I've lived in three different Canadian cities and one is by far the best

Toronto

The overall vibe: For me, Toronto is a mix of things. It's super familiar, fast-paced and open, but honestly, it eventually became kind of boring and stale because I knew it too well. There's a huge focus on career and success there, which I appreciate as an ambitious person, but lately, it feels like it's become this massive "status city" in a way it never used to be. Sometimes, it's just too much hustle.

Pros: You can't deny that Toronto has a major-city life unlike anywhere else in Canada. There's always so much going on — major sports events, huge entertainment and TIFF.

But the best part for me is definitely the community. I made friends there who feel like actual family, and I'm so grateful for the different circles I found, whether it was doing comedy or hanging out at my local boxing club.

What I love about the city is how people are open to meeting you and making new friends, even if they've lived there their whole lives. Most people move to Toronto and stay — it's a staying city.

A huge chunk of my childhood and adolescent memories are there, and a big piece of me will always be tied to it.

Cons: Eventually, Toronto started to feel like a place I had already figured out.

The traffic is just brutal. Toronto has become this massive condo city, and it's really not an attractive city to drive in anymore. Trying to escape the density on the weekends is a nightmare. If you want a day trip, you're just driving the 401 or the 400 over and over again to do the exact same things. It's so dense that getting out regularly can feel like a chore.

Ultimately, I just hit a hard limit. I felt like I wasn't going to grow there anymore. I had done all the personal growth I was ever going to do in that environment, and the novelty had completely worn off.

Not many people move away from Toronto once they're settled, but I did.

Charlottetown

The overall vibe: Charlottetown is definitely quiet. Even though it's a capital city, it has these totally small-town, Hallmark vibes. It's a very special city that's quaint and charming, and it's easy to think it's the ideal lifestyle because everything is so walkable, filled with little mom-and-pop shops and looks like it belongs on a postcard.

That slice-of-life charm is great at first, but it can feel a little small over time.

Pros: What I remember most about Charlottetown is how easy it was to enjoy the simple things. It was my first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean, and I loved walking along the boardwalk or through downtown. Going to yoga, meeting a friend for coffee or wandering around the city could genuinely make my day. It's scenic, easy to navigate and filled with cute stores and restaurants. It has a real sense of character that's harder to find in a larger city.

My parents also moved there around the same time, and we became very close. We discovered Charlottetown together — trying restaurants, going to theatre shows and visiting nearby beaches — and that is a really nice memory.

It was also the first place where I really experienced what it felt like to slow down. I wasn't as focused on hustling or constantly trying to achieve the next thing. Charlottetown is very go-to-bed-early, slow-to-rise. And despite its small size, it has a surprisingly strong creative community. Artists and entrepreneurs open unique stores, new restaurants and businesses pop up — all giving the city a really inspiring spirit.

Cons: Eventually, it became too slow, too predictable and too isolating. The island itself can feel cut off, especially when you bring in the weather (it's basically cold and windy for nine months out of the year with massive snowstorms). That small-town vibe also means people can be very cliquey. If you aren't from there, you are known as someone "from away," which makes breaking in and making friends really tricky. As a single adult woman, it was incredibly hard to find women my own age in the same demographic.

Most people there get married and have kids quite early, so everyone is deeply rooted in their own family circles. It got to a point where if you wanted to do something different, you literally had to leave the island. It was peaceful, but then it got too peaceful, and I needed a little more life and opportunity that just wasn't available there.

Vancouver

The overall vibe: To me, Vancouver feels like a mix of Toronto and Charlottetown. It's busy, and there's real ambition, with people wanting to make a name for themselves, but you also get that laid-back West Coast energy. It's literally a city in the middle of a rainforest, surrounded by the ocean and mountains. The overall vibe is that people really want to make the most out of life here. And because the weather is so mild compared to the rest of Canada, it feels like a city of exploration.

Pros: The breathtaking scenery is everything. A perfect day for me is grabbing a coffee at Kits Beach and looking out at Stanley Park and the North Shore mountains, or walking down Main Street in Mount Pleasant to check out the little shops and cafés. You get the big-city events and energy of Toronto, but you can access the slower pace of life I loved about Charlottetown.

Moving here in 2020 was a huge change of pace for me. It let me focus on my career while still having a life outside of it. It pushed me to get outside more, have hobbies, and invest in myself in a way I couldn't anywhere else. There's something about Vancouver that makes you want to make the most of your time outside of work.

Cons: The "Vancouver Freeze" is notorious and very real. People are friendly, but they don't necessarily welcome you with open arms, so building a community can be incredibly hard. There are also a lot of transient people who just want a temporary "Vancouver experience" before leaving a year or two later. On top of that, it's expensive as hell. The gap between people who have money and people who don't is super evident in everything from the cars people drive to the clothes they wear. It can feel like an "influencer city" that's very focused on image, which I don't resonate with at all.

I also find that it can be hard to figure out where you belong here because people really identify themselves through strict labels. You're either an outdoorsy person or you have a ton of money — and there isn't always a lot of in-between. I love being outdoors, but I'm not a super hiker, so sometimes I feel like I don't quite fit into either category.

The Verdict: Vancouver wins!

If I have to choose the best city in Canada for me, it's Vancouver. I say that because it really does give me the best of both worlds. I get the city vibe I've always wanted, but I also get the slow, peaceful, laid-back nature of the Maritimes.

It's not perfect here by any means, and I'm still figuring out my place, but I've been here for six years now, and that says something. Vancouver has given me an opportunity for growth and a connection to myself that I just couldn't find in the other cities.

While it's been incredibly difficult to meet people, the Vancouver Freeze actually worked in my favour. It forced me to put myself out there, try new things and really seek out community — whether that was through improv, tennis, pickleball, paddleboarding or hiking. For that, I'm really grateful.

Vancouver can be an amazing city if you let yourself try new things and build a life outside your comfort zone. In Vancouver, I had to build something from scratch. That was hard, but it pushed me to become a version of myself I don't think I would have found in either of the other cities.

After living in all three, that's ultimately what makes Vancouver the best, to me.