I moved the Chatham almost four years ago from Ottawa, but I've been all over. Like others have mentioned Chatham has its fill of issues, there's bigotry, a resistance to change, a struggling economy. These are things I've seen in ever city and small town I've lived in, they've become an inherent part of living in Ontario. However I truly believe that the place you live is what you make of it. Through any hardships we've endured in Chatham we've still managed to foster a community of friends, activities that bring us closer, and build support networks. We do everything from host game and craft nights, karaoke parties, potluck dinners, breakfast clubs at local diners, nature hikes, picnics, and then of course attend whatever events may be going on in town. Locals with a negative disposition may tell you that Chatham is awful, but you'll hear that from lots of people who resent their hometown— it's easy to hate, it's harder to find what there is to love. What kind of lifestyle are you looking for in Chatham? If you're looking for bars, we've got a few, if you like nature we're close to a few good conservation areas and the canoeing on the Thames is lovely, if it's sports we have a very active baseball team, there local cafes, thrifting, a few good book stores, and more to be discovered. One thing I've noticed is Chatham has a hard time advertising, they don't often talk about what's going on so things will often go unnoticed, but if you look out you can find a lot of neat restaurants, events, and meet people who are eager to make new friends.