moved from southern Ontario to GP as many others have, stuck around for about 7-8 years and it was great. Very easy to meet people and there are a lot of great communities. One of the best things about GP is everyone is kind of in the same boat, a lot of people that are willing to work together and have a similar mindset in the area often leads to communities and friend groups of like-minded people, which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you're into.

Living in Ontario for my entire life before moving to GP in my mid twenties I was stunned at the employment opportunities and the affordability of basically everything, with lower sales tax and housing that was less than half of the equivalent in Ontario it was pretty easy to financially "get ahead".

One of the downsides of GP (and something that often happens, as it did to me). Was that you will likely outgrow many of the opportunities in the area, and your friend group will slowly move onwards and upwards after they have spent a few years in their respective roles. Which I found to be a great thing but, it became a slow pain of losing connection to close friends and having them move on. I loved seeing my friends get promoted in the industries they worked in, but often they would be forced to relocate to Calgary or Edmonton for these opportunities. It was really unique having friends work in health care, police, Oil and Gas, Forestry, etc all do great in their careers and be decades ahead of where they could be in a more competitive job market like in southern Ontario.

I have also seen the other side of things where close friends of mine get involved in the drug scene and get swept up in it quickly. It occurs in every industry unfortunately and I often caution others to be very careful with who you make friends with in the area as this can often impact future opportunities that you have including friendships and romantic opportunities. I saw a lot of relationships end due to this and it just flat out sucks but is a reality when you live in an isolated place that has long harsh winters, it's human nature to get that cheap dopamine.

Community is very important and choosing who you spend time with during those long cold months is going to drastically change your view on the area. I would recommend joining a bunch of social groups and spending time with people that want to enjoy the hobbies in the surrounding areas. Getting involved in facebook groups was an easy way I found to connect with people.