People in Toronto area (home, neighborhoods, school)

[JasonRox]

Many wonderful places to go to in Toronto. Never had problems there. (I'm from outside of Toronto.)

[Atlantis]

People in Toronto are friendly. I've been there many times.

Originally Posted by wanderlusting

Well, I visited Toronto in 2000 and was treated pretty cold. Not sure where you're from but if you're from the states, don't expect to be treated any better. I drove, which was another huge mistake. I had drivers and passengers shout "go home" among other friendly phrases that I can't post here. I doubt it's any better now, with the Iraq war and everything. Clinton was still president when I went there, and if they hated us then, you can bet they hate us now. I was naive and didn't pay attention to politics, thinking we were allies. My advice: don't go to Canada.

I've driven there many times, every time I've been in a car with a New York license plate, except for once when I was in a rental car with a Texas plate. I've never had a problem.

[tetrakis]

I am moving to Toronto in September (coming from the US), and really looking forward to it.

I visited for a week last summer, and I found that the people there were exceptionally friendly. It was particularly easy to strike up conversations, even with random people on the street. Also, the thing I noticed the most, was how helpful most people were (which shocked me, seeing as how Toronto is supposed to be a big city, so I expect briskness, etc). We took public transportation (subway and buses are excellent), and we just kind of "showed ourselves around", visiting museums, some old historic homes, parks, etc. Any time we needed directions or explanations, everyone we asked was so helpful. It almost seemed too good to be true hehe. Maybe we just got lucky, and we'll be in for a shock when we move? We'll see.

[teebird1012]

My class at school took at trip to Toronto last year and that was my first and so far only trip to Canada. I absolutely loved the city and would love to go back. The people there were genuinely friendly almost everywhere I went- try finding that in New York or Chicago! I never felt uncomfortable walking around the city, even at night (although I stayed mostly around Yonge Street and the university at night). I remember walking in Chinatown one afternoon and buying two dozen lychee fruit from a small store. In San Francisco or Chicago, I'd never buy food from a place like this, but everyone I encountered was honest and kind to me. Unfortunately, Toronto is almost a 12 hour drive for me and airfares are outrageous from the area I'm from, so I don't foresee another trip for a while . I'd love to ramble on and on about how much I enjoyed myself there and how I wish I could go back, but I'm sure that would just bore readers to death...

[bikinisforyou]

Canada is full is the nicest people in the world, percentage wise that is. Of course there are always bad apples.

[arod0331]

I've always enjoyed Toronto. But like any city there are always a small amount of jerks; but it's a great city for the most part.

[Sgoldie]

Last time I went the hotel clerk was mad because Pres Bush had just visited the country and referred to Prime Minister Stephen Harper as Steve which he thought even his wife didn't call him. I've found it to be a curious combination of informal and formal. For instance women are more likely to wear dresses than in the US and you don't see nearly as many baseball caps, more likely a Tilley and boat shoes than sneakers.

I've found the people to be well traveled, clean, intelligent, cultured, and friendly. Very nice. My favorite place.

[TheWereRabbit]

Originally Posted by wanderlusting

Well, I visited Toronto in 2000 and was treated pretty cold. Not sure where you're from but if you're from the states, don't expect to be treated any better. I drove, which was another huge mistake. I had drivers and passengers shout "go home" among other friendly phrases that I can't post here. I doubt it's any better now, with the Iraq war and everything. Clinton was still president when I went there, and if they hated us then, you can bet they hate us now. I was naive and didn't pay attention to politics, thinking we were allies. My advice: don't go to Canada.

Whenever I see someone with PQ plates in Massachusetts I yell "Tabernak!" at them. So, I guess these are just the T-Dot equivalents of *******s like me.

[FellowTraveler]

Originally Posted by tetrakis

I am moving to Toronto in September (coming from the US), and really looking forward to it.

I visited for a week last summer, and I found that the people there were exceptionally friendly. It was particularly easy to strike up conversations, even with random people on the street. Also, the thing I noticed the most, was how helpful most people were (which shocked me, seeing as how Toronto is supposed to be a big city, so I expect briskness, etc). We took public transportation (subway and buses are excellent), and we just kind of "showed ourselves around", visiting museums, some old historic homes, parks, etc. Any time we needed directions or explanations, everyone we asked was so helpful. It almost seemed too good to be true hehe. Maybe we just got lucky, and we'll be in for a shock when we move? We'll see.

You will absolutely be in for a shock when you move. That I can guarantee.

I can't stand reading all of these posts from people who say Toronto is friendly, based on their experience of visiting for a week. I am from a small town in Canada, spent 4 years in Toronto for school, moved to the States, moved back to Toronto and then moved back to the States. All in all I spent about 5 years living in Toronto, so I know what I am talking about when it comes to this city.

Toronto is going to seem friendly to you when you visit, because Torontonians are unfailingly polite and courteous when it comes to things like giving directions. I too thought that Toronto was friendly when I visited it for a week. For this reason, I don't necessarily discourage anyone from visiting Toronto if they are so inclined, but living there is an entirely different story.

The "friendliness" you are experiencing when you visit Toronto is just politeness. Canadians are much more polite than Americans. But in fact Toronto is an extremely difficult city to make friends in. I have lived in several places - big cities, suburbs, medium-sized cities, and small towns. I have made friends everywhere except for Toronto.

Torontonians will happily give you directions, but when you move there don't expect them to so much as go out for coffee with you. Even co-workers will treat you icily and will keep their distance from you. Torontonians are terrified of personal or social interaction, and they view any real attempt at friendship with suspicion. They are good at networking though, so if they think you have something tangible to offer them in the form of job opportunities or connections, they will pretend to be your friend for as long as it takes to infiltrate your social circle.

Also, I worked briefly in human resources while there, and was responsible for vetting job candidates. I heard stories of workplace abuse and harrassment from several candidates that exceeded anything I have seen anywhere else. The candidates who had just moved to Toronto from somewhere else seemed happy and well-adjusted. But almost everyone with prior work experience in Toronto had a horror story to tell. Even if they didn't want to tell it, I could read between the lines and I could read the lines on their faces.

This manifests an important reality about Toronto - it is a remarkably predatory environment. There is something very cold, utilitarian, and brutal about people there, both in the way that they network and in their power relations. The moment that someone there really has you on the hook - be they a landlord, boss, or what have you - expect hostility and abuse. I have never encountered the kind of close, in-your-face personal brutality that Torontonians exhibit in these situations anywhere else.

I lived there for 5 years and I never got used to the place. It was a 5-year long culture shock that never ended. At first I couldn't stand it because it wasn't like my small town. But the culture shock was far more pronounced after I returned there following my years of living in America. I had become used to the warm and honest personal relationships I had in America, and by contrast Torontonians were cold, distant, and passive-aggressive. They are ruthlessly efficient at calculating the "what's in it for me?" quotient in every human interaction or relationship.

The truth is you will not be treated rudely by Torontonians if you are not in a power relationship (boss/employee, landlord/tenant) with them. In your daily social interactions, you will never come across the kind of occasional rudeness that you might come across every now and then from an American. But neither will you experience warmth, generosity of spirit, or any of the positive human virtues. If I had to sum up living in Toronto in one word, it would be: anonymity. You can walk the streets and no one will pay much attention. People will avert their eyes if you attempt to meet their gaze. You can work in the same office for months and never get to know your co-workers, or feel that they are at all interested in your life. You can go to school there and sit beside the same person in class for an entire term, and they may chat politely with you for a couple of minutes before class but they would be shocked if you asked them to go out for coffee after class.

If you want to visit Toronto for a week and go home, then by all means do it. Toronto has a fair amount to offer a visitor. But anyone who is reading these boards and is considering moving there needs to know the truth about the place, rather than make due with trite comments about the "friendliness" of Torontonians from people who visited once or twice and then went home.

[Atticman]

^ Oy Vey.

Maybe it's not them, it's you?