Living in Barrie
Special guest, Natalie tells us below all about living in Barrie.
What you should know about living in Barrie
Flash back July 1st, 1992 at Molson Park, Barrie. I was 16 years old and attending my first of many music festivals at Molson Park. The Tragically Hip were one of the headliners on this day that we specifically were coming to see. My girlfriends and I drove from Mt. Pleasant (near Brantford) all those years ago and it seemed to be the longest drive in the world. Cottage traffic and concert goer traffic combined still to this day makes people that live in Toronto, GTA or anywhere south have a misconception that Barrie is a million miles away. The legendary Molson Park had its last concert in the Summer of 2005 and it was sold to make way for big box stores. What we all know now as Park Place and the commercial development that continues behind the retail stores.
Barrie has grown exponentially over the last 25 years. In 1992 the population was around 64,000. Today…141,434. The growth of the city can be explained by the demand for housing north of Toronto. Price of property has been more affordable and available for commercial businesses to move here as well. If you live or have visited, there is still a small town feel with a lot of modern conveniences that a larger city has to offer. The downtown area offers a selection of privately owned business that continue to thrive despite the big retail businesses moving in.
Check out Erin Corcoran’s Simcoe County Shop Local clips here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmCsbCtgnoOM4m2GaWHrrXQ
We chose Barrie to settle with our kids for a number of reasons, not because Molson Park closed. You may be familiar with Burl’s Creek that is just north of the city in Oro Medonte. This had replace Molson Park as the new music festival venue quite successfully. Also, not because the cottage traffic and concert goer traffic seems to get worse every year…lol…ps…avoid the 400 highway North on Fridays and 400 South on Sundays in the summertime!
We moved here in 2013, bought a house in 2014 as it was what we could afford based on our wish list of wants and needs. We fell in love with the city for its waterfront and its growing communities. There is always something and a variety going on in and around the city. Only an hour north of Toronto, 45 minutes from Pearson International Airport, 30 minutes from Canada’s Wonderland (SW area anyways).
Statistically, Barrie is a close second to Quebec City for having the lowest crime rate in all of Canada. Plans to improve our Downtown area are underway. The bus station will be converted into a market place for shops and restaurants…very exciting. The waterfront is being turn upside down at the moment as there is a lot of development to make it better to absorb the population growth and visitors to Barrie.
We love Barrie for a number of reasons. We do have extreme weather and pretty much guarantee that we’ll have a white Christmas every year. The city keeps moving no matter what and it is apparent where our property taxes are being utilized (i.e. snow management, road works, etc). Check out barrie.ca for any information you need on the city from activities to public announcements.
My top ten ‘Need to Know’ list:
1. Free parking in designated waterfront area if you are a Barrie resident and have a permit. Contact the City of Barrie of you haven’t received in your water bill. Free parking after 6pm weekdays and on weekends downtown.
2. There are 3 Community Centres with ice rinks, swimming pools and gymnasiums. Fees are less if you are a resident.
3. Two cinemas - one in the North end and one in the South end.
4. Summertime free events on Waterfront & other areas in the city. Look out for these on barrie.ca or #mybarrie
5. Just a short drive away from ski hills, snow tubing & snow shoe trails. Snow Valley, Horseshoe Valley, Mt. Saint Louis Moonstone and Blue Mountain.
6. Farmer’s Market downtown on Saturdays from 8am-12pm.
7. The city is divided into 10 zones and there is a city rep (mp) designated to each zone. Zones also determine things like curb-side collection and bus routes.
8. GO trains go to Toronto and back 4 x per day. There is a regular bus service as well. Trains will become more regular as the demand increases from Barrie. Premier Wynn has announced that there will be a direct train from Aurora to downtown Toronto in a few years time.
9. There are two main strips beyond Dunlop Street downtown. They are Mapleview Drive (South end) and Bayfield Street (North end)
10. Two Public library locations…Downtown and Painswick with lots of on-going activities.
We would love to hear if you have anything to add to the list above! Be sure to follow local community pages on Facebook for more information on what is going on in your area!
Until next time!
N xo
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