Vancouver B.C vs Minneapolis (live, better, compare, places)
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Yea, I get that. I'm also Asian of Chinese descent and know a lot of people who visit or live there.
Vancouver and its metro is heavily Chinese descent. There's quite a bit of linguistic diversity and socioeconomic diversity within there, though somewhat less socioeconomic when it comes to Vancouver. I can buy the idea that this is more cosmopolitan to some extent, because when you subtract out the Chinese descent from both, you get pretty close stats. Unlike Toronto, the vast majority is of Chinese descent and not the larger Asian category which is why I don't think it's that much more cosmopolitan, but certainly more cosmopolitan because even when you subtract the Chinese descent population in absolute numbers for both sides, Vancouver has the edge, but it's just not that much of an edge. So as I said before, I think it might be overstated a bit. Still more cosmopolitan, just not as much as the initial stats seem to bear out if we're going just by foreign-born population.
I’m not trying to sound rude, but what you’re saying isn’t accurate. Vancouver’s foreign born population also includes high numbers of Indians, Phillipinos, UK, Korean, Iranian, Taiwanese, and other European and Asian countries. Yes, Canadian/American whites and Chinese are the two largest but there are many other substantial immigrant groups.
Does Minneapolis have anything like Granville Island or Stanley Park? Does Minneapolis have arguably the best Chinese food in North America and among the best in NA for Indian, Korean, Japanese, etc.?
And while they are just stats, I’ll repeat - Vancouver has literally more than twice the population density of Minneapolis, it has almost three times as many high rises, it has a rail ridership of 550k per day vs 75K for Minneapolis. Its bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure is so much better. In other words, it feels like a real city with a consistent urban fabric and it offers a higher level of urban amenities like shopping, restaurants, clubs.
No one is trashing the Twin Cities. Minneapolis is a great city and reminds me a lot of where I live now, Seattle. I could totally live there. I’m just stating facts - if you go to Vancouver you immediately feel like you’re in a a highly urban, walkable, international, cosmopolitan city. Minneapolis doesn’t get close to that.
I agree with most of your points, and I know both cities pretty well, though it's been a while since I've been to Vancouver, but I have a very hard time believing that the biking infrastructure is better in Vancouver than MPLS.
I've biked in both, so unless Vancouver has improved its infrastructure drastically in the past 15 years, it isn't even close.
I agree with most of your points, and I know both cities pretty well, though it's been a while since I've been to Vancouver, but I have a very hard time believing that the biking infrastructure is better in Vancouver than MPLS.
I've biked in both, so unless Vancouver has improved its infrastructure drastically in the past 15 years, it isn't even close.
Bicycle infrastructure in Vancouver has improved exponentially in the last 15 years. You're right that Minneapolis has great bicycle infrastructure and I was probably overstating Vancouver's advantage there (I stand by pedestrian infrastructure though). I haven't been to Minneapolis since 2011, and I'm they've made improvements as well, but at this point I'd imagine they're close.
Some links about recent improvements to Vancouver's bicycle infrastructure:
Bicycle infrastructure in Vancouver has improved exponentially in the last 15 years. You're right that Minneapolis has great bicycle infrastructure and I was probably overstating Vancouver's advantage there (I stand by pedestrian infrastructure though). I haven't been to Minneapolis since 2011, and I'm they've made improvements as well, but at this point I'd imagine they're close.
Some links about recent improvements to Vancouver's bicycle infrastructure:
It's hard to gauge from those links, but the pictures show more bike lanes than I remember. NTL, MPLS built a 5 million dollar bridge bypassing freeways for cyclists and pedestrians (see video below). I suspect that you severely underestimate Minneapolis' bike infrastructure. I'd love to hear from a cyclist who has ridden in both cities recently.
I’m not trying to sound rude, but what you’re saying isn’t accurate. Vancouver’s foreign born population also includes high numbers of Indians, Phillipinos, UK, Korean, Iranian, Taiwanese, and other European and Asian countries. Yes, Canadian/American whites and Chinese are the two largest but there are many other substantial immigrant groups.
You don’t sound rude, and reasonable conversation is fine by me. Your stats list that the majority of people are of Chinese descent which is what I said originally. Nothing of what I or you said is inacccurate—it’s simply just what it is.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 09-24-2018 at 06:40 PM..
You will never convince them. Their mind is made up, purely on reading about a place and a few photos. They haven't been to Vancouver and really have no clue as to what the city is like.
I mean come on. We have held a World's Fair and and an Olympics. We have over 300 movie and TV productions filmed here a year, and The Pope, if that's your thing has been here, and of course royalty over and over again. Also if that's your thing.
Vancouver internationally is just a different league.
They did say the want to come etc, and I'm quite sure when they do, they will be like that couple from Portland, Oregon I met on the sea bus mid-harbour and say " OMG, we had NO idea all this was here ".
Ive travelled and lived all over the world.Rarely have I EVER been surprised .Actually never now that ive thought about it.
Even the first time I went to the Middle East.I had read ,asked questions,met people before hand.Due to my business and the types of things I am involved in ,I have met and have very good friends from all over the globe.
I dont like surprises so I research.You dont have to go tp every place before you go or go to know what you like.
I have friends from Vancouver and they too have informed me as they know me and know what I like so no matter the case,I feel educated enough to make some keen observations.
Yes actually being in a place makes the experience more authentic but experience has shown me that if it doesnt impress you before you go,its not going to change.
You know when I heard about Victoria,I was interested, did my research and its on my list
Of course I will visit Vancouver since its not far but only Victoria interest me enough where I would make a special trip
Many of you have never been to MNSP yet also making wild claims yet you telling me I need to go o Vancouver.WOW
Oh and your couple was from PORTLAND,Im sure any city bigger than Portland would be impressive.
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You don’t sound rude, and reasonable conversation is fine by me. Your stats list that the majority of people are of Chinese descent which is what I said originally. Nothing of what I or you said is inacccurate—it’s simply just what it is.
Fair enough - it sounded like you were trying to say Vancouver’s foreign-born population was not very significant if you exclude China, and that’s not the case. Even if you exclude China (which makes no sense to do), Vancouver’s foreign-born population is still notably higher than Minneapolis.
In general, given the facts it’s hard to see how someone could credibly argue that Minneapolis is more diverse and cosmopolitan than Vancouver.
Ive travelled and lived all over the world.Rarely have I EVER been surprised .Actually never now that ive thought about it.
Even the first time I went to the Middle East.I had read ,asked questions,met people before hand.Due to my business and the types of things I am involved in ,I have met and have very good friends from all over the globe.
I dont like surprises so I research.You dont have to go tp every place before you go or go to know what you like.
I have friends from Vancouver and they too have informed me as they know me and know what I like so no matter the case,I feel educated enough to make some keen observations.
Yes actually being in a place makes the experience more authentic but experience has shown me that if it doesnt impress you before you go,its not going to change.
You know when I heard about Victoria,I was interested, did my research and its on my list
Of course I will visit Vancouver since its not far but only Victoria interest me enough where I would make a special trip
Many of you have never been to MNSP yet also making wild claims yet you telling me I need to go o Vancouver.WOW
Oh and your couple was from PORTLAND,Im sure any city bigger than Portland would be impressive.
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You are assuming that just because they are from Portland that they haven't travelled? They were surprised because they held opinions about Vancouver, and those expectations were not realistic.
Heck I've travelled and I'm sure I'm still going to be surprised about certain places. Whether they are bigger or smaller than Vancouver is mostly immaterial. Even after doing research.
Again you are assuming that we are telling you what you should like, when all people here are doing is correcting some of your assertions.
You are assuming that just because they are from Portland that they haven't travelled? They were surprised because they held opinions about Vancouver, and those expectations were not realistic.
Heck I've travelled and I'm sure I'm still going to be surprised about certain places. Whether they are bigger or smaller than Vancouver is mostly immaterial. Even after doing research.
Again you are assuming that we are telling you what you should like, when all people here are doing is correcting some of your assertions.
Thats exactly what you are doing.
If I expect a certain level of diversity (what ever you wish to call it)where I've seen around the world, that includes a balanced number of all races and cultures,but tell me "1 percent" of two major racial groups that is sufficient because all Asian and Caucasian groups are more than represented then I somehow am making inaccurate assumptions?
So are you saying Statistics Canada is garbage?
At the very least you could at least acknowledge that while Vancouver is diverse but its just lacking in some ways just as MNSP is.
I have NEVER said Vancouver was not diverse.
i was joking about them being from Portland as it actually doesnt matter. Ive met people from Paris to London love cities that here on CD that get more negativity than they should
One person actually picked apart everything I said that anyone would not argue is subjective
Oh yeh It was you!lol
Quote:
Again you have spectacularly missed my point. The comment about millionaires was about looking at ONE of the positives of high real estate costs, for a CERTAIN age group of Vancouverites, who have become wealthy because of selling the their childhood/family home.
1. Downtown-Vanouver
2. Walkability- Vancouver
3. Bars/Resturaunts-Vanouver
4. Transportation car and public=Vancouver
5. Scenery-Vancouver
6. Climate-Vancouver
7. Suburbs-Can't comment don't really know Minneapolis, but judging from US suburbs I do know, I'd say it's a wash. It really depends on where in each country you are.
8. Outdoor activities-Vanouver
9. Economy- Not sure how a larger GDP affects daily life. Vancouver seems to be doing fine.
10. Architecture-Minneapolis You judged just by skyline...so I'll have to disagree. Vancouver's is much more dramatic.
11. Shopping-Big malls don't equate great shopping, but since you mentioned Mall of America, which has 520 shops, I looked up our largest mall, Metrotown. It has over 400 shops. Whoopee. LOL I don't think that makes Vancouver more or less in regards to malls. As for actual shopping, I'm not a " shopper " but my guess, Vancouver has a more international selection of shops.
12. Where would you rather live? Vancouver. I may visit Minneapolis one day, but honestly it's not on my list. The people I do know who have gone, have gone for worked related, or sports related events. In other words they didn't choose it. They came back saying nice things, but not raving.
The thing I don't understand is that you give Minneapolis less votes than Vancouver, but things like GDP, burbs and a mall, are enough to make you choose Minneapolis as a place to live. Odd IMO
Diversity? Let's look up stats.
You completely told me what you thought because you were not trying to hear my reasoning.You were trying to change my mind EVEN though you have very little knowledge yourself about MNSP!
Thats exactly what you are doing.
If I expect a certain level of diversity (what ever you wish to call it)where I've seen around the world, that includes a balanced number of all races and cultures,but tell me "1 percent" of two major racial groups that is sufficient because all Asian and Caucasian groups are more than represented then I somehow am making inaccurate assumptions?
So are you saying Statistics Canada is garbage?
At the very least you could at least acknowledge that while Vancouver is diverse but its just lacking in some ways just as MNSP is.
I have NEVER said Vancouver was not diverse.
i was joking about them being from Portland as it actually doesnt matter. Ive met people from Paris to London love cities that here on CD that get more negativity than they should
One person actually picked apart everything I said that anyone would not argue is subjective
First of all, the 1% for Blacks and Hispanics is for the metro area, not the city proper (which is what you were using for Minneapolis). I can’t find the number for the city proper, but it’s definitely much higher than 1% (although still low and definitely lower than Minneapolis).
Second, Asia is 48 countries that make up more than 60% of the world’s population, while Europe is 44 countries that make up nearly 20% of the world’s population. China, India, UK, Iran and the Phillipines - all of which have heavy representation in Vancouver - are very different places. So it’s not like Vancouver’s diversity is one or even two dimensional.
Third, no one is telling you how to feel. I myself said I would rather live in Minneapolis than Vancouver, although I think Vancouver is a better destination for visitors. All we’re saying is that Vancouver is objectively quite a bit more urban and diverse/cosmopolitan than Minneapolis. It pretty handily beats Minneapolis in MOST (not all) of the categories the OP mentioned. That’s all we’re saying. And the results of the poll bear that out.
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