The Great Canadian Towns and Villages Thread

[MolsonExport]

soul sucking Flordia-esque marina developments. Glengarry Glen Ross. Obviously sold to the Nyborgs.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Vorkuta

Fox?

Velociraptor, obviously

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lio45

I’m looking at buying this house, which is canalfront in a neighborhood that’s also Florida-esque in configuration:

https://www.centris.ca/fr/maison~a-v...=Summary&uc=19

Those canal pics with the neighbors’ motorboats, if you added palm trees it could pass for FL easily.

That’s where it is in Quebec:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.12342.../data=!3m1!1e3

When I read your post (without clicking on the links) I immediately thought of Venise-en-Québec. Not quite but I was close!

And yes, for those unfamiliar there truly is a town called Venise-en-Québec.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Velociraptor, obviously

Chupacabra

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Acajack

When I read your post (without clicking on the links) I immediately thought of Venise-en-Québec. Not quite but I was close!

And yes, for those unfamiliar there truly is a town called Venise-en-Québec.

please tell me it's like The Venetian plopped down from Edmonton
https://d2kcmk0r62r1qk.cloudfront.ne...or446small.jpg

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Wigs

please tell me it's like The Venetian plopped down from Edmonton
https://d2kcmk0r62r1qk.cloudfront.ne...or446small.jpg

Not really. More like this:

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.0832...7i16384!8i8192

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Not really. More like this:

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.0832...7i16384!8i8192

is that the main commercial strip?
looks like a fancy trailer park

[megadude]

Originally Posted by Wigs

was just about to say, at least Lagoon City isn't as bad as "Friday Harbour Resort"
BLECH!

$900 grand for *checks notes* a view of your neighbour's unit
$3,500 property taxes + almost $500/mo maintenance fees
https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/2...rural-innisfil


from the air, it looks like one of those time share scams

I guess the target is those with money who like boating, along with some golf (there's a course there too) but don't want the hassle of cottage maintenance. Though you can only boat for so long during the year. And it ain't in Muskoka or along the Trent-Severn. There's not gorgeous scenery and thousdands of islands or little towns to explore. I don't have a lot of money, but if I did, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't pay that kind of coin for one of those places and the ridiculous maintenance fees.

There's two ladies I work with who say they go all the time. One of them said every weekend. And it didn't sound like they're related to someone who owns a unit. I don't know what it is that could attract them there "all the time".

I mean, there's a few restaurants/shops and... that's it? And hell, the storefronts are pretty damn boring too, maintaining the theme of the architecture overall.


https://current-captcha.top/robot4/i...5dc8&a=l99875#


https://www.fridayharbour.com/on-the-boardwalk

[megadude]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Creston is a cute little town and so is Petrolia.

Creston is unique due to it's demographics with a large number of Mormons and Petrolia due to it's unique development and street grid.

The only thing that ever drew my attention to Petrolia (motto: Canada's Victorian Oil Town) is the old oil derricks. Have never been but next time I head out that way I'll have to see which towns I can cover. I've never been to Grand Bend, Goderich, etc. Haven't even been to Downtown Sarnia. Just pass through the city to cross the Blue Water bridge.


http://wandel.ca/oil/


https://www.petroliaheritage.com/OIL.html

[megadude]

Originally Posted by Vorkuta

Fox?

Perhaps. There is a preserve there.

I just remembered I had a screen cap of this spot in my fishing album. This is the island. I suppose it's possible the water could develop thin ice in the winter and a fox could have crossed and then died for some reason. Unless foxes go swimming?

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by megadude

I've never been to Grand Bend, Goderich, etc. Haven't even been to Downtown Sarnia. Just pass through the city to cross the Blue Water bridge.

Goderich is a really nice town. Great waterfront and beaches, you can drive around parts of the harbour, and it has an interesting downtown centred around a courthouse.

Sarnia has a really nice waterfront just under and north of the bridges. During the trek when I stopped at Mitchell's Bay there was some kind of festival going on at the Sarnia parks. I walked around a bit, and they were closing up by that time of day, but it was my first time being at the foot of Lake Huron (though I'd driven across the bridges in the past). The downtown looked edgy but had some nice elements to it... it would have been great to wander around but it was getting late for my return home.

[megadude]

It wasn't until this September that I had actually gone to Blue Mountain Village. Like actually walk around. I wasn't really feeling it. It felt like Vail, which I did one October. Just seemed kinda fake. I read that Breckenridge feels like a more authentic ski town than Vail because it's an organic town.

There's quite a few activities that will excite the kids, if they're old enough, but I don't think I would want to own one of those condos there outside ski season.

I had gone to Tremblant a couple years before in May, which is the same owner, and I found that a little more interesting, but again, wouldn't spend much time outside of winter there. And Tremblant's gondola is free. Blue Mountain was charging quite a bit to use it. I think you needed a package. In Vail, in October, the price to use the gondola was like $30 IIRC.


https://bluemountainvillage.ca/bmva-...-holiday-shopp


https://www.dreamstime.com/editorial...-image50826188


https://www.linkedin.com/company/blu...alSubdomain=ca


https://www.gettyimages.ca/photos/blue-mountain-ontario

[megadude]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Goderich is a really nice town. Great waterfront and beaches, you can drive around parts of the harbour, and it has an interesting downtown centred around a courthouse.

Sarnia has a really nice waterfront just under and north of the bridges. During the trek when I stopped at Mitchell's Bay there was some kind of festival going on at the Sarnia parks. I walked around a bit, and they were closing up by that time of day, but it was my first time being at the foot of Lake Huron (though I'd driven across the bridges in the past). The downtown looked edgy but had some nice elements to it... it would have been great to wander around but it was getting late for my return home.

I imagine the US has many courthouse centred towns. Two years ago I passed through one in Indiana called Paoli. Population less than 4,000 but you wouldn't know it, driving through town. I was quite surprised. It would be cool if more towns were like this. Preferably not centred around courthouses, due to their purposes, but maybe town hall.

Paoli
https://www.google.ca/maps/@38.55679...7i16384!8i8192

Goderich
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.7430...2!8i6656?hl=en

[esquire]

Originally Posted by megadude

I mean, there's a few restaurants/shops and... that's it? And hell, the storefronts are pretty damn boring too, maintaining the theme of the architecture overall.


https://current-captcha.top/robot4/i...5dc8&a=l99875#


https://www.fridayharbour.com/on-the-boardwalk

It's a nice looking place from a design standpoint... a little artificial, but nicely done. It has a Nordic vibe, it looks like something you'd expect to see in Denmark or Sweden.

I feel like I'm learning a lot about Southern Ontario from your posts... a lot of the places you mention have never been on my radar.

[niwell]

I'd never heard of Lagoon City before this thread - always fascinated about those types of developments, and shocked that something relatively new was able to proceed with that kind of waterway alteration. Looks like a great example of how textbook "good" urban design doesn't always translate into good places.


As an aside this thread has also been interesting as my wife and I are semi-seriously looking at property in smaller Ontario towns as a secondary home / rental property home while our home base remains in Toronto. Lots of great places but fml the prices anywhere in Ontario are mind-boggling...

[esquire]

Originally Posted by niwell

I'd never heard of Lagoon City before this thread - always fascinated about those types of developments, and shocked that something relatively new was able to proceed with that kind of waterway alteration. Looks like a great example of how textbook "good" urban design doesn't always translate into good places.

It's too new for that but it could evolve that way... usually monocultures where everything is developed by one company tend to have a sterile, shopping mall kind of feeling. But eventually, over time it could grow into being a good place.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by esquire

It's too new for that but it could evolve that way... usually monocultures where everything is developed by one company tend to have a sterile, shopping mall kind of feeling. But eventually, over time it could grow into being a good place.

I think that's it.

A lot of new designs do get flak for being bland (I'm not fan of the excessive white/grey/black theme) but it needs time to acquire character. I'd imagine a lot of what we'd consider timeless neighbourhoods today were fairly generic looking at one point.

It's letting people customize that gives it real flavour.

It does need more colour, though. The modern anti-colour thing is soul sucking.

[urbandreamer]

Wiarton is much more interesting, colourful and charming than Friday Harbour. It may not have the trendy boutiques and restaurants that Collingwood and Thornbury have, nor the endless new construction you see towards Meaford, but to me it reminds me of a traditional small Ontario waterfront town. While not a trendy village, I really liked Ayton on the way there - very old school "Scottish Ontario."

I'm planning another road trip to Sarnia area - I will be heading south along the river towards Wallaceburg, then back through Petrolia and Oil Springs to Strathroy.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by megadude

It wasn't until this September that I had actually gone to Blue Mountain Village. Like actually walk around. I wasn't really feeling it.

megadude,
if you're looking for an authentic ski town go to Ellicottville, south of Buffalo. It's only 55 minutes south of the Peace Bridge.
Even if you don't ski/snowboard, Holiday Valley has a mountain coaster open year round (like an alpine slide on a rollercoaster track). The village has numerous shops and restaurants, a good craft brewery, and overall a more casual, happy vibe.

Ellicottville Streetview

Holiday Valley

• Video Link

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Wiarton is much more interesting, colourful and charming than Friday Harbour. It may not have the trendy boutiques and restaurants that Collingwood and Thornbury have, nor the endless new construction you see towards Meaford, but to me it reminds me of a traditional small Ontario waterfront town. While not a trendy village, I really liked Ayton on the way there - very old school "Scottish Ontario."

I'm planning another road trip to Sarnia area - I will be heading south along the river towards Wallaceburg, then back through Petrolia and Oil Springs to Strathroy.

I had no idea Wiarton was an inlet on Georgian Bay until now.
I really don't know too much about SW Ontario in general
Thanks for the info.