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^^^ What city is like San Francisco? What city is like Miami? What city is like Philly? What city is like Boston? What city is like DC? What city is like Montreal? If you think about it, it's very hard to relate any given city to any one other city. It's not easy and hence the challenge, Toronto included.
^^^ What city is like San Francisco? What city is like Miami? What city is like Philly? What city is like Boston? What city is like DC? What city is like Montreal? If you think about it, it's very hard to relate any given city to any one other city. It's not easy and hence the challenge, Toronto included.
I was posting something similar last night and it got somehow lost.
Yes, Toronto is unique in its own way, but so are most major cities. You don't find a city similar to Los Angles or Chicago either. They are all very different from others.
Toronto doesn't feel like NYC to me at all. Ethnically, its probably closest to San Francisco. However, it's sprawl reminds of me Houston! I see some people comparing the sprawl to Chicago, but Chicago seemed denser to me. The cleanliness of Toronto reminds me a bit of Seattle to be honest. I don't see how people can find Toronto dirty. It seems cleaner than most American cities and is definitely cleaner than San Francisco, Chicago, NYC, Detroit, Cleveland, etc.
But to be honest, this is a loaded question. Toronto feels like Toronto. Its hard to compare most major North American cities. All share some similarities and all have many differences. I can say aspects of Toronto remind me of SF, but I still think they're very different cities. Same if I compared Toronto to Chicago, or Seattle, etc.
That being said, some of the Canadian posters have MAJOR issues with wanting to be compared to NYC. They aren't similar at all.
Oh yeah- whoever said that Toronto is most similar to Detroit wins the award for most ridiculous post I have ever read on city data.
That might be true but it also doesn't matter much, the real question to ask is who has nicer suburbs? Hands down, I would pick Chicago. I've only been in the Chicago burbs a handful of times but there are so many areas that are beautiful towns in their own right with distinct homes, well manicured landscapes and nice main streets. They are low density because they are filled with larger homes/lots which is how people like to live in the burbs. Toronto's burbs likely have higher density because of all the apartment buildings, many of which house immigrants, and cookie cutter homes that are jammed closer together with smaller lots. I have never and will never live in the burbs of any city but isn't space the whole point of living in the boonies? Outside of Oakville, I hate to say it but Toronto's suburbs seem very generic and not aesthetically pleasing. The are also extremely boring compared to the more exciting Toronto city core.
Last edited by johnathanc; 10-02-2013 at 05:42 PM..
Really? I didn't realize there were so many people from Pakistan, India and Sri lanka in S.F.
You are correct- within SF city limits there isn't a very large Indian community- nowhere as large as Toronto's. But the SF MSA is about 3% Indian- same as the NYC MSA. And the San Jose MSA is 6.4% Indian, the highest in the country. So yes, while most don't reside in the city of SF, there is a decent amount in the greater area.
SF and Toronto(city proper) have a fairly similar percentage of whites, blacks, chinese and filipinos. The major difference would be Toronto's Indian/Pakistani/Sri Lankan community and San Francisco Latino community. But otherwise they are relatively similar ethnically/racially. I never said identical.
That might be true but it also doesn't matter much, the real question to ask is who has nicer suburbs? Hands down, I would pick Chicago. I've only been in the Chicago burbs a handful of times but there are so many areas that are beautiful towns in their own right with distinct homes, well manicured landscapes and nice main streets. They are low density because they are filled with larger homes/lots which is how people like to live in the burbs. Toronto's burbs likely have higher density because of all the apartment buildings, many of which house immigrants, and cookie cutter homes that are jammed closer together with smaller lots. I have never and will never live in the burbs of any city but isn't space the whole point of living in the boonies? Outside of Oakville, I hate to say it but Toronto's suburbs seem very generic and not aesthetically pleasing. The are also extremely boring compared to the more exciting Toronto city core.
This is a good observation. If Oakville stands out as by far the most attractive Toronto suburb (and I largely agree with you on this), then most large American cities east of the Mississippi have multiple Oakville-type suburbs in their metro areas.
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