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.
Considering there are 56 ethnic groups in China and 2000 in India, it’s not surprising that Vancouver has 200. Not sure why that exercise would be worth while, as you would be hard pressed to meet a Canadian or American born person who could easily differentiate more than maybe a dozen from each. They would just call them Chinese or Indian.
Not taking away from the variety and uniqueness that exists in each country of course, but if you really dig into the numbers then you could make the same ridiculous claims for most large cities.
Ultimately what you're saying Vancouver is more integrated. This in large part is due to the fact that there is less difference and differences socioeconomically/in terms of education between Asian immigrants and white Canadians than between white Bostonians and virtually another racial group in the city.
Add to this fact that there weren't racial covenants, redlining blockbusting in Vancouver (as is the case with all of the western US/Canada) so its obvious it's going to feel more integrated.
Downtown Boston feels far less international than Fields Corner, Upham Corner, East Boston, or even Hyde Park/Allston IMO. It's another one of those things where when you're in Downtown Boston youre really only seeing the same 2/3 types of people and not a representation of the metro and certainly out of the city...
A lot of that is due to the fact that everything in central Boston is priced at ultra-premium..., and also that Boston has many self-contained neighborhoods and cities with their own mixed-use corridors. No reason for a regular joe to go to downtown Boston.
If Boston were as Asian as it is Latino or as Asian as it is black it'd likely feel more integrated. But maybe not as Asians are relatively poor in Boston proper (not the metro).
Literally all of Boston's 80%+ white neighborhoods are located in central areas
Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
West End, Charlestown, South Boston are all also pretty central (next ring out) and part of a tourist experience and are all at least 72% white.
Well, and don't forget that Vancouver seems to have lot more first-generation White immigrants from Europe and Australia. In particular there are a TON of people in their 20s and 30s from the UK and Australia who move to Vancouver. While there's nothing exotic about these immigrants and they obviously have a lot of cultural similarities with White Canadians, they do add an international flavor. Like I said, if you walk down a main street in Downtown Vancouver I feel you're more likely to hear someone speaking an Asian language, a non-English European language, or English with a UK/Australian accent than you are a typical Canadian or American accent.
So it does boil down to Whites and Asians (although the term "Asian" covers a lot of different cultures and countries) being more integrated in a Downtown area. But a lot of those White people are from other parts of the world, and that's what I mean by Vancouver having such a strong international flair.
Well, and don't forget that Vancouver seems to have lot more first-generation White immigrants from Europe and Australia. In particular there are a TON of people in their 20s and 30s from the UK and Australia who move to Vancouver. While there's nothing exotic about these immigrants and they obviously have a lot of cultural similarities with White Canadians, they do add an international flavor. Like I said, if you walk down a main street in Downtown Vancouver I feel you're more likely to hear someone speaking an Asian language, a non-English European language, or English with a UK/Australian accent than you are a typical Canadian or American accent.
So it does boil down to Whites and Asians (although the term "Asian" covers a lot of different cultures and countries) being more integrated in a Downtown area. But a lot of those White people are from other parts of the world, and that's what I mean by Vancouver having such a strong international flair.
I'll also add - there are parts of the Western US that did have redlining. Seattle had major redlining up until 1968. If you were black you could basically only live in the Central District or South End: https://www.seattlemag.com/article/s...ive%20anywhere.
Yea Idk what that white immigrant presence feels like on the ground. The white people I meet from UK, Ireland, Canada don't really seem any different than regular young white people in terms of interest or demeanor. They all speak English, eat American food, listen to pop music. So while they may be in the central areas and a part of that 80%+ I don't notice them as being very different or adding an international feel.
I have once or twice heard Gaelic being spoken in Boston but it was way deep in southeastern residential Dorchester.
Ultimately, the point is there are far fewer immigrants in general and people of color especially in Boston's small/dense central areas than just about anywhere else in the city. The big exception being Chinatown. So if that's the primary basis of comparison or the bulk of one's familiarity Boston will most likely feel much less international than Vancouver..
Alright can we move on from the diversity topic. Boston clearly wins hands down
How about nightlife? Both cities are lackluster, but I'm assuming Vancouver has the better dining/restaurant scene?
I think you can really group Vancouver and Boston into similar buckets when it comes to both.
Nightlife? Both are below average
Dining/Restaurant? Both are above average.
But if I had a choice I would give Boston the edge for both, simply because there is just more variety than Vancouver in both categories.
For this exercise I am including the surrounding areas for both, all of the Lower Mainland for Vancouver and the entire Metro for Boston. You can’t judge dining and nightlife and leave out places like Richmond, New Westminster, Surrey for Vancouver and Cambridge, Somerville, etc for Boston.
The source doesn’t list the ethnic groups. Moreover, having a single family from Chile in the metropolitan area isn’t going to have much of an impact on the area’s culture. That’s not a good measure of diversity.
The article even then goes on to say that at least 50% of visible minorities in the Vancouver area are either Chinese or South Asian.
I am not the one who said Boston had a MUCH wider range of ethnic/nationalities.
I am not the one who chose " range " as a measurement.
I agree it is not a good way to measure diversity.
I had friends in California move to Vancouver and said there was nothing to do but smoke weed and watch hockey. What's changed?
Well if you're friends were smoking weed, perhaps all they could do is watch hockey.
Hard to get off the couch at some point.
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.
