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How is this even a question? Calgary destroys Portland in every category Portland claims to do so well.
Portland's light rail? Calgary is a smaller city but has over twice the ridership with their light rail. Skyline? Calgary's skyline is as big as Seattle's.
Calgary is also the most conservative major city in Canada in Canada's most conservative province (I know, Alberta is only about as conservative as Colorado, but still, that's conservative by Canadian standards).
How is this even a question? Calgary destroys Portland in every category Portland claims to do so well.
Portland's light rail? Calgary is a smaller city but has over twice the ridership with their light rail. Skyline? Calgary's skyline is as big as Seattle's.
Calgary is also the most conservative major city in Canada in Canada's most conservative province (I know, Alberta is only about as conservative as Colorado, but still, that's conservative by Canadian standards).
These are literally the only two things you guys keep bringing up. Because they're the only two things that make Calgary stand out. I doubt you guys know much else about it...
Higher ridership doesn't equate to a better system and I don't understand why a lot of you seem to think that. Portland's light rail is much more expansive and covers a wider area. The US in general just doesn't care as much about PT as most of the World. Ridership isn't everything.
As for skyline, Calgary's skyline appears larger than cities like LA, Boston, Montreal, etc. Aka, it means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Portland has a much more happening Downtown and is less boring (Imo).
Skyline wars would be Calgary way over Portland. As for Calgary meeting Seattle on this level, yes, they are close if you add up total height and mass. However, Seattle has a big suburban skyline with Bellevue, which Calgary does not. But kudos to Calgary for a "statement" skyline. Portland residents don't care about this generally.
Calgary is the only city I've been to outside of the US and I've only stayed in Portland for 2 days.
quality of life: Calgary
economy: Portland's is larger although Calgary is booming fast
nightlife: Portland
scenery: Portland by a good bit
daytime activities/events: Portland
shopping/entertainment venues: Edge to Portland, but I can see Calgary making a case
transportation: Not sure. People will say Calgary based on ridership numbers, but again...that's not everything.
overall vibe: For me, Portland is much more fun and exciting. Calgary just feels really sterile and exactly how you would imagine Canada to be. Nice, but a big snooze fest.
Not sure all of Canada is a "big snooze fest", but your point is taken. Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal are world-class cities that would not be considered as such. But, yeah, outside these main centers, (or centres) it becomes a little sterile and boring. A Canadian friend once told me that if you think Calgary is boring, just go to Edmonton, and you will wonder why you went to Edmonton.
Not sure all of Canada is a "big snooze fest", but your point is taken. Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal are world-class cities that would not be considered as such. But, yeah, outside these main centers, it becomes a little sterile and boring. A Canadian friend once told me that if you think Calgary is boring, just go to Edmonton, and you will still think Calgary is boring.
Not all of Canada of course. I'd love to visit Toronto/Vancouver and they spark my interest. But I do think places like Calgary are the equivalent to "Middle America." It can be a nice place to live, but it's not the most exciting.
It's crazy to think this is what portland is being judged on, sounds like people nitpicking to blow something up way more than it really is. I doubt if the average person in Portland has anything to do with this.
See above post. You can deny all you want and cry "faux news" and "alt right" and "KKK" etc. but the reality is Portland has a problem, in not only reality but perception and it is hurting the city considerably.
See above post. You can deny all you want and cry "faux news" and "alt right" and "KKK" etc. but the reality is Portland has a problem, in not only reality but perception and it is hurting the city considerably.
The reality is that people have a perception issue where something occurring, even if it occurs multiple times, are statistically meaningless when the population size is as large as it is for the city and metropolitan area. It's really insane how bad basic statistical understanding in the US is. This is why we end up importing so many scientists and engineers and why we are so middling in standardized testing compared to peer countries despite our great wealth, and why people with perceptions like yours exist in abundance in this country.
I'm not judging Portland based on that kind of misperception though, so that's why I voted Portland.
Not sure all of Canada is a "big snooze fest", but your point is taken. Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal are world-class cities that would not be considered as such. But, yeah, outside these main centers, (or centres) it becomes a little sterile and boring. A Canadian friend once told me that if you think Calgary is boring, just go to Edmonton, and you will wonder why you went to Edmonton.
I was told by a pair of Edmontonians that Calgary is nothing compared to Edmonton in that Edmonton actually had culture while all Calgary had were suits and skyscrapers. I think there might be a Calgary / Edmonton rivalry of sorts though.
See above post. You can deny all you want and cry "faux news" and "alt right" and "KKK" etc. but the reality is Portland has a problem, in not only reality but perception and it is hurting the city considerably.
The perception problem is only with the far right. Like I said, I went there recently and found it to be a very nice city with a tremendous amount of character.
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