Hey ladies! DH and I are flying to Canada in may to look at areas to live in! I am a uk trained nurse with most of my family in the area part of Pennsylvania however due to the nursing retrogression in the US it's looking to take about 10years minimum to get a visa and then my nursing isn't even recognised so will have to go to school too which will cost a fortune!

We have decided to move to Ontario Canada instead to build a new life for our family we have decided on Ontario as its closer to our family in Pennsylvania to travel through for visits etc. my nursing is recognised so it's just a case of finding an area to live in and getting the ball rolling!!

I have always loved the Amish area of PA an would be looking for a similar area of Ontario to live in! Preferably the more south Ontario the better (closer to us border) we have been looking at areas around st Catharines etc but just have no idea!!

I was wondering if u ladies could tell me areas u live in and about those areas!

I don't want to live in a city, I could be as far out as a 2 hour drive from a city, I don't mind but I also don't want somewhere too rural! I don't want to have to drive 2 hours if I run out of bread haha!
I would love somewhere semi rural, somewhere where houses are spaces out not all cramped together, nice big garden, plenty of green

To get an idea of where i would have lived in the US -
Lancaster county has a population of about 60 thousand
The town my family live in is About 45mins outside Lancaster city, hospital would Be in Lancaster for work)
Their town and surronding towns all have a population of around 1500 to 2000 each, houses are big and all spaced out, huge gardens.
No public transport
Large malls just 20mins drive away
Shopping outlets 10mins drive away
Large school
Walmart just 10mins drive away
Parks for kids etc

Like I say I don't want a city but also don't want too rural, just want a nice place to bring up a family and have a better life than here in UK. X

im in Brampton Ontario which is about a 2 hour drive to the Niagara border and honestly im just 30mins away from the heart of Toronto and 5mins away from the downtown area of Brampton and the suburbs are all very family oriented. You can find large backyards, however the houses are mostly close together. its a very very beautiful area and it all ranges from being cramped houses to large open areas. u can basically pick any city you want in Ontario and have the luxury of choosing what type of housing you prefer. Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto are high priced though so the smaller cities like Burlington, St. Catharines, etc you'll get a better bang for your buck.

ooh! go onto google street maps and type in cities in Ontario and have a look around. You'll see the areas and you can decide what you prefer. I love Brampton because Im close to everything but at the same time my beighbourhood is quiet. Theres a ton of schools within walking distance and public transportation is always available.

Thank you!! That sounds very similar to what we want! Il add that to my list! We plan on gathering a list if areas then narrowing them down through research and when we go over just touring around with the car and staying in local hotels! Hoping to move fully by time baby is 2. X

Ur welcome!! All of Brampton is extremely family friendly. Almost every house has a family in it. Theyre almost all typical suburban families. Its quiet at night and after school and on weekends the streets are alive with children. the hubs and I want a typical suburban family life for our little one and brampton is the perfect place for it, especially the Heart Lake area. tons of stores but theyre not scattered throughout. theyre in groupings so the areas with houses are nice and quiet with very little traffic.

I grew up in Ontario, Canada.... if you're looking for an Amish location then around St Jacobs/waterloo you'll like. However southern Ontario ie Dunnville, Simcoe is farmish like but theres cities too. The heavily populated areas run around the coast of lake ontario

Georgetown is nice too - it's about 40 minutes west of Toronto by car. Very family-friendly. A bit further west is Guelph, a small city, very charming.

If you're looking for quiet Amish/mennonite country, try listowel, Elmira, st. Jacobs, or even north Waterloo. Very quiet area and not a huge city like ones around Toronto.

how exciting! Kingston ontario is a beautiful place to live. It is a city, but a smaller one. If you prefer a small town feel there is a bunch of towns (with lots of land) surrounding kingston such as Sydenham, Bath, Ahmerstview and gananoque. All beautiful and very close (such as right next to) Lake Ontario (one of the great lakes)! Lots of land and very pretty places to live. All within a 15, 20 or 30 min drive to Kingston!

I'm a Canadian now living in the UK, but I'm from northern Ontario, a place called Sault Ste Marie. It's right on the border to Michigan and not too big but maybe a bit big from what you've described. I think anywhere in Ontario apart from the big cities would suit you, but the north is lovely too. If you do consider it I believe Echo Bay has a large Amish population and is only about 20 mins from SSM and the border, and there is so much open countryside up there that in that respect you'd love it. It's a bit further drive to you family, but it has it's charms!