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this thread almost makes me feel sorry for Toronto....considering how its cheerleaders have already catapulted it ahead of Chicago....and that's before the recent oil/commodity crash...not to mention the inevitable housing crash in Toronto.
The big question for Toronto is once things get rough there, how many international folks will bail. That's not a risk for Philly and Boston.
I honestly believe that many Torontonians want to be really cool. It's why they measure themselves up against other cities at every level. They want to constantly show how they are better than [insert city here]. Little do they know that their fanboyism is off-putting and actually shows desperation. Cool and thriving cities don't need cheerleaders. They are cool, everybody knows they are cool and that's that. Yet if you go into the Toronto thread, it's all threads seeking self-affirmation ("This random guy says we're #1. Do you agree?" "This C-list magazine says we're the best place in the world. Is this super true or super duper true?" "Can you think of other metrics that I can use in arguments to show how #1 Toronto is?").
You don't see Chicagoans self-promoting. They honestly do.not.care what others think. People in San Francisco already know their city is fantastic. They don't need to show off. The people of Boston, the richest in North America, rarely open up threads to tout their wealth (Boston vs. Stockton - Where Would You Live?). Even people from Montreal, one of the hippest and trendiest cities in North America, do not have groupies around to talk highly of it. Yet Torontonians continue the aggressive behavior, belittling anyone who points out that Toronto is not #1 at everything, with their "lols" and their "put down". Sorry guys, real life is not an episode of Degrassi.
^ Get real, every major city has local cheerleaders or boosters and every city has local detractors and people who are insecure about how others perceive their city, to think that Toronto is the only city where people think this way is pure nonsense.
Every city has people who want others to think of it as cool place to live, take a look around all the city forums on this website and see for yourself, this is not a Toronto specific phenomenon. Montreal, SF, NYC, Chicago all have people who seek approval from others -- no place is just "knows" it's cool -- they all have people with wildly varying opinions as to how they city ranks on the "cool scale" or whatever.
Stop obsessing over Toronto, just because it's a rapidly growing and ascending city on the world stage doesn't mean you have to feel threatened by it.
Philly and Boston were two of NA's preeminent cities long before Toronto was anything but a small insignificant town. Now Toronto has become the alpha city of a large and important country, mainly at the expense of Montreal, and almost certainly it will grow bigger than both Philly and Boston. However, Philly and Boston are both growing and major cities in the worlds biggest economy. It's hard to say with any certainty which of the three has a brighter future because all are likely to be prominent cities for a long time to come. Montreal is doing well, too. Toronto and Boston are already well recognized world cities and Philly has the substance to reach that level as well.
Growth: Toronto - TO has the most aggressive pro growth policies of the three cities. Toronto also being the alpha city of Canada has less competition when it comes to where immigrants and transplants land when looking to settle.
Economy: Boston - Along with having a very diverse economy the main pillars of the Boston economy are Life Sciences, Healthcare, High Tech and Education. Many of those are not only recession resistant but also high growth when looking into how the future economy will be structured. Boston already being the Life Science and Healthcare capitol of the world is poised to explode into the Life Science version of Silicon Valley in the very near future. For reference the Boston area secures more Venture Capitol funding than the entire nation of Canada. Add to that the fact that its higher learning institutions attract the best and brightest in the world, many of which stay in the area to continue or start their careers.
Movies: Toronto - TO is already known as Hollywood North and hosts on the most prestigious film festivals in the world. Now that the CDN dollar has hit a recent low, directors will once again look to Toronto as a inexpensive location to film. Plus the area already has a well established production infrastructure in place.
Fame: Draw - None of these cities are traditionally what you would identify as "famous". I think within certain circles each of them registers more than others, depending on your likes/dislikes and whatever field you are in.
Tourism: Philadelphia - I think Boston and Toronto have been clicking when it comes to International tourism (Both are firmly planted in the top 10 in N. America) So I think Philly has been very underrated and has nowhere to go but up. Toronto and Boston will continue to be magnets, especially with the impressive growth at both Pearson and Logan Airports, but Philly has been so underrated and has so much for a visitor to see when it comes to history, cuisine and culture that its best years are ahead.
Transit: I would need to confirm the numbers floating out there, but all three seem to have a ton of approved and pending transit projects in the pipeline. If someone could post the total dollars it would be an interesting comparison. I do not have enough information to make an educated conclusion.
Upscale Shopping: Boston - All three are on every luxury retailers list of places to expand or double down on their current locations. I am going with Boston here for the simple fact that the growth in biotech, VC and high tech and wealth management will really attract a certain type of wealthy resident to relocate or visit the city for business or pleasure. This article was an interesting read on the topic.
Toronto has become the alpha city of a large and important country, mainly at the expense of Montreal, and almost certainly it will grow bigger than both Philly and Boston.
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
3,530 posts, read 4,179,323 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tocoto
Now Toronto has become the alpha city of a large and important country,
I wouldn't consider Canada a large country (population wise) and on a global scale, its importance is tied directly to being the US' neighbor. I can easily name at least 15 countries more 'important' than Canada. So let's keep things in perspective here.
I wouldn't consider Canada a large country (population wise) and on a global scale, its importance is tied directly to being the US' neighbor. I can easily name at least 15 countries more 'important' than Canada. So let's keep things in perspective here.
Canada is a stable and highly successful G8 nation. Toronto being the economic hub is definitely a big reason why its future and present are extremely bright.
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
3,530 posts, read 4,179,323 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by edwardsyzzurphands
Canada is a stable and highly successful G8 nation. Toronto being the economic hub is definitely a big reason why its future and present are extremely bright.
The G20 has all but effectively replaced the G8, as it should have. The large and increasingly more powerful economies of several 'developing' nations are shaping the world much more dynamically than several of the entrenched G8 members (hello Brazil, India and China). Yes, Canada is highly developed and wealthy, but importance entails more than just a high standard of living (Switzerland or any of the Nordic countries don't make the G20 for example, while Italy is a G8 and G20 member, though it is relatively poorer).
So I stand by my original statement. Canada is a developed, wealthy and prosperous nation, yes, but I wouldn't exactly consider it a 'major' player on the world stage--it just gets a seat at the table because of language/legacy. It's blessed by its proximity and economic/cultural partnership with the US, and definitely punches well above its weight, but when it concerns 'importance', I can still think of 10-15 countries I'd put above it--and some of these countries are definitely less developed. So not to completely downplay Toronto, which I do think is a true global city with a bright future. I just feel our 'second-tier' cities are at the same level as Toronto--and this is because I don't view Canada as true major player on the world stage (Australia is a comparable country in many ways, yet exerts a stronger geo-political force than Canada, despite having less people).
Manitopiaaa claimed that 80% of Toronto whites are of British/Irish ancestry. A troll that obviously can't be taken seriously.
His posts are pathetic and he is obsessed with Toronto!
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