Moving to Fredericton, New Brunswick | A Helpful Guide

With the high cost of living in Ontario and the rest of Canada, it’s not surprising that so many people are moving to New Brunswick. As the capital city, Fredericton is one of the first places people start their search.

It’s a lovely city with an interesting history and a rich culture. There are some amazing opportunities for employment and the cost of living remains rather affordable for most people.

In this post, we’ll look at some helpful information for you to consider if you’re planning on moving to Fredericton. This way you’ll have a better idea if this is the right city for you or if you should keep looking for your ideal destination.

A Helpful Guide for Moving to Fredericton, New Brunswick

The Best Neighbourhoods in Fredericton, NB

There are a number of different neighborhoods to choose from if you’re planning on buying a property or renting in Fredericton. Overall, all of the different neighborhoods are extremely safe, family-friendly, and a great place to live.

Let’s take a closer look at the different Fredericton neighborhoods. This will give you a better idea for finding the right one that’s perfect for you, your partner, and your family.

Downtown Fredericton

It’s in downtown Frederick tonight where you’ll find some of Fredericton’s oldest and most historic buildings. This is the cultural Hub of the city and provides an awesome shopping experience, with plenty of boutiques and local shops.

Within the downtown area are more than 50 different restaurants and cafes. There are a lot of different things to do in Fredericton, especially downtown, with even more activities like Parks, museums, skating rinks, and easy access to recreational trails.

Those of you with smaller families or young professionals looking for a unique living experience will definitely want to check out downtown Fredericton. Despite being a smaller town, it’s still very walkable, with easy access by car to big box stores and every other amenity.

No matter where you’re living downtown, you can hop on your bike and easily make it into one of the many beautiful natural areas in Fredericton. It’s even possible to walk your kayak down to the river and spend the day kayaking around, all from downtown.

While the cost of living in New Brunswick is rising, real estate and rent in downtown Fredericton continues to remain competitive and affordable. Those of you on a small budget will still be able to find somewhere reasonable to live while enjoying all of the amenities that Fredericton has to offer.

Hanwell

Hanwell is a close-knit rural community located just southwest of Fredericton. With a population under 5,000 people, it’s a great place to raise a family while remaining close to all of the amenities that Fredericton has to offer.

In this neighbourhood are two elementary schools as well as two universities. This makes it an ideal option whether you’re moving with your family or you’re looking for somewhere to live as a student.

It’s also close to Kingswood Park, where you’ll find golf courses and fitness centres which contribute to the overall well-being of this community. Hanwell Recreation Park is also located in this neighbourhood.

Another benefit to living in Hanwell is that nature is easily accessible wherever you are. Right in the heart of this community is Yoho Lake, which is a great place for picnics, hiking, or spending time Outdoors.

New Maryland

On the southern border of Fredericton is where you’ll find the vibrant community of New Maryland. This is considered one of the wealthiest communities in New Brunswick with just 4,500 people living in this area.

Living here you will have easy access to all conveniences and amenities including restaurants, shopping malls, recreational centres, and schools. It’s a great neighbourhood for young professionals and singles or those moving from another province with a bigger budget for real estate.

Something that makes New Maryland unique is that it has one of the lowest Municipal tax rates in the province. This makes it ideal if you want to move to this area and you don’t want to worry about property taxes, like back in Ontario or British Columbia.

It also provides easy access to a lot of green spaces, hiking trails, and forest lands. Finally, families will find it a good option as well with the availability of schools, recreational facilities, and subdivisions.

Is Fredericton a Good Place to Live?

Without a doubt, Fredericton is one of the best places to live in New Brunswick. It’s a beautiful city with all the amenities you and your family would need for a good standard of living.

There’s also a number of jobs available along with employment opportunities. Real estate and rental prices remain reasonable, especially when compared to the rest of Canada.

Fredericton also has easy access to hiking trails and beautiful natural areas. It’s a great place to raise a family or plant new roots in one of Canada’s most beautiful provinces.

It’s also rated as one of the best communities in Canada, according to this guide from Macleans. While Fredericton does have some problems, overall it’s definitely a great place to live.

Cost of Living in Fredericton

At this point you may already be aware that Atlantic Canada is one of the most affordable regions in Canada. This includes the province of New Brunswick and all of its major cities, including Fredericton (the capital).

Compared to other major Canadian cities, Fredericton has some surprisingly cheap real estate as well as competitive options for apartment and condo rentals. The majority of households will bring in between $50,000 and $80,000, which is one of the lowest household incomes in the country.

When it comes to employment options, there are a number of industries that are regularly hiring in Fredericton. This includes the forestry, mining, oil and gas, and fishing industry.

Getting back to it, what makes Fredericton such a great place for people moving to the province is the affordability of rent and real estate. It’s possible to find detached homes and condos starting at $100,000 with rent prices nearly 150% lower than Toronto.

Things like groceries and insurance will also be less than what you would find in Ontario and British Columbia. While income tax is higher in New Brunswick, you’ll likely find a more affordable place to live and have less expenses, putting more money in your pocket every month.

Transportation in Fredericton

The public transportation system in Fredericton provides an expansive public transport network for people living in the city. This network spans both the urban and Suburban areas of the city with more than 1.5 million passengers every year.

On average, there are over 5000 passenger trips everyday ranging across 10 all-day service routes. There are two additional routes that operate during peak travel hours to support demand.

The bus network in Fredericton can be used to reach all key destinations in the city and is decently effective at shuttling people from the suburbs into downtown. As of 2021, the normal passenger fare is $2.75 with the adult monthly pass available for $80.

For more information on fares and schedules, visit the Fredericton transit website.

Is Fredericton Safe?

You might find it surprising to learn that Fredericton is rather high on the crime severity index of Canada. Looking at this list of Canada’s most dangerous cities, you can find Fredericton in the 26th position.

The statistics listed show that violent crime, such as robbery and assault, is on the rise. However, as someone interested in moving to Fredericton, this is generally not something you need to worry about.

One of the main reasons for these increases in crime and violence is due to the growing homeless population in Eastern Canada. In your day to day life in New Brunswick it’s unlikely you experience any of these issues, especially compared to living in a bigger city.

Overall, it’s definitely a safe city with lots of culture and green spaces for residents to enjoy. Using common sense means you’ll be able to avoid the majority of any issues and it’s exceedingly rare to run into any problems living in this city.

Is Fredericton French?

Unlike Moncton, which has a larger population of French speakers, Fredericton trends towards the English side of things. It’s important to remember that New Brunswick is the only bilingual province in Canada so you’re bound to find a lot of French speakers wherever you go.

If you’re planning on living in Fredericton you will have no issues speaking English. It’s the main language that most of the population uses and even the French population is rather fluent as well.

In Fredericton alone you’ll find over 80% of the population uses English as their main language. The French speaking population is slowly declining, an issue that the city is looking at improving.

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Author: newbrunswick

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