Thinking of moving?  If so, Mississauga might be the place for you. 

Hi, and welcome to Mississauga Living! Today we're going to be looking at the pros and cons of living in Mississauga Ontario. It's the home of Canada's biggest and busiest airport as well as being the home of KFCs Colonel Sanders, and it could be the location of your dream home.

Now, deciding where to move is never easy. Because of the costs and the time involved in moving, you want to make sure that it’s not a decision that you come to regret. It’s not only the house that needs to be a perfect fit for you, but also the location of the property and the surrounding areas. Because these impact our decision to move so greatly, we’ve taken the time to identify, not only the good things that can be found in Mississauga, Ontario, but also some of the less appealing things that you’re going to have to consider. 

Let's find out, starting with some of the pros.

First of all, it’s close to Toronto, coming in at just 32 minutes away according to Google maps. That means you’ll have access to everything that can be found in a major city and social hub like Toronto, without having to try and live in such a booming, constantly on the move location yourself.

And if you're looking to go further afield, the airport is nearby for easy traveling. This means that if you do have a job that requires you’re abroad a lot, you’re home won’t be an added drive once you return – and you won’t need to get up quite so early for your flight, because the airport is just a quick zip away from home.

Even if you aren’t a fan of traveling yourself, the close proximity to the airport, and to Toronto, means that visiting friends and family becomes a breeze! If you do have company come in, you can make a quick trip up to Toronto without having to waste all of your time on traveling! That’s right. No more long drives to be found. 

But what about the people? Well, there's a lot of diversity which makes for a great community. The people of Mississauga are incredibly welcoming, exhibiting that signature politeness and welcoming behavior that Canadians are known for.

Jobs opportunities are available everywhere and in every area, so whatever your dream, it’s likely that you'll find a stepping stone to it here, just like actors Shay Mitchell and model Winnie Harlow who were born and bred here.

That’s right. While you might not have realized it from a quick look through the city, Mississauga actually lays claim to two acting stars. It has all of the things that you’ll need to get a head start in your career.

Mississauga is close to the head offices and service departments of almost every company in Canada. Which means you’ll have plenty of nearby opportunities to help you get a head start on this NEW start of your life. When you make a move, you want to cover your bases when it comes to staying employed, and a move to Mississauga, Ontario makes that easier than ever.

The city is professionally run from this area. That's a serious advantage when it comes to the business world.

But what about your free time? Because let's face it, free time is more fun than work. You don’t want to get stuck somewhere that doesn’t have anything to do – otherwise, you’ll be stuck making that drive to Toronto every time that you want to get out of the house for a little while!

Luckily, Mississauga has plenty of things to do to help you relax after a busy day of work or school. It’s also easy to commute with QEW, 407, 403 and 401 where there are great community centres and libraries. Well, aside from the thrilling adventure activities, there are great food options. This is a fabulous place to be if you are a foodie, that's for sure. And they have a great selection of bars too. On top of this, it's fairly safe to walk home after that awesome night out.

Crime is low in Mississauga. Mississauga crime rates are 55% lower than the national average. In fact, Mississauga has been recognized as the safest city in Canada for 8 years in a row. That's definitely a pro. But let's have a closer look at the numbers and see why it's such a safe place to call home.

Violent crimes in Mississauga are 54% lower than the national average. That means it’s a fair bit safer than living in the nearby Toronto, which is great if you happen to be living alone, have young children in the family, or are just looking for some place where you can feel totally secure.

In Mississauga you have a 1 in 54 chance of becoming a victim of crime which is less that 2%. And this number is shrinking even lower. Year over year crime in Mississauga has decreased by 16%. 

Financially speaking, it has its perks too.

If you buy a house, you don't have to pay municipal land transfer tax, only the provincial land transfer tax, unlike Toronto. And remember, being just over half an hour away, you can make the most of everything Toronto has to offer, but without paying extra. So, why would you? Its a bargain. 

Parks and recreations overall are awesome, lakeshore and credit River provide lots of outdoor recreation spaces. The malls, especially Square 1, in Heartland has great shopping at the Dixie Outlet mall. 

That means you’re going to have plenty of options for shopping, even without making a big drive into another city. This is great if you just like to drop cash for fun, or if you happen to have teenagers in the house who will be needing some solid, safe, and nearby activities to do on the weekend. Is there anything better than a mall trip?

If you're looking to engage in some fun activities or want to make some new friends, the community centres, areas such as port credit, Camilla, and streetsville are quite nice. There's even more selection on food spots around the city east or west, celebration square.

There is decent access to the GO trains and buses. It's effective, affordable and great for the environment – which is also a perk of the area as it has many green spaces where you can get a little clear air in the wide city.

Streetsville and port credit are cool places to go no matter what you’re looking for, and if you happen to be a bigger fan of hitting the great outdoors for fun instead of going shopping, than look no further!

There is plenty of easy access to Lake Ontario for fishing, sailing, canoeing and even swimming because its such a lovely environment. Its perfect for solo or family entertainment, especially if the summer months when you need a place to cool off and chill out.

So far, we've talked about all the good points – or at least the ones we can think of off the top of our heads. But let's be real here, everywhere has its downsides, so in the name of full disclosure, we're going to look at some of the cons too.

Now, if you've already made up your mind, stick around, we have one cool fact to tell you after the cons.

The initial cost of homes here is more expensive, but that's in part due to the fact that there are so many perks around. The market has noticed that Mississauga has enough upsides close by, and is in close enough proximity to Toronto and the airport, to beef up the prices in the housing market. That means it’s going to be a touch more expensive to start a home in Mississauga than it would be in other parts of Ontario.

Traffic can be bad too, but what do you expect with such an infrastructure? Admittedly, that can be a royal pain. There's not much quite as irritating as sitting behind the same car in the same spot during a beautiful morning. Now, this doesn’t factor in if you happen to walk more than you take your car, but it’s not the only road based downside that’s around in Mississauga, Ontario.

Bus Transit too is slow, which is fine when you're happy to people watch but not opportune when you need to get to work and you don't enjoy a long commute time. Car insurance is also pretty high here. That factors back into the budgeting problem with the housing – if money is tight, you need to be aware of the fact that the prices in Mississauga are absolutely going to be higher than prices elsewhere, and it needs to be factored into the budget before you make a move.

And if you thought you could escape that issue by getting on your bike, we're afraid you're wrong. It is not the best city for cyclist. Honestly, traveling on foot is the best route if you're within walking distance. Now that might be great if you’re a health buff, or if you don’t plan on traveling beyond your own neighbourhood very often, but for those of you who can’t drive, or who will have to work on the opposite side of the city from where you live, you’re going to need to take the extended travel times into account.

On top of that, not much night life exists, except maybe Port Credit, streetsville or Square 1 area, but again, you'll get caught in traffic heading there. It's important to balance out whether the night or day is more your scene, because if its nightlife then this isn't the place for you. 

Sure, the food places will still be open, but there isn't too much in the way of clubs. Though some may see that as a perk in itself! 

Still, it’s worth looking into exactly how you like to spend your free time, and seeing if a more quiet nightlife is going to be the scene that you’re looking for. But even the idea of a quiet night has some downsides.

Remember how we said that the airport was close by? That is great for those of us who love to travel, but it has a definite downside to it, as well. Air traffic noise can be bothersome though if you are looking for a quiet night in. Could you grow used to that? It's something to consider. And the sound of air traffic is totally different than the sound of the highway. Maybe listen to a few videos of it before hand to see how you feel about it.

The final pitfall is the cost of taxes. They're never the most pleasant things, but even less so in Mississauga. They happen to have a bigger price hike in Mississauga than they do elsewhere… which once again brings up the fact that living on a tight budget in Mississauga, while not impossible, is absolutely going to take a bit more planning than it might elsewhere. Especially in winter months as the snow can be bitter.

We wouldn’t want to end on a bad note though because overall a home in Mississauga shouldn't leave a bitter taste in your mouth. It's a really wonderful place to be. We have to admit, it’s one of the more idyllic areas of Ontario, and even with those downsides, and the high prices, it’s still worth being on your list of prices to consider buying a home in.

So, here are a few more weird and wonderful facts about Mississauga. Remember to keep an open mind about things!

Japan and Mississauga have had a sister-city relationship since 1981 which is really rather unique. There is a beautiful Japanese park in Mississauga and a Mississauga park in Kariya in Japan.

And speaking of beauty, it's also home to a wonderful waterfall.

Randomly, the City of Mississauga was run by the oldest mayor in the world who was 93 years of age! Shout out to Mayor Hazel McCallion.

Finally, for the movie and TV lovers among us, Hannibal, Lost Girl, Nikita, Saving Hope, and Black Mirror were all filmed here!

That's all we have for today, we really hope it's been helpful for you in making your moving decision – or just allowed you to discover some interesting facts.