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Mid-West also implies cities like Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Columbus, etc. All cities that bear no resemblance to Toronto at all on any sort of tangible way.
Philadelphia and boroughs of NYC on the other hand actually resemble Toronto.
Wait, what? I think you have it completely reversed.
If someone asked me "What U.S. cities look most similar to Toronto at street level", I think I would have named exactly the cities you claim are least similar. The Great Lakes/Upper Midwest cities like Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Cincy, Columbus would be most similar.
And Philly and NYC are probably the least similar U.S. cities, at least in the Eastern half of the U.S. Philly and NYC have a totally different look compared to Toronto. Only the Sunbelt cities are even less similar looking.
Toronto is a Great Lakes city, so, not surprisingly, looks like other Great Lakes cities, which are generally considered Midwestern. Also, Toronto is a relatively young city, so didn't develop the rowhouses and pre-auto infrastructure of the biggest Eastern cities in the U.S. and Canada.
But Toronto did develop rowhouse areas in the pre-auto era. Toronto was founded in the late 18th century and became a city in 1834. Much of the housing stock in the oldest parts of town is from the Victorian era of the late 19th century. Being a Canadian city sets it apart from the midwestern type of cities along the Great Lakes in the U.S.
But Toronto did develop rowhouse areas in the pre-auto era.
Not really. Toronto was a small city prior to WW2, and doesn't have many rowhouses compared to the Eastern seaboard cities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Atticman
Toronto was founded in the late 18th century and became a city in 1834. Much of the housing stock in the oldest parts of town is from the Victorian era of the late 19th century.
OK, and? Much of the housing stock in the oldest parts of Phoenix or Dallas or Atlanta is from that era too. That doesn't mean that Phoenix looks like Philly. Toronto is a rather new city, and looks it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Atticman
Being a Canadian city sets it apart from the midwestern type of cities along the Great Lakes in the U.S.
Don't get this either. The cities on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes more or less look like the cities on the American side.
Not really. Toronto was a small city prior to WW2, and doesn't have many rowhouses compared to the Eastern seaboard cities.
OK, and? Much of the housing stock in the oldest parts of Phoenix or Dallas or Atlanta is from that era too. That doesn't mean that Phoenix looks like Philly. Toronto is a rather new city, and looks it.
Don't get this either. The cities on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes more or less look like the cities on the American side.
The Toronto metro had over 400,000 by the year 1900 and a million people by WW2, it wasn't that small. Most of the rowhouse stock dates from the late 19th and early 20th century, and made up a significant portion of the city's housing. There are thousands upon thousands of rowhouses in old Toronto. Toronto is nothing like those sunbelt cities you listed, it's much older and denser and looks it.
The Toronto metro had over 400,000 by the year 1900 and a million people by WW2, it wasn't that small.
That's much smaller than cities like NYC and Philly, so obviously Toronto could have never developed a large 19th century building stock.
Toronto was no bigger than Buffalo, and was rather poor for North American standards, so not much old housing stock, especially notable buildings stock.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Atticman
Most of the rowhouse stock dates from the late 19th and early 20th century, and made up a significant portion of the city's housing.
No it doesn't. Toronto has very little housing stock from that era. And there are relatively few rowhouses, as is the case with all the Great Lakes cities
Quote:
Originally Posted by Atticman
There are thousands upon thousands of rowhouses in old Toronto. Toronto is nothing like those sunbelt cities you listed, it's much older and denser and looks it.
No one claimed Toronto was like Sunbelt cities. Toronto is like other Great Lakes cities, obviously, which you keep (very oddly) denying.
There probably isn't a single city in North America that doesn't have "thousands" of attached houses, BTW; that doesn't make Toronto similar to the Eastern seaboard cities. Toronto looks like a Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago or Milwaukee. Definitely doesn't look like a NYC, Philly, Baltimore or DC.
That's much smaller than cities like NYC and Philly, so obviously Toronto could have never developed a large 19th century building stock.
Toronto was no bigger than Buffalo, and was rather poor for North American standards, so not much old housing stock, especially notable buildings stock.
No it doesn't. Toronto has very little housing stock from that era. And there are relatively few rowhouses, as is the case with all the Great Lakes cities
No one claimed Toronto was like Sunbelt cities. Toronto is like other Great Lakes cities, obviously, which you keep (very oddly) denying.
There probably isn't a single city in North America that doesn't have "thousands" of attached houses, BTW; that doesn't make Toronto similar to the Eastern seaboard cities. Toronto looks like a Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago or Milwaukee. Definitely doesn't look like a NYC, Philly, Baltimore or DC.
Wow, you have no idea what you're talking about. Toronto is well known (in Canada, at least) for its Victorian rowhouses, and most of the housing stock from the late 19th century (enough to house of city of several hundred thousand) remains to this day. Toronto is a Great Lakes city, but it's a Canadian Great Lakes city that developed differently than those American Greats Lakes cities, and it has many old neighbourhoods full of 19th century rowhouses. I'm just stating simple facts, here.
The Toronto metro had over 400,000 by the year 1900 and a million people by WW2, it wasn't that small. Most of the rowhouse stock dates from the late 19th and early 20th century, and made up a significant portion of the city's housing. There are thousands upon thousands of rowhouses in old Toronto. Toronto is nothing like those sunbelt cities you listed, it's much older and denser and looks it.
Yeah but Old Toronto which is where the oldest buildings in the city are today are no older than those in Houston and Atlanta which were founded in 1837.
Not to mention,Toronto suffered two major fires as i just learned.
I was curious because after visiting Montreal 2 weeks ago ,I spent more time in Toronto afterward looking for historic old architecture on the same magnitude and was puzzled.
It seemed many more buildings in Montreal were of a historical and architectural importance than what I found in Toronto.
Yeah but Old Toronto which is where the oldest buildings in the city are today are no older than those in Houston and Atlanta which were founded in 1837.
Not to mention,Toronto suffered two major fires as i just learned.
I was curious because after visiting Montreal 2 weeks ago ,I spent more time in Toronto afterward looking for historic old architecture on the same magnitude and was puzzled.
It seemed many more buildings in Montreal were of a historical and architectural importance than what I found in Toronto.
Yeah, but by 1900 Toronto was a much bigger city than both Houston and Atlanta and had a lot more 19th century urban fabric, most of which still remains (talking about areas outside the downtown core). There was one very major fire in the heart of the downtown financial district in 1904, the other big fire in 1849 destroyed several blocks of mostly wooden buildings. Most of both of those areas would have been redeveloped as the city grew anyway, but it is true that the 1904 fire did destroy some great old buildings that might have survived to this day.
Montreal's downtown has more old, grand structures still remaining given the city's prominence in Canada during the 19th and early 20th century when constructing such buildings was in fashion. Toronto still does have a respectable stock of somewhat less grand old buildings, but to the casual visitor, they tend to get lost among all the newer construction and are not as noticeable as those in Montreal. Union Station and the Royal York Hotel are probably the most prominent such structures in downtown Toronto.
l1995, here's another area far from downtown (Weston, in the borough of York) that has a NYC outer borough look to it with its mix of old street front neighbourhood retail and low income apartment towers.
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