When I lived in a communal house here in Toronto, we would sometimes put roommate wanted ads up on craigslist. People from Europe would email all the time, inquiring about our place. I would send them a nice message saying that we had to meet everyone who lived with us first, before they moved in.
OP, you will have much better luck just going there, and looking for a place once you are there. Put your stuff in storage, take a minimal amount, and just go! You can always get your stuff shipped if you want it so badly. Very few people want to rent to someone they haven't met. Stay in a hotel/hostel for a week, look around, focus all your energy on finding a good place, go to lots of meet n greets etc. and FOR SURE you will find somewhere to live.