Robo, can you move NS about 1000 miles south??? Then you could count me in :)

Being geographically interested (and knowing Mtn wants to move to Canada) I did a little further reading about NS and found this article. Sounds like there may be some challenges for those who make a move to NS.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1417008-grim-future-for-nova-scotia-warns-author

If you could tell us a little more about the job prospects, that might be helpful. The article above gives pretty good details about the aging population. I assume health care is needed? Not so sure about education since lack of younger people means no school growth. Fitness? Nutrition/farmers markets? Local foods?

The current Trend in Atlantic Canada is to bemoan the demographic shift. Our population is relatively old and economic forecasters also claim that the baby boomers are intensive healthcare users. The universally recommended solution is to attract migration. Some of this reflects historical trends as young Atlantic Canadiens used to leave to find work. Especially out west in the oil fields, but now that industry has collapsed and a lot of the younger Atlantic Canadians are home.

Getting a job as a non stem school teacher in Nova Scotia I do not recommend. It is difficult to find employment. We have several mid-sized universities so finding post-secondary employment is different. Always a need in healthcare. Construction and development are booming . There is high employment in the government and defense sectors. People around here aren't necessarily very entrepreneurial and I think there's a lot of opportunity for those who are.

I would say that our quality of life outweighs our economic prospects and this has been the case for decades although our economic picture is a lot rosier than it was in the eighties. The real attraction to living here is easy access to Ocean pristine Lakes gorgeous hiking trails about a 15-minute drive from the downtown area. The pace of life is slower and people tend to be less ambitious and less cutthroat. Real estate and land are cheap.The arts scene is small but mighty. We are not a Canadian Centre for sport except for maybe rowing and curling. Fitness is certainly moving but I don't think Fitness is one of the occupations that get you a lot of points on the immigration process. We do have an Aerospace industry, quite a few GIS firms and lots to do with oceanography as well.

I would say the type of young people that move to New York here move to Toronto, the type of young people that move to San Francisco, here move to Montreal, and the type of young people that move to DC here move to Ottawa. We're more like a Charleston or baby Portland.

Nova Scotia is well along the way on the local food revolution and you can choose from subscription organic food boxes, local line caught seafood subscriptions, couple of farmers markets, local organic grass-fed butchers and so on. Also have quite a burgeoning wine industry and microbrew and local distilleries are going nuts as well, which I know is universal.

"Shipping News" anyone?

My DD is looking at schools for next year and King's is top on her list. Maybe I'll join her. "Local line caught seafood subscription" is really all you needed to say.

Why is there negative population growth? Why is this a great place to live?

The population is old and we don't have many children. On top of this we offer less Economic Opportunity than the large population centers in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. We have also not done enough to attract large populations of immigrants which our current government is trying to change. It is still relatively non diverse here although it has been getting better and is much more diverse than when I was a child.

Why is it a great place to live? For me it comes down to arts and nature. There is quite a thriving local art scene because we have a prestigious College of Art and Design here. Two great local film festivals. And mostly it's because the water is clean, the air is good, there are all kinds of beautiful pristine beaches and lakes. Within a half hour of the city you can be at the farm that provides your meat or the fishing village that provides your halibut. Within an hour you can be at the local vineyard or distillery. And if you hanker after an old-fashioned way of life there are all the church suppers and organized card games and farm exhibitions and hymn sings you like. People here complain about any commute over half an hour. I once apologized to my sister from Toronto for taking her out in rush hour traffic and she just laughed at me. There is crime and poverty here but it is far from a high crime area.

I would not recommend coming here without an established career or job offer. This is not the kind of place that money grows on trees or a great place to start out. We are three decades in to a painful transition from a resource-based economy to service and tech (collapse of the cod industry was 1992). I believe our two biggest and best established immigrant communities are Sikhs and Lebanese Christians. Most of the more prominent older first generation members from those communities are, I believe, developers. So there's definitely opportunity for entrepreneurial newcomers but it is hard work.

I think this would be an amazing place for people who work from home. You could buy a beautiful Victorian Century at home in rural Nova Scotia for so cheap.

The same type of people who would appreciate a place like coastal new England might like it here although we are poorer.

My city

My neighbourhood

My sister's neighbourhood

My swimming hole (15 minutes from downtown)

My favorite beach (30 mins from downtown)

My new waterfall (45 minutes from downtown)

My butcher/meat provider

Near Lunenburg NS

Near Chester NS

What about us old people on social security? Could we get by on next to no money? Can we get in?

Imhappy - I'm not sure but I kind of doubt it. I think you would probably need a job offer and proof of funds (about $12K) to show you can support yourself. I also believe that one article I read stated the immigration process is biased toward young people (perhaps to offset the increased healthcare costs older people incur on average). But I really don't know much!

Getting by - in the country, yes. Rent is cheap and people are helpful. Food is relatively high cost compared to the US. In the city average 1bed apartment rent is likely around $900CAD and add electricity and tv/phone on top of that. The cost of the National Nutritious Food Basket for a family of four is around $800 a month in Nova Scotia, I believe this is slightly higher than the Canadian average for food cost.

http://canadianimmigrant.ca/slider/relocating-compare-cost-of-living-and-industries-across-canada

Always wanted to retire & live in Nova Scotia(close to Halifax, maybe) Except for harsh winters, there is so much to like such as natural beauty and kind people. We refer to this kindness as east coast hospitality. You will not find this in Toronto ;)

Last time I travelled down east was 25 years ago & the friendliness of the people really stood out for me. As did gorgeous vistas, fresh seafood, quirky, charming villages and beautiful parks.

Your post is very thoughtful(and honest) robo Above the photo of horses it says my butcher/meat provider. That cracked me up!

Your puppy remains one of THE cutest I have ever seen!

They do sell horse meat! And llama and bison and boar...but I mostly stick with the chicken, cow and pig.

EEK! I know I shouldn't balk at eating horses but I do. They're such majestic animals! Had horse in Italy once but didn't fully understand this until after I ate it. Was delicious! I definitely stick to oink, peep & moo.

Resurrecting this thread because I was talking to DH last night at NYE dinner about Nova Scotia, LOL.

I love Halifax. One of the nicest mid sized cities around. NS is quite beautiful if you like the Atlantic maritime climate. Halifax was one of the cities we considered for retirement. We should have pulled the trigger. I think it's a lot more reasonable cost wise than where I am - on the Sound between Seattle and Vancouver BC.

Good luck on your recruiting Robo! I wish all you maritime Canadians the best!

Still wish I could do it.

"Shipping News" anyone?

If that was an As Time Goes By reference I think she talks about the shipping forecasts, doesn't she?

Or there's the novel, but that's set in Newfoundland.

I'm in NS as well. I must admit that the lack of diversity is one of my least favourite things about the province.

Blueocean - me too! I'm lucky to work and be friends with quite a diverse crowd here in the city but it doesn't change the fact that we are as white as Idaho.

I'm sold. It looks and sounds wonderful to me. I'm an RN, RRT presently working a director administration job. I'm not sure how my admin experience would transfer in such a different market but my clinical skills are still sharp, too. Heck, I'm healthier because of moving and walking all day when I do patient care anyway.

ETA: Not that the lack of diversity thrills me but heck, my kids are raised and I'm in west Texas right now. I scoff at NS lack of diversity! ;-)

Robo - I think it's great to be able to have a diverse network of friends, but I miss the things that come with a more diverse larger community. The things that I have heard people here say, that they don't THINK are racist? Terrible. Makes me worried for what my child will hear from school teachers in a couple of years.

yes I had one friend of Ghanaian origin who lived in Louisiana before NS say "at least in the South people are overt about racist attitudes and you know where they stand. Up in Nova Scotia it's all hidden."

Searching the listings has become a sort of hobby of mine now. They don't change too much this time of year.

I lean towards Montreal, because in my next life I want to be an urbanite again, and if I could be a French-speaking one, all the better!

Definitely the coolest city. :) You should go up for a visit in the spring! Festival TransAmériques would be a good time. Lots of great neighbourhoods to discover/rediscover.

http://www.vogue.com/13402582/mile-ex-montreal-new-neighborhood-travel-guide/

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/travel/2014/10/18/welcome-montreal-hottest-new-neighborhoods-little-burgundy-and-mile/NC01CnWDxcu6msW91B9aMJ/story.html

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/urban+villages+hochelaga+maisonneuve+friendly+with+small+town+feel/7597627/story.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/why-you-should-eat-in-park-ex-montreals-ungentrified-ethnic-food-paradise/article10682175/?page=all

http://www.mtlblog.com/2016/09/12-secret-restaurants-in-montreals-outremont-you-need-to-eat-at-if-you-havent-already/#

I'll be in Montreal this May, supporting my son and his sweet soul mate's running of the Marathon SSQ de Longueuil. This will be his tenth marathon. Third one in Canada. We're booked at Nelligan, which is nearly next door to Notre Dame Basilica. We're going to visit the Basilica, for sure!