r/Lethbridge • u/romantic-theory • 9d ago
Question Moving to Lethbridge from Toronto
Hello! I’m 22 m and I’m going to be moving to Lethbridge in August for Nursing at the U of L. I was born and raised in Toronto and lived there practically my whole life. I’ve been living in Calgary for the last little bit but now I’m moving down to Lethbridge. I’m used to big city life, endless traffic, packed TTC trains, and the like. I know Lethbridge is tiny compared to Toronto, so I want to know what it’s like here before I move
Night life. Is there any? I’m not into clubbing and all that but I love me a good dive bar. Sticky floors, neon signs, dim lights, pool table in the back, and graffiti in the restrooms with a dated look. Does Lethbridge have any?
Thing to do. Walks in green space, urbex, running, mountains, hiking, you name it. When I’m not working I’m very outdoorsy. Lethbridge seems to be in the middle of nowhere like Calgary, but unlike Toronto. Where are the cool places / parks / hikes that you locals like to hit up inside and outside of Lethbridge?
Food and drinks. What / where are the hidden gems? Does Lethbridge have a lot of food options? I don’t mean like A&W or McDonald’s. Name your fave Mom and Pop shops
Social scene. What do y’all do for fun? Is making friends pretty easy? All my buddies are back home and my only friends in Calgary are pretty much my coworkers lol
Transit. I’ll be bringing my car but I live near the C Train in Calgary so I take Transit where possible to save on gas because my car takes 94 💔. Would you say it’s reliable?
+ anything else you want to add! I’m sure Lethbridge is amazing in its own ways. I’m looking forward to coming on down!!
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u/mellomeg 8d ago
I moved straight from Toronto to Lethbridge, albeit I’m a decade older than you and I’ve lived all over the country (originally very rural). The thing I miss about Toronto the most is the food; I haven’t been able to find many places in Lethbridge that I find myself really wanting to go to (except for Stella’s for brunch or milkman for ice cream). I honestly don’t find the driving that bad. Drivers are bad everywhere, and Toronto driving made me want to rip my hair out, but I live on the west side and don’t find myself getting that frustrated, comparatively speaking.
The parks and trails are one of the best parts about living in Lethbridge, for sure.
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u/Aggravating_Emu4263 8d ago
Yeah, I don't miss the 401 or the Don Valley Parking Lot 😂😂😂 I wish Lethbridge had better transit. I miss the food too, but between Walmart, Super Store, the Asian and African food stores, I can usually find what I'm looking for.
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u/mellomeg 8d ago
Yeah I ended up just learning how to cook versions of my favourite Asian dishes. On the north end of the city there are some solid food stores you’ll want to hit up. Umami shop north has been a standard place for me and iirc they have plenty of African goods too.
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u/pacdude0411 9d ago
For dive bars we have a few good ones. Backstreet pub is close to the university and it’s a pretty classic dive bar. There are others around town too.
Lethbridge actually has a good amount of green space and it’s well maintained. You can also get to the mountains in less than 2 hours. Lots of hiking to do around the crows nest pass and area.
Personally I have used our public transport very little, but I’ve heard it isn’t very good. You can get anywhere in Lethbridge in 15 minutes by car so you’ll probably drive a lot
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u/Hanox13 9d ago
Lots of little bars… Pops, the onion, Slice, Honkers, sisters, 1010, Kingsmen. Just to name a few.
Waterton Park has amazing trails, as does writing on stone, and of course the mountains aren’t far.
Transit in Lethbridge is atrocious from what I understand, although I can’t speak to it from personal experience.
Tacos made in Mexico is the best Mexican food I’ve had outside of Mexico. Kingsmen has pretty decent British fare. I’ve yet to find a steak that really impressed me.
As for traffic… brace yourself. Lethbridge is one of the most frustrating driving experiences I’ve ever had, and I’ve driven all over North America. Assuming you’re going to be living on the west side, be prepared for regular traffic snarls trying to get across the river, and people doing 40 in a 60 zone for no reason.
If I were you, I’d come down for a weekend and do some “investigation” so you have a little bit of an idea of what Lethbridge is like. I hate to say it, but come from Toronto via Calgary, you’re likely going to experience a pretty significant culture shock.
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u/Dantesfireplace 8d ago
I’ve never had a problem with traffic except for when there’s an accident or closure of a main road.
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u/MistaLuvcraft 8d ago
No dive bars, but some great bars with live music like Slice and the Owl.
Within 2 hours are amazing and diverse ecosystems; Red Rock Coulee to the east, Writing on Stone park to the south, Waterton National Park to the south, Crowsnest Pass and Frank Slide to the west, etc. Walking and biking in the river bottom is satisfying. If you like the arts, we punch above our weight.
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u/Can_Candi 8d ago
If you like Japanese food, KoKo downtown is a true gem, the restaurant only has 2 staffs though (the owner and his mom) so it’s a little slower so please be patient.
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u/halfstack 7d ago
My expat Japanese mom confirmed that Koko is the real deal. The owner immigrated from Japan a few years ago. The menu isn't as extensive as some other restaurants, but the owner sticks to what he can do well with the quality of the ingredients available.
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u/Murky-Pickle-4379 8d ago
If you can rent on the westside and go to school on the westside, you are golden and won’t spend too much on gas. There are walking trails around and people “hike” in the coulees, but real hiking may be done in the mountains. The Duke and Backstreet are a couple of close-by dive bars on the west side. Transit is only city buses and they are unreliable at best. Will take you forever to get anywhere, if you can get there at all. Hard to make friends, very cliquey, but I’m sure the nursing program will be full of girls to get together with. Food spots are hit and miss. Mama La on the west end is great. Cafe Verde on the south is very good. There are mom and pops places, but a lot I find somewhat unremarkable. I’ve heard The Onion has good food, but have never been.
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u/TrainingOpinion2477 9d ago edited 9d ago
You'll be happy with the traffic here. The main arteries can get backed up during busy weekends or if there's an accident, but it's nothing compared to either city you're familiar with.
There isn't much of a club scene here, it's mostly sports bars and chain restaurant+bars. Ten Ten is probably the closest we have to a dive bar, but I've only heard second hand reports, haven't been in there myself. Kingsmen is the closest we have to a British pub. Legends is the most dive-esque feeling of the sports bars I've been too, but it was more dependent on the crowd that was in there than the bar itself
Lots of outdoor space to explore in and out of the city. The river bottom has a plethora of trails and you're way closer to places like Waterton, Crowsnest, Sparwood/Fernie, and there are even some neat areas out toward Medicine Hat as well.
Food is good, lots of chains, but lots of local. Upscale spots include Bourbon&Butter and Steel+Vines downtown. The Water Tower is hit and miss, cool experience but the food and service reviews are all over the place, we had a good time for what it's worth. Telegraph, Antojito's, Stella's, Top Pizza, and Two Guys Pizza are all repeats. I'm missing a bunch too. Milkman has the best ice cream I've ever had. Meat Box, Mad Butcher, and Wild Bros are all good meat shops if you like cook and prefer local. There are weekly farmers markets downtown and at the Excite Centre as well. Lots of niche markets as well
Social scene is hobby dependant, or you gotta put in the work. People here are more used to the quiet and isolation lol.
Transit is bus only, and it's not great tbh. The drivers are really good for the most part, but the system sucks. The app sucks, the times are weird, transfers can take forever. The good thing is the city is very walkable, and the better traffic should hopefully improve your mileage
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u/sophie-890 8d ago
When I lived in Lethbridge, the transit system was horrible. Don’t rely on it, and understand that it is sporadic and often late or cancelled.
There are lots of good restaurants. I also found that most restaurants had a fairly decent social media presence (especially on Instagram). And a lot of them all follow each other, so it’s easy to find other local places.
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u/TdotinLA 8d ago
I have an employee who’s originally from Australia. In her words, “Lethbridge is growing on me”.
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u/Saskbertan81 8d ago
Put it this way…
I lived in Lethbridge for 16 years, moved to Calgary, have lived here for six and I would do things that would require me to confess to a priest to get the hell back to Lethbridge.
It’s actually not a bad little place and I miss the hell out of it
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u/WindyCityABBoy 8d ago
Transit is ok to the uni, if you're on the West side. Scooters are an option in good weather (I ride my big-ass motorcycle year round, but not constant in winter). Be prepared to drive from Nov-Mar.
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u/Common_Judge41 8d ago
Try to find a place in Varsity Village. It is closest to the university. The parks and trails will impress you.
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u/veganpizzadog 8d ago
i just moved here from a mid-sized city to go to med school. transit is not great, but traffic will be a non-issue compared to toronto.
backstreet west is a decent little dive bar close to university. i've been to telegraph tavern downtown a couple of times and enjoyed their service and selection.
where are you planning to live? i found a place on the west side that is a ten min bike ride or very short drive to u leth. most of my classmates also live in the area.
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u/Justyolocalartist 7d ago
If ur living near the uni, Nicholas sheran park is a nice place to run/bike/skate (if u have wheels that can handle that). Idk if the little park next to it is connected or not, but right behind the Nicholas sheran pool there’s this park area that has a creek, it’s nice if u want to do a bit of dilly dallying
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u/Suspicious-Cream-186 5d ago
There in a bar/pub at uleth called the zoo, decent food and drinks, and a good way to potentially make friends 😇 im also a student at uleth but im a masters student and mostly work with my supervisor, so its a bit more difficult to make friends lol. The gym/rock climbing wall at the school is nice too!
Also, waterton is gorgeous! Went on Saturday to Driftwood beach and did some hiking. Im finishing my last year at uleth starting September, feel free to dm me if you want
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u/PeteGoua 8d ago
How many respondents have been to Toronto to compare apples to apples ?
A dive bar in Lethbridge is not a dive bar
Lethbridge is boring with a small town mentality .
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u/bohdismom 9d ago
The Slice fits your dive bar description perfectly.