Montreal, Boston, and Philadelphia: Which is overall the most Diverse/Cosmopolitan/International (better, Atlanta)
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I don't think Philadelphia leads in any of the criteria.
Ethnic diversity - I'd say Montreal and Boston are about the same. Both have immigrant communities that aren't found in large numbers in most places in North America (i.e. North Africans in Montreal, Cape Verdeans in Boston), but both are quite "white" across their metropolitan areas.
Boston has more universities, but it's hard to say who brings in more international students.
Montreal's bilingual character makes it feel quite cosmopolitan.
Overall probably a tie between Boston and Montreal.
From what I've can suss out with a simple google search, Montreal has about 17000 international students at any given time. I went through the enrollments numbers of some Boston schools and, counting undergrads, you get to 17000 just with the aggregate totals BU, BC, Harvard, Tufts, and MIT and that's not including fellows or graduate students, nor does it include many of the schools in Greater Boston. I think it's a safe assumption to make that Boston draws more international students than Montreal does - however, I don't think that would be a tie-breaker between the two.
And I think the most interesting thing about Montreal's character, that you don't see in Boston, is the undercurrent of separatism - country within a country - which I think makes it an interesting place in regards to its self-perception. That for me at least is what carries the water with Montreal in this question. I don't think it's more cosmopolitan than Boston, and definitely not moreso than Cambridge, - I can't say for Philly, haven't been there in ages - but there's definitely...sorry, gotta say it...je ne sais quoi
Not only does Boston have some of the best universities in the world, it also has one of the most highly educated cities in the North America. There is a reason why it's considered to be the Athens of America.
Just because some people speak French in Montreal does not necessarily make it a cosmopolitan city. That so many people still speak French in Montreal seems a bit provincial to me. Cosmopolitanism is an attitude toward the greater world.
Not only does Boston have some of the best universities in the world, it also has one of the most highly educated cities in the North America. There is a reason why it's considered to be the Athens of America.
Just because some people speak French in Montreal does not necessarily make it a cosmopolitan city. That so many people still speak French in Montreal seems a bit provincial to me. Cosmopolitanism is an attitude toward the greater world.
All three cities are diverse in their own way.
I get what you're saying but Montreal is a major Francophonie city from a global perspective.. It attracts Francophones from around the world everywhere from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia in North Africa to European Francophones to Caribbean Francophones etc.. So it goes beyond just a bunch of multigenerational French Canadian Quebecers speaking French.. For example, there are 110K Haitians in Montreal so they bring with them not just the French language but also haitian culture to the city.
Just because some people speak French in Montreal does not necessarily make it a cosmopolitan city. That so many people still speak French in Montreal seems a bit provincial to me. Cosmopolitanism is an attitude toward the greater world.
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So... "cosmopolitanism" can only express itself in English? Ever been to Paris? Sao Paulo?
I think all three of these cities are somewhat "victims" of their own strong cultural identities. All three have such a strong and developed local culture that is well known throughout the continent that people jump to the conclusion that they are provincial.
If you dig deeper and really understand the layers present in each city you will see that they all have a nice balance between local and international culture.
Montreal as mentioned is an immigrant magnet for people from Francophone nations. Boston is a magnet for immigrants from the Lusosphere. All three serve as Higher Education magnets that attract International students. Philly and Boston both have two of the most extensive and world renowned city wide hospital/medical systems in the world that are respected and looked to as examples in the medical industry. Philly is also a Pharma capital and finally Boston is arguably the Biotech and Medical Research capital of the world.
The reason why I focus on Medical and Higher Education is because both are industries that are not nation focused but rather some of the most global industries on the planet.
All three deserve alot more credit than they deserve for being International, but still seem comfortable in their own skin that they hold onto and embrace their own unique cultures.
I think all three of these cities are somewhat "victims" of their own strong cultural identities. All three have such a strong and developed local culture that is well known throughout the continent that people jump to the conclusion that they are provincial.
That's a really good point.
Taken to the extreme, diversity/cosmpolitanism/internationalism simply leads to a place feeling like "Anyplace" which to me is quite unsatisfying and bleh.
I wonder how these people would view Tokyo? Is it a provincial backwater?
Hmm people obviously haven't been to Montreal.... talk about an insular, unfriendly place. Cosmopolitan? International? Meh.
are you kidding?
Montreal is a lot more vibrant and cosmopolitan than Philadelphia. It also feels larger than Boston, although the two have much in common.
Speaking of international, let's not forget the Olympic Games were hold there. Is that international enough?
As to "friendliness", let's not let random personal experience (could be due to your own fault) determine the entire city. I have been to Montreal five times and never felt people cold or unfriendly.
Philadelphia and Montreal have virtually identical urban density (11,635 vs. 11,701) as well as virtually identical land area (134 sq mi vs. 141 sq mi).
So close its crazy. How the hell you quantify Montreal being "a lot more vibrant" than Philadelphia is beyond me.
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Vibrancy is not directly correlated with population density. A place can have high population density but be not-so vibrant if the residents tend to be homebodies. Not saying this is the case with either Philadelphia or Montreal BTW. But either city could be more vibrant than the other even if their density is similar.
Philadelphia and Montreal have virtually identical urban density (11,635 vs. 11,701) as well as virtually identical land area (134 sq mi vs. 141 sq mi).
So close its crazy. How the hell you quantify Montreal being "a lot more vibrant" than Philadelphia is beyond me.
I wouldn't say its more cosmopolitan either. I think the fact that Montreal mostly French-speaking adds a lot of pseudo-sophistication to its vibe.
Whats more diverse? I think its between Boston and Philadelphia quite honestly.
well, if you have been to Montreal, you would know. Population and overall density can be misleading. What matters is what street life is like at 8 on a random Tuesday evening.
I don't care about diversity. It is overrated. Tokyo is 99.9% Japanese and I don't see it worse than all the "diverse" cities.
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