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Retail commerce is just one aspect... and that topic was debated ad nauseam as far as I'm concerned.
Only I have the impression that even Minnesota residents care more about academic prestige than Montreal residents (if only in-field or in-specialization within a field)...
Only I have the impression that even Minnesota residents care more about academic prestige than Montreal residents (if only in-field or in-specialization within a field)...
"Name" recognition of universities is a much bigger deal in the U.S.
It's not so much the case in Canada as universities all receive a similar amount of public funding.
Sure, some are considered better than others but the discrepancy is not as potentially huge as it is in the U.S.
Retail commerce is just one aspect... and that topic was debated ad nauseam as far as I'm concerned.
Only I have the impression that even Minnesota residents care more about academic prestige than Montreal residents (if only in-field or in-specialization within a field)...
As you are the one doing the move what cultural differences do you think you'll encounter once in MSP,i'd imagine the first thing you'll notice is everything is in English French will be irrelevant..
Retail commerce is just one aspect... and that topic was debated ad nauseam as far as I'm concerned.
Only I have the impression that even Minnesota residents care more about academic prestige than Montreal residents (if only in-field or in-specialization within a field)...
Retail is about the only aspect where we can compare Minneapolis and Montreal and say "no culture shock there!". But even still, Montreal has hardly all the American retailers that some claim it has. No, in Montreal I couldn't find Outback, or PF Changs, or Lifetime Fitness, or most American chains that I actually like. Sure, you can find McDonalds in Montreal, but you can find a McDonalds anywhere. It isn't a good indicator of similarity between two different cities in two different countries. I could go on - couldn't find Italian food made the "right" (NY style) way in Montreal, couldn't get good Mexican or Asian food, not to mention anything approaching a real American BBQ. The fact that they don't even have Chipotle in Montreal says it all. Montreal more or less has the American chains that most major western cities would have, but only the basics. Montreal simply isn't a part of the current trends that are going on in America. Honestly, in Canada only Toronto is somewhat up to date with the latest from America, and even then Toronto tends to import these things after it is already established in America, and you can only find it at an elevated price and after looking in the right place. Canada, especially Quebec, has many American things superficially, but it does not have the things America has. Far from it.
If we look at anything other than retail, there the gap between Montreal and Minneapolis becomes even larger. It should go without saying that going from a Latin-Catholic culture to a Germanic-Protestant culture would be different. Everything from sports to politics to behavior to economics is different. Basketball, Football, and Baseball are not part of the culture in Montreal. Montreal doesn't even have professional teams for these sports and the city contributes virtually no players to these leagues despite being a major North American city. We can go on and on, but I would suggest spending some time in Minnesota and it should become apparent that every fact of life is different with the only exceptions of popular global retailers (McDonalds, iStore, etc) is all that similar. If you are a Montreal Anglo, no, you won't fit into a group of Minnesotans the way a guy from Ohio or Oregon would. You will be a foreigner. Think of the exchange students at your school in Quebec. You will be that guy in Minnesota. Sure, the layout of the city or the fast food chains may not come as a culture shock, but everything else will. Especially if you are planning on a permanent relocation and not a short stay.
Retail is about the only aspect where we can compare Minneapolis and Montreal and say "no culture shock there!". But even still, Montreal has hardly all the American retailers that some claim it has. No, in Montreal I couldn't find Outback, or PF Changs, or Lifetime Fitness, or most American chains that I actually like. Sure, you can find McDonalds in Montreal, but you can find a McDonalds anywhere. It isn't a good indicator of similarity between two different cities in two different countries. I could go on - couldn't find Italian food made the "right" (NY style) way in Montreal, couldn't get good Mexican or Asian food, not to mention anything approaching a real American BBQ. The fact that they don't even have Chipotle in Montreal says it all. Montreal more or less has the American chains that most major western cities would have, but only the basics. Montreal simply isn't a part of the current trends that are going on in America. Honestly, in Canada only Toronto is somewhat up to date with the latest from America, and even then Toronto tends to import these things after it is already established in America, and you can only find it at an elevated price and after looking in the right place. Canada, especially Quebec, has many American things superficially, but it does not have the things America has. Far from it.
If we look at anything other than retail, there the gap between Montreal and Minneapolis becomes even larger. It should go without saying that going from a Latin-Catholic culture to a Germanic-Protestant culture would be different. Everything from sports to politics to behavior to economics is different. Basketball, Football, and Baseball are not part of the culture in Montreal. Montreal doesn't even have professional teams for these sports and the city contributes virtually no players to these leagues despite being a major North American city. We can go on and on, but I would suggest spending some time in Minnesota and it should become apparent that every fact of life is different with the only exceptions of popular global retailers (McDonalds, iStore, etc) is all that similar. If you are a Montreal Anglo, no, you won't fit into a group of Minnesotans the way a guy from Ohio or Oregon would. You will be a foreigner. Think of the exchange students at your school in Quebec. You will be that guy in Minnesota. Sure, the layout of the city or the fast food chains may not come as a culture shock, but everything else will. Especially if you are planning on a permanent relocation and not a short stay.
... You couldn't find Italian food made the "right" way in... Montreal? Seriously???
And Asian food?
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