Reasons why I chose to live in Toronto.
After successfully living out my one-way ticket dreams in Europe for 18 months, I was ready for a new challenge. See, the funny thing about travel is that once you have started you can’t stop. Travel is truly an addiction. So, after heading home to Australia for 6 months to save some money by living back with the ‘rents, I decided on a stint in Canada to fuel my ever growing hunger to travel again. You see, us Aussies are blessed with a relatively broad number of countries that we can live in on a Working Holiday visa until we hit 30. So, why not take advantage of this opportunity to experience the world as a local, not just a tourist, while we are young!
Now the hardest part about living in an amazing country like Canada is choosing a city to live in. For me, I have been tossing up between Vancouver and Toronto. For now, Toronto has come out on top (because a move to Vancouver will always be an option for me if the opportunity arises). And here is just a couple of reasons why:
- The Big City
I am sick of living in a relatively small city. I want to experience true big city living. Also, my life dream has always been to live in New York City and Toronto is like a smaller, safer New York City. So, for this stage in my life, Toronto is the perfect choice for me.
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2. The mild, cool weather (in comparison to my current city)
As an Aussie who has lived most of her life in Brissie, Queensland’s tropical and humid capital city, I tend to look at life with a ‘grass is greener on the other side’ outlook when it comes to the weather. It is very un-Australian of me, but I love winter. The cooler weather not only saves me the embarrassment of dreaded sweat patches on all of my clothes, but it allows travellers to walk further and explore the city more. And I’m all here for more exploration on foot!
3. Home to my fellow millennials
Toronto is a university city full of like-minded millennials, making it the perfect city to make new friends and widen my social circle. Plus, the nightlife is said to be a lot more vibrant than Canada’s other cities thanks to my fellow millennials.
4. The endless options for weekend trips
When you are on a Working Holiday visa you want to focus more on experiencing a country than working all the time. So to balance work and play, choosing a city that is close to many other interesting cities gives you the option for weekend trips. Toronto is so close to great US destinations like New York City and Niagara Falls and some of my Canadian bucket list cities like Quebec City and Montreal, that options for endless weekend adventures are limitless.
5. Coffee culture
Australian coffee is my number one love. And despite having an appreciation for Tim Horton’s, I need other hipster options to satisfy my coffee cravings. Luckily, Toronto prides itself on its unique coffee culture and award-winning baristas. So, Toronto is THE city to keep me caffeinated!
6. Drake
The most important reason for moving to the 6ix is Drake, Drizzy, Champagne Papi. I’m an avid rap, hip-hop, R&B lover. So naturally spending the summer in Toronto is the perfect move for me. OVO Fest and so many concerts happen during summer in the 6ix. And I am going to be a part of every single one of them!
As I start my adventure in May, I will keep you update as I am sure that my list of reasons will continue to grow as I live there. Stay tuned!