Are you interested in setting up base in a quiet, charming city after having lived for years in a bustling metropolis? The capital of Saskatchewan might be just the place for you! Regina real estate is affordable and its gorgeous parks and fine community atmosphere are just a couple of the city’s many perks that come to mind. In case you decide to relocate, there are a few things you must be aware of first. After doing some thorough research, we’ve come up with 5 essential things you need to know before moving to Regina:
Unpredictable Weather
With a dry continental climate, Regina boasts four seasons in total. Summers are generally short and sweet, since most of the precipitation falls from June through August. Winters are known to be quite challenging, due to heavy snowfall and low temperatures. January is the coldest month of the year, with an average of -16.7 °C.
Despite all the bad rep Regina gets about its weather, you might be surprised that the city is ranked 3rd among the large Canadian cities with the most sunny days annually. It is also ranked 4th when it comes to the most hours of sunshine per year and the greatest percentage of sunny daylight hours, so the weather conditions in The Queen City might not be so bleak after all.
Cheap Housing
The Regina real estate market is known to be quite generous, giving you much more bang for your buck than other large Canadian cities. Currently the residential average price in Regina is below $300,000, which is less than one-third of the average in Vancouver. With 1,384 active residential listings on the market, there’s no better time than now to purchase property in the city.
If you’re looking to lease a place, you’ll be happy to find that the vacancy rate in the city has increased to 7%, and plenty of great condo units and multi-bedroom homes are on offer here for an average price of $1,026 per month. Some of the best areas in the city to rent are the Rosemont-Mount Royal, Downtown, Normanview and Uplands neighbourhoods.
Driving Around
Due to the unpredictable weather and the long, cold winter months, locals generally prefer to get around the city by car. Residents prefer to bare the traffic on Victoria Avenue rather than the cold, and it seems they don’t mind driving around for 20 minutes to get a parking spot around Scarth Street. If you’re also a car owner, keep in mind that parking in the city can get quite expensive, not to mention competitive, and you can always use public transportation instead.
Public transportation routes are provided by the City of Regina in the form of 23 regular and reliable bus routes connecting all corners of the city. In the summer months you can also easily get around by bike, making use of the 13 different cycling routes which can be found here.
Jobs and Schooling
Being the capital of Saskatchewan Province, Regina is the seat of numerous government organizations, which offer a myriad of employment opportunities. Although the city’s employment growth has been deemed flat, the private sector also features plenty of jobs in education, healthcare and in the goods and services industries.
Families looking to relocate here will find plenty of schooling options for their children. Regina offers high-quality education in a handful of public schools and Catholic schools as well as private institutions for children of all ages and grades. The city is also home to the University of Regina, a main campus of Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the Depot Division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy.
Leisure Opportunities
Regina is known for having more parkland per resident than any other major city in the country. With more than 100 well-maintained outdoor spaces, it offers a ton of fun activities to all residents from picnicking and running in the parks to paddleboarding and canoeing at Wascana Lake.
One of the largest events in the city is held at Mosaic Stadium, where the Saskatchewan Roughriders are cheered on by nearly half the city’s enthusiastic population. Arts and culture lovers will surely appreciate the many colorful events, exhibitions and festivals held year-round in the city, from the Regina Folk Festival to the multicultural Mosaic Festival.
As you can see, there’s much more to Regina than some might think at first. With that being said, however, we are not pretending that it would be the ideal place for everybody. Regina is a good choice for anyone preferring small town life to the buzz of a big city, but while we heartily recommend the place, those looking for a vibrant nightlife and a young community atmosphere might not feel quite so at home here. Anybody thinking of moving here should do a bit of research first to know the most important aspects of the place, and then if they go for it we reckon that Regina could well pay back dividends.
