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At least the comments are interesting! Lots to learn about Canada!

   

To let the dead rest in peace.

   

Listen to what andyt has to say....

   

I kinda like Hongcouver. I think the city is actually based on a biblical prophecy. I mean it seems more than coincidental that you have such a large gay community. I'm sure I read somewhere in a bible that "If a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, they shall surely be stoned"!

   

Now I understand a bit better those on the site that say they toke up every once in a while.

   

I moved from a small town in Manitoba to Vancouver (proper) in 2010. I've lived here for 3 years now. I actually have to concur with the OP's sentiments.

The people who are born & raised in Metro Vancouver tend, to me at least, to be very isolated, cold and rude. They have their established roots/networks and they have little desire to break out of them. Also, say you're a tourist asking for directions on the street: people do not tend to like to talk to strangers here. You're looked at like you're crazy if you compliment someone or try to strike up a conversation with someone you don't know.

This has to do with three factors I believe:

(1) The massive immigration. I would say its more than safe to say over 50% of the population was born outside of Canada. We have 3-4 monolithic subcultures and ethnoburbs. The Chinese/Asians in Richmond, the SE Asians/Indians (India) in Surrey, whites in small little cluster neighbourhoods (Steveston, River District, North Shore). Multiculturalism is sort of a farce here. Most of my friends happen to be white but that's simply because everyone keeps to their own groups. I go to UBC which is 33% white (50%+ Asian) and most Asian students tend to stick to themselves in their own little sub-culture groups. And the Asians that are part of more diverse groups tend to be either 3rd/4th generation Canadians or are Whasians (half white).

(2) A transient population. Everyone is coming and going in Vancouver. Not many people, like I said, are born here. Even within the white population a lot of us (like me) come from other parts of BC or Eastern Canada. The high immigration population is flying back and forth from here to their home country. People don't tend to build roots here.

(3) Rainy season. I think this is the same with winter in other places but more accented here in Vancouver. The friendliness and extroversion increases in the summer when we're on our beautiful landscape high. When you have non-stop rain for days and days on end (November-March) people go into hibernation mode. Stay at home, dinner parties, don't go out often. Not much engagement in the winter months

Also, there's the "No Fun City" vibe we have on. This city overreacts to everything. After the Stanley Cup riots the City won't condone outdoor sport viewing parties anymore. Everything shuts down bloody early (outside of Granville St good luck finding a night life). Liquor laws and prices are the most archaic in Canada. Pot culture also tends to make people a bit anti-social. Its not a financial/business centre hub so there's not much going on for a vibrant community of young professionals.

Man I could go on and on...Prices...cost of living...many bright people and educated folk end up leaving because of the "No Fun" vibe and cost of settling down here. We're bleeding a lot of our university graduates to other cities.

The dating scene. OMG. Don't even get me started. Google "Vancouver" "Dating" "sucks" and there's dozens of articles on this. Women are very clicky here (I'm gay but I've witnessed this with a lot of my female friends). God forbid, a straight guy CANNOT go up to a girl and strike up a conversation. This is with making friends here too. You have to have a mutual friend and be introduced to someone first. Like I said, social circles are very clickly. Even my group of friends -- and I hate this -- when we go out we always just chill with each other -- there's no strong desire to meet new people. Its annoying as hell.

Because of all these factors and the dating scene especially single young people can find it a very lonely city.

And, because this is the internet and I can be a little politically incorrect, the Asian culture vibe is a contributing factor as well. The obsession with work, honour, achievement etc. in Asian culture makes them a very introverted and insular people (in general). The newer immigrants don't know how to "let loose" and "have fun" I find. At least not with folks outside of their culture.

Don't get me wrong, there's a million positive things about Vancouver, but it lacks a sense of community. Just the other week an article from the Globe & Mail found 10% of all condos in this city sit vacant and are empty (Asian investors parking their money). 1/4 of all condos in the Coal Harbour district are empty. Its sad.

As for myself, I graduate from UBC next year and even though I dreamed of living in this city for so long when I grew up in MB I'm leaving. I can't imagine a life for myself here. My parents live here now so I'll always be connected to Vancouver for Christmas and family stuff but I'm headed East. My desire is to live on the U.S. East Coast (DC, NYC or Boston) someday but I'm likely off to (God forbid) Toronto after I'm done school here. There's no dating scene and no strong young professional culture. And like many students before me I come here for education and I leave because at the end of the day while gorgeous Vancouver is like a hot blonde:

Beautiful to look at but lacking any and all substance underneath. Sad days...

   

Kaohsiung was the complete opposite I found. Total strangers always coming up to you to strike up a conversation and practice their English or offer you a job. Taipei was a little different....the people were more distant . I found the Chinese to be quite gregarious.....not always fun when you were seeking solitude and down time

   

What a crock of shit, I was born here and have lived most of my life in the SW part of BC. And for what it's worth, tourist or not, I'm always more than willing to tell somebody where to go!

   

I experience the exact same here in small town BC.
Except for the gay thing, although I doubt there is ANY gay scene here

   

it was sort of hard to tell whether the Chinese were gay or straight(or sometimes who was male and who was female)....according to gay westerners.

   

I visited this place once, met a rude and cold person...
...conclusion, everybody there is rude and cold.

   

The altar??

   

lol

I know I'm being quite negative, but these aren't based on what people have told me. This is being a 5th generation Canadian having lived in Vancouver for almost 4 years and coming from Eastern/Central Canada.

Vancouver is much more cold, clicky, isolated and lonely compared to my upbringing in Manitoba. That's my own assessment. For crying out loud, I can only speak with maybe 50% of the population here...the other half have a lot of difficulty with English.

   

Wow... really?

I don't find that at all. I was born in the BC interior but have lived in Metro Vancouver since I was 4. Out where I am in the 'burbs I talk to strangers all the time. I swear I have "information" stamped on my forehead sometimes as people often ask me for directions . I've met so many interesting people, both locals and tourists, that I could never even estimate how many. It's not often that I go a day without a casual conversation with someone I don't know (outside of work of course) whether it be a neighbor walking their dog, someone on the bus, or at a bus stop or in a store... wherever. People of different ages and ethnic backgrounds too. Perhaps downtown Vancouver is "cold"... but I don't know as I rarely go there.

   

SAme. Yeah, there's always an asshole here and there but I've always found people to be friendly in Vancouver no matter where you go.

That is generally though. Go down Robson in the summer and all the models won't give you the time of day

   

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