Fort McMurray , the City

[rugatika]

I always wondered why housing up there was so expensive? What's the choke? Is it available land or trades? Infrastructure?

Maybe I'm oversimplifying things, but isn't it all crown land up there anyway? Why doesn't the government just open up a bunch of land at reasonable cost?

I go through there once or twice a year, and it is a busy place. Lineups for gas almost every time. I understand the claustrophobic feeling.

[elkhunter11]

I just have trouble understanding why some people would want to live right in Fort Mac(the ones obviously moving there for the money) when they could live elsewhere and just fly in to work instead.

So you have trouble understanding why someone would want to be able to work their shift, and then spend the rest of their day with their family, rather than spending days or weeks, away from their family?

[Flight01]

I agree with Cats comments on some people and their attitudes. Aside from horrendous traffic that is getting better the only downside is sharing this town with 25,000 that don't want to be here. Negativity is a disease. I've been here 11 years, my wife was born here, my son was born here and my next baby is on the way.

[gitrdun]

They have Cat and elk problems in the Fort. What's not to like?

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by rugatika

I always wondered why housing up there was so expensive? What's the choke? Is it available land or trades? Infrastructure?

Availability of land may play into it but I believe the main issue is just not having a large enough labour force to develop the land and build houses. Same reason they struggle with their road infrastructure(not enough labour to do it in a timely fashion and are always stuck doing maintenance instead of resolving the issue).

Despite the extremely high wages and amount of people that travel there for work there is actually a large labour shortage. To the point where some sites bring in foreign labour because they can't find any more Canadians willing to do the work. Most of the people up there don't want to work residential construction because it doesn't pay as good as oilfield construction and a lot of work is actually done by crews from other parts of the province(like Edmonton).

Since the demand is greater then the supply and because many of the people up there make such high(in many cases ridiculous) wages the prices are through the roof. Really no different then any other boom town though. If/when the work in the oil sands slow down Fort Mac will dry up and turn into a ghost town like so many other similar places have done in the past.

As for living in Fort Mac so you can have your family with you. I guess if that is what you want. It isn't the kind of place I would want to raise kids though and I that is based not only on knowing a bit about the town but also having met and worked with multiple people that grew up there. I am sure it is possible to raise kids decently there but the majority of them seem to run into issues eventually due to the surroundings.

[Jims71duster]

Originally Posted by bison

Nope, not planning to either. Son says F-mac is a dump and i believe him.
I get claustrophobia in any place where houses are within 2 miles of each other.

There's lots of places everywhere like that not just Fort Mac. I spend two weeks in and one week out, have an apartment downtown and its ok. If you want trouble it will come to you just like everywhere else. If you don't go lookin for it then it usually stays away, jus like everywhere else. It wouldn't be my first choice but most certainly not my last, got that reserved for Brooks

[Jims71duster]

Originally Posted by gitrdun

They have Cat and elk problems in the Fort. What's not to like?

Lol,,,, it's trouble that seems to follow the Internet connection too

[ganderblaster]

Fort Murray actually is a terrific place to live. I spent a winter in Timberlea part of town. Excellent butcher shop nearby and miles of ATV trails out the back door. The owner of the house I rented a room in owned the trap line that he had access to out his back gate( which other city in Alberta would that be possible in?) of course there are a lot of the ignorant Eastern Canadian types there who are intent on running the city and Alberta down while at the same time taking as much money from the region as they can with the least input. Then there are the Eastern Canadians who take the time to get involved in the community and are a great asset to the province as well.

[elkhunter11]

As for living in Fort Mac so you can have your family with you. I guess if that is what you want. It isn't the kind of place I would want to raise kids though and I that is based not only on knowing a bit about the town but also having met and worked with multiple people that grew up there. I am sure it is possible to raise kids decently there but the majority of them seem to run into issues eventually due to the surroundings.

So you know a bit about the city, yes it is a city by the way, and you have worked with some people that grew up there, so that makes you an authority on the city, and on the children that were raised here?

Well I have only lived in the city for 33 years, so I might know just a bit more about the city than you do. The city does have some very good facilities to get your children involved in sports or other past times, so if your children are inclined, there are numerous activities to keep them occupied. Yes some children do find trouble, just like in any other city, and the parents that are with their children every day, have a much better idea of what their children are up to, than a parent that is away from home for a week or two at a time, as they work out of town.

[honda450]

Our company has 2 condo's on Wilson Drive in Wood Buffalo Estates. It pretty quiet up there. Nice new condo's. 3 bedrooms. Hate to see what they paid for them though. That's where I stay.

[bison]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Please try to convince your son, to find work elsewhere. If he is convinced that Fort McMurray is such a dump,he shouldn't even bother coming here! And don't worry, we will get along just fine without him.

It ain't his choice, his Boss sends him there.
He picks up full carbage and concrete bins from the rigs province wide, F-mac is part of his route.
He's making good money at it so he endures.

I'm sure he won't feel left out

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by RavYak

As for living in Fort Mac so you can have your family with you. I guess if that is what you want. It isn't the kind of place I would want to raise kids though and I that is based not only on knowing a bit about the town but also having met and worked with multiple people that grew up there. I am sure it is possible to raise kids decently there but the majority of them seem to run into issues eventually due to the surroundings.

There are a lot of young fellas that are members here that grew up in Ft. mac, as my kids did, and they are all great people leading successful lives and having a ball!
Some moved away, many didn't.
I don't think a town molds a person as much as guidance through life by outside influences .
That being said, no matter how hard a person tries to teach their kids properly, they might go sideways on you through no fault of your own.
Where I lived would be the last thing I blamed on anything that my kid did or did not do!
Cat

[ali#1]

Life is what you make it no matter where you are.

[ESOXangler]

I know a bunch of people whose biggest complaint was lack of spaces for available after school programs. Hockey, gymnastics, martial arts, etc!
Honestly I'd have no problem moving up there if the housing wasn't astronomical and infrastructure lacking! I love driving into the town, down into the river valley, very scenic! But the ridiculous line ups and aggressive cab drivers deter me! I bet it would have been an excellent place in the late 90's!

[rodgerskr]

I have been here for 19 years I started my family here and it's still growing, it's home. If you look hard enough you will find trouble anywhere, in any little town. Those who choose to be negative are usually negative people and cannot be pleased, maybe some people have had bad experiences, since I have been here the town has doubled so it can be all bad. JMHO

[rugatika]

I spent quite a bit of time there (well, a month or two) in the mid 90's. Fort Mac was a blast. No traffic, bars were fun...(I seem to remember a bar in the Peter Pond INN I think that had the front of Peterbilt cabover as the dj booth.) with the rippers in the bar next door.

One weekend we slipped out to Winnifred for some awesome fishing instead of heading back to Edmonton....good times.

[HunterDave]

I moved around a lot when I was in the Military and it wasn't too uncommon for people say that they felt sorry for you having to serve where you were posted. The fact is that once you start making friends and growing roots somewhere it's sometimes hard to leave it. When we were posted to Petawawa, ON we loved it there while some people imagined a hell hole. We were right on the sandy, Ottawa River and the best fishing spots for numerous different varieties of fish was only a short drive. Algonquin Park was right next door as well. I guess that it depends on what you're into but for me it was awesome. I think that I'd like Fort Mac as well but I wouldn't be spending all of my time in the city.

My young family liked the Petawawa area as well and didn't want to leave there. The only way that I got my Wife and Daughter to ease up a bit was to tell them that the WEM had better subs than the Canadian Navy.....lol!

Where ever you end up it is what you make of it I guess.

[Team Anzac]

Originally Posted by RavYak

Availability of land may play into it but I believe the main issue is just not having a large enough labour force to develop the land and build houses. Same reason they struggle with their road infrastructure(not enough labour to do it in a timely fashion and are always stuck doing maintenance instead of resolving the issue).

Despite the extremely high wages and amount of people that travel there for work there is actually a large labour shortage. To the point where some sites bring in foreign labour because they can't find any more Canadians willing to do the work. Most of the people up there don't want to work residential construction because it doesn't pay as good as oilfield construction and a lot of work is actually done by crews from other parts of the province(like Edmonton).

Since the demand is greater then the supply and because many of the people up there make such high(in many cases ridiculous) wages the prices are



through the roof. Really no different then any other boom town though.

If/when the work in the oil sands slow down Fort Mac will dry up and turn into
a ghost town like so many other similar places have done in the past.

You are so misinformed, Tfw's are being used in more parts of Canada then you can shake a stick at. We have 3 provinces in a boom right now, there are shortages of labor right across Canada. Fort mcmurray has treated my family well since the first day we stepped of the plane in 1977.


As for living in Fort Mac so you can have your family with you. I guess if that
is what you want. It isn't the kind of place I would want to raise kids though
and I that is based not only on knowing a bit about the town but also having
met and worked with multiple people that grew up there. I am sure it is
possible to raise kids decently there but the majority of them seem to run into
issues eventually due to the surroundings.

Believe me our city will not be any farther behind without people with attitudes like that.

[Team Anzac]

Originally Posted by rugatika

I spent quite a bit of time there (well, a month or two) in the mid 90's. Fort Mac was a blast. No traffic, bars were fun...(I seem to remember a bar in the Peter Pond INN I think that had the front of Peterbilt cabover as the dj booth.) with the rippers in the bar next door.

One weekend we slipped out to Winnifred for some awesome fishing instead of heading back to Edmonton....good times.

Truckers and Peters. Some crazy stuff went on beyond those doors.

[Team Anzac]

Originally Posted by RavYak

Availability of land may play into it but I believe the main issue is just not having a large enough labour force to develop the land and build houses. Same reason they struggle with their road infrastructure(not enough labour to do it in a timely fashion and are always stuck doing maintenance instead of resolving the issue).

Despite the extremely high wages and amount of people that travel there for work there is actually a large labour shortage. To the point where some sites bring in foreign labour because they can't find any more Canadians willing to do the work. Most of the people up there don't want to work residential construction because it doesn't pay as good as oilfield construction and a lot of work is actually done by crews from other parts of the province(like Edmonton).

Since the demand is greater then the supply and because many of the people up there make such high(in many cases ridiculous) wages the prices are
through the roof. Really no different then any other boom town though.
If/when the work in the oil sands slow down Fort Mac will dry up and turn into
a ghost town like so many other similar places have done in the

As for living in Fort Mac so you can have your family with you. I guess if that is what you want. It isn't the kind of place I would want to raise kids though
and I that is based not only on knowing a bit about the town but also having
met and worked with multiple people that grew up there. I am sure it is
possible to raise kids decently there but the majority of them seem to run into
issues eventually due to the surroundings.

I won't even bother, just lead to me getting banned again.

Raised in Fort Mcmurray since 1977. My wife was born in Fort Mcmurray, my step son was born in this town he's 20 years old 3rd yr apprentice Electrician.
And on his own since he was 18.

[Mistagin]

Well, I love it here. The bush is just steps away. Okay, so the fishing isn't what I had back east, but hunting is better!

Last evening on the way home at 9:45 I had to stop to let deer cross the road just down the street from my place

People like to complain about the cost of housing. Yeah, it took me and my wife a couple of years to adjust to it, but wages and allowances make it entirely possible.

I know a young couple who came here after university, they were going to give it a try for a year, hoping to save enough to pay down their student loans. But in that year they paid off their loans and saved a reasonable down payment for a house - and bought one. They just signed a five year contract and are looking to make Ft. McMurray home for good.

A good place to raise kids? For sure, there is so much opportunity for kids here! I would have no qualms about raising kids here. Of course, ya still gotta be a parent for them and invest in them in every way.

[pointer]

I lived there for 5 +years I didn't mind the place at all it's a work town and most people know that before they go there I probably wouldn't move back there any time soon but I would never say I hate it or it's a dump it was just way to busy for me

[lake side]

Born ('70)and raised in FT Mcmurray. It was a great place to grow up....the school system was 1st rate, some of the best hunting and fishing around, very friendly people with a real sence of community. I left in '87 but have returned on business frequently and the thing that drives me wild is how the transient people treat this great city and province. Simple, if you don't like it take your garbage with you and leave for good.

Unfortuntly the housing prices are too high for me but I would love to move back and almost did this fall.

If I was there I would probably have bought a gun from outdoor essentials this afternoon...great prices on rifles!

LS

[gitrdun]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

So you know a bit about the city, yes it is a city by the way, and you have worked with some people that grew up there, so that makes you an authority on the city, and on the children that were raised here?

Well I have only lived in the city for 33 years, so I might know just a bit more about the city than you do. The city does have some very good facilities to get your children involved in sports or other past times, so if your children are inclined, there are numerous activities to keep them occupied. Yes some children do find trouble, just like in any other city, and the parents that are with their children every day, have a much better idea of what their children are up to, than a parent that is away from home for a week or two at a time, as they work out of town.

That is most awesome that you know Ft. Mac so well. Now, please tell me of your knowledge of High River, which you speak of so often.

[elkhunter11]

That is most awesome that you know Ft. Mac so well. Now, please tell me of your knowledge of High River, which you speak of so often.

I have actually posted little to nothing about the city of High River itself. However, I do post in regard to the actions of the RCMP during the flood. The RCMP themselves have openly admitted to breaking into those homes, and taking those firearms. They also admit to not having being authorized to do so, by the minister in charge, which the minister has confirmed. As well, I did watch the interviews of some of the citizens of High River as they themselves told everyone what happened in their homes. The types of neighborhoods, the schools, or the other issues that the city may have, are not at all relevant to this situation, and from a legal standpoint, it really doesn't matter which city the incident took place in.

This incident happened in High River, but I would be just as interested in the outcome regardless of the city where it occurred. I post about this incident as a concerned firearms owner, who doesn't want to see the RCMP get away with what they did, so that they don't repeat this illegal activity somewhere else.