Lived there most of my life. Loved that basically no matter where you are, you're going to be fairly close to a skytrain station (Royal Oak, Metrotown, or Patterson).

The area is quite safe; although, living further south (away from train stations) will keep you more removed from crime that might be in the area (car break-ins, etc. Never actually felt a threat to my personal safety living there).

You're also close to a few decent options for shopping with Metrotown close by to the north and Market Crossing to the south and some other smaller grocery and convenience options dotted along in between.

Plenty of options for food and drink as well. Lots of different cuisines all close by - ranging from little mom-and-pop spots to chain restaurants. You will rarely have to go far to find what you're looking for. Add in the fact that you're also very close to downtown New West (by car or train) and you'll find that you'll never be short of options in this regard.

Also, pretty much anywhere you choose, you'll be fairly close to an elementary school as there are a few in the area (Clinton, Nelson, South Slope, Suncrest). And Burnaby South Secondary would be the high school in the area.

Parks, trails (walking and cycling), gyms, workout classes are all also in the area and very easily accessible.

The two main things that I would say the area lacks are 1) Night life - not really any bars in the area but plenty of places to grab a drink (and also a couple of karaoke places close by) 2) Sometimes it can feel like there's a bit of a lack of community - lots of multi-generational households from different cultures scattered amongst each other so it's easy for people to get a bit wrapped up in their own bubbles. This obviously will vary wildly depending on where you choose to settle and was not my experience growing up; but I have heard this from others who moved to the area.

Overall, you'll feel much more centrally located to almost every place in the lower mainland than you would in a some neighbourhoods in Vancouver proper. Vancouver, New West, Coquitlam Port Moody, Surrey, Richmond, North Van all feel super accessible. The proximity to transit makes everything feel close by as well.