We are driving a Kia. ( I know…too cool…)

Good shape, new seasonal tires, oil and tranny changes and new front brakes…

Is gas hard to come by up at the south end of the lake area?

And…What is the road like instead of the ferry?

Any tips?

Thanks for your time. Great site. Glad I found it!

Not sure if Shane sent you a response privately, but the cost of living, which is high, is usually more than covered by the higher salaries. Yellowknife was recently reported as the 4th most affordable (out of 25 or so) Canadian community based on average house price divided by average income. There are other things to consider, such as the high cost of heating, but we consistently rank 2nd or 3rd in Canada for disposable income (which is income minus cost of living). Tons of great opportunities in Yellowknife. For more info check out:

http://www.demographia.com/dhi.pdf

First of all thanks for this brilliant put up. I am from India and currently in Mississauga. I am considering a job offer in Yellowknife and its in the final stage. I may be moving if everything goes fine by 15th of Oct. Since I dont have a choice of selecting the best time to move in, I have accpeted anytime as good time

Few things which I wanted to know

1. Do you want me to buy clothings (Winter) from here Mississsauga or its advised to get it from Yellowknife? I am asking this to find out if i will get cloths for that cold weather here.

2. Anything you would like me to take care of as person coming from a climate which is always 30+ degree to a climate of 40 Negative

3. I am wildlife photographer, do you get good wildlife out there?

Thanks in advance!!!

(see above)

I drove a new 2008 Ford Ranger, 6 cylinder 4×4 and towed the 6×12 Uhaul Trailer. I had no issues with it. It was a pretty easy ride the whole way. Just remember to slow down sooner and practice some backing up in a Mall parking lot a few times. Those 6×12’s can be tricky and offer zero visibility.

One thing you should get are Rear View Mirror extensions. I had a pair that I attached when needed. They were invaluable.

Good luck,
Shane

(see above)

(1) A 2WD sedan is fine to drive in Yellowknife. As long as you stay in town and stick to the main roads you should have no need for an SUV – no matter what anyone tells you we have it pretty good within the city limits. And honestly, you don’t drive very much or very far here. HOWEVER, I go off-road a lot and use my 4 wheel drive often. If you plan on camping a lot, towing around a trailer with snowmobiles or quads, or live a little rural… a mid-size SUV would be more useful.

(2) There is one Cable company and two internet service providers. Get NWTEL cable/internet. They offer much more in the way of monthly bandwidth and their speeds are 5x to 10x better on good days than the other guy. When I first moved here the packages were terrible as compared to what you get in the south. But over time NWTEL has improved their packages, the quantity of Bandwidth and the speed of Bandwidth. However, they still have outages like any other utility or business. You get used to it though. If you have a web business you will be fine too. I actually have Internet accounts with both companies because SSI Micro has portable wireless internet, which comes in handy sometimes. You can check them both out here: http://www.nwtel.ca or http://ssimicro.com.

(3) Both Satellite and Cable TV are fine and have the same amount of disruptions (and they are the same company after-all). There is a lot of channel and TV show duplication though. I have no preference for either. Choose whatever you are used to back home. p.s. NWTEL is also owned by BELL.

(4) I cannot recommend any streets in-particular. Having lived in 3 distinct areas I have learned that each street has it’s own charms and disadvantages. It really comes down to condition of house and who your neighbors are – just like anywhere else. Also, the type of lifestyle you want to live (i.e. Lakefront, condo, trailer, townhouse, close to work, edge of town, etc.). Thus, no comment here.

(5) I may take you up on the few rounds. Let me know when you get here.

Take care,
Shane

What size is the engine? How did you find the Coquihalla? We have a ’98 3.4 litre 4runner and I’m a little concerned. Was it the 6 x 12 trailer that you towed?

Thanks so much!

Let me add to all the well deserved kudos for your site. Thanks for taking the time to write about your experience and help all of us with questions in the comments.

Girlfriend & I may be moving to Yellowknife later this year and would like your thoughts on a few things (my apologies in advance, some of these are going to be very basic):
- will an older 2WD sedan be okay to drive or should I be thinking about getting an SUV for the winters?
- is there stable high speed internet connection? and which company would you recommend?
- satellite TV vs cable TV in terms of channels & reception during the winter?

I’ll contact Northern Property on your recommendation & ask for the heating, insulation & 4×4 as you previously mentioned. Anything else I should be asking for? And are there streets / neighbourhoods you’d suggest?

Again, sorry for all the questions & any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I’ll be sure to buy you a few rounds in thanks when we move to YK.

Thanks,

Eric

You can probably find service industry work here easily any day of the week. However, finding decent and available accommodation for a single person at a reasonable rate is more of a challenge. You may want to consider looking for roommates using the http://www.yktrader.com website if you choose to try out the North for a while. Also, check out the job sites like http://www.jobsnorth.ca.

Good luck Lucie!

Shane

The Winters are different every year and I have liked them all. As long as you have the right cloths and find something to occupy yourself outside of work you should be fine. Sometimes winter can be more fun – especially if you own a snowmobile or like cross-country skiing.

Shane

Check it out: http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/airport/baggage/pets-in-cabin.html.

Thanks for any advice!

Good Luck

Basically the two easiest ways to find accommodations in Yellowknife are…

Northern Property Website: http://www.npreit.com/apartment_select.php?pid=Yellowknife

YK Trader Website: http://www.yktrader.com/

If you are still having a challenge by the time you get here let me know of Facebook me through my Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118316083120 or my profile: http://www.facebook.com/mrshanekeller

Good luck!
Shane

I am coming up to yellowknife (from winnipeg) in late march and looking to move there (if all goes well during my march trip) in late spring.

I am having a lot of difficulty however in finding a place to live! Any suggestions?

Generally speaking, the Yellowknife Bug Season starts around mid-June and lasts until mid-August. July is hands down the worst month for bugs here.