Chicago V.S. Toronto (condos, crime, neighborhoods)

[_Charles_]

I agree with all of these posts.
The main difference between Chicago and Toronto are the basic differences between Cananda and the US.

Cananda - higher taxes, less net personal/discretionary income - more public services and benefits.

USA - lower taxes , more net personal/discretionary income - fewer publice services and benefits.

It just depends on which you prefer. Anyone that can choose between living in Canada and the US is fortunate.

[Cloudgreykitty]

I grew up in the Chicago area but spent most of my adult life in Toronto.

All I would add to the previous comments is that Chicago's waterfront is vastly superior, with its combination of cultural attractions, open space, and stunning architecture. Toronto's waterfront is dominated by an elevated highway (the Gardiner), tacky condo towers, and crumbling industrial wastelands.

But aside from the sad waterfront, I liked Toronto far better.

[yakijy]

I was considering a move to Vancouver. I was curious as to whether there are comparables to US rednecks, racists, skin head types. Is the reaction to Bush the same in Canada as the US?

[scottyr]

Originally Posted by yakijy

I was considering a move to Vancouver. I was curious as to whether there are comparables to US rednecks, racists, skin head types. Is the reaction to Bush the same in Canada as the US?

Vancouver is largely Asian and extremely liberal/pro-marijuana/pro-gay. As for american style neo-conservatives and evangelicals....they mostly live in the abbotsford area, on the outskirts of vancouver's metro.

As for rednecks, there are some uncouth white-trash druggies in vancouver's east end, but i don;t know if i'd call them rednecks per say...maybe just "low brow". Many whites who live on fringes of the vancouver metro enjoy going on a hunting trip every so often...but i don't know if this would qualify them as "hillbillys" or "rednecks".

As for skinheads and neo-nazis, they are not widespread, but they have more of a pressence in the vancouver area than toronto or eastern canada, i believe. this is probably due to the fact that asians and east indians have had a longer history in Bc than in Ontario and thus, more historical resentment/conflict between these groups and the canadian whites. There were many racist acts against asians in vancouver during the early and mid 20th century, however, in general, race relations in vancouver, especially the center city, tend to be much better than most places in north america. downtown is a hotbed for interacial couples.

In general, Canadians, like most nonAmerican westerners and even most Americans nowadays, dislike Bush. In Vancouver especially, you are bound to find people that want to personally crush his head in with a pick-axe. Again, abbotsford and some of vancouver metros fringe areas might have some Bush-admirers though. British Columbis oustide of Vancouver tends to vote for the Canadian conservative party, but remember, this is Canada and even our conservative party is left of the republicans.

Only in some places in Alberta, such as red deer and communities such as Taber, Ab and Bountiful BC will you find the kind of gun totin' folk that shoot turban-wearers on sight.

[reppin_the_847]

Toronto is much more diverse than Chicago. Toronto's diversity is more comparable to NYC & London than it is to Chicago. Don't get me wrong, the Chicago metro area is pretty diverse, but as a south Indian (Chicago-born) male, sometimes the north side of Chicago & downtown seem extremely Caucasian (White) & Midwestern in flavor, not that there is anything wrong with that. It's just that it's something that's hard not to notice when you're in my shoes. The dating pool for a fella like me is naturally smaller in that sense b/c most of these girls are probably looking for a white man as well, it's what they're used to and comfortable with (again, nothing wrong with that, I'm not bashing it at all.....a good of amount of Indian girls probably stick with Indian guys also).....you get what I'm saying? There's way more of an island and Guyanese / Trinidadian flavour going on in Toronto (as well as a significant Punjabi-Indian population). In that sense, Toronto (T-Dot) seems way more diverse. By the way, I still live in the Chicago area. And yes, both are great cities.

Oh and a little sidenote. There's not a single nightclub in Chicago that compares to the 40,000 square foot powerhouse that is the Guvernment Nightclub in Toronto. That thing is like a total rave-fest in terms of capacity and DJ appearances, etc. I'd put that venue right up there against the top venues in NYC, Miami, European cities, etc.

Originally Posted by evanusc

Many people compare these two cities. I have been to Chicago twice and like it a lot, and am planning to move to Toronto next year. Can anyone on the board who have spent time in both cities give some info about the similarities between the two? Something like climate, size, urban planning, economy, employment, lifestyle, public transportation etc? Thanks!

[evanusc]

Originally Posted by Cloudgreykitty

I grew up in the Chicago area but spent most of my adult life in Toronto.

All I would add to the previous comments is that Chicago's waterfront is vastly superior, with its combination of cultural attractions, open space, and stunning architecture. Toronto's waterfront is dominated by an elevated highway (the Gardiner), tacky condo towers, and crumbling industrial wastelands.

But aside from the sad waterfront, I liked Toronto far better.

Chicago's water front is really awesome. Last time i was dining on the 96th floor, and view is simply fantastic!
It is sad to know the Toronto waterfront is dominated by elevedate highways. Why the hell would the city planners want to ruin the view?

[raggedy13]

Originally Posted by evanusc

Thanks a lot of the info, folks. I really like those downtowns that are walkable. I was in LA for three years, everything is fine (the weather is devine!) but you have to drive ALL THE TIME!

What about the skyline by the lake? Chicago's skyline is quite impressive!

In terms of scale, Chicago's skyline certainly tops Toronto's but Toronto's is nothing to scoff at, plus Toronto is undergoing a huge building boom.

Here is Toronto in 2005 (there have been quite a few changes since then already)...


And this is what Toronto is projected to look like in the next fews years...


And a highlight of the new projects...
http://www.upside-down.ca/maldive/key.jpg (broken link)
Thanks to Maldive at SSP for the sweet renderings!

[Tex?Il?]

Curious about Torontos suburbs. Its often noted that Chicago has a lot more bad-ghetto areas. But I've learned that often times in European and Canadian suburbs have a lot of high-rise and apartment areas that are run-down housing low-income households.

I'm wondering, is it possible that ok: Chicago proper may have more crime than Toronto, but are there any bad areas outside Toronto that Chicago might not have as much of? Just curious.

[Cornerguy1]

There are a couple of semi-suburban areas within the borders of the City of Toronto that have a bad name, but the actual suburbs outside the side city limits are basicly problem free.

If anything, the problem areas are within city limits.

Real estate values in the 'burbs are quite high. Check out the Canadian mls site, www.mls.ca and punch in areas like Mississauga, Brampton, Ajax, Markham, Oakville.

[Cloudgreykitty]

Toronto underwent "amalgamation" in 1998 to absorb its closest suburbs, and I believe it's these areas that have the worst reputation. (Scarborough, on the east side, comes to mind.)

I'd consider these areas suburbs, but they are technically part of the city of Toronto.