Choose a city

Learn about choosing the right city, Canadian community diversity, city sizes, living outside cities and francophone communities.

Choose the right city

Canada is a large country with many places to live, each with its own:

• culture
• services
• weather

Even if you have friends and family living in Canada, think about what you want your new life to be like, such as:

• Do you want to live in a large city?
• Would you be happier in a small town?
• What kind of schooling do you and your family want?

Canadian communities are diverse

If you have specific work skills, you’ll want to live in a place where you can best use them. Take time to consider other options, such as:

• climate
• libraries
• facilities
• cost of living
• health services
• cultural activities
• languages spoken
• community centres

Cities come in many sizes

Canadian cities are large, medium-sized or small.

Learn about Canada’s cities and towns by visiting the websites of each province and territory to find:

• information about:
  • schools
  • government departments and agencies
• tourist information
• links to large cities and towns

Large cities

Most newcomers to Canada settle in one of the country’s three largest cities:

• Toronto, Ontario
• Montréal, Quebec
• Vancouver, British Columbia

Medium-sized cities

Medium-sized cities range in size from about 100,000 to 1 million people. Medium-sized Canadian cities from East to West include:

• St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Québec City, Quebec
• Ottawa, Ontario
• Oshawa, Ontario
• Hamilton, Ontario
• St. Catharines, Ontario
• Kitchener, Ontario
• London, Ontario
• Windsor, Ontario
• Sudbury, Ontario
• Mississauga, Ontario
• Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Regina, Saskatchewan
• Calgary, Alberta
• Edmonton, Alberta
• Victoria, British Columbia
• Thunder Bay, Ontario

Small cities

Smaller cities include such places as:

• Sydney, Nova Scotia
• Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
• Moncton, New Brunswick
• Trois-Rivières, Quebec
• Brandon, Manitoba
• Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
• Red Deer, Alberta
• Kelowna, British Columbia

These offer most of the same public and private facilities as well as services found in the larger cities but with a lower cost of living.

Living outside cities

Canada’s rural areas offer wide open spaces and plenty of fresh air. Whether or not you can find public and private facilities in these areas will depend on how close you live to the nearest large town.

Consider francophone communities

While most French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec, many live in other provinces or territories across Canada. Find out more about Francophone communities outside Quebec.