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Well I voted NYC but in reality I don't think any of the 3 are under any danger of losing their dominance least of all Mexico City which is not only, by far, the largest city in the country but also the capitol. I voted NY only because LA could at one point overtake NY in population. Toronto's dominance is solid and increasing, there is no threat.
Toronto is Canada's main centre by a long shot and in English Canada {where Montreal is not a factor} it's rein is supreme. NOTHING happens in Canada without royal assent from Toronto in English Canada and Montreal in French. Vancouver is not even an also-ran compared to Toronto. Toronto is the nation's fastest growing large city in percentage and total numbers and it's economic, financial, media, cultural, entertainment, and political dominance is absolute as well as being triple the size of much more slow growing Vancouver which isn't even Western Canada's financial centre.
Toronto is far more powerful and influential in Canada than NY is in the USA.
While I would agree that Toronto is the most influential and important city in English Canada (Montreal is way more important in QC for obvious reasons) - what do you mean Nothing happens in English Canada without royal assent in Toronto? I know T.O is the English language master control point for CBC and also the most widely read newspapers in English Canada are T.O based - but what else? Business maybe. The only thing I can think of is that many global MNC's and domestic companies have their HQ (Canadian HQ for global MNC's) in Toronto and thus it directs other cities in Canada with satellite offices. Aside from that can't think of anything more but feel free to elaborate. Ottawa clearly has the most political clout with Quebec City having significant political clout in Quebec but I don't see a lot of national political power in Toronto. By virtue of large population, voter power is strong as is M.P representation. Btw corporate HQ plays a big role in many things and isn't just Toronto based and it does cross English/French Canada boundaries. I know a lot of people at a certain Airline in Toronto who won't do much of anything unless they get approval from HQ in Montreal. Same with another but in Calgary.
Now excuse me while I sign some royal assent papers for municipal boundary limit changes in Prince George B.C
LOL - yeah while I read that I did a few double takes but it made me laugh....I think you like Toronto fine and generally I find your posts on it objective and also complementary where it is warranted. That said, I also don't think it is exactly 'your' kind of city and i'm cool with that. It is part of what we were talking about where it is good that we have variety in the country and I think the two - Montreal and Toronto compliment one another well. I always enjoy visiting Montreal. I don't think it would be a better city for me to live over T.O but enjoy it and always do.. So yeah BK's I mean Manitopiaa's comment is making me chuckle while having my evening brew
I think I've said on more than one occasion that I think Toronto is pretty close to the top in terms of the western world's most successful cities overall - so I think that's pretty clear.
I think I've said on more than one occasion that I think Toronto is pretty close to the top in terms of the western world's most successful cities overall - so I think that's pretty clear.
Like I said ..... forget Toronto vs. US cities. They are surpassed (according to many Canadian posters). Time for Toronto vs. other WORLD cities. So why are not Canadians creating some in European, Asian, Australian of World forums?
Like I said ..... forget Toronto vs. US cities. They are surpassed (according to many Canadian posters). Time for Toronto vs. other WORLD cities. So why are not Canadians creating some in European, Asian, Australian of World forums?
There are three cities discussed here, one in the US, one in Mexicxo, and one in Canada. Normally, I’d be annoyed by the swing towards non stop Toronto talk on this forum, but this is one of the few topics where this isn’t derailing the topic. I agree it’s happened many times in the past, but this isn’t it.
Instead, let’s talk about cities in their respective countries that might surpass their current primate cities.
Mexico City has no rival
LA may come close to surpassing NYC, but certainly not anytime soon.
Toronto will be surpassed by Vancouver in the next 20 years.
I should say that when foreign visitors think of where to visit in Canad for tourism - it's Montreal/Vancouver/Quebec City first. Toronto just doesn't strike me as a "tourism" city where people go to vacation or sight see (just look at the near empty hop on hop off buses that drive around downtown Toronto). I mean, the city can't even get its acts together to build a proper pedestrian-friendly street or build a grand public square - two of the most essential amenities that tourist-friendly cities have.
Recently, the Toronto Star did a prominent piece on Dundas Square - presumably the most iconic "public space" in Toronto. The architect of Dundas Square actually called it "extraordinarily ugly", "small minded", and a "disgrace" to the city - which pretty much summarizes how many Torontonians see the city today:
If tourists want to see tall buildings and grand urban architecture - they go to Chicago, NYC
If tourists want to see ocean and nature - they go to Vancouver, SF, Miami
If tourists want to see history and culture - they go to Boston, NYC, New Orleans, Montreal, Quebec City
Toronto doesn't really fit into any of those.
And that is not necessarily a bad thing - Toronto is a very well rounded city by itself, but it's most definitely not your classic "touristic city".
In a 2017 list compiled by Yahoo.com of the top thirty cities for international tourism, only 3 North American cities made the list.
New York ranked #8
Miami ranked # 21
Los Angeles ranked #22
I think the sea-level rise threat is overstated. NYC real estate is just too valuable to just let the ocean reclaim it, it is orders of magnitude cheaper to just build a dam.
I also agree that over the long run (hundred+ years), the real "threat" to NYC dominance will come from DC and not LA. I think LA will continue to slow down in growth (birth rates of Hispanics falling + net domestic outflow of people due to COL not keeping up with salaries... those new infrastructure taxes are there for the long run).
You said " NYC dominance will come from DC and not LA." That is highly unlikely.
According to the Huffington Post, since 2010 California birthrates have been declining in all racial and ethnic groups, but most dramatically in Latina's. Yet the states population continues to grow and so to the population of Los Angeles.
You say "LA will continue to slow down in growth." Not sure where you getting your information because LA is growing, not slowing down.
As far as Cost of living, DC, Mass, Wash, and Calif pay the highest minimum wage in the country. At present the minimum wage for LA City is $13.25, for hotel workers it's $15.37. Granted, in LA it's still a struggle to make ends meet with those wages, but low end wage earners in NYC and DC have the same problem.
I reluctantly voted New York, but I don't see any of these 3 getting surpassed. Nothing is even remotely close to Mexico City in population in that country. Toronto did surpass Montreal in recent decades, but Montreal is stagnating and some would even say shrinking a bit, the only other city in Canada with even a remote chance of topping Toronto is Vancouver and landscape issues probably prevent that (it is surrounded by mountains and water a la Hong Kong, and as result has a central city that looks very Manhattanesque with a huge cluster of tall buildings and apartments despite being many orders of magnitude smaller than NYC or even Toronto (which also has lots of clusters of hi rise buildings) for that matter.....this crowding and limiting of land also has made it one of the most expensive cities in Canada for housing so I don't see it growing to the extent of overtaking Toronto)
Until maybe 20 years ago, I would've said L.A. had the potential to overtake NY the way it was growing, maybe by 2050 or so. But L.A. got kind of "too big for it's britches" and even it has somewhat stagnated in population growth since 2000 or so. If it were to somehow go back to it's 20th century growth rates it would have a chance.
LA and Chicago will never top NYC in population. NYC is 8.5 mil and no other US city has even half that.
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So why are not Canadians creating some in European, Asian, Australian of World forums?