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We are a 30s Canadian couple from Vancouver, just found out we are having twins along with our toddler, and are thinking of moving back to Ontario to be near our families.
What is your favourite Ontario town?
We love: smallish town ideally with a college (or nearby), friendly, safe, with some forest and/or water, where a kid could ride their bike to their friends' houses, ideally with some arts and healthy food. Avoiding strip malls, smog and lots of traffic. I heard Picton was nice.
Thanks so much for your input!!
Would be happy to settle there with a family someday if we head back to Canada (currently living as expats in Pacific).
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Nice town in Ontario
Hello Thornies,We are a 30s Canadian couple from Vancouver, just found out we are having twins along with our toddler, and are thinking of moving back to Ontario to be near our families.
What is your favourite Ontario town?
We love: smallish town ideally with a college (or nearby), friendly, safe, with some forest and/or water, where a kid could ride their bike to their friends' houses, ideally with some arts and healthy food. Avoiding strip malls, smog and lots of traffic. I heard Picton was nice.
Thanks so much for your input!!
3
Indeed Prince Edward County - where Picton is located - is lovely, though I've only passed through as a traveler. Right now I live in Peterborough and I would wholeheartedly recommend it, though with 75000 perhaps it is too large for you? It does have a university and a college, a vibrant downtown with good restaurants, a wonderful farmers market, and great bike trails. There are some very nice Victorian neighbourhoods. Best of all is that 10 minutes from town you are in the Kawartha region, which is full of gorgeous lakes. The people here are quite outdoorsy in a BC way: kayaking, canoeing, hiking, camping, and cross-country skiing are popular and accessible. Also Toronto and its airporf is less than two hours away, though you feel much farther. Check out Peterborough!4
Lots of nice Ontario towns.....Goderich is one that I like on Lake Huron, Midland on Georgian Bay, Guelph, west of Toronto....even Barrie on Lake Simcoe is nice though it is booming area.5
Peterborough area is really nice - some of the smaller communities outside in particular would meet your requirements, and you've got a college, a university, a new hospital, and so on close by. I went to school there and lived there for five years, it's a great little place. Picton is nice too - very small town, but in both cases, you'll have to make sure you have suitable employment in both cases, that can be the downside of small towns!7
Guelph is lovely! Great for families, you can get everywhere by bike, loads of green space and trails, and a thriving arts community -- plus farmers markets, loads of little destinations to visit just a short drive away (fergus, erin, or larger destinations of waterloo, etc), a trainride away from Toronto if you want to get into the big city, and lots of little restaurants and bakeries. University and college grounds, a good bus system and you can live in the countryside if you want, or quiet, sprawling and safe subdivisions...Would be happy to settle there with a family someday if we head back to Canada (currently living as expats in Pacific).
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I second Perth, it is super small but very very safe and has a lot of arts and nature. There is a small college with some carpentry programs (and a growing number of other programs such as ECE, PSW, SSW, Police Foundations to name a few).11
Orillia ? Went there years ago and loved it - cottage country all around.12
Bobcaygeon
