People Are Leaving Vancouver & Not Looking Back — Here’s Why I’m Doing The Opposite

After four years away, I’m counting down the seconds until I’m back

With a cost of living to rival the surrounding mountains and a reputation as a cold, ‘no-fun’ city, it’s no surprise that many Vancouverites are calling the city quits.

I was one of them in 2019.

Full disclosure, my reason for leaving was primarily based on love. But that doesn’t mean that my decision wasn’t swayed by anything else.

For a long time, I was one of many Canadians that believed the grass was greener on the other side. I didn’t need much convincing when my then-boyfriend, now-husband asked if I would consider moving to his hometown in the UK.

I had always viewed the European continent with rose-coloured glasses, believing it was an oasis of rich culture and excellent social benefits. Little did I know my move would only last a few years, all the while making me fall harder in love with Vancouver.

The first year was great. Everything was new and exciting, and the cost of living was noticeably lower than it was back home. My cell phone and grocery bills were pretty much half the price of what they were in Vancouver, and rent was considerably lower. I was sure that I had made a good decision, and that I would be happy here for the foreseeable future.

Then the first serious pangs of homesickness hit. I had gone to visit a friend who had moved to the French Alps, which made me realize that I had been missing the mountains more than I anticipated. I was ok with being in a flat, landlocked city at first because I had a lot of other things going on. But once I had settled, there was a sadness that crept in from not easily being able to do my favourite activities, like going to the beach or hiking up to a beautiful viewpoint on a nice day. Even when I had visited landlocked cities in the past, I had always felt like something was missing when I was away from the ocean and mountains.

Then the pandemic hit, and the resentment of being landlocked hit harder. When my friends back home were still able to go to the beach or go on hikes or nature walks with incredible views, I was stuck trying to catch the rare ray of sun in my backyard. I can’t lie, it made me jealous.

But it also put my values into perspective. I discovered that being close to nature was more important to me than I realized. At the end of the day, I really was just a west coast girl. I’d rather go on a hike or go to the beach than go out in the city, which meant the pub-oriented UK lifestyle just wasn’t working for me.

It made me laugh when I’d continue to see comments about Vancouver being a ‘no-fun city’ on news sites and blogs back home. Now that I was in a city that had what many would consider a vibrant nightlife, I was pining for the relaxing seawall strolls and evening beach hangouts I had with my friends in Vancouver.

Now, before you think that I’m a superficial person who only cares about looks, there were other things that made me miss Vancouver. The overall lifestyle is more relaxed in Vancouver, which means that people tend to be more laidback and friendly. Vancouver also has a considerably lower crime rate than where I’ve been living in the UK, so I felt much more secure living there.

My feelings were only amplified on visits back to Canada. I immediately felt like I was truly home again, like everything just made sense. I was having way more fun just sitting on the beach and soaking up the sun than I did going to pubs and restaurants in the UK. My husband could tell after just a few days, which is why I was thrilled when he told me he also wanted to move back. He admitted that although the cost of living was higher, we’d have a higher quality of life due to the close proximity to nature and the subsequent relaxed lifestyle it brings.

Being away from Vancouver has given me a newfound sense of gratitude for where I grew up. I now know that millions of people would kill to live in a place like Vancouver, and that’s just in the UK. I’ve spent the past four years being questioned by strangers as to why I’d ever consider leaving somewhere like Vancouver for the likes of the UK. Telling them that my husband is British didn’t make a difference; the response would always be, “well, can’t you get him to move over there?”

I know that I definitely took Vancouver for granted when I lived there. I thought that everyone in the world had some sort of lake or mountain near them, even if they were far away from the ocean. Now, I’ve learned that millions, if not billions, of people only get to see the beach maybe once a year, and can go their whole lives without seeing the majesty of a mountain range. Vancouver is a very special city, and it’s easy to forget that if it’s the only place you’ve ever lived.

I’ve also learned that a high quality of life involves a lot more than just the cost of things. Loving your surroundings is also crucial. Saving more money or having a bigger house doesn’t really matter if you resent everything around it.

I’m moving back to BC in a little over a month, and I can’t wait. I’m sure that once I arrive, I’ll never take it for granted again.