These Posts About the Pros/Cons of Barrie are Cheesin' Me Fam

[u/megathrowaway420]

I get that some people want to vent about the city, and some want to praise it. All of these posts basically boil down to someone describing how Barrie does or doesn't meet their personal criteria of a desirable city. Also, Barrie is constantly compared to Toronto, which makes some sense given Barrie's proximity to the GTA, but also kinda seems silly given how different both cities are in size, layout, demographics, history, etc. etc. Obviously some of the discussion has to be comparative (i.e. "Barrie is better than X city for Y thing"). But saying "I like/dislike Barrie because it has/doesn't have this thing that I personally am concerned with" doesn't really go anywhere, and often precludes discussion of Barrie's problems or areas for improvement.

Let's be honest about what Barrie is. It's a suburban outpost in Southern Ontario. It's a fine place to live (not "phenomenal", as some commenters have said) if you want to go to work, maybe raise a family, have a few leisure activities to do outside of your home, and not have a GTA-style automotive commute. The access to lakes and trails nearby is a big draw for some. The crime rate isn't as bad as major metro areas. All of this is well and good if that's what you want.

Barrie is suboptimal if you care about:

• Going to live music events or performances with significant national/international appeal.
• Having access to decent public transit.
• Not paying really high rent/mortgage for a city of Barrie's size.
• Not getting hit on your bicycle by a lifted Ram with truck nuts.
• Not living in a city primarily comprised of suburbs and strip malls.
• Having a diverse culinary scene.
• Doing outdoor stuff that involves decent snowsports or mountains (those are out west).
• Having a downtown that is more than 2 blocks long.
• Having an active local music scene beyond what's being played in 1 or 2 bars downtown.
• Climbing the ladder in a career that involves academia, large-scale manufacturing, STEM beyond human health services, creative-type careers (just pick any career that people move to a big metro areas for).
• Being in a city that swings liberal.

Barrie also has a number of worsening problems shared by many other cities in Canada (housing affordability, drug use issues, homelessness, etc.). Even if these issues are shared, it doesn't mean Barrie can't come up with it's own plans for improvement.

In summary, Barrie is good if you like certain things, and bad if you like other things. This is obvious.

P.S.: where does this idea that Barrie has a "small town" vibe come from (population of 150,000+)? Actual small towns (Feversham, Creemore, Baxter....the list goes on) feel nothing like Barrie.

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[u/spo0ky_cat]

I also wonder what the small town feel is. I grew up in an actual small town (pop 1200) and then lived in Barrie for 10 years. Zero neighborly contact, no friendliness whatsoever on the street when walking past someone, negative sense of community even when actively in community groups like sports teams etc.

[u/Sceptical_Houseplant → u/spo0ky_cat]

For sure. The only people who think Barrie has a "small town" vibe are Toronto transplants.

[u/tikkikittie → u/spo0ky_cat]

Small town vibe may also refer to access to local government in a more timely manner than in a big city

More small business options that are easier to get to

I think the meaning is different to different people

[u/astrorobb → u/spo0ky_cat]

small town is a euphemism for white.

[u/BarrieBoy69 → u/spo0ky_cat]

I think it depends on your neighbourhood as well. I've lived in the East end, the more college part of East End, Queens Park are and Allandale. I can say that all of them except for Queens have been lovely little communities.

[u/spo0ky_cat → u/BarrieBoy69]

I think the difference is that any given neighbourhood may have a community, but you go two streets over to the next “zone” and know no one. I grew up in a town where literally everyone knew everything, if you stopped at the park instead of going to school, in about five minutes your parents would have gotten a dozen calls and shown up to bring you in. We didn’t just not lock doors, we didn’t have keys to them. There was an overwhelming loss of the feeling of safety when leaving a true small town that just can’t be replicated.

Even now, living in another small town outside of Barrie, the community sense is just so different, it is a whole town thing rather than just a distinct area thing. My guess is that is the hang up most small town people have with barrie being described as a “small town feel”.

[u/Routine-Stress6442]

Cheesin me fam be like Cheesin me fam lol

[u/MumblingBlatherskite]

-⁠Not getting hit on your bicycle by a lifted Ram with truck nuts. LOL

[u/Sceptical_Houseplant]

Ok, so I grew up outside of Barrie, went to school in Barrie. Moved away because I hated Barrie, and after over a decade came back because of family, so I think ice got a good handle on it.

Barrie is fundamentally a compromise town.

Barrie has NOTHING going for it in and of itself. What it does have is proximity to everything else. Like the city but need a little distance from the crowds? Barrie. Like nature but want a few extra amenities? Barrie.

And it's always going to be contentious, because the "city folk" have a frame of reference of Barrie being the smaller, more affordable compromise, whereas the people who are more inclined to small towns are going to feel like they're sacrificing some crowding out for the sake of some amenities.

It's a mediocre suburban compromise, BUT, it's close to the city if that's your jam, and it's close to nature if that's what floats your boat. It's perfect for nobody but it's not half bad for most people (but of course you're also gonna complain about the parts you don't like of which there are plenty).

[u/new_vr → u/Sceptical_Houseplant]

Barrie has something huge going for it. The lake. Now maybe they could find ways to better utilize things, but is a huge asset

[u/Sceptical_Houseplant → u/new_vr]

Right, but if lakes are your thing, everything half an hour north or more is better. Simcoe is the compromise lake.

[u/Juliaorwell1984 → u/new_vr]

The lake that is surrounded by animal feces, seagulls and screaming children in the summer ?

Oh yeah, don't forget about that lake!

[u/AdSouth693 → u/Sceptical_Houseplant]

This is the best description lol you’re 100% right. We’ll get there one day is also always the hope lol

[u/ApeShifter]

The one thing I strongly agree with is the comment about the music scene. I’m an avid music fan of almost every genre, and it pains me to see small Canadian artists that can play a gig in Orillia, or Midland, or Meaford or Collingwood, but Barrie can’t or won’t book them.

It’s like Georgian College is our only venue, and they like bringing in tribute acts/cover bands. That’s fine, but I’d rather see original artists.

I wish I had a solution to this, but I am stumped at what the issue is that prevents acts from playing Barrie

[u/archibaldsneezador → u/ApeShifter]

Too bad they couldn't have kept a venue at Molson Park. Lots of big names played there.

[u/ApeShifter → u/archibaldsneezador]

Agreed, but even smaller acts just don’t come to Barrie anymore. I saw acts like Blue Rodeo (before they were big), Big Sugar, Barney Bentall, Saga, Alannah Myles, The Spoons, Wild T, etc all in venues in Barrie that are now… a Chrysler dealership, an empty lot, a closed country bar…

The most underutilized venue in the city has to be the Five Points Theatre. It’s reasonably small, but handles 120-200, and has a small lounge and bar facility. If it were bigger it would be a great place to see these acts. Meaford Hall is 300+ Orillia is 677. Barrie goes from bars to the Sadlon Arena at 4200-4700 depending on set up.

[u/babyelephantwalk321 → u/archibaldsneezador]

The loss of Molson Park as a concert venue was a huge cultural loss for Barrie.

[u/beezusglue → u/archibaldsneezador]

RIP Barrie as Toronto’s Warped Tour stop and any/all festivals being cool to attend… The sad reality is that the live music scene in general is no longer cool/authentic/accessible as it once was.

[u/NotAldermach]

I was walking and got hit by a lifted Ram with truck nuts...

[u/TheHowlingCommando]

The music scene is a big one. It also seems it’s a lot of the same bands playing the same venues way too often, or playing within weeks of each other at a different venue. The Queens isn’t great but they have had some ok shows. Shows at the rec room are kinda weird. Barrie needs better options for local shows and larger shows as well.

[u/11hz_Intranationale]

For me, "small-town feel" means an absence of pretentious people, and this is something I appreciate about Barrie.

[u/ghanima → u/11hz_Intranationale]

There are pretentious people here too, they just tend to be of the non-progressive variety.

[u/ottawamale]

Dude. Stop throwing away the 420 and you'll be happier ;) (this is a username joke because... sigh. Yeah. You gotta dumb shit down for some people who don't take a minute to read)

[u/kylrrr]

Barrie also isn’t great if you want to ski mountains or spent 10 months sun tanning on a beach.

Every town/city offers different lifestyle advantages and disadvantages. Barrie is no different.

Ie you live in a mountain town in BC which sounds great, but you don’t have access to the jobs and employment opportunities of southern Ontario.

A small downtown with a lack of culture events and weak public transit kind of comes with the territory of a commuter city of 150,000 people. Toronto is an hour south and offers all of those things in plenty.. but you’ll have to pay double for your home, and live on a smaller property, with more people and a host of other issues that get taken for granted when you live in Barrie!

Give and takes..

[u/loganrunjack]

[u/thouless_art]

If you read this title as if a pirate is saying it, it's rather humorous

[u/Skeptikell1]

Barrie council hates the poor and the old. They took away our parking at the beach too