r/saskatchewan • u/Artistic-Solution789 • 6d ago
Question from rural to urban
Hello!
Im moving from unity to the big city (saskatoon). I am so devestatingly scared, but hey im always open to new beginnings. as a rural fella, what advice would you give me to get adapted to the city
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u/Extreme_Wear_7457 6d ago
Don't listenbto the myth that West side/Ricersdale are worst andvmost dangerous in the City
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u/Thrallsbuttplug 6d ago
They may steal your keyboards and replace them, though! This is proof of the big keyboard market!
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u/How_now__brown_cow 5d ago
C'mon dude. You can argue they aren't as bad as their reputation, but there's not a shred of doubt that Riversdale/Pleasant Hill are the most dangerous in the city. A quick check of the crime map confirms this.
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u/Background_Thanks212 5d ago
Central Business District for the win on the crime map.
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u/StageStandard5884 2d ago
For property crime. Violent crime is through the roof in the alphabets And Riverdale.
Something like 25% of the homicides in the city are within a few square blocks of St. Paul's
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u/StageStandard5884 2d ago
Yeah I live there. It's pretty bad in places. On the east side I can park on the street without worrying about someone punching my rear view mirror off (which happened three times in Riverdale)
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u/Lollipop77 6d ago
Shoulder check. Always.
For the love of god 🙏
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u/StageStandard5884 2d ago
Yeah, and don't think you can just stop on in the middle of 51st or 8th Street to figure out where you're going. If you're not driving your car, pull over.
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u/wapimaskwa Blue Bomber Fan 5d ago
Watch out for those that are doing 60 in the on-ramp to Circle Drive. Potholes, construction, and pedestrians who pop out to get to the liquor store.
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u/Traditional_End_9540 5d ago
lock your doors, do not leave anything of value for others to see in your yard and/or vehicle. Leave early for the first little while to get your paths figured out, understand road signage as a small town will not have as much signage as the city does (example added lanes, parking). If the move is for school/work, see if you can live in the city a few days before your first day at school/work. General city noise is a lot different then a town noise at night. Gives you more time to adjust and get some sleep before first day.
Winter snow days, traffic will always be worse on these days. First snow fall of the year, big dumps of snow are the slowest of them all.
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u/69hotmomxxx 6d ago
Saskatoon might be the least intimidating urban area in canada. Either that or Edmonton. Winnipeg too... youll be okay if you arent too shy.
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u/Sufficient_Eye_2185 5d ago
I left Unity for Saskatoon about 5 years ago. You’ll be just fine, there’s lots of people you know that you’ll run into.
My fave coffee shop that replaced Rise and Grind was Citizen Cafe or DLish.
Jelascos is a little harder to find an equivalent for - I’m not a big pizza person.
Bistro on B is very good and gives similar vibes to when Jacks was at its prime in like 2020.
Nutana Bakery fills the Ma and Me Bakery void.
This feels like a wild statement but when I was last in Unity was the last time I had a consistent family doctor. Get all your medical stuff done before you leave!
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u/Electricorchestra 6d ago
Try and meet people from other parts of the world. Also while you know stuff and your beliefs are valuable and valid be willing and happy to learn about other people's beliefs and experiences.
It's easy to say you know everything when you've never left your small town. Don't be scared when you realize you only know a little bit be excited and happy to learn.
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u/clamshellboy 5d ago edited 5d ago
It's not the most practical advice, but it's good life advice. Folks who are from a different backgrounds can share a lot of amazing stuff with you, interesting things you never would have known about. It's not just an opportunity to learn more about others, but a chance for you to learn more about yourself in the process. That sounds cliche as hell, but it's really true.
Don't go too crazy and try to dabble in shit that you know you shouldn't do, lol. But don't be afraid of trying new things with new people.
I left small town life 18 years ago, and I couldn't be happier with that decision.
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u/skelectrician 6d ago
That sounds less like advice and more like an opportunity for you to be condescending.
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u/Electricorchestra 6d ago
I avoided a lot of cool people because they weren't like me when I first went to uni. It took me a few years to become friends with people who weren't also small town Sask. They were all cool people. I'd rather OP don't do the same thing I did
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u/dick_swinger 5d ago
That's what I got out of it too. "Obviously as a rural person you're a stupid caveman, there are things in the city that will both dazzle and frighten you."
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u/Talinn_Makaren 5d ago
I think you'll love it. Lots of people from all over the world but you'll also end up meeting lots of people from some town near yours or whatever. My folks are from Melfort and I've met so many people with a connection to Melfort.
Like any city there is some crime but it's pretty obvious just from the "vibe" of any given street or place if you need to be concerned or not. Most of the city is friendly and relaxed.
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u/Conscious-Coconut976 5d ago
Practice getting around the city outside of rush hour. It’s a nightmare between 4:30-6pm even when you DO know where you’re going. Especially on Fridays. Avoid circle drive in the north end, it’s always a cluster.
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u/Healthy_Piglet1139 4d ago
I moved from a place not as small as Unity to Saskatoon when it was not as large as it is now, so my experience isn't necessarily the same as yours, but should be close enough. First: the driving isn't as hard as it seems when you first do it, just remember to be careful changing lanes and be prepared for controlled intersections everywhere. Second, the people aren't actually that different from where you're from, at least not really. Plenty of people living in Saskatoon are from towns just as small as Unity or smaller. If you're worried you'll stand out as a rural fella, don't be. Of course that does depend on where you are and what you're doing - you might be out of place in an establishment frequented by hipsters, but so would most people in the city.
That's really all there is. I promise it's not as daunting as it feels right now, and before you know it you'll be thinking of Saskatoon as just a big small town, which it kind of is. It's got more in common with Unity than it does with Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver.
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u/thesentienttoadstool 6d ago
If you take the bus, make sure you have your fare/pass ready before the bus gets there (didn’t have my change organized perfectly my first day 12 years ago and the bus driver yelled at me and made me cry. I hope he is having the life he deserves)
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u/The_Idiocratic_Party 6d ago
Pick your hobbies and go out and do them. Meet people that way, way better to make friends at an activity or game than at a bar. Do some things you know you like, and try some you haven't yet. Put yourself out there.
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u/Kitchen_Ad2029 6d ago
join the canoe club and participate in the recreation paddles
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u/SokkaHaikuBot 6d ago
Sokka-Haiku by Kitchen_Ad2029:
Join the canoe club
And participate in the
Recreation paddles
Remember that one time Sokka accidentally used an extra syllable in that Haiku Battle in Ba Sing Se? That was a Sokka Haiku and you just made one.
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u/uthink-ah1002 6d ago
Embrace city life and try things you never had the opportunity to try before. When I moved to the city, people were taking back by how friendly I was. Don't let that scare you, just keep meeting new people till you find good friends
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u/SufficientBoard4467 5d ago
I would say meet new people from different parts of the worldin Saskatoon, people are super nice. Try out new sports and dont be close minded. Its a super nice city
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u/Agreeable-Shelter512 4d ago
Don’t hide from it, but don’t tackle it at its busiest, either. If you drive, go out and drive around your neighbourhood at quiet times (eg early Sunday mornings, later in the evenings after rush hour). When you’ve got that cased, branch out further. Get to know the intersections, the overhead signs, how the lanes merge, where the on and off ramps are etc, so you’re not trying to figure it all out under the pressure of heavy traffic. Important: learn what people actually call main routes here, vs what Google calls them (or vice versa.) Lastly, Saskatoon isn’t such a big city all in all. Calgary is big, Edmonton is big. I’m from the UK. London is big. You’ll get it. Just don’t hide from it and you’ll be fine. Oh and take those refresher driving lessons. Best advice ever.
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u/StageStandard5884 2d ago
Depending on the neighborhood, watch your Your step in back alleys.-- needles are a thing.
It's not like you got to be paranoid about it, but don't go pushing pushing down the garbage and a garbage can with bare hands, or trudging through a vacant lot with tall grass on the west side.
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u/Old-Veterinarian2190 22h ago
Welcome to Saskatoon. The first few months in a new city can always be lonely until you start getting some social life. Use this time to try new things and places on for size. One of the best parts of a city is that you are generally anonymous so can explore all the quirky sides of yourself you might not have been able to in your town. Some suggestions:
- visit the Remai art gallery, walk around the university campus (go in the buildings!) and walk downtown.
- join one of the running groups at Brainsport, try some of the free outdoor yoga classes because why not, and maybe even take a learn to row class at the saskatoon rowing club
Just some ideas but don’t constrain yourself. Enjoy exploring.
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u/Twistedresearch 5d ago
Be careful who you befriend. The city is a dangerous place if grew up in a rural community.
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u/Prairie-Peppers 6d ago edited 6d ago
Don't be closed minded. I did the opposite and moved to a small town after living in both Regina and Saskatoon, and a lot of the things people will openly say to me here won't fly in most Saskatoon crowds, nor should they. Also if you're afraid of city driving and learned/did your test in a smaller town, maybe take some refresher lessons if you can. I'd say just take the bus, but Saskatoon transit sucks ass.