Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > World Forums > Canada
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-03-2024, 02:06 PM
 
1,230 posts, read 988,568 times
Reputation: 376

Advertisements

What city or small community in Canada has a more typical US low density suburb feel you find in the south or midwest US.

I mean typical US low density suburb feel. Yes of typical nothing but homes and city big streets. A low density suburb feel.

https://ibb.co/KwBvtZH

https://ibb.co/D9tNsZN

https://ibb.co/4PjP49B

https://ibb.co/7YpYFM4

At one time I would say Vaughan, Markham or Richmond hill but there is lot more traffic now and lot of high rise condos popping up now.

London Ontario has way too many high rise residential and the density in Brampton is too high now and Mississauga does not feel like a suburb at all.

Toronto is more like New York and the density in Vancouver is very very high and lots of high rise residential.

I hear Calgary or Edmonton is closer with most of the high rise apartments and high rise condos in the down town area and low density sprawl out of the down town area.

I hear waterloo and Kitchener has a number of high rise apartments and high rise condos and also some dense areas.

Hamilton has number of high rise apartments and dense areas.

May be Barrie or Windsor? May be Winnipeg or Brandon?

If there is no city really like that what city or small community is the closest to it?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-03-2024, 02:08 PM
 
1,216 posts, read 488,905 times
Reputation: 760
I would say prairie cities. They are very similar to cities in the upper mid west.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-05-2024, 09:46 AM
 
1,230 posts, read 988,568 times
Reputation: 376
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luisito80 View Post
I would say prairie cities. They are very similar to cities in the upper mid west.
How is it in Victoria or Chillwack? I hear places like Surrey, Richmond and Burnaby has higher density and more high rise residential than Toronto suburbs.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-05-2024, 10:22 AM
pdw
 
Location: Ontario, Canada
2,674 posts, read 3,090,748 times
Reputation: 1820
The Greater Toronto Area you’ll see more condo complexes in the immediate suburbs like Vaughan, Mississauga, Markham, etc than you might see in say, Cleveland or Detroit suburbs but the population density is still pretty low. Places like France and Italy have suburban areas with 7000-10000/sqkm. Toronto suburbia is closer to 2500-4000, maybe 5000 in the densest areas. When you compare to areas like the Bay Area or Long Island, we’re actually somewhat behind.
To answer your question, I think Edmonton is probably the most sprawling. Alberta cities are surrounded by wheat fields in all directions that allow it to grow outwards rapidly without having the bottlenecking that Ontario and BC suffer from.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-05-2024, 02:44 PM
 
Location: Canada
4,865 posts, read 10,520,966 times
Reputation: 5504
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubble99 View Post
How is it in Victoria or Chillwack? I hear places like Surrey, Richmond and Burnaby has higher density and more high rise residential than Toronto suburbs.
Victoria is quite dense in the city itself, real estate is expensive in BC so even the suburbs there can be quite compact even if not highrise. Definitely not a sprawling city. Chilliwack has some legacy low density housing, but it is still lower mainland of BC, people can't really afford universally low density housing there.

What you are looking for is more in small town BC, places like Courtney-Comox.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-05-2024, 04:41 PM
 
Location: Vancouver
18,504 posts, read 15,536,880 times
Reputation: 11937
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubble99 View Post
What city or small community in Canada has a more typical US low density suburb feel you find in the south or midwest US.

I mean typical US low density suburb feel. Yes of typical nothing but homes and city big streets. A low density suburb feel.

https://ibb.co/KwBvtZH

https://ibb.co/D9tNsZN

https://ibb.co/4PjP49B

https://ibb.co/7YpYFM4

At one time I would say Vaughan, Markham or Richmond hill but there is lot more traffic now and lot of high rise condos popping up now.

London Ontario has way too many high rise residential and the density in Brampton is too high now and Mississauga does not feel like a suburb at all.

Toronto is more like New York and the density in Vancouver is very very high and lots of high rise residential.

I hear Calgary or Edmonton is closer with most of the high rise apartments and high rise condos in the down town area and low density sprawl out of the down town area.

I hear waterloo and Kitchener has a number of high rise apartments and high rise condos and also some dense areas.

Hamilton has number of high rise apartments and dense areas.

May be Barrie or Windsor? May be Winnipeg or Brandon?

If there is no city really like that what city or small community is the closest to it?
The photos you provided don't seem super low density, but look like many other suburbs in Canada. Vancouver's included.

The majority of high-rises are on the downtown peninsula, the others are clusters around Skytrain Stations, surround by single family homes. The density in the suburbs is mostly these clusters. Vancouver is more than it's downtown.

Someone, don't remember who, stated that lots tend to be bigger in the southern US, than comparable suburbs in most of Canada. That may be where the main difference is?

When I think of the cliche southern US suburb...big lawns, large plots, not track housing as some of your photos seem to show. So I'm a bit confused as to what you are asking, since by your photos, I see the same in Canadian cities.

My cliche idea of what a southern US suburb looks like, exists within Vancouver's city limits., just a 5 minute drive over The Granville Street Bridge. Mind you, this is a very expensive neighbourhood, but I think a lot of people don't realize that most of Vancouver, is SFH ( although that is changing in areas ) and has many quiet tree lined streets.

The expensive one, 5 mintes from downtown. Shaughnessy.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wKv4FakQR8

Less expensive than above, but still pricey, and a 20 minute drive from downtown.
Was a solid middle-class neighbourhood when I grew up, still so in ways, except housing costs Kerrisdale.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL_6rB42_1I

A litter further down the ladder, but still mostly SFH Dunbar


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dcH74I_9cw

There are many other neighbourhoods, but the SFH gets denser the further eastward you go, so not really what I'd call suburban feeling.

Last edited by Natnasci; 03-05-2024 at 05:41 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-05-2024, 06:00 PM
 
1,230 posts, read 988,568 times
Reputation: 376
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIMBAM View Post
Victoria is quite dense in the city itself, real estate is expensive in BC so even the suburbs there can be quite compact even if not highrise. Definitely not a sprawling city. Chilliwack has some legacy low density housing, but it is still lower mainland of BC, people can't really afford universally low density housing there.

What you are looking for is more in small town BC, places like Courtney-Comox.
I think at one time Vaughan, Markham or Richmond hill was big on sprawl and every thing is really spread out it well kinda feels more like a country suburb sprawl but as of late there is a lot of high rise condos and high rise apartments popping up and lots of traffic now.

Looking at Google earth Victoria seems better than Brampton, Vaughan, Markham or Richmond hill. There are some high rise apartments and high rise condos in Victoria here and there but less than those cities. Well Brampton or Vaughan, Markham or Richmond hill just not suburb like now with all those high rise residential and traffic.

Not sure about Surrey, Richmond and Burnaby but Vancouver has more in common with Honolulu as the high rise apartments and high rise condos is massive in Vancouver. And Toronto more in common with Chicago.

Anyone living in Vancouver you know it not a city close to the south or midwest US the same with Brampton. And one time if you stay in Brampton in the north of Williams parkway road it kinda feel like a suburb in south or midwest US but there are new high rise projects in the works in north west in of Brampton now and homes north of Bovaird drive the houses are very close to gather.

Mississauga has high rise apartments and high rise condos all over the city unlike Brampton and lots of it. But there are new projects in the works in the north west end of Brampton now and the houses north of Bovaird drive the houses are very close to gather.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-05-2024, 08:24 PM
pdw
 
Location: Ontario, Canada
2,674 posts, read 3,090,748 times
Reputation: 1820
I gather it’s important for you to be close to the city centre but also have a low density environment. I think Victoria does sound like a good fit for you since it’s a smaller city, with around 400k people in the metro. A lot of retirees have moved to Victoria from Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary for the much smaller snow accumulation and compact city with good amenities. You shouldn’t have a hard time finding low traffic areas close to the city, it will be expensive real estate though as long as you’re prepared for that. If not, you might like Edmonton. Lots of affordable suburban areas there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-05-2024, 09:11 PM
 
Location: Canada
14,735 posts, read 15,011,327 times
Reputation: 34866
Richmond BC has some high rises, it doesn't have many high rise buildings. Part of the reason is because Richmond is composed of many, many flat silty islands (see link below for the list of islands) that are no more than 3 - 9 feet above sea level. All of them are subject to soil liquefaction and everything sinking and disappearing 200 feet below sea level in the event of a big earth quake. Tremors and earth quakes are common in this south west region of the province. Any actual bedrock beneath the islands is over 200 feet below sea level. So a lot of high rises would not be practical or safe. There is not a question of if there will ever be a big earth quake, it's a question of when there will be a big earth quake. We all know "The Big One" is destined to happen some day and it will effect the entire Vancouver Metro and Lower Mainland Region and all of the cities found therein.

https://richmondarchives.ca/category...0the%20surface

.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-06-2024, 02:19 AM
 
Location: Alberta, Canada
3,624 posts, read 3,405,054 times
Reputation: 5555
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoisite View Post
Richmond BC has some high rises, it doesn't have many high rise buildings.
That struck me about Richmond. I was there many times on business; stayed in the same hotel each time (it was six storeys or so), attended at the same office (one storey building), and pretty much everywhere in Richmond was like that. Nothing was tall; not like downtown Vancouver.

I'm unsure what the OP means by "a more typical US low suburban density feel," but I'd suggest that he might find it in smaller Canadian cities. Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Regina, Brandon, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie ... they all have nice homes on big lots, and often reasonably-priced. At least, in comparison for the same thing in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, and other big Canadian cities. Maybe such smaller cities are what the OP is asking about, but they might fit his or her criteria.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > World Forums > Canada
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top