YUL vs YYZ Base

[Braun]

Thanks for the input! Have you got experience living in any of those locations? I’m always curious if one is better than the other, or what family life would be like there etc.

The surroundings of Montreal are quite nice. Love the ski hills and mountains vs concrete jungle as others have said.

Yeah, I am ATC in YUL so I need to go to the airport every work day so I live downtown. If I could chose I would probably live in Tremblant/St-Sauveur but the traffic can be pretty bad during peak office hours, and even on weekends to be honest. Bromont is nice as well and pretty much the same thing traffic wise. Orford is about 100-120km away plus you may encounter traffic on the way in to YUL too so it would be a bit too far for me personally. In terms of real estate Tremblant is probably a bit more expensive than St-Sauveur and Bromont but the skiing and infrastructure is nicer in my opinion. It depends on your activities.

One thing to consider is the weather on the north shore of montreal is often quite a bit cooler than on the island or even in the Bromont area. Not a big deal but something to consider if you don't like chilly evenings.

Roger that! Bromont looks nice. I like the ski hill lifestyle as well.

I do like a cool breeze coming in the window while I sleep, so that’s a nice bonus…. Mind you that probably exists everywhere in Canada during the winter ha!

What do you think of the beaconsfield area for a closer option?

I’ve never lived in Beaconsfield but it seems like a very nice neighborhood. Very close to the airport obviously. It’s just very different to the other places you’ve mentioned in terms of being close to skiing and such. But for proximity it’s hard to beat!

[jpilot77]

I live in Tremblant, I live in the woods about 15 minutes from the ski hill. My drive with no traffic from my door to parking at the airport is one hour and thirty minutes if you live closer to the mountain it would take about an hour fifteen. There’s definitely an English community in Tremblant and with the amount of tourists from Ontario and the US you can get by without French. But it would definitely help out to pick up the language. As far as real estate prices they are high (although it depends on how close to the mountain you are).

[Maximus Delta]

I live in Tremblant, I live in the woods about 15 minutes from the ski hill. My drive with no traffic from my door to parking at the airport is one hour and thirty minutes if you live closer to the mountain it would take about an hour fifteen. There’s definitely an English community in Tremblant and with the amount of tourists from Ontario and the US you can get by without French. But it would definitely help out to pick up the language. As far as real estate prices they are high (although it depends on how close to the mountain you are).

Thanks for the info!

Looks like the St.Saveur area would be best up that way then, Tremblant is just a little too far for the daily/3 day pairing commute,for me anyway. I like to keep it around 60 mins if I can.

Real Estate price is a little cheaper as you get farther away as well, like you said. Still much cheaper in the same driving time ring around YYZ. Im gathering all the info from you great people and coming up with a plan for the family.

Thank you all for the info so far! Keep it coming!

[Ash Ketchum]

Anyone have experience living near Hudson or Saint-Lazare? Seems pretty anglo friendly and also cheap for real estate around there and the drive doesn't look too terrible compared to YYZ.

[rookiepilot]

Anyone have experience living near Hudson or Saint-Lazare? Seems pretty anglo friendly and also cheap for real estate around there and the drive doesn't look too terrible compared to YYZ.

When I traded on the floor, I knew a guy there who lived in Hudson, he liked it. I lived in Lasalle, much closer and on the subway. West Island is quite anglo friendly

[Maximus Delta]

Anyone have experience living near Hudson or Saint-Lazare? Seems pretty anglo friendly and also cheap for real estate around there and the drive doesn't look too terrible compared to YYZ.

Those areas looks pretty decent. More rentals/for sale in Hudson it seems…. Worth a look for sure. Short drive compared to some spots. Certainly competes with Orangeville or Barrie

[Maximus Delta]

Anyone have experience living near Hudson or Saint-Lazare? Seems pretty anglo friendly and also cheap for real estate around there and the drive doesn't look too terrible compared to YYZ.

When I traded on the floor, I knew a guy there who lived in Hudson, he liked it. I lived in Lasalle, much closer and on the subway. West Island is quite anglo friendly

Good to know. Subway pretty good for service to the airport?

[TalkingPie]

I grew up in Beaconsfield and Baie d'Urfe. It's a great area if your budget allows it, as are the surrounding suburbs, including Dorval; quiet, close to the city and practically next door to YUL - no dealing with bridges.

I now live west of the island - think Vaudreuil/Hudson/Saint-Lazare area, which is less affordable than it was 5 years ago, but still a big discount from the island. The traffic situation isn't ideal, but that'll improve once the new bridge is finished in about two years. I happened to drive to downtown Montreal this morning for a 9:00 am arrival, and that was just over an hour. The airport is usually around 45 minutes when I need to go, even with the current bridge situation. In ideal traffic it's 35 minutes. My property is just over half an acre, which is fairly typical. It's a very Air Canada heavy area for those reasons.

There's a sizeable anglo population in most of the West Island and westwards, if that's important to you. I learned later than I'd like that you'd do well to also embrace and learn French, though. The franco-quebecois culture is great. There's less talk of property values and granite counter tops, more living.

Daycare and university are cheap. Car insurance isn't a worry; my two (admittedly older) cars cost me $900/year combined for full coverage.

[rookiepilot]

Anyone have experience living near Hudson or Saint-Lazare? Seems pretty anglo friendly and also cheap for real estate around there and the drive doesn't look too terrible compared to YYZ.

When I traded on the floor, I knew a guy there who lived in Hudson, he liked it. I lived in Lasalle, much closer and on the subway. West Island is quite anglo friendly

Good to know. Subway pretty good for service to the airport?

No, but I think the new REM will run there.

[Nightshiftzombie]

No, but I think the new REM will run there.

They are saying 2027 now. At the rate they are going I wouldn't bet on before 2030.

[Maximus Delta]

I grew up in Beaconsfield and Baie d'Urfe. It's a great area if your budget allows it, as are the surrounding suburbs, including Dorval; quiet, close to the city and practically next door to YUL - no dealing with bridges.

I now live west of the island - think Vaudreuil/Hudson/Saint-Lazare area, which is less affordable than it was 5 years ago, but still a big discount from the island. The traffic situation isn't ideal, but that'll improve once the new bridge is finished in about two years. I happened to drive to downtown Montreal this morning for a 9:00 am arrival, and that was just over an hour. The airport is usually around 45 minutes when I need to go, even with the current bridge situation. In ideal traffic it's 35 minutes. My property is just over half an acre, which is fairly typical. It's a very Air Canada heavy area for those reasons.

There's a sizeable anglo population in most of the West Island and westwards, if that's important to you. I learned later than I'd like that you'd do well to also embrace and learn French, though. The franco-quebecois culture is great. There's less talk of property values and granite counter tops, more living.

Daycare and university are cheap. Car insurance isn't a worry; my two (admittedly older) cars cost me $900/year combined for full coverage.

Thanks for providing your experience and info! Lots of good stuff to know.

[BigQ]

For my place, I live 5km W of the QC-On border, and it takes me about 55 minutes to get to work. I've had it go to 2h30 commute, but those happened maybe 3 times in 10 years. Every April, I receive a tax return, since Qc taxes are about 10% higher around 90k, reducing to around 5% around 200k. Schools in Ontario are okay, the best ones are the French Separate (Catholic) School board, but marginally. On the Qc side, there are some rough ones, closer to Vaudreuil is better.

If you wish to live on the ON side, may I recommend south of the Casselman - Vankleek Hill line. If you wish to live on the Qc side, I'd live north of the Ste Justine-St Lazare line. North of the Ottawa river is also a very good area for QoL. Avoid the Hawkesbury and Valleyfield areas, both for crime and commuting issues.

Generally, if you have kids, it's better on the Qc side, and if you want to be "left alone" and live the good life, the On side is better.

[dodgeram2500]

Look into Lancaster, ON. Should find some rental houses there. Also, the sulpher smell in Cornwall went away 20 years ago when the paper mill closed.