Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
27,606 posts, read 14,587,616 times
Reputation: 9169
Advertisements
Since it was made multiple choice, I actually chose both. I honestly think Toronto is the better city, and I love Los Angeles. LA gets the edge on weather, but Toronto in the summer is hard to beat as a city
Since it was made multiple choice, I actually chose both. I honestly think Toronto is the better city, and I love Los Angeles. LA gets the edge on weather, but Toronto in the summer is hard to beat as a city
Toronto in the summer is paradise. Warm weather, sun doesn't burn your eyes or skin as harsh as the West Coast sun, beautiful lush trees EVERYWHERE, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, huge urban core packed with people.
Toronto in the summer is paradise. Warm weather, sun doesn't burn your eyes or skin as harsh as the West Coast sun, beautiful lush trees EVERYWHERE, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, huge urban core packed with people.
Plus there are extra long days.
However, the winter is markedly worse for most people compared to LA.
Really though, if the US had the kind of social, foreign and economic policies of Canada, we’d be sort of living it up so hard right now.
I would choose Toronto simply because it's in one of the best, most livable countries in the world. Guns, weekly mass shootings, racial tensions and Trump are enough to not choose any American city!
I love the US, as I consider Detroit to be my 2nd hometown after Windsor, but the direction the US has been going in is very disturbing for me and much of the free world. It's becoming backwards and inward looking, and is blocking itself from the rest of the world, which is actually becoming more integrated!
Trump is America's great downfall!
These are two large cities and metropolitan areas that are very populous with multiple strong nodes of urban activity.
Obviously there are very notable differences between the two, but both are massive and diverse cities that saw rapid development in the latter half of the 20th century and are still now growing at a brisk clip.
- Quality of Life - Toronto
- Economy - Los Angeles
- Nightlife - Los Angeles
- Scenery - Los Angeles
- Cultural venues - Los Angeles
- Entertainment - - Los Angeles
- Mass transit - Toronto
- Downtowns -Toronto
- Crime rate - Toronto
- Parks / greenspace - Tie
- Personal preference/experiences - This happens to be the only two North American cities I have lived (both for more than 3 years), and although I am not a big fan of Toronto, the whole experience is still better, although the long winter is indeed miserable and seems never-ending.
- Neighbourhood - Neither has the kind of neighbourhood I prefer (dense, vibrant streets with pleasant architecture and public squares). Neither is a beautiful city overall.
It seems that Los Angeles would win easily on every objective measure, so it comes down to a matter of personal preference I suppose. I was in the DTLA arts district the other day and saw that their downtown projects are moving ahead at warp speed....parts that looked like a ghost town six years ago now have more activity than in DT San Diego. Once the downtown projects and the metro additions are in place, its going to be very hard imagine that Toronto and Los Angeles are in the same league.
It seems that Los Angeles would win easily on every objective measure, so it comes down to a matter of personal preference I suppose. I was in the DTLA arts district the other day and saw that their downtown projects are moving ahead at warp speed....parts that looked like a ghost town six years ago now have more activity than in DT San Diego. Once the downtown projects and the metro additions are in place, its going to be very hard imagine that Toronto and Los Angeles are in the same league.
Not really. Are crimes and mass transit not "objective measures"?
I agree if DTLA can put things together, it will be undoubtedly one of enjoyable cities in North America, but it probably will take a longer than you think. It is not just a matter of building some condos and hotels. You need to attract people to actually live there, average working people from students to high income earners, not just some artists, hippies and young financial professionals, and all the associate amenities for them - schools, clinics, grocery stores, tailors, bakeries etc etc. Basically it needs to function like a self-sufficient city. Right now, at least based on what I learned it is very far from being there.
Regarding the metro, it is not just a matter of how many lines. It is about frequency, reliability and connectivity, so that a substantial percentage of people can live without cars without incurring too much inconvenience (eg: a 20 minutes drive won't cost an hour+ on public transit, involving multiple changes). Essentially every spot in the city should be accessible by transit without the need to walk for more than 10 minutes. Toronto is probably there and I don't see LA to be there anytime soon. And one should never be forced to wait for a bus for 20 minutes.
Not really. Are crimes and mass transit not "objective measures"?
I agree if DTLA can put things together, it will be undoubtedly one of enjoyable cities in North America, but it probably will take a longer than you think. It is not just a matter of building some condos and hotels. You need to attract people to actually live there, average working people from students to high income earners, not just some artists, hippies and young financial professionals, and all the associate amenities for them - schools, clinics, grocery stores, tailors, bakeries etc etc. Basically it needs to function like a self-sufficient city. Right now, at least based on what I learned it is very far from being there.
Why do you think DTLA is one of the fastest growing areas in the entire region. It already is self sufficient and just getting better. Its attracting high income earners, empty nesters, singles, married, old and young. It has grocery stores, including Whole Foods and one of the top performing Ralphs in southern California. It has cleaners, coffee houses, book stores, cultural amenities, schools, libraries, shopping, dining. Its all there, just getting bigger and better.
Unfortunately I’ve never been to Toronto, so my comparisons are based on my perception and not my reality.
- Quality of Life - LA. I can’t speak for everyone, but with the weather and options for things to do, I can’t imagine it being much better.
- Economy - Toronto. LA’s economy appears to be on the upswing, but you can’t ignore two decades of stagnation due to loss of aerospace and manufacturing.
- Nightlife - not important to me
- Scenery - LA. There’s an ocean here plus mountains.
- Cultural venues - LA
- Entertainment - LA
- Mass transit - Toronto
- Downtowns - Toronto
- Crime rate - Toronto
- Parks - Toronto
- Personal preference/experiences - LA for weather. Winter in Toronto is too cold for too long for my taste.
- Favorite neighborhood (and why) - not enough information
- Favorite restaurants - Toronto. I prefer Caribbean/African to Latin American/Asian.
- Favorite venues - not enough information
- Future outlook - LA’s future looks bright, but maybe Toronto looks the same or better
I’d love to visit Toronto, but I can’t imagine living there over LA.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
