Moving to Winnipeg - Any Tips?

[esquire]

^ SHH, we were (sort of) neighbours! I've lived on the Riverview side of South Osborne since 2009... as you say, also a great place for a U of M student to live, although definitely quieter than the northern end of Osborne with many more shops, bars, restaurants and other attractions. But given that the OP is more mature than the typical 20-year old undergrad, perhaps that might be more appealing...

Incidentally, there are a number of nice infill houses in South Osborne either recently built or under construction with rental suites in the basement (very Vancouver)... snagging one of those could be a good idea.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by Spocket

The , um...bad areas of Winnipeg are well-known to the locals but since you're not a local yet I guess somebody should tell you. Winnipeg has a reputation as a high crime city and you can't argue with the statistics. Having said that, the vast majority of the most serious crimes take place in a crescent shaped area north and West of downtown. Basically, from downtown, Portage Avenue is the dividing line. That doesn't mean that you're guaranteed to get mugged or beaten if you venture north of Portage avenue but as a rule of thumb , north of Portage is an area to avoid if you're not familiar with the city. I don't mean that it's all dangerous. Far from it but if you don't know specifics, just follow the rule of thumb.

My personal experience is completely different from this. First, I am a strong believer that most crimes are crimes of opportunity. If you stay out of potentially dangerous situations in the first place you won't be a victim regardless of neighbourhoods. That said, the crime rate is higher north of Portage Ave west of the Red River and East of Arlington which the main exception there being the Exchange. If you don't go looking like a tourist and pay attention to what is happening around you then things will be fine in any neighbourhood regardless of the time of day. Winnipeg is not known for its attacks on random strangers, at least no more so than most cities. A lot of the "dangerous" and "bad neighbourhood" talk comes from people that have never been in those places.

[Spocket]

Originally Posted by CoryB

My personal experience is completely different from this. First, I am a strong believer that most crimes are crimes of opportunity. If you stay out of potentially dangerous situations in the first place you won't be a victim regardless of neighbourhoods. That said, the crime rate is higher north of Portage Ave west of the Red River and East of Arlington which the main exception there being the Exchange. If you don't go looking like a tourist and pay attention to what is happening around you then things will be fine in any neighbourhood regardless of the time of day. Winnipeg is not known for its attacks on random strangers, at least no more so than most cities. A lot of the "dangerous" and "bad neighbourhood" talk comes from people that have never been in those places.

Um...you pretty much said you had the opposite experience as everybody else in Winnipeg and then went on to say the same thing that I said.

Aside from that, the statistics are quite clear about this : The most serious crimes in Winnipeg occur in the West End north of Portage (Spence neighbourhood) and the area around Salter and the railway line. Further, you guys are playing the "No, that's just a stereotype." game when everybody in Winnipeg knows perfectly well that the areas I mentioned are exactly where the worst happens. If you want to dabble in semantics then fine, delineate some exact area down to the house numbers. Doesn't do anybody who's new to the city any good. Like I said , rule of thumb.

[esquire]

^ I don't deny that there are bad parts of town best avoided when you're looking for a place to live, but the whole "never go north of Portage" brush is a little too broad IMO. To the OP it makes it sound like half the city is a no-go zone.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by Spocket

Um...you pretty much said you had the opposite experience as everybody else in Winnipeg and then went on to say the same thing that I said.

My points are:

- all areas are safe, regardless of time of day if you are aware of your surroundings
- the vast majority of serious crimes are between people that knew each other before the crime occurred, or people that were doing bad things themselves to begin with

You are just as likely to be a victim of a random crime on the U of M campus as you are in the worst neighbourhood north of Portage. I would argue that random crime is likely higher on the U of M campus than north of Portage. If you are a generally law abiding person you are much more likely to be a victim of something like a car break in than an assault or murder attempt.

[alittle1]

Well guys you did it again. For almost the first 20 posts I thought that I was on a different site. Your assistance that you offered a Winnipeg new-comer almost brought a tear to my eye, ready-to-please, informative, passionate, etc. The mention of crime was your downfall.

Please, gentlemen keep it clean and informative, keep the dirty linen unwraps till he settles in.

Welcome Ragedy13 to Winnipeg, I hope you enjoy your experiences in our great City. May each day you spend here be a lifelong memory. I now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Hit it guys.......

[bomberjet]

Don't worry about crime. Even if you do live in the "bad" areas, there's not much to worry about. People live their whole lives there and don't really have any problems. As long as you're not a gang banger, you're fine. Just like every other city in the world. And you're coming from Vancouver! No crime there, right?!

[bryanscott]

Welcome to Winnipeg.

A little bit of shameless self promotion here, but it's relevant. Check out a book I put out last year (my photographs and the words of local journalist Bartley Kives) Stuck in the Middle: Dissenting Views of Winnipeg.

http://winnipeglovehate.com/stuck-mi...iews-winnipeg/

It provides a good overview of some of the planning problems the city has faced over the years, as well as some interesting historical nuggets. And the photos are nice too. You can see more Winnipeg photos at the above site.

Having bit a student at the Faculty of Architecture, I know how much time you're going to be spending on campus, and the crazy hours that you're going to be keeping. A lot of my classmates rented apartments close to the University. Not great neighborhoods from an urbanist's point of view, but very convenient from a student's point of view. If you're okay with the long bus rides, then Osborne Village, Corydon, The Exchange District (and Downtown in general) are definitely where you want to be. West Broadway and much of the West End are great too. Sure, there are blocks here and there that are a little sketchy, but if you've spent a fair amount of time in the East Hastings area, comparable areas in Winnipeg will seem like Disneyland.

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned, but summer in Winnipeg is pretty amazing. The festivals are non-stop, and they're good. The Jazz Festival, The Fringe Festival, and The Folk Festival are some of the highlights. All worth checking out.

[biguc]

Originally Posted by Spocket

Um...you pretty much said you had the opposite experience as everybody else in Winnipeg and then went on to say the same thing that I said.

Aside from that, the statistics are quite clear about this : The most serious crimes in Winnipeg occur in the West End north of Portage (Spence neighbourhood) and the area around Salter and the railway line. Further, you guys are playing the "No, that's just a stereotype." game when everybody in Winnipeg knows perfectly well that the areas I mentioned are exactly where the worst happens. If you want to dabble in semantics then fine, delineate some exact area down to the house numbers. Doesn't do anybody who's new to the city any good. Like I said , rule of thumb.

On this note, Spence is also the coolest neighborhood in the city right now. I'm guessing Raggedy isn't a gangster, so he should be more than safe from the worst. I'll say the same thing I said about West Broadway on this board ten years ago: buy there now; it's going to get better.

Seriously, Raggedy, don't rule out living off Sargent. It's rough and ungentrified, but some of us like that. And if you really want to witness a renaissance, you'll be in the heart of one.

[Cyro]

Hey Raggedy, Just welcome to Winnipeg, aka: Windy City,The Peg, River City and prepare for an adventure.

My nephew just returned from Metro Vancouver after 16 years, so I know where your coming from.
Any questions reg: neighborhoods, and their perceptions or what you might expect of them or in them, PM me any time.
I've dealt with many of the topics raised recently and crawled into most of the nook and cranny's in the Peg over time dealing with the issues being discussed.

Other wise Welcome, your going to have a blast!
Good luck at the UM.

[Boreal]

If you like hockey, curling, sledding, and cross country skiing in the winter, you are basically set to arrive in the holy land. If those activities do not interest you at all, some of the winter shine is taken off of Winnipeg.

The summers blow Vancouver's out of the water. So that's a big plus. Welcome to cottage country.

There are plenty of fantastic mom and pop restaurants to check out in this town. I heavily recommend budgeting a little for that.

[raggedy13]

Thanks for continuing to be so welcoming everybody!

The issue of crime in Winnipeg has certainly been one of interest to me. Although Winnipeg regularly has the worst overall crime rates, I don't imagine it will be all that different from Vancouver and other western cities that generally all have higher crime rates than back east. On top of that, Winnipeg still compares favourably to American cities so how bad could it really be?

I've spent plenty of time in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside so I don't think much could shock me about Winnipeg's worse-off neighbourhoods. But with that said, I am still quite curious to see what the "vibe" is like once I experience some of these areas first-hand.

[raggedy13]

Originally Posted by Boreal

If you like hockey, curling, sledding, and cross country skiing in the winter, you are basically set to arrive in the holy land. If those activities do not interest you at all, some of the winter shine is taken off of Winnipeg.

Unfortunately the only winter sport I somewhat regularly partake in is snowboarding. I imagine Winnipeg won't exactly be a hot spot for that though, which is fine.

As popular as hockey is I never really played it, except for road hockey and a brief (on ice) hockey camp, both when I was really young. My sport of choice was lacrosse which I played for 10 years.

With that said I definitely would like to get into some sort of winter sport while I'm in Winnipeg. Curling has interested me the last few years, though I've never tried it.

[roccerfeller]

I can't really add what's already been said, all fantastic suggestions, comments, input.


But a few things:

- really take in the arts scene if you can. It is honestly one of the best in the country. Spot on comment earlier that it has to be sought out though, it's not something prevalent in the mainstream media. Try to attend as much stuff as you can. You would surprised at the breadth and depth at exists for a city it's size. Everything from yuppy high end suit and tie classy wine parties at the art gallery to some underground funky stuff. Even the more classical types of art stuff like ballet and orchestra are awesome. Check out as much as you can

- nightlife is what you make of it, if you settle down by the university try not to limit going out to that area as many people I've known from out of town do. There is so much more going on in other parts of the city. If relying on transit however it can be tricky and take long to get around but it's usually worth it. The transit system in Winnipeg is better than many "typical" locals give credit. It's not perfect but once you get used the frequency and routes that helps.

- Winnipeg has really unique neighbourhoods so regardless of where you settle, try to check out different areas. In the summer my favourite thing about the city is the urban elm tree canopy. Prepare to be stunned! Also some areas have a different vibe during the day and at night, which I suppose makes sense, but some areas like Corydon are pretty different as different shops open and people are out and about. Winnipeg is a very "raw" type of city as that is part of its charm.

- you'll most certainly make local friends. I'm not sure if you're into watching sports, not just playing them, but being at Bomber games or Jets games are awesome; atmosphere is crazy good when the teams are strong that day. But don't be afraid to hit up the list of pubs and local spots where you can watch games too. Tons of places in the city to watch games at. You can add Goldeyes to that list if you don't mind baseball.

- try playing restaurant roulette. The abundance of ethnic/unique restaurants in the city is awesome. Make sure you have urban spoon locked and loaded, try hitting up a different place every week if you can budget or afford it! And there are always new restaurants popping up that I've missed on urban spoon in the past but could find by googling "best new restaurants Winnipeg" so that helps too. Also see if you can find information on the farmers markets. It's one thing I didn't know much of and wished I'd Taken more advantage of

[factis]

I can't help but promote Osborne Village "the village" and all of it's amenities. I'll be celebrating my 8th anniversary living here this summer and I have no reason to leave. If you don't have wheels, I can't think of a better place as you are one bus ride (route #60) away from the U of M at any time of the day. It's pretty much in the dead centre of the city which means you are about a 20 min car/cab ride to anywhere in the city. It's also a 15 minute walk from downtown and features groceries, liquor, restaurants, etc.

Echoing many of the previous comments on here, there is no shortage of ways to have fun here. If you have wheels I recommend a day trip to Grand Beach before it gets cold and a food tour of the north end:

Karpaty Meats & Deli - Their kabanosi are unreal. It's more or less a Polish pepperoni stick

Gimli Fish Market - Fresh Pickerel from Lake Winnipeg

Mom's Perogy Factory - Numerous Ukrainian delights

Gunn's Bakery - Fantastic Bagels

Black Pearl Coffee - Local coffee roaster

[Spocket]

Originally Posted by alittle1

The mention of crime was your downfall.

Oh please. Maybe you don't want to know where it's safe and where it's not but you guys are acting as though the city has no high-crime areas. I'm not sure why you're doing this but hey, I'll make sure to advise people to visit the downtown east side in Van at 3 a.m. the first chance they get.