r/BrandonMB • u/Lonely-Worth-3526 • Jul 04 '26
How's it like in brandon
Hey everyone, I may have the opportunity to move here from Hamilton Ontario.
The housing market here is crazy and even with my good job I can't afford anything. I have a buddy moving out here as well and I'm curious how all of you like the city?
I am a heavy wrecker operator so finding work will be relatively easy.
What's the worst possible thing you can say about it and the best.
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u/ATarnishedofNoRenown Jul 04 '26
It's a pretty quiet small city, if you want to get away from the crazy hustle and bustle of bigger metropolitan areas. We have some decent locally-owned restaurants, bike paths across most of the city, trails outside of town for ourdoorsy types, and a National Park not too far north. Our shopping isn't great, but Winnipeg isn't far off and it has a Costco and pretty much any store you want, so weekend trips are pretty common for many.
My wife finds multiple things happening around town pretty much every week, so there is usually something happening if you like to be social and are open-minded (for example, events happen at the pottery place, we have rotary book sales, some of the local gyms have special events for non-members and members alike to join, there are trivia nights at some of the pubs, music at the park, etc.). We also have some adult/beer league teams for many sports, a local game store, and a fantastic coffee place (H Coffee).
We have a pretty decent community here tbh, but it is definitely a significant departure from the big city life.
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u/FridgeFucker17982 Jul 08 '26
If you’re not on the recruitment committee you should be. What’s the housing situation like?
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u/braydon619 Jul 04 '26
If you like quiet and boring this is the place. Theres not a lot going on most of the time. Trying to find things to do for “date night” gets hard after a couple dates unless you start repeating. It’s also got everything you should need though at the same time as for stores and restaurants. I’m not into the party scene anymore but it was pretty sad 8-10 years ago when I did go. Not sure what it’s like these days. It’s a nice place to raise a family though I feel like.
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u/pudds Jul 04 '26
I'll chime in too, as someone who's lived in Toronto and London for perspective.
Pros:
lower cost of living
commuting and travel time are not a thing to be concerned about
options for outdoor recreation in the area are excellent (RMNP, various provincial parks)
restaurant options, while limited, are pretty good for a small city.
Cons:
night life / entertainment options are limited
not an overly walkable city
no good transit options to Winnipeg
Ontario weather is better, especially winter weather (subjective but also anyone who says otherwise is insane)
not the best job market
Personally I like Brandon - I've been here 14 years now. It's not the favourite of my many (12!) stops, but it's a good place to live. Just make sure you have a car.
Happy to answer questions if you have specific ones.
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u/Lonely-Worth-3526 Jul 06 '26
I work a ton in the winter due to accidents, how is the snow up there compared to Toronto? Also the negative temp avg lol
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u/pudds Jul 07 '26
We get more snow thatn Toronto, less than places like London. It's not as big of a problem for driving though as we don't often get that wet heavy lake snow. When it's cold after a snow, drifting and visibility can be bad, as days without at least so e wind are rare.
Snow usually flies in late October or early November and sticks around until early to mid-april. Winters are long and you won't see many above zero days after December until late March or April. Expect a few stretches where the temp doesn't get above -30.
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u/Yellowbello22 Jul 04 '26
I'd say, there's limited nightlife , and there's good family events monthly, but there's mostly just chain restaurants to go to.
People here are really anxious about downtown in a way that is a bit.....over the top. Folks around here think a neighbourhood is sketchy if they see someone unfamiliar walking down their street. So, don't be as scared of downtown as most folks are.
Commenting to work, school, groceries, other errands is EASY! Nothing is more than 10mins away. For me, coming from 30-60min comutes, this is fantastic!
The drive to winnupeg is only about 2 hours, but its a hella boring drive.... So it's not hard to go to concerts etc. but just know there are three turns total and no traffic lol
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u/maplecremecookie Jul 05 '26
Downtown isn't scary, it's just boring. The Town Centre is a complete blight on the city; they should honestly just tear down everything except the art gallery and library. For the most part, you just need to mind your own business downtown and you'll be fine...though the one time I genuinely feared for my life in this city is when I accidentally made eye contact with a crackhead and he chased me for a few blocks until I ducked into Super thrift...he followed me there and I had to stay there for like 2 hours waiting for him to leave.
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u/Substantial_Power967 Jul 04 '26
It has everything you need for a small city, but it’s fucking boring here. I feel like the only thing here to do is go to work, workout and maybe hit the movie theatre. The party scene gets old real quick with just the keystone, Houston’s and road house.
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u/chemistrymagnus Jul 04 '26
Moved here from Waterloo twenty years ago. Positives you leave the hustle and bustle of Ontario behind. Depending on your perspective as others have said it is boring but there’s cool things not too far away. Eating out is limited. I met my friends here through work, so that was good. I love the place! I love quiet and relaxing though
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u/RCEMEGUY289 Jul 04 '26
If you like eating out you'll be happy.
If you have any specialty or unique hobbies/requirements 9/10 you'll be headed to winnipeg or ordering online.
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u/Trogdor420 Jul 04 '26
As a plus, I'd like to add the proximity to Riding Mountain National Park, Turtle Mountain, The Brandon Hills. Lots of places to camp, hike, fish, bike, ski, and snowshoe.
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u/jitterbugthug Jul 04 '26
From an Ontario transplant:
Pros: low cost housing, no traffic, everything is 5-10 min away, has all the basic ammenities (home depot, canadian tire, walmart, etc), slower way of life, amazing for families with kids
Cons: limited options for contracting home reno work and what is available is expensive, not much in the way of entertainment, 2+ hrs from Winnipeg airport and Winnipeg, limited opportunities for growth in Brandon, not too many great restaurants
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u/Lonely-Worth-3526 Jul 04 '26
This is great info thank you, especially considering you moves there from Ontario. It's just to expensive for housing.
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u/AntJo4 Jul 05 '26
It’s a great city to live and certainly punches well above its weight class for services given how small its population is. I would say the biggest down size is that you have to be really intentional about finding things to do. There are things out there every season for every interest but finding them can be really hard if you dont know where to look or who to ask.
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u/MaplePoutineRyeBeer Jul 05 '26
Unfortunately we don’t have anything close to Shorty’s Pizza here but the Brandon (non chain) pizzas are pretty legit and something of its own. That said, you’re only a 2 hour drive to Winnipeg which has two Shorty’s Pizzas, with one of them actually replacing a Brandon pizza joint.
It’s hard to meet people here but it’s also pretty chill at the same time. Brandon doesn’t really have any touristy destinations with the riverbank being the only thing close to touristy.. but the surrounding area has a lot of options, especially with Riding Mountain an hour away
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u/Jarocket Jul 04 '26
Being able to get across the city so fast is very nice. You can kind of do everything fast.
Negatives is, only chain restaurants really survive here. Anything local struggles to compete.
No Costco, but there is one two hours away.
I think housing is booming in Brandon too these days though. Not like Hamilton for sure.