ClumsyMonkey.net

Anyone from the Peterborough/Lakefield Ontario here?
If so, I would appreciate if you could tell details about the area (ie weather, stuff to do, so on...), as it is a possible moving area for me.
Thanks.

well josh and i are from peterborough, well he is i am from indian river which is just past peterborough

but hockey is huge in this area. But i would definetly avoid living in Lakefield if possible, it makes getting to peterborough a little harder.

The big thing around here is bars at night or hitting up galaxy theaters. Mostly our group of friends always just crashed at someones house and "hung out".

It really depends what you like to do though, because we do have a lot to do around here if you put your mind to it. But if your coming from somewhere like toronto, you most likely will be bored until you make some friends...

Any real questions though, thats a alittle broad

thanks for the response, if i did come, i'd be coming from the west coast of canada. so that's why i want to know bout weather and such, amenities, transportation etc.. like is it necessary for a car? or can you use public transit?

Peterborough Petes YEAH!

Are you coming for school? how old are you?

I live in Peterborough as I go to school at Trent. It's hard to tell you what to expect when I don't know much about you so some info would help.

i'm currently finishing school and will be working at a job if i do come to lakefield/peterborough ontario.

i'm just wondering: how's the transit system there? cause i won't be able to afford a vehicle....
how's the housing market/rent?
lots of stuff to do? movies, bars, clubs? outdoor activities?
general impression of town?
friendly people?

thanks.

J-Neli wrote:Are you coming for school? how old are you?

I live in Peterborough as I go to school at Trent. It's hard to tell you what to expect when I don't know much about you so some info would help.

I was going to apply to Trent but stopped myself. How is it?

My sis tells me that trent is amazing.

transit system

Coming from a slightly smaller town with an abysmal transit system I think the Peterborough system is very good. They run every half hour and there are stops with a block or 2 no matter where you are in Peterborough. The buses are not always consistent, and tend to run either ahead or behind especially during the winter. More information about the transit system (and peterborough) can be found at the City of Peterborough website.

housing market/rent?

There is quite a bit of student housing/rental housing within the city as most people in the city cannot afford to own a house. It's a very poor city, with more than half the people below the poverty line. if you live in the north part of town you will find a lot of rental houses as it is near the university. Really anywhere from downtown---> north you'll be able to find housing.

Currently I pay 375/month with heat and hydro. That is around normal, but it is suggested that if you can get heat and hydro worked into your rent, do it! Most houses in the city are old and cost a bundle to heat up and I've had friends who can barely turn on their heat due to the fear of massive heat bills.

stuff to do

Peterborough depends a lot on its university/college population for its nightlife. There are quite a few pubs/bars/clubs all with their own niche. Live music, dancing, cafe style...

Peterborough does get some good bands in town. Wayne Newton played there in September as well as Alice Cooper. Last year bands like Sloan, Pilate, Matt Good, Hot Hot Heat, and the Constantines to name a few played at small clubs, which is awesome if you like an intimate setting (who doesn't really?)

Hockey is huge in the city with the local OHL team, the Petes being the centrepiece. There are a few pick up leagues around and it's easy to get involved in that. Not to mention there is a canal that freezes over and makes for good skating/shinny.

There's a few theatres. One is your typical large new theatre and plays all the blockbusters and a few lesser knowns, and there is another theatre that only plays documentaries and indy films. Both are downtown (where almost everything is other than one long strip where are the restaurants/shopping centres are, which is still near by)

Also there is a large arts scene. 3 or 4 galleries and many groups that do a variety of artistic stuff like visual art, and dance. Peterborough is very socially conscious and there are many social groups for people to get involved in. Many of them are pretty socialist in nature but there are some less extreme groups (The extreme groups are ones that have started their own Peterborough currency, and do clothing exchanges...)


my thoughts on peterborough
I've been coming to Peterborough for hockey for the last 10 years and decided that since I knew the city so well I might as well go to school here. The town is a good city, with very little crime, and what crime does happen is usually in the public in no time and people look out for one another. I feel safe walking in the city no matter what time it is.

It's a very cold city though. My home town is 3 hours south of Peterborough, and I feel like I'm up north compared to back home. Summers are typical for southern Ontario, but the winters are brutal thank to the elevation (it's not like it's on a mountain by no means lol but it is one of the higher elevations in southern Ontario). It can reach has cold as -40celsius with the windchill which is nuts if you're not used to it.

The people are nice. Most of them are "lifers", and you'll find that the businesses are extremely friendly and its easy to get to know people. There are a lot of mulleted hicks around though lol.


If there's anything else I can add let me know.

Rusty wrote:My sis tells me that trent is amazing.

yeah i also heard that it's a nice looking campus in general. only reason i wanted to go there was so that i could snowboard more often in the winter haha.

kermit wrote:

J-Neli wrote:Are you coming for school? how old are you?

I live in Peterborough as I go to school at Trent. It's hard to tell you what to expect when I don't know much about you so some info would help.

I was going to apply to Trent but stopped myself. How is it?

Trent is a good school if you're looking for a small liberal arts school that is extremely laid back. It's one of the most stunning campuses I've ever been to, and it is incredibly easy to get involved in anything around school.

If I could do it over again I don't think I would pick Trent just because I'm going into the politics route instead of psych (Trent has one of the top psych departments around). It's a very socially conscious school, with protests, petitions and posters/signs/chalkings all over the school, but unfortunately because of that you get a lot of one sidedness as everyone is so left wing that it's tough to get unbiased opinions.

If you want a school that is posh don't go to Trent. Odds are if you come to class dressed in your newest duds, you'll be sitting beside some kid who just woke up and is still in pajamas and another kid whose entire ensemble cost him 2$ and a pack of matchsticks. It's incredibly laid back, and from what I've seen of other schools, it's not very typical.

You're making it sound pretty damn good, lol. Now I regret not applying, haha.

thanks J-Neli (jim??), lots of good info in that post - being early 20s i especially like that part with the arts/university/scene sounds cool...
but the deciding factor in moving may be the economics of the situation...

Jeez, Trent sounds like heaven to me!

Yeah I've heard a lot of good things about Trent. Nearly a quarter of all grads from my high school chose Trent as their post-secondary destination, and it's over an hour away from home, so it's not as if they chose it so they could commute.

Uh, Sinead, if that's your idea of heaven then maybe you should reconsider McGill
Usual class attire consists of trendy clothes, make up, big earrings, snazzy coat and boots.

since this is turning into a promotion of universities:

definitely would recommend

university of british columbia
university of victoria

both beautiful locations, though UBC is the higher quality one.

but back to lakefield/ontario....any golf courses? outdoor activities? trails and such, fishing?

The fishing is good on most of the lakes in Ontario. If you're willing to drive maybe... 45 minutes there's a slew of small lakes and rivers that are home to a huge variety of fish.

There are tons of trails in Peterborough. Some are paved for bikes and walking, others are trails in nature areas.

There are golf courses around but I've never played at any of them. Southern Ontario is a haven for golf courses though so there are plenty within a few hours drive including some PGA calibre courses.

happeningfish wrote:Uh, Sinead, if that's your idea of heaven then maybe you should reconsider McGill
Usual class attire consists of trendy clothes, make up, big earrings, snazzy coat and boots.

i second that, lol. if you want to go to Montreal, maybe Concordia or Bishop?