5 lessons I learned the hard way as an Ontarian who moved to small-town Prince Edward Island, Life in canada

Charlottetown is the centre of everything

A lot of life on the island naturally revolves around Charlottetown. Unless you live there, most things — restaurants, gyms, shopping, general variety — are concentrated in the city.

I was living with my parents in Pleasant Grove, just outside Charlottetown, and even that meant at least a 20-minute drive just to get groceries or go to the gym. It sounds small on paper, but in real life, it adds up quickly when that becomes your default for basic things.

For a brief period, I lived in North Rustico, and outside of a small local grocery store and a few shops (many of which were closed in the winter), most things still required a 40-minute drive into Charlottetown. Trips into “town” became something I had to plan for, not something I just did casually.

Before I found a local boutique gym, I was even driving 40 minutes each way to go to GoodLife. It really made me realize how centralized everything is around the city.

Outside of Charlottetown, life is quieter and more limited in terms of options. Not necessarily better or worse, but it’s something you feel pretty quickly, especially if you’re used to having more choice.

Distances are longer than they look

The island looks small on a map, but it doesn’t feel small when you’re actually living there.

What looks like a quick drive — Montague, Summerside, Basin Head, even just getting from one side of the island to another — takes time. Hours. Coming from Ontario, I think there’s this assumption that everything is a quick jaunt away. It’s not.

Even small plans require intention. You don’t just “pop out” to do things. You plan for them, you factor in the drive (and, of course, the weather), and you decide whether it’s worth going.

And that shifts how you move through your life. Things that used to feel spontaneous now feel more deliberate. It’s not always a bad thing, it just changes how you plan your time.

The Maritimes are more connected than I expected

Before moving, I think I saw PEI as its own little world. But in reality, the Maritimes are incredibly connected, and it’s very normal to leave the island for things.

Whether it’s medical appointments, bigger shopping trips (like a Costco run), or just wanting more options, people regularly go to places like Moncton or even Halifax.

A trip to Moncton is about two hours each way, so it’s not something you usually do on a whim, but also not out of the ordinary if you need something you can’t get on the island.

There’s not a ton of single people (at least, not in the way I was used to)

I mean, there are single people in PEI. But the majority of people my age I met were already married with kids.

When I briefly joined Bumble, most of my matches weren’t even on the island. They were in nearby New Brunswick or Nova Scotia, and “nearby” suddenly meant a few hours’ drive, which felt ambitious for a first date.

Then there’s the type of lifestyle. A lot of the single men I came across worked with their hands: fishermen, farmers, trades. Not a bad thing at all, but it comes with a certain rhythm of life, and I wasn’t sure it was one I saw myself in.

But the biggest shift was the overlap. The pool is smaller, and everyone is connected in some way. People know each other. They know of each other. It made dating feel more visible, more exposed, like my business wouldn’t really stay mine for long.

It wasn’t impossible to date there. Just different. Even though dating is hard everywhere, it felt more difficult than I expected.

Friendships take longer to make

People are less transient here. Many Islanders are Islanders for life, and because they’re so family-oriented, they either keep to themselves — meaning their families — or stay within the circle of people they grew up with and already know.

People who aren’t Islanders are often referred to as “from away,” and there is a distinction there among many (not all) Islanders. It’s not always said directly, but it exists socially in subtle ways.

The friends I eventually made were not originally from PEI either—they had moved there from other provinces as I did, or they were Islanders who had spent time outside the province.

It made me realize that friendships here don’t really happen quickly. They take time, repetition, and familiarity. That doesn’t mean people aren’t friendly (they are) but relationships tend to build more slowly.