Thunder Bay: the vibe
Videos from people who went, played right here, with what viewers said underneath. Not part of the score.
The verdict
Mixed · 58Commenters who live or lived there are proud of its outdoors, Finnish heritage and food, but the crime and safety reputation and poverty are real, recurring worries.
- outdoor recreation
- Finnish heritage and food
- friendly locals
- nature and parks
- affordable good food
- hometown pride
- crime and murder reputation
- police transparency doubts
- poverty and drugs
- decline of industry jobs
- substandard housing
- northern isolation
- Crime fears feel overhyped by visitors but locals still see real violence.
- Former well-paid industrial jobs have vanished, leaving economic strain.
- Visitors often find downtown less scary than videos suggest.
- Residents are proud and defensive about their city's image.
- Strong outdoor scene makes it appealing for active, nature-loving remote workers.
Read from 8 videos, 40 comments and 0 posts on 2026-11-08; the summary is written by a language model and can misread sarcasm.
I Went to the Murder City of Canada — Thunder Bay! 🇨🇦
Chris Must List · 183K views · 2025
What viewers said
“That man on the scooter said this might be his last summer. That’s sad to hear.”
♥ 122 likes
“Two days ago an 85 year old was attacked with a hammer on Red River Rd . Thunder Bay is brutal.”
♥ 82 likes
“Something I’ve noticed is the police does not like to inform the public of all the murders and deaths here.”
♥ 272 likes
“Thunder Bay use to be the best working town in North America. Four paper mills. Saw mills. Half a dozen mines, grain elevators. Anyone could get a great paying job with a grade 10 education. Everyone owned a house and a cottage. All those i”
♥ 85 likes
“I believe we tolerate so much bad behaviour in this country. Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent. Unfortunately, if someone is unwilling to help themselves and ruins the lives of others, they must be put away somewhere. The gover”
♥ 54 likes
“Northern Ontario is a lot rougher than Southern Ontario. Way more poverty, crime, drugs, alcoholism, and social unrest up there than in the GTA/Golden Horseshoe”
♥ 92 likes
“49:08 “between me and you” .. and the other 591k people watching 😂😂”
♥ 5 likes
“Thunder Bay had only 5 murders this year, most of the homicides are committed by known associates and drug/alcohol related. Violent crime is more concerning. Winnipeg consistently leads Canada in homicides and robberies with 19 murders so f”
♥ 41 likes
“Omg that building. Roaches and bed bugs and living in so much fear. Can’t imagine having to live like this. I’m grateful for my beautiful home.”
♥ 5 likes
“I am a working musician and in the 80-90’s I used to tour through T Bay often. We always looked forward to coming there, usually for a week at a time, as it was a real party town. There were many good-paying jobs around and young people wen”
♥ 20 likes
Found with a YouTube search for the city and “digital nomad”, fetched 2026-11-08; titles, descriptions and comments belong to their authors and link to the originals.