If Toronto is Canada's version of New York (where you're basically Carrie Bradshaw-ing your way through a revolving door of good stories but bad dates), then the West Coast is the La La Land dream sequence: wistful, cinematic, and just grounded enough to make you believe it could actually happen.
While the rest of the country is freezing, flaking, or still referring to you as "Jessica's cousin" (small town Alberta, I'm looking at you), Vancouver is quietly becoming one of the best cities in Canada to be single in. Single Canadians out there, listen up, because here's why:
It's small enough to re-meet someone, but big enough to ghost them forever if needed
Vancouver's the kind of city that somehow feels like a cross between Toronto and a small town. You've got ocean views, Michelin-star restaurants, and men in tote bags who DJ and own real estate (thank you, generational wealth), but if you go out enough you'll start to recognize people. And honestly? That's kind of comforting.
There are only so many yoga studios, dog parks, and coffee shops (Pro tip: Revolver, Birds & the Beets, and Di Beppe are great for scoping talent). If you spot a neighbourhood hottie and miss your moment? Don't worry. You'll probably see them again tomorrow — still hot, still ordering an oat flat white, still giving you another chance to flirt. Give it a week and they'll recognize you too, and maybe even make the first move. (Don't do it, ladies, let him come to you. Always).
Vancouver is a slow-burning city. A second-chance city. That said, if it doesn't go well, you can always disappear into another neighbourhood about 0.5 miles in any direction. Vancouver is small enough for overlap, but big enough to vanish.
It's all about strategy. This city gives you hope and a clean escape hatch.
The film industry keeps the dating pool fresh water
One of Vancouver's best-kept secrets? The film industry doesn't just bring jobs — it brings hot, emotionally unstable people with tattoos and stories. Plus, they cycle in and out like Netflix shows that got cancelled after one season.
Production crews, actors, ADs, editors, and random guys named "Cole Sprouse," all fly in from LA, New York, and London. It's not all Lifetimes and Hallmarks here! Thanks to Ryan Reynolds, we got Marvel-sized action movies. Thanks to the studio execs at the CW, we got more network actors coming than the Sutton Place Hotel has rooms for. (Pro Tip: they all stay at the Sutton.)
Plus, if they're not on set, they literally have nowhere to be.
It's ideal. There's always someone new in town, even if they're just passing through, with one foot in the city and other in a fifteen-year Peter Pan phase.
And if that's not your thing? No problem. There's also a steady stream of hot, grounded people in Wardrobe who absolutely want to settle down and buy a heritage home in Strathcona. (Pro Tip: if you're into lowkey-hot grips and electrics, Hero's Welcome is the community pub to haunt. Plus they have a great photo booth).
The dating pool here doesn't stagnate. It rotates. Like a very hot, emotionally confused conveyor belt. Plus it's extremely ideal for on and off, long-distance situationships.
People here actually go outside (and that makes them easier to meet)
Unlike literally every other province in Canada where winter locks people indoors half the year (and dating becomes a game of "will my UberEats driver be The One?), Vancouverites are out there, like, at least 75% of the year.
They're getting overpriced strawberries at farmer's markets. They are reading Murakami at Trout Lake. They are hiking the Grouse Grind (and if you can get through that together, you can get through anything together).
When people are outside, they're easier to meet. Plus (bonus perk) you're within driving distance of a bunch of other cool spots, also filled with hot people. Kelowna, Squamish, Whistler, Victoria — it's all popping off, babe. What does Toronto have? Windsor??
Pro Tip: Our outer world is only a reflection of our inner world. If you're constantly complaining people are unapproachable and hard to meet.. guess what my friend? So are you. If you spot it you got it.
The women aren't just hot, they're humble too
The women in Vancouver are stunning in a way that feels borderline unfair, and somehow they're STILL humble about it. It's probably one of the few cities in the world where you'll see a woman testing the ripeness of avocados, and be like: "Are you a model?"
It turns out that she's a marketing manager, which just makes you love her more.
Note: this is a great quality whether you are looking for a girlfriend 💘 or looking for girlfriends 💅.
To all the men's rights activists — don't get me wrong, we have some beautiful men here too! But when it comes to genetic blessings, the female dating pool has been ordained by God. I've lived in LA, and even the men there told me my Vancouver friends looked like the line-up for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Angels in Blundstones.
It's the hottest city in Canada. I said what I said. And if you don't believe me, change your Tinder post code to downtown Vancouver. Seeing is believing.
You can go on a date without spending $200
This isn't Toronto. You don't have to take someone with a Chanel Boy Bag in a body con to a cocktail bar with $26 martinis just to prove you're emotionally available.
In Vancouver, a sexy first date can be as simple as a walk on the Seawall.
Singles here are intentional. The flow usually goes like this: Match on an app, pre-date FaceTime vetting calls (yes, seriously), coffee-and-walk first date, then maybe a casual drinks meet up at a Gastown or Main St. bar.
Third date? That's when they wine and dine.
Vancouver has four distinct seasons, and four dating personalities to match
Unlike other cities in Canada (looking at you, Montreal in January), Vancouver actually gets the ideal version of all four seasons, and the dating cycles that come with them.
The summer weather is perfectly balanced. Low-grade. Minimal torque.
While other cities have you wearing spikes on your sneakers to the bar or carrying deodorant in your purse like Beyonce carries hot sauce, we get smooth transitions and hot people energy all year long.
Here's the breakdown:
Summer: A thirst trap come to life. It's shirtless beach volleyball at Kits beach in the AM and margaritas at LOCAL in the PM.
Fall: Cozy-coded chaos. When the Pumpkin Spice Lattes come out to play, the summer-fling hookups go away. It's time to start getting serious, if you want to carve pumpkins and dress up in couples costumes. Note: Fall is actually the best time to be single, IMHO.
Winter: It's either Bachelor-style home visits, or gull on Tom Hardy hibernation mode — the man who famously once said, "some people don't understand that sitting in your own house alone in peace, eating snacks and minding your business is priceless."
Spring: Flirty. It's accidentally running into that guy from eight months ago at Sing Sing on a warm night when the sun hasn't set. Nothing really happens. It's just an energy exchange — until the next day he starts hearting your stories... and so you keep posting them.
You might not find "the one" right away, but you'll find yourself
Even if dating doesn't deliver your soulmate in six seconds, Vancouver will turn you into the kind of person who takes solo walks, discovers hidden gems on random Chinatown side streets, and journals about their inner child between sips of their $7 matcha.
You'll dress better. Breathe deeper. Peel back those layers that no longer serve you, and start drawing closer to your actual, fully expressed self — who not longer feels they have something to prove.
You might not find "the one" right away, but you'll definitely find yourself. And isn't that the same thing?
*And f**k what they say about the rain — because the only thing more romantic than a kiss on the beach with your new boo at sunset is a makeout with a stranger in a thunderstorm.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
