What is the city of Lethbridge in Alberta like?

Moving to Lethbridge Alberta soon...Whats it like?

• In the end of January of February me and my boyfriend are moving to Lethbridge Alberta. He works in the welding industries so I know finding a job for him will be a piece of cake, and I have experience as a cashier, which will be easy to find as well. I have never travelled anywhere out of ontario and therefore I'm a bit uneasy. I was wondering if anyone could tell me about the area, the price of living, and anything really. Thanks!

• Answer:

  I have lived in Lethbridge for the past six years, I'm originally from Strathmore, AB (near Calgary) and I've travelled all across Ontario many times (I have alot of family out there). It's alot different out here.... 1) It's alot drier and `WAY` more windy. it's close to the rockies and down wind fromt he crowsnest pass so there are alot of high winds and we usually average around 20 chinooks a year (you probably aren't familiar with that term yet, but you will be). 2) It's cheaper here than in Calgary, but it's also alot smaller. It's about on part with what you get out in Ontario (assuming you're not in toronto?). I think is pretty affordable. 3) The North side can be rough at times, the South side is nice... the west side is dominated by the University. Lethbridge is a huge college/university town so you will notice a big difference between summer and the rest of the year. 4) There's some cool stuff close by like Writing On Stone, Waterton, the Crowsnest Pass, Pincher Creek, Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump... if you're looking for stuff to explore there should be plenty. 5) I find the mentality is a little different out here than out east (oh yeah... we refer to Ontario as "out east", not "central")... there are alot more cowboys out here and alot of folks that come from the rest of the country for work and stuff... I can't qutie explain what the difference is but you'll notice it I'm sure. It's not a bad change either.. it's a pretty friendly town (Southern Alberta is pretty friendly in general). 6) Lethbridge is kind of a government/retirement/university town, so it's a little less conservative than places around Calgary or Medicine Hat. 7) lol, there are not alot of trees out here and there are no natural lakes on the southern alberta prairies... so you will notice a `HUGE` geographical difference. they tape alot of Westerns out here, and you will know why pretty soon after moving here. 8) the arts/music scene is actually pretty decent for a city of less than 100 000... that said it's not nearly as developed or sophisticated as alot of places in Ontario... but it's not bad. Lots of music stores, wide variety of bars, etc... 9) Culturally it's a little different... not drastically but a little bit... like we have hutterites, lots of native people... it's just more "prairie" I guess.. I noticed out there in Ontario it's just a little bit of a different make up (but not a huge difference at all.. just a `LITTLE` different). Price of living isn't bad. I can get by pretty comfortably with 700 - 800 a month (I'm also a Master's student so my standard of living isn't exactly that high)... rent is usually from $400 to $600... sometimes you can get cheaper. If you're looking for a place I'd recommend looking at Berekley Place on the westside... they are apartments but `SUPER` cheap and in a great location close to alot of amenities, the coulee and the university... Overall Lethbridge is nice... I enjoy it. You're close to BC, so in the summer you got lots of camping you can do... you're close to Glacier National park in Montana so it's really cool.. and you're only two hours from Calgary so you can always go to the big city for some serious shopping or something... it's a good location. Definitley need a car though. Also, Lethbridge is a unique choice if you're looking for work. There's alot more work up in Calgary, Lethbridge it's usually harder to find jobs. That said, compared to Ontario, you'll be able to find work alot easier. You have any more questions about anything just let me know.