That’s like saying I wish it were the 1950’s because things were better or cheaper. Time moves forward, so do cities and populations. Barrie has a lot to offer so many people started moving here. But there are still towns with smaller populations not too far away from Barrie that can offer the smaller town community feel some people desire. But with 150,000 people living here now, it’s not going to be like it way, it’s moving forward
I was born in barrie and I agree Barrie has not changed for the better unfortunately. Isn't somewhere I would say is safe or encourage anyone to live now . I loved it for many years.
Last time I checked Barrie was the 3rd or 4th most expensive place to rent in Canada. I've lived here for over 25 years, not at all what it used to be. Very sad what its turned into, but it's to be expected I guess. Would not recommend unless your rich or or want to live in a hell hole 😂
Thank you for the video! Been here 30 years, not able to get downtown anymore, but what a sight! Raised my kids, here; they're still in the area but it has been worthwhile living here. Our family has been and continues to like living here. There are bad bits, I guess, everywhere but I never noticed...loved the parks, the beach downtown, skiing, tubing, skating, hiking...
I live at the lakeshore district. The place I rent is a 3 story flat. A total ghetto that is NOT worth the headache. In 7 years I've been living here I lost most of my physical and some of my mental health. Noise, drug use and illegal activities are sanctioned by the landlord and management. Stay away from this place!
I don’t recommend living downtown where you are located for the majority of people. Sorry you’ve gone through that. Have you had thoughts about moving out of the downtown area?
@@barrieliving I am in the process of moving as we speak. My landlord just punched me in the face and now he is facing court for that. Totally agressive and out of his mind!
@@barrieliving Yeah hopefully. But there's the fact that the police here is heavily biased and I had to file a compliant against them too. As soon as I get a chance I'm out of this city for good and won't want to do business or pass by here ever again! The experience has just been the worst kind that I've ever had. I was born in the slums of Rio de Janeiro and lived there for 12 years. But even there, I never had such a bad experience such as this!
i just moved to barrie east end into a low rise from toronto. i find the transportation system really good. they have a gps on all the buses so you know when the buses come ahead of time. once you know where you want to go you can plan ahead when and which buses to take. i can shop at costco and get back to the east end in 1 hour.
I grew up n lived all around cooks bay n I haven’t been home in 20 yrs because of the invasion of city ppl cops lost their sense of humor thanx eh ! Oh and listing Toronto as 4th safest place to live is ABSOLUTELY hilarious !
We’ve had a lot of city folk move up yes, it’s changed the overall vibe of Barrie. For some people the city growing as fast as it has isn’t something they expected or wanted - but it’s the way it’s going. But with new growth comes much more new opportunities! Plus, Barrie has higher prices so many people sell in Barrie and buy something more private in Oro or springwater and love it there
I lived in Barrie for 15 years. I taught at Georgian College and loved working with the staff and the students. My first summer I got a part time job in a store downtown. I was told by the owner, then in the early 1980's 'lock up precisely at 5.30pm'. Do not hang around as that area changes fast. That area certainly did change not for the better. During the day it was lovely. Most city downtown areas have troubled locations. Enjoy Barrie.
Thank you sharing your story! Where did you end up moving to after Barrie? Also, that’s pretty interesting, sounds like even back in the 1980s Barrie downtown had similar issues it’s dealing with now for local residents
We used to go to Barrie quite often. Shopping trips and medical appointments were usually ended with a dinner at a local restaurant. However. In the last decade Barrie has become so unfriendly to people who don't live there we quit. We still go to medical appointments and get out as soon as they're done. No more shopping or restaurants. Orillia is the stopping point now. It's not our loss. It's Barrie's choice. We still get what we would have bought in Barrie.
Unfriendly - you mean the people or like traffic and congestion? We’ve definitely had a lot of population move from the GTA, where I would agree the atmosphere is different. Every time I’m in Toronto I’m stressed and everyone feels rushed. That could have been brought up here in a sense. And because of the new growth, of course Barrie has growing pains like busier streets, areas, etc Orillia is definitely more of the small town vibe and community I think many people that have lived in Barrie since childhoods are sad to see disappear but there’s nothing we can do about that. Cities are diverse and amazing in many aspects, but lose the smaller town community friendliness form people
Sounds like you’re still pretty close to the downtown? It’s a tough matter with no easy fix regarding the substance abuse. The city and people are doing what they can with the resources available to them. Having a safe and clean downtown for everyone to enjoy is the ultimate goal
The issue is all the programs that Barrie offers the junkies. Calling them homeless is somewhat misleading. If a teenager likes to party and doesn't want to work or go to school, and their parents kick them out, they can get free shelter,clothing, and food in barrie. Plus a street allowance to spend on their drugs. No other city nearby has so many junkies per capita. How many homeless junkies are in Kleinburg, Caledon, wasaga? Nowhere else will you see hundreds and hundreds of junkies in a small town..@barrieliving
@@barrieliving I agree thoroughly with the commenter above. The Barrie Police have zero interest in taking any action against street lawlessness and the city creates a safe space for illicit drug use. Just last weekend I saw a woman tripping balls on the sidewalk, totally incoherent and acting scary, surrounding but 3 COPS JUST WAITING for an ambulance to show up. No doubt that woman was provided medical treatment and put right back on the street to do it again. The city tried to take a hard stance against these behaviors with the previous mayor but all the south end folk, who don't even experience the issue, cried about human rights. I want the right back to walk in my downtown without seeing drug use or having someone beg to me for money
I live in Downtown Barrie/Alendale and I never had any issues and I take late walks and walk to the train station first thing in the morning and no issues ever. Oldest and safest neighborhood I ever loved in and I’ve lived all over the world. I moved here from Bayview village Toronto and love it.
Amazing! It’s the commercial strip on Bayfield that really is considered the dangerous area, near the go station that’s being rebuilt now for Tiffin and Essa is just an older neighbourhood closer to the core. Allandale has some great neighbourhoods with really unique homes
The biggest problem with Barrie is the traffic gridlock throughout the main arteries. I get it the city is getting larger and the roads aren’t designed to handle all the extra traffic. Plus with all the bridges being replaced over HWY 400 isn’t helping.
It is filling up. It’s hard because the mayors, leaders and city staff, decades ago not just for barrie, never set plans for the usage of roads and areas as much as it is now. On one hand it makes sense, don’t build 4 lane roads if they may go unused, that’s a huge waste of money. But now we are in a position where expansion is needed but tough and costly I use and backend roads to get around now and avoid main roads at certain times and it’s considerably faster. Anne st, Ferndale, Coulter st, Vincent, etc
I moved to Barrie three years ago and I’m very disappointed. That is all everywhere. Every job is taken by the Indian people I’m looking where is the people that was born in Barry where is Canadian here so you know what it’s too much is too much I don’t I don’t know, agree with so many people and that small little Berrytown they should move somewhere else too not just here OK
Yes and it's just going to get worse. I was born and raised in Barrie it's unfortunate I don't even want to visit my hometown anymore. They will keep moving North I bought in Midland and I'm much more happier here. There's not much to do but also you can only afford to do so much with the cost of everything. It's beautiful out here in the summer and less people/dickheads to deal with.
Kitchener Waterloo has 2 hospitals and is building a brand new hospital. I moved here from Barrie. Healthcare is more comprehensive and closer to both the tertiary care of London, or Hamilton. We now have medical residencies. I used to love Barrie, but as a RN I found them very biased to Georgian college grads. Patients had to commute to .Newmarket for a lot of surgeries.
@@joywebster2678 Really great response. Kitchner and waterloo are definitely better options if you work in healthcare and want to go forward with that or a relocating and healtcare is the top priority. We only have RVH for Barrie, like you said people when down to newmarket or Orillia Soldiers Memorial is a common one Barrie residents go to. There is a new state of the art one being built in Innisifl, called Barrie RVH Innisfil campus, but that is going to take years to complete so our options are not changing. I have friends in healthcare and they all moved to Kitchner because of the unversity programs tailored to the region and job oppurtunties
Lived here from 1946 to 1964. As a little kid it was only 5000 people but if you like having opportunities for outdoor activities it is perfect both winter and summer. It is built on hills and gullies. We all learned to ride a bike by age 5 or 6. Yes...even now cars are necessary.
Been living in toronto since 1991, recently moved to innishore Best decision ever! Love the lake views Eazy going lifestyle Great shops friendly people Reason for moving ...toronto's crime is everywhere. In all neighborhoods and the gun access I decided to leave the cramped semi home little yard to a detached large lot with a pool. ❤ im truly happier
I have lived in Barrie about 10yrs Now. The one I noticed is that there alot Indian people here when I first moved here. Also alot of homeless people always asking for money. Would not go downtown at night.❤
Nelson Lookout! East End is the best- just note it's sort of a street by street situation at the moment- some streets are now all rentals and areas that were more low end houses have been expanded on and now are the really nice streets to be on! A combo of college needs and the aging of population- so there will be more turnover I'm sure! We lived by Steele St for years.
Lived here for 70 years. Wouldn’t move. Every city has problems. You learn to live with it. Just don’t bring that soccer field to the lakeshore area. Lots of other places to build it.
Grass isn’t greener on the other side - it’s greener where you water it. As long as we keep working towards being better and improving - Barrie is as good a city as any other. Every single city has its problems, you trade one for another
That's awesome!! We're going to be making a video all about the south end neighbourhoods and what they have to offer so let me know how you enjoy living there!
I’d say it’s mostly international students. In a few years that may change once they graduate and either find work outside of Barrie or return home. Depends on the larger government policies but Georgian college does drawn large intentional interest
@@barrielivingGood question....I know I'm gonna get heat for this BUT, Barrie used to be a nice city to live in however, the last few months, everywhere you look in the city it's becoming a nightmare. Let's face it, you can't even walk downtown without being cornered for money or cigarettes. Tents are everywhere now and yes I know that's all over but Barrie never had that. I live in the East end and there's a park right across from me that I used to go to just to relax and read a a newspaper but now it's ALL tents. I can't go through there. It would be nice if the City of Barrie would clean up some areas as well. I can't really compare it to other cities because I don't visit other cities alot. I'm glad you did this video. Hopefully it gets out to the city of Barrie.
@@johnmckale4659 thank you for watching and replying! I think most locals, myself included, have the exact thoughts. I am working on brining this forward, the tents downtown and open drug use are not okay
@@barrieliving YES! Please do! I mean, I'm no saint lol but I don't do drugs and even if I did use hardcore drugs I would never ever do it in open areas. Do that on your own time, in your own home OR if you don't have a home then do it in private somewhere else. Why do it in open areas in downtown where people walk and TRY to enjoy themselves and go to stores and restaurants and have to look out and see someone shooting up?! Yes, I'm going to be brutally honest about it because that's all I see when I'm trying to have a lunch or a dinner and look out and see a group doing things they should not be. And perhaps I should not call out a certain store but I feel I need to. Dollarama in downtown Barrie USED to be a decent store to go to but in the last 3 years I have not been able to go down there because of all the riff raff, the drug use and the thefts that continue to happen in that store. It has become a hang out there and it needs to STOP. And I really really hope that the mayor of Barrie see these comments on your page here because lets be honest, has he done anything to clean up the City of Barrie? Not a bit! What is being done? Our parks look like KOA campgrounds now because of the tents that have been put up. Kids can't go to the parks anymore without feeling uneasy about being there. @barrieliving I'm sorry for my rant here but I'm not saying anything that isn't the truth am I right? Love your videos and what you do to keep people informed. Keep up the good work and hey, if you need help with any more videos let me know and I'll be glad to help.
I lived in Barrie from 2001 till 2005 on Grove St East loved it while I was there. Now I live in Alberta so so much nicer place to live. Ont has gone to the birds I know this because I have family all over southern Ont.
Alberta is beautiful. How often do you visit family? I have large family in gta and surrounding areas so moving to another province or even Florida (which would be nice) is out of the question as I want to be part of my nieces and nephews lives as they grow up. But I do love Barrie. It’s changed since you’ve left but still a city I truly enjoy living in every day
Barrie does have a bus system/ public transportation in place. I'm confused about why you left that by the wayside 🤔. Downtown is horrible for businesses and mankind. Moving to Barrie? Check out the property taxes in advance. More than double Toronto property tax for so much less.
I’ll be making a future video on it. It’s not the best compared to other cities but improvements are being made with regards to public transportation. I disagree with you there, I think downtown is great and can be so much more - but it does need work and issues need solving that will take time. It’s not just Barrie dealing with said issues downtown, most cities are. Yes, property taxes are higher - but prices are also 15-30% cheaper. Long term the lower price but higher tax rate will be more beneficial
@@joywebster2678 Barrie is cheaper than the GTA overall with many added benefits - but it is a competitive rental and housing market due to it's location
Good video and good info overall. We've lived in the south end (Painswick area) for about eight years. I wonder why you glossed over Barrie's bus system? Maybe it's not as good as other cities, but we have been able to take the city bus to almost anywhere in the city we want to go. Otherwise, nice info.
Appreciate the comment! Honestly I’ve only used the bus system a handful of times. They have recently revamped it and I’ve heard good feedback. I will be going more in depth on my next video for that
Only 3.5 nightclubs? Pass. At this point, it's little more than a bedroom community for people who are crazy enough to commute to the GTA. Very little civic identity. :|
Barrie is not a big party city. There’s a lot more of that in Waterloo and Kitchener if that’s the lifestyle one is going for. Barrie is more catered to quieter living with outdoor lifestyle for its proximity to outdoor events and activities
I lived there for 10 years, the commute was killer by the time I moved back to Toronto, I can't imagine what it is like now. Most likely going to retire there as it is a beautiful city, and I would have no problem going downtown at night to eat or enjoy the nightlife.
We have a great Mayor that is taking steps to help the homeless and drug issue. Like other cities, in these times we have issues. I feel hopeful for the future here
I agree with this and it’s well said. I think Alex is a great mayor thus far and solving these issues will take time, and I am optimistic for what the future holds. Thank you for watching and commenting!
@@barrieliving I ve been talking with Alex about the homeless issue. The city of Barrie is lucky to have him. We will get there,but lots to do. He could lead by example to other Mayors
I actually didnt mind living there. I never had any problems walking around any area of the city any time of the day or night. I had nore problems finding landlords that allowed me to keep my pets than anything else. I found they were weirdly strict about that, which wouldnt nake much sense. Theyd all claim "allergies, so you cant have pets if you rent my apartment in my building" but then the next day youd run into them while theyre walking their dogs on the waterfront.
Yes Barrie is actually tougher for rentals. Most are not on mls and regulated or represented by agents, so it’s more verbal agreements - like asking for damage deposits or no pets whereas on the mls or with agents the law says otherwise
@@barrieliving funny thing is, whether the agreement is through an agent or direct with the owner, the deposits and pet rules set by the province still have to be observed, it's just a matter of deciding whether or not the hassle of dealing with the owners is worth it for what you're getting
Photo Radar? Nope, we're out! Photo Radar does absolutely nothing to improve safety as there are no Demerit Points and no insurance ramifications. The rich can afford to speed.
It’s a large city, soon to be large metropolitan area. Population and development are what come with that. If a smaller town and community is what someone wants, moving out of Barrie is the best option. Luckily you’ll probably be cashing out as housing prices are going to be worth more than in surprising small towns and communities
@@barrieliving Community Safety Survey: According to the survey, 48 per cent of respondents said they felt unsafe in downtown during the day. The survey also asked respondents to list their top five safety concerns related to the downtown, with substance abuse, disorderly conduct, panhandling, physical assault and gang activity topping that list.
@@ImaD-wp7mq I was going to type a long and in depth reply - but instead I'll make another video going more in depth for downtown Barrie, safety, and it's future. Do a walkthrough tour and ask people on the street as well how they feel about downtown
Very insightful and accurate information as a 6 year Barrie resident. Living in Innishore is great, and the quick access to the 400/Yonge makes commuting to the city a breeze.
I can’t speak to the employments and availability, but to the neighbourhoods, areas, and real estate prices. I’d recommend researching on job postings and calling company’s to build an idea of what your skills qualify you for with regards to employment
Barrie is privatized when it comes to rentals, landlords mostly work directly on finding tenants through facebook marketplace mainly, kijiji, and zumper.ca. If you shoot me an email, happy to give you a breakdown on what landlords are looking for and how you can put yourself in the best position to secure a place
There should be a camera on butternut dr speeding is always a problem crazy and there are a lot of children and schools here so put a camera here🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑
Born and raised. Nothing about it bothers me except when people complain about it. It's a conservative hotbed in a liberal province (military base nearby), so you hear a lot of intolerance...
I like your comment lol. I’ve lived in orillia, Oro Medonte, Toronto, Mississauga and Waterloo - and I love Barrie. Sure it’s got issues to work on - so does every city - but I think it’s amazing in comparison to other cities
