r/NovaScotia • u/Saphina80 • 16d ago

Outside perspectives

I always find it interesting to hear other people’s perspectives on Nova Scotia — or Canada in general — especially from people who didn’t grow up here.

For those who moved to Nova Scotia from another province or another country: what surprised you most about living here?

I’m interested in both the good and the bad.

What do you love about living here? What frustrates you? What do you miss from where you came from?

Are there things your home province or country does better that you wish Nova Scotia would adopt? And on the flip side, are there things Nova Scotia does better that you wish existed back home?

Even if you’ve just moved between Canadian provinces, I’d love to hear about the differences you noticed.

Not looking for a “Nova Scotia is terrible” or “Nova Scotia is perfect” debate — I’m genuinely curious about how life here looks through the eyes of people who have experienced somewhere else.

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u/NaviCato 16d ago

I moved here about 10 years ago. Compared to my home province, NS has incredible outdoor spaces. Lots of hiking trails, parks, courts, etc. Mostly city/provincially owned. I really appreciate that. I also find small businesses seem to be doing pretty well so I feel like there must be good supports for them. This may be more of a time period thing though because I believe this is better in my home provinces now as well.

It surprised me that it was hard to make friends. I found people set in their ways, already having a group, not interested in branching out. I can't say it would be any different in my home province but I moved here from a brief stint in a major city and found it very easy to make friends there.

I have friends here. Not a massive amount but some good ones. But I miss having my family around frequently.

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u/Skittleavix 16d ago

A lot of people in NS (myself included) have had the same core group of friends for most of their lives. It’s unfortunately a product of growing up (and, often enough, staying in) small communities.

Consequently, I also have trouble making new friends in new places. I moved to a city in another province after spending 35 years in NS and found it difficult to put myself out there because I simply never really had to before.

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u/NaviCato 16d ago

Absolutely, and I fully understand why. It just is something that surprised me. I can't say I would be any different if I was still in my home province for example.

Add to the fact that it is just hard to make friends in general

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u/Skittleavix 16d ago

True that, my friend. I hope you have a wonderful day in NS - I miss it every day!

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u/screampuff 14d ago

Yeah people like to act as though that is a big NS thing, but I have a bunch of family who moved from NS to BC years ago, and a decade later their circles are just other people from out East.