Edmonton vs Calgary vs Winnipeg (live, best, better, largest)
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.
Winnipeg is clearly in last place among these three cities, in my opinion.
Calgary and Edmonton are close in a lot of these categories, although Calgary definitely wins in terms of economy and Edmonton definitely wins in terms of arts and culture. Calgary has a bit more of a big city vibe and downtown, although overall it's more business-oriented and sterile, while Edmonton has more character and is a little funkier. Compared to US metro areas of similar sprawl and size, both have excellent light rail systems. Calgary's has better coverage and ridership, although Edmonton's is no slouch. Both have pretty good main nightlife districts (17th Ave SW in Calgary and Whyte Ave in Edmonton).
I'd choose Edmonton because the vibe suits me better, but Calgary and Edmonton are close in my opinion.
Calgary happens to be the only one I've been to, but I am pretty certain Calgary would easily be my top pick. If it weren't for the winters (and to be fair I wasn't there in the winter), it would be one of my favorite cities in NA.
Plenty of cool, walkable urban neighborhoods, and a solid downtown with a decent Chinatown attached. Summers in Calgary are awesome. Now, Edmonton actually seems pretty similar but smaller. Also appears to have slightly higher crime. However it is similar enough that I could love it a lot too.
Calgary happens to be the only one I've been to, but I am pretty certain Calgary would easily be my top pick. If it weren't for the winters (and to be fair I wasn't there in the winter), it would be one of my favorite cities in NA.
Plenty of cool, walkable urban neighborhoods, and a solid downtown with a decent Chinatown attached. Summers in Calgary are awesome. Now, Edmonton actually seems pretty similar but smaller. Also appears to have slightly higher crime. However it is similar enough that I could love it a lot too.
Edmonton is a bit smaller but it’s also less corporate and more artsy/funky.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,747 posts, read 23,804,636 times
Reputation: 14660
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vincent_Adultman
Winnipeg is clearly in last place among these three cities, in my opinion.
Winnipeg has crazy awful winter climate, and a high crime rate by Canadian standards. Wonder if it's worth a visit, it use to be the 3rd largest city in Canada.
I'd like to get up to Alberta sometime, it's got some stellar scenery. I've had the impression that Calgary and Edmonton were more or less 9-5 workaday kind of cities (Calgary white collar and Edmonton blue collar). I didn't know Edmonton had an artsy/eclectic element. I wonder if they still reminisce Gretzky up there.
I've lived in Calgary and spent two weeks in Winnipeg and Edmonton. Calgary is far and away the best of the three, primarily in that it's got the biggest "city" feel with the corporate presence, tourism industry (beating out Edmonton due to proximity to Banff and milder climate) and general amenities and services available. The downtown core is actually a decent area during the day and is bustling with corporate presence and retail businesses during the working hours, though it becomes a complete ghost town after 6PM. The Core mall really punches well above its weight for the city. The city has a good hustle and bustle vibe and energy and I enjoyed my time there.
Edmonton has White Ave. and that artsy edgy scene going on, I think they are more liberal and open minded but rougher on the edges than Calgary. In terms of polish and city amenities though I found it inferior in every front except maybe for its parks.
Winnipeg... well, they also have a decent arts scene, more towards ballet/theatre I think, and they have the Jets but it's easily the last major city I'd consider moving to in Canada. Maybe even across North America. Way too cold and isolated. I think it's frankly massive (825k pop per last estimate) for where it is in Canada in particular.
I've lived in Calgary and spent two weeks in Winnipeg and Edmonton. Calgary is far and away the best of the three, primarily in that it's got the biggest "city" feel with the corporate presence, tourism industry (beating out Edmonton due to proximity to Banff and milder climate) and general amenities and services available. The downtown core is actually a decent area during the day and is bustling with corporate presence and retail businesses during the working hours, though it becomes a complete ghost town after 6PM. The Core mall really punches well above its weight for the city. The city has a good hustle and bustle vibe and energy and I enjoyed my time there.
Downtown Calgary surprised me by its size, its quite large and extensive. However as mentioned by others was surprised by how its so quiet after hours. Lots of new condos coming up just outside the core, would think there could be a way to incorporate it into the living and nightlife areas not that far away and it would be quite a combination. Having the river right there is a great amenity for the warmer months and its quite nice how compact the metro area is. I think for those used to living in larger cities Calgary would be a decent fit for the variety of things to do and the fact that you don't have the long slow commutes as seen in bigger cities.
I wasn't impressed by the downtown of Edmonton, seems like a necessary evil that they are finally focusing some investment and attention on. Amazing to me there are lots of cheap rental units just blocks from the Ice District, doesn't bode well for its future popularity once everything is done. The rest of Edmonton feels kind of meh, nothing that attractive about it and kind of strange how far out the airport is. I can see the hope is development goes that way, but seems it could be decades before that happens. And the lack of the nearby outdoor options you have in Calgary seems a negative too.
Winnipeg is clearly third, I'd agree. Spent 3 days there on a business trip and that was about 2 more than needed. Most people I met there admitted the city was nothing worth coming to see, but that the main positive is the people. I get that you have to be a hardy soul to survive such a horrible climate year round, but don't know if that makes a city a better place. Can't really speak to the lifestyle there though.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,747 posts, read 23,804,636 times
Reputation: 14660
Quote:
Originally Posted by cornsnicker3
This poll belongs on the Canadian thread, not U.S.
This forum is City vs City, not General US. T&C Sticky says North American cities. It's fine here.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 07-30-2018 at 01:38 PM..
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.
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.
