5 Reasons You May Not Love KW… Until I Convince You Otherwise

Written By Cheryl Goetz

We are going to do things a little differently with this blog post today. As much as it pains me, because I absolutely love this community, we are going to chat about some reasons why you may not like living in KW… 

Below I will be sharing 5 things you may not be crazy about in the KW region (and if you take the tiniest look at the rest of my content, I’ll tell you why that’s just not true)!

The Weather

If you are moving here from BC or perhaps a different country with a different climate, our swing in seasons might be a bit of a shock for you. We have 4 very distinct seasons in Kitchener-Waterloo with one seeing -40 degrees Celsius with a windchill and then on the other side of the year we can see +40 with humidity. While that isn’t a daily occurrence in winter and summer - it just goes to show how large of a transition we have from one time of the year to the next, meaning you’d really appreciate both a great working AC and a sprinkler to run through, plus an efficient furnace and shovel! I personally love the change, the excuse for a refresh and the variety of activities it offers that our community leans right into.

The Students

To say KW is a university town in an understatement considering we have two large universities and a college with two large campuses, plus each have smaller ones off of those for specialties. While it sounds like the students are sprinkled throughout, there are lots of areas where you never see them, so if you prefer to steer clear - just let your Realtor know!  A couple areas of Waterloo are definitely the most student centric, and Uptown is a common place for them to go out. This means when you are driving there are pedestrians to look out for (but nothing compared to if you were coming from a city like Toronto) and if you want to go out dancing let's say, you will likely be doing it alongside 20 year olds living their best life! However, when my group of friends ‘go out’ it's usually to a dinner with great cocktails and by no means do we feel like grandparents - Uptown Waterloo has done an amazing job catering to people of all ages and interests! One bonus of having the students is how vibrant and fresh our area remains - new businesses and fresh ideas are always popping up and it’s super fun especially when they are run by alumni.

The Roads

While we do have public transit and a brand new LRT system, most people still need a car, and I’ll be honest with you, you are going to need GPS & a depending on your commute times, a good podcast. Most cities are on a grid system so getting around is somewhat logical. However, our neck of the woods goes here, there and everywhere. I heard once that our roads were designed to follow the horse trails that used to be a major mode of transportation in our community. One great example of this is our King and Weber Street. You would think they would run parallel as our major connectors, and while they do for a little while, they also intersect, turn into one another and sometimes just drop off out of nowhere. Regarding the podcast; our city grew really fast and although we expanded some highways, there are still bottle necks that happen in certain places at certain times. If you hate traffic (and I say traffic lightly because if you are coming from a major city, you won’t see this as traffic) and have to leave your home for work - make sure you let your Reatlor know so they can place you accordingly because there are absolutely ways to avoid it!

The Prices

Now, if you are thinking about moving to KW then you definitely have housing prices on your mind. In recent years the prices in KW have increased quite a bit due to low supply and high demand. These days the average price of a home ranges from $490,000 to $850,000 across all home styles and our whole region. While this is significantly lower than some areas, it is higher than some other areas in Ontario, such as North Bay, where you can get detached homes in the $300,000s. 

The Homelessness

Something that is sadly a growing problem in many cities these days is homelessness. Kitchener-Waterloo is not immune to this issue. While there are a few hubs within the city that are heavily saturated with the homeless population, our region has worked really hard to create a designated area to help these individuals. There are talks that in 2024 a second encampment may be developed to continue to alleviate the issue. Many areas of KW are blind to this harsh reality while others see it and feel it on a regular basis. Your Reatlor should be sharing this knowledge during your house hunt, but if they aren’t and it is something that affects your decision on where to live, make sure you mention it.

The Amenities

Okay, now let’s talk about this last issue.... Some people say that KW is boring and to those people I say - you are living under a rock and I can change your mind!! 😉

In Region of Waterloo, I swear there is a club for everyone. There are events every weekend, we have a variety of amazing restaurants and although we do not have much brand name luxury shopping, we have some very amazing locally owned and intentionally curated shopping experiences! There are cool art installations, interesting museums and a variety of festivals always going on! I have a video on how I stay in the loop with what is going on in the region, but our At Home Co instagram page is jam-packed with amazing suggestions of things we love to do in Kitchener-Waterloo! If you are one the the few people who think KW is boring, I here-by make it my mission to convince you otherwise! Seriously, KW is an amazing place to call HOME! And if you think there is something missing, a club or group you think having would make you feel more at home here, PLEASE reach out to me! I would love nothing more than to help you start whatever you have on your mind! 

Need more convincing?
Head to our instagram page @at.home.co to get weekly suggestions for things to do in the KW and surrounding area that will absolutely help you love this community! 

You can also visit these links for even more suggestions! 

Let the At Home Co. team help you fall in love with KW by taking the stress out of finding the perfect neighbourhood for you! Fill out our Buyer Survey and we will send you our top recommendations for where we think you will be the happiest! 

Cheryl Goetz
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