful city, contrary to what you may have read above. Yes, it is in the middle of the prairies, and is flat, but I can't think of that many cities in North America that aren't, for the most part, flat! (It's not terribly common to find cities founded in canyons, or on mountain tops!) The River Valley Park system is beautiful, and stretches through the entire city, form where the North Saskatchewan River enters the city on the southwest side, and exits on the northeastern side. It is HUGE, and there are many, many paths and trails through the heavily forested river valley. You can walk or ride a bike from one end of the city to the other on paved paths that snake throughout the river valley. You will find the city very spread out, and not filled with a maze of skyscrapers. Most buildings are under 3 or 4 stories, except in the city center, where of course you find the high rises, not unlike any other modern city. The city is easy to get around in, with numbered streets and avenues (totally different than Calgary, which is an absolute nightmare to navigate, given that most of the streets and avenues are names!) There are large freeways and wide main streets and avenues to help get from one area of the city to the other quickly. The city has GREAT public transport, and is currently expanding its' excellent Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. The International Airport is 15 minutes from the south end of the city (unlike a lot of other cities, where it takes 30 minutes or more to get to), and there is even a city bus that can get you there. Edmonton is approximately 4 hours by car to one of the most beautiful national parks in Canada, Jasper National Park, which is situated in the Rocky Mountains. Banff National Park, also in Alberta, is about 2.5 hours south of Jasper. The entire road from Edmonton to the gates of Jasper National Park is a double-lane highway that is separated into 2 east and west going traffic, making for a relatively stress free drive through beautiful countryside. The weather is like a lot of other Canadian cities, with a 6 to 7 month winter, and a short spring and fall. Summer in Edmonton is BEAUTIFUL, and something that is not often noted is the fact that because Edmonton is located at a high latitude, the summer days are LONG, so long that in the middle of summer, the sun comes up at 4:30-5:00 AM, and goes down at 11:00-11:30 PM, making for sunlight for 18 hours/day! And Edmonton is incredibly green! To my knowledge, the only city that has comparable parks and greenery is Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Temperatures in the summer normally range from around 20 to 30 C, and it is very dry, unlike most coastal cities. The heat is very easy to take. Winter can be harsh, that is true, but I guess it is something that you just get used to, much like living any where else in the world. In the coldest months of the year (January and February), it can get to -40 C, and we can have 2 or 3 feet of snow on the ground. So, you are going to have to buy some warm clothing and boots. But, as was noted above, Edmonton gets more sunshiny days than any other city in Canada! And I have to say, when it is cold and the sky is brilliant sunshine, it is hard to beat! It is truly magical to go for a walk in the river valley when there is 2 feet of beautiful fresh snow on the ground, and it is sunny and cold! Like living in a winter wonderland! If you are considering living in Vancouver, get ready for long, rainy, grey days that last from the middle of October until the end of March! Getting used to that grey layer of clouds that just hangs in Vancouver for sometimes weeks on end gets a bit discouraging to say the least! Victoria is similair, but gets considerably more sunshine than Vancouver does. Edmonton is a very affordable city in which to live as well, by Canadian standards. Housing, both rental and ownership wise, is very affordable, with most rents for 2 bedroom apartments being around $900-1100/month. Student housing is varied, depending on where you want to live, but can be had for as little as $400/month when you share a house. Food is about average for Canada, gas is the cheapest in Canada (we have the refineries located on the very eastern edge of the city!), and taxes are low. On the subject of taxes, the provincial taxes are the lowest in Canada, and we have NO sales tax, the only province in Canada without one! In short, Edmonton is a nice city to live in, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And the people are VERY friendly, don't kid yourself. If you want to see an unfriendly group of people, go live in Toronto! One thing that I have heard consistently about Edmonton is that the people are friendly, and the life style is very easy-going. I guess here in Western Canada everyone is not so money-centric, and tend to just enjoy their lives a whole lot more. Oh, one thing that I haven't talked about is the fact that Edmonton is called the "Festival City". The reason for that is because Edmonton is home to many, many festivals that go all  year long. We are famous for our Fringe Festival, a very large performing arts get together that happens in a very picturesque and popular area of the city called "Old Strathcona" that is very near the university, and is full of small curio shops, restaurants, clubs, and bars. If there is a place to go in the city, it is Old Strathcona. There are many other festivals, such as the "Folk Fest", which happens in the summer in August generally, and brings together 2 days worth of mostly folk music acts, and is situated within the river valley overlooking our unique Muttart Conservatories, 2 large glass pyramids that contain thousands of shrubs, plants, trees, etc., another attraction. We also have a professional football team (North American Football that is), and an NHL (National Hockey League) hockey team, with a brand new big beautiful arena being built downtown in the next few years. We have museums, and a brand new Art Gallery as well, along with The Citadel Theatre, a picturesque building for the performing arts downtown as well. There is a very large "Farmers Market" that is open every Saturday in Old Strathcona, a place where you can go and buy many of the local foods produced by farms and companies from around Edmonton, and it is very inexpensive for the most part. I have also spent a considerable amount of time in Vancouver as well, and YES, it is beautiful, with the oceans and the mountains encircling the city. BUT, it is also VERY expensive to live in! Housing is astronomically high-priced, and rents are no different. Living on student budgets in Vancouver is very tough. And, you have a provincial sales tax that gets added onto every purchase. (I believe it is either 6 or 7 percent at this moment). There are really no cities in Canada that can compare to Vancouver with the mountains AND the ocean so close, but you really pay to enjoy it. If you don't make in the neighborhood of $100,000/year or better, it is not that easy to get out and actually enjoy what the city has to offer, unless you want to live with huge debt. Toronto is almost as expensive, and has nothing to offer in terms of the natural beauty. Montreal is a very beautiful, but dirty city. The entire French culture is so different than any thing else in Canada it is hard to compare it, but to put it simply the Quebec French "live for the day"! It is a great part of Canada (all of Quebec), and very culturally different from the rest of Canada. You will find the people of Quebec very friendly, and a whole of fun, to say the least! And, best of all, you will learn a whole new language when you learn to swear using Quebec French! (most of the swears revolve around the church!) The night life in Montreal is hard to beat, and you can pretty well go all night long. The only thing you may find difficult about Quebec is that if you don't speak French, you had better learn fast. Sometimes, if you can't communicate in French, some people will be downright rude to you, but I guess that just goes with living in Quebec. MOST people in the larger cities speak English, so unless you travel a lot to the rural areas, it isn't much of a problem. That is about all I can give you in terms of my experience of living in Edmonton in particular, and some of the other cities that you asked about. Hoped this helped!

I have never lived there but lived in Calgary (3 hours SW) for 10 years. Edmonton is COLD in the winter. Calgary is cold too but it gets Chinook winds (really warm air comes over the mountain and it can go from -40 Celsius to +10 Celsius really quickly and for days at a time). As for the quality of the University I can't help you there. Good luck to you.

I have lived in Vancouver Edmonton and Toronto. In my experience Edmonton is quite friendly and smaller town both in feel and amenities. As far asbeauty and cclimate, while certainly we have a long and cold winter it is also Canada's sunniest city (most hours of sunshine). Contrary to some posts here by people who have clearly either never lived here or haven't bothered to explore it is full of natural beauty with an incredible parks system running for miles and miles on both sides of the incredibly scenic river valley. This is full of trails and is very well tended. The u of a campus is really lovely and borders the river. Architecture alas is lack luster with a couple minor exceptions. We have the largest mall in north America, Edmonton is known for shopping. Lowest taxes in Canada.

I'm sure the University of Alberta is very good, but Edmonton as a city has got to be one of the most unliveable and godforsaken places in Canada. It is flatter than piss on a plate, colder than a whore's heart in winter, as fly-ridden as a horse's ass in summer, and architecturally like something out of a Soviet gulag. Thanks to the ecologically infamous tarsands, Alberta is awash with money, which they liberally bestow on education, health facilities, etc., but you can't buy Edmonton anything that will make it attractive. Go to Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal...all world class cities with lots of charm. And Waterloo...yes, it has a world class comp sci/math school and Perimeter, but...at least Toronto is a driveable distance away.

Thanks for A2A. Once  I looked at the question when I was there back in my home-country. It's  a different feeling when I'm answering the question with first-hand  experience. I arrived at Edmonton just one and half-month back. Edmonton is a very quiet and peaceful city. This is the first western city I'm living in. So, I don't really know  about the situation, atmosphere at the other cities. It's a bit unusual  for me to experience the low population-density, especially after coming from a city which has 25 thousand people per square kilometres. The University of Alberta is the centre of attraction in this city. The city is totally dependent upon the university and its functioning. If you live near the Whyte Avenue (which is adjacent to the university). you are pretty much living in  the most-happening part of the city. At least I heard that this is the  most enjoyable place to live in. It  has fair public transport with Buses and LRT by ETS. The buses are  frequent at least to the universities. However, I don't really know the  actual condition of the areas far from university. (Because I live near  the university, so I don't need to). There are Walmart, Superstores etc.  where you can go by bus and LRT. It also has the largest mall of North  America, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Edmonton_Mall. I  have not yet faced the much-hyped winter. I'm excited about it,  especially after coming from a tropical area. It's October already, but  snowing has not started yet. So, I guess, the winter and snow will last  maximum 7-8 months. I heard that it's pretty much dull everywhere in the times of winter. So, people generally enjoy in the  other seasons of the year  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_International_Fringe_Festival), and they concentrate on their works/studies in winter. To  sum it up, the university and adjacent areas are vibrant. However, in  winter you may find the city sometime boring but eventually you'll be  habituated with this. The good part is that Edmonton is a very peaceful  city to live in without any worries.

Let me tell you something about my living/studying & working experiences in Montreal. I think it might be helpful to you since I've gone through the same dilemma before arriving in Montreal for my Masters degree.Your first priority should be the University & teaching staff. Overall Mcgill is a globally renowned university in North America. Concordia is very good for Computer Science department. I do not know your field of study so I can not compare it with other Universities in Canada. Secondly, the cost of living in Montreal is pretty low and quality of life is very good, and being a student this should be in your priority list as well.  Thirdly, Montreal is the second largest city in Canada after Toronto and basic needs in life are very easy to get. Montreal public transport (Bus + Metro) is the best in Canada. You don't need a car unless you're living out of the city (which is not recommended). Besides all of these, Montreal is very multicultural city comparing to all other cities in Canada. Montreal has developed a unique personality, stemming from a happy marriage of European and North American influence. Its a best of both! For a note, crime is very low and people are very friendly. Night life is the best if you're into bars & restaurants (Highest number of restaurants/capita in North America after New York). The main concern for you might be language. You should think about learning basic French if you're going to spend 4-5 years here (Usual duration of PhD). This is basically my personal experience and opinion living here in Montreal. Now, let me compare it with my friends' experiences who are living/studying/working in Alberta province. Edmonton (& Calgary) is a small city comparing to Toronto, Vancouver & Montreal. It is not as multicultural as Montreal. Also social life is not as interesting. Ethnics/Immigrants tend to live & roam within their own groups (Chinese with Chinese or Indians with Indians). For an example, it is very common to see an Indian, French, Canadian, and an African in the same group at the same bar in Montreal enjoying Dieu du Ciel beers. Big advantage is less taxes however as a student you wouldn't care much! I also have visited Toronto & Ottawa several times (NOT lived) and I found it quite boring, less fun! I've always heard good things about Vancouver. If you prefer rain over -20 or -30 degrees cold then Vancouver is pretty good candidate! The living cost is however very high (Corporate salaries are high too but again you're going to be a student so...) I have no idea whatsoever about life in Waterloo as a student!I hope this answer helps. Let me know if you have more questions regarding life as a student in Montreal. Bonne Chance!

I grew up in Edmonton and I went to the U of A. My parents still live there and I visit often. I have also lived in Toronto and have visited many times since leaving. My dad is originally from Montreal and I have visited many times, but admittedly have never lived there. I have a lot of relatives in Vancouver and have visited, but I am not the most familiar with that city. When I lived in Edmonton, I couldn't wait to get out. Back then, it was pretty boring, without much going on. Edmonton is sort of in the middle of nowhere - two and a half hour drive to calgary and a three and a half hour drive to Jasper. The winters are cold and I mean very cold! Don't let anyone try and convince you otherwise by rationalizing it "a dry cold". -40 is -40 and still fucking cold regardless of it being "dry" or "damp". And yes, it does get that cold. Winters also last a long time. Summers are quite pleasant, though, and never that hot or muggy. Edmonton also has a beautiful river valley and lots of parkland. I have heard that it has the largest municipal park system in North America. But it's really only useful when the weather isn't abominably cold!As for the U of A, it really depends on the program you're in. I graduated with a degree in Economics and, quite honestly, that program was pretty awful. The university does have excellent engineering and medical schools, though. They're among the best in Canada. Business, law and the arts programs were not not so good when I was going there. I don't know what you're going to study, but your target school's reputation in that field should be a primary deciding factor regardless of the location.Living in Edmonton itself was OK. It was a good place to grow up. I lived in the West End, which is largely suburban. Edmonton in general is quite spread out and not too crowded. The downtown area was dead when I was living there, but it has gotten livelier. Actually, the city has grown a lot because of the oil boom. I'm amazed at how much it has grown since I moved away! But if you live there, it would be best to get a car, unless you live in the university area. Public transit is pretty bad. Sorry, but for a city of that size, the LRT really should have a bigger footprint. Calgary is roughly the same size and their C-train covers more of the city. Shopping is really good with many malls and shopping areas spread around. And, of course, there is the West Edmonton Mall, which was once the largest shopping mall in the world! Edmonton has some good restaurants and I feel that culinary options are vastly underrated there. If you're into nightlife, Whyte Avenue, which is close to the U of A campus, is lively with some nice bars and clubs. I have heard Downtown has gotten better in this regard, too. Edmonton is relatively diverse, but not like Toronto or Vancouver. There are fairly large Chinese, Filipino and Indian populations. Also, the city's atmosphere is largely blue collar, especially compared to Calgary. Cost of living is also fairly low, especially compared to other major Canadian cities.  Overall, if you can tolerate the winters and the isolation, then it is an OK place to live. More of a place to raise a family and be settled in than if you're single, in my honest opinion. I still have no regrets that I moved away from there, but I definitely have a bigger appreciation of it now than when I was living there.

I just moved to Edmonton three months ago, and I will begin with saying the city surprised me after reading so may negative 'reviews'. I just moved from Ottawa where I have lived for five years. I lived in Montreal for two summers (eight months total) for work, and I grew up near Toronto, so I know Canada's big Eastern capitals well. I think every city in Canada has it pros and cons. Edmonton and Ottawa are fairly on par in my opinion, in terms of its beauty and infrastructure. However, Ottawa does have a better transit system which can be relied on for a main source of transportation. Edmonton is cheaper to live in than any other city I've lived in because of low taxes, and oil money. I find Edmonton is a place for people who are hard workers and want to live well. The River Valley IS GORGEOUS. I also must note that I love winter (always have), so my thoughts on the weather may be skewed. I do believe it gets much colder here, but its certainly not the snowiest place in Canada. I'm studying Arts and Cultural Management at MacEwan, and the reason I came here to do that is because it seems there is a lot of opportunity regardless of what sector or area you want to work in. I've had three jobs since moving here, the last being employed at the box office with the Symphony. Fantastic experience! Also there are plenty of events and things to volunteer at, aiding in giving me more experience. Edmonton has been called the Festival City in Canada. I do plan to move back to Ottawa at the end of my degree, but that is because I consider it my home (I have a lot of friends still there). But that's because I plan to work in Government. I think for people who have less attachment won't find it hard to move here.