So me and my boyfriend are thinking about moving to Canada in say 5ish-4ish years. And well I want to know what it's like there. Living there, just life. I don't want to go to some web site and be bored to death. I want to know what it's like. 

a canadian girl told be about yule. i don't remember so much about it and the comment is now gone, but it was a really cool tradition. we had that religion and traditions in Sweden too before christianity came here. I always thought the asa belief were extinct, but it's not in canada :)

What part of Canada do you want to move?  Vancouver, Quebec, Montreal?  I think in some areas is English so don't worry about learning French but it all depends.  I travel a lot but if there's a place I would move its most likely going to be around California either in San Diego or Monterey.  The weather is perfect almost all the time -- its around 75 degrees F.

Ive just moved to Canada 2 months ago xD
and NO you dont have to learn french unless youre moving to Quebec ~~
About the laws Im not familiar with both US and Canada laws so i cant help you with that.

Stores ~ I guess theyre just the same, lots of American brands at the malls here at Vancouver.

I didnt had any difficulty adjusting and i came all the way from Asia ~ speaking another language xD > Anyway there are also loads of Asian groceries, bakeries and restaurants here also at Richmond there are some Asian malls there.

Holiday ~ nearly the same as US I guess? they have thanksgiving, remembrance day, christmas, easter... blah blah

hope I helped somehow

Thanks everyone! Your support makes me feel so light on my feet! ^_^

Well we don't know where we want to move. We plan to visit for a week or 2 and do some research on some towns. We do plan on living close-ish to the Michigan boarder. And probably in one of the popular towns. I guess you could say. Not Quebec tho. Tho I still won't mind visiting there. :p
 I am glad to here there's alot of Asian type places. As I'm really trying to master Asian cooking. lol
I just wonder what my parents would think. That I would what to become a Canadian. Hmmm I still haven't told them and I really don't know how to bring it up.

I lived in Montreal for a few years. Mostly French, but there are a lot of English neighborhoods and most of the downtown is bilingual as well. Cultural wise, it was very European - friendly greetings, cheek kissing, shaking hands, etc. Most everyone there was Catholic so your basic holidays like Christmas, Easter, etc. Halloween parties were big there, there's Canada Day on July 1st, Thanksgiving for them is October 26th if I remember correctly.

Gay marriage is legal in Canada. So is abortion. Most people outside of Quebec I hear are pretty liberal, so that's always fun. ^_~ They may have some different laws but you'd have to look that up on the gov website for whatever province you end up moving to. Shopping malls will have a lot of similar stores and carry a ton of American labels. You'll find all the same fast food places and maybe a few more specific to Canada.

As long as you're moving to English Canada you shouldn't have too much trouble assimilating.

Well, as a Canadian I think I can say that Canada's a pretty nice place! You don't need to know French, unless your moving too Quebec.

Umm, the laws really aren't that much different. You can't talk/text on your phone and drive, you can't own a gun unless it's for hunting, gay marriage is allowed (granted finding a church that will MARRY a gay couple is the hard part), the list goes on! xD But it's not that much different from basic American laws.

The stores are different, not by much. For example we Canadian's don't have Target, K-Mart, or Hot Topic(Someone told me that we do have one here...But I don't really believe it! xD), and a variety of other American stores I've never heard of, but we do have a lot of big chain stores here, and some stores that aren't avaiable in America! :D

The foods are all the same. The only major food that I can think of that's not served in America is Poutine. Which is cheese and gravy on fries...It's so good! You guys are missing out!

Our holidays are pretty similar, but the times are usually switched up. For example our Thanksgiving is in October, we have March Break instead of "Spring Break", we obiviously don't celebrate American holidays like "Martin Luther King Day" or w/e. Umm...School starts in september compared to August. What else...I dunno!

Overall Canada is a nice place to live. People are friendly, we have a lower crime rate, we get free health care, and as of right now Canada is in a good condition compared to some other countries right now due to the poor economy.
Minimum wage in Canada is higher then in American too as of right now. For example my boyfriend who lives in America works at Dominio's and makes like...I think $7 dollars or so? While if I worked at a Dominio's in Canada I'd get paid 9 to 10$'s for working there.

Sadly our taxes are higher and even though were matched with the American dollar right now, prices don't go down. So it seems like we always have to pay more for stuff.
We have a higher homeless rate and we don't really have appealing people in government right now.
Were having ANOTHER election which is a pain in the butt since nobody wants one, it's a waste of money, and people just don't care right now. Ugh...

:] BUT YEAH! Canada is pretty awesome. Though I would suggest visiting here before moving here!

It really depends on where you decide to move, to be honest. I've lived in Toronto, Ontario and another city in Alberta, but I've pretty much covered much of Canada through traveling.

What kind of lifestyle are you looking for? If you plan on a simple life, some of the smaller cities are really great. If you plan on living a more modern life, I would suggest you stick your choices to Toronto and Vancouver (maybe Victoria, because it's so close to Vancouver). The stores here are really not much different than the ones in the States (I've pretty much been all over North America, because my family travels so much. xD ). In smaller cities, there really is not much to do, other than shopping. Of course, there are really nice provincial parks, great for family fun.

One thing I should note is that taxes here work like this: There is always a federal tax of 5%, wherever you are. Depending on the province you are in, there are also provincial taxes (Alberta is the only province where there are no provincial taxes).

Vancouver

It has left a really nice impression on me, mostly because I miss China a lot. There are many stores here, and lots of places to score really cute accessories/clothes! Because there are so many Asians living here, there are lots of places that sell Asian things that you probably cannot find elsewhere (the only other place in Canada where you can easily find the same items is probably Toronto). Food is really cheap here, which is nice, but the taxes are relatively high (around 15%). There is also Stanley Park close by, which is quite nice for family time. The weather here is probably the best in all of Canada; it rarely snows, and the temperatures are quite mild but warm (compared to the rest of Canada), because Vancouver is so close to the Pacific Ocean. Another wonderful thing about here is that the education is wonderful (most likely due to how much Asians look upon education for their children). On the down side, houses are extremely expensive here, because many
extremely rich people from China/Hongkong invest in the house market.

Toronto

I loved this city, but then again, I was young. There are lots of malls here, making shopping very convenient. The weather is not too bad, compared to the rest of Canada, but Toronto gets a lot of snow in the winter (google "snowstorm Toronto", or something along the lines of that, if you want to see for yourself). Education is wonderful here as well. There are many wonderful places close to Toronto (Niagra Falls, Great Lakes), so you won't be too bored. Everything here is relatively cheap (housing, food, clothes, etc), and the taxes are pretty fair (around 12%, I believe). One thing to take note is that there are many immigrants living here.

Alberta

The only two cities in Alberta that are considered "large" are Edmonton and Calgary. There are provincial parks (Baff, Kananaskiis) closeby, within driving distance, so you won't be too bored. Skiing/snowboarding is a big thing in Alberta, as the province houses many world class ski resorts. Unfortunately, if skiing is not your thing, there is not much to do in the winter. The weather here is not bad, if you prefer the cold. I guarantee you there will be snow in May, June, and sometimes, even July (though it's rare). Housing is really expensive in Calgary (I am not too sure about Edmonton), and generally, everything is a little bit more expensive here (assuming you are not buying out of chain shops, like Wal-mart/Superstore/etcetc). It is also fairly difficult to find the more "Asian" things, but there are some nonetheless. Most of the jobs in Alberta have to do with the oilsands, so depending on what you do, jobs may be difficult to come by. The average income in Alberta is generally slightly higher than the rest of Canada, but that is due to the fact that most people in Alberta have jobs to do with the oilsands, which generate lots of money. Taxes here is extremely low (only 5%, I believe), because there is no provincial tax (Alberta generates enough revenue from its oilsands).

In General

Healthcare in Canada is public, so you don't have to worry too much about that (on the downside, wait time in emergency rooms/walk-in clinics can be quite ridiculous).

Right now, we have a majority Conservative government. Truth be told, no one running for the election really stood out to me. Apparently, no one really stood out to a lot of eligible voters either, because the percentage of people who actually vote compared to those who can vote is pretty low, for a democracy.

Law-wise, there are slight differences, but nothing you can't catch up on. Oh, the legal age here is 18.

Minimum wage varies with cities, but is in general, higher than America's.

Holidays are pretty much the same, with the exception of a few switched up days.

Canada Day is July 1st. :'D

French is generally a mandatory subject for students from grade four/five (depending on how close to Quebec you live) to the end of Junior High. But even in Quebec, you can speak English, and the people will understand you. Don't stress too much about French!

Some schools have AP programs, and others have IB.

Yes, we do have Hot Topic here. :'D I heard a Target is going to open soon, somewhere in Canada, but I can't recall where.

The people are generally very kind and helpful.

Junjun wrote: It really depends on where you decide to move, to be honest. I've lived in Toronto, Ontario and another city in Alberta, but I've pretty much covered much of Canada through traveling. What kind of lifestyle are you looking for? If you plan on a simple life, some of the smaller cities are really great. If you plan on living a more modern life, I would suggest you stick your choices to Toronto and Vancouver (maybe Victoria, because it's so close to Vancouver). The stores here are really not much different than the ones in the States (I've pretty much been all over North America, because my family travels so much. xD ). In smaller cities, there really is not much to do, other than shopping. Of course, there are really nice provincial parks, great for family fun. One thing I should note is that taxes here work like this: There is always a federal tax of 5%, wherever you are. Depending on the province you are in, there are also provincial taxes (Alberta is the only province where there are no provincial taxes). Vancouver It has left a really nice impression on me, mostly because I miss China a lot. There are many stores here, and lots of places to score really cute accessories/clothes! Because there are so many Asians living here, there are lots of places that sell Asian things that you probably cannot find elsewhere (the only other place in Canada where you can easily find the same items is probably Toronto). Food is really cheap here, which is nice, but the taxes are relatively high (around 15%). There is also Stanley Park close by, which is quite nice for family time. The weather here is probably the best in all of Canada; it rarely snows, and the temperatures are quite mild but warm (compared to the rest of Canada), because Vancouver is so close to the Pacific Ocean. Another wonderful thing about here is that the education is wonderful (most likely due to how much Asians look upon education for their children). On the down side, houses are extremely expensive here, because many extremely rich people from China/Hongkong invest in the house market. Toronto I loved this city, but then again, I was young. There are lots of malls here, making shopping very convenient. The weather is not too bad, compared to the rest of Canada, but Toronto gets a lot of snow in the winter (google "snowstorm Toronto", or something along the lines of that, if you want to see for yourself). Education is wonderful here as well. There are many wonderful places close to Toronto (Niagra Falls, Great Lakes), so you won't be too bored. Everything here is relatively cheap (housing, food, clothes, etc), and the taxes are pretty fair (around 12%, I believe). One thing to take note is that there are many immigrants living here. Alberta The only two cities in Alberta that are considered "large" are Edmonton and Calgary. There are provincial parks (Baff, Kananaskiis) closeby, within driving distance, so you won't be too bored. Skiing/snowboarding is a big thing in Alberta, as the province houses many world class ski resorts. Unfortunately, if skiing is not your thing, there is not much to do in the winter. The weather here is not bad, if you prefer the cold. I guarantee you there will be snow in May, June, and sometimes, even July (though it's rare). Housing is really expensive in Calgary (I am not too sure about Edmonton), and generally, everything is a little bit more expensive here (assuming you are not buying out of chain shops, like Wal-mart/Superstore/etcetc). It is also fairly difficult to find the more "Asian" things, but there are some nonetheless. Most of the jobs in Alberta have to do with the oilsands, so depending on what you do, jobs may be difficult to come by. The average income in Alberta is generally slightly higher than the rest of Canada, but that is due to the fact that most people in Alberta have jobs to do with the oilsands, which generate lots of money. Taxes here is extremely low (only 5%, I believe), because there is no provincial tax (Alberta generates enough revenue from its oilsands). In General Healthcare in Canada is public, so you don't have to worry too much about that (on the downside, wait time in emergency rooms/walk-in clinics can be quite ridiculous). Right now, we have a majority Conservative government. Truth be told, no one running for the election really stood out to me. Apparently, no one really stood out to a lot of eligible voters either, because the percentage of people who actually vote compared to those who can vote is pretty low, for a democracy. Law-wise, there are slight differences, but nothing you can't catch up on. Oh, the legal age here is 18. Minimum wage varies with cities, but is in general, higher than America's. Holidays are pretty much the same, with the exception of a few switched up days. Canada Day is July 1st. :'D French is generally a mandatory subject for students from grade four/five (depending on how close to Quebec you live) to the end of Junior High. But even in Quebec, you can speak English, and the people will understand you. Don't stress too much about French! Some schools have AP programs, and others have IB. Yes, we do have Hot Topic here. :'D I heard a Target is going to open soon, somewhere in Canada, but I can't recall where. The people are generally very kind and helpful.

Thank you, that was all very helpful. Since I'm from Michigan I was thinking of Toronto. I'm really big on staying close to family and all. But the States, I just don't think are for me. ^_^ My parents are surprisingly excepting of my idea to move to Canada. I was looking for Illustration jobs and I found more in Canada then I did in the USA. So hopefully things will turn out great! ^_^