Canadian cities American counterparts

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by PhilippeMtl

A french culture? big deal. Toronto and Phoenix are similar cause they both speak english...

And Halifax to Boston? Seriously, Halifax to Portland,Me seems a more logical comparaison.

I'd say Boston is a lot like Halifax in many ways. Just more of it. Both have a lot of colleges, both are maritime cities with long histories. There are bits of them that look fairly similar. There are many historical connections between the two. People are just harrumphing because there's such a fixation on the forum about population figures, and cities that happen to have fewer people in them (no matter how interesting and full of history and other significance) are supposed to know their place and not claim any impressive characteristics (such as comparability to a prestigious U.S. city like Boston).

There are definitely some similarities between Toronto and Atlanta, notably the odd ahistoricality of both of them -- they are both cities where 'now' is everything and where relatively few people have any deep roots. They're both rather plain-jane aesthetically, although Toronto seems to me to be much more interesting (having only been to Atlanta once). But in North American terms, if Canada were to be thought of as just a region comparable to the U.S. South, it would not be hard to see Toronto and Atlanta as occupying rather similar places in their very distinctive regions. Both are latecomers in their regions and, perhaps for that very reason, able to escape the parochialness and inwardness of those regions better than other cities (and therefore to grow very large and prosperous).

[haligonia]

I agree that Halifax is Canada's Boston. Both have similar Colonial architecture, both have large connections to the sea and the military, both have gorgeous public spaces, both have several universities, both are quite culturally diverse, and both are the largest cities in their respective regions. (Atlantic Canada/New England).

Yes, Boston is several times larger than Halifax, and as a result is more vibrant and has more of a big city feel. However, this thread is not about comparing one city to another. It is finding the American equivalent of a Canadian city. On many fronts, Halifax does not compare to Boston. Regardless, it is still Canada's Boston. I have met several Haligonians and Bostonians that agree with me.

[ue]

Originally Posted by floobie

I can think of exactly ONE semi-ok comparison, and that's Vancouver and Seattle. It sort of helps that they're basically right next to each other on the West coast. The rest... no point, really. All one can really do is compare a few factors between two cities, and then proclaim them to be similar, even though loads of other factors don't line up at all.

There are similarities, but really, Canadian cities are distinctly Canadian... they have their own identity, they don't need to be compared to US cities to be relevant.

Even that one doesn't make sense. Yes they're geographically similar and therefore share some things in common, like climate and some architecture (though Belltown and Yaletown look nothing alike). But they're quite different. Seattle has freeways everywhere, even one ripping through it's downtown. Vancouver has very few freeways and none that come even close to Downtown Vancouver. Seattle is a big corporate city, while Vancouver lacks the corporate vibe for it's size (making Calgary the hub for business in the West). Seattle has more culture and museums compared to Vancouver. Vancouver is much denser and is better at producing a mixed-use environment than Seattle. Vancouver has a hugely successful urban rail network which was completed in the '80s (even Portland which is smaller and similar in size to Vancouver got LRT in the '80s), whereas Seattle only opened an LRT line in 2009. Seattle has a big Asian population, but it's not like Vancouver's (keep in mind, Vancouver is pretty much the only destination on the West Coast in Canada for Asian immigrants, whereas Seattle has to compete with Los Angeles, San Fran, Portland, San Diego, etc.). Both city's operate differently, think differently, and look differently.

[dleung]

I think Vancouver has a lot more in common with San Francisco than Seattle... hippie culture, yet most expensive metros in their respective countries, anti-freeway, high density, quality of life, large mid-rise districts, losing relevance to suburbs not because of lack of desirability but due to restrictive development policies, massive Asian demographic, etc etc. Anywhere in Vancouver proper north of 16 Ave looks identical to inner city SF, especially with the steep streets.

Of course I would never say "Canada's San Fran", unless I wanna be a 40 year old virgin

[SpikePhanta]

I would say the major thing Vancouver and Seattle share in common is that the two cities have similar % of homelessness and geography/climat.

Also Vancouver is the financial capital of Western canada, Calgary is HQ capital.

[zoomer]

Perhaps a better way to look at it is to say which cities share a common history or bond and influenced one another.

In this regard, Victoria was heavily influenced by San Francisco in its early years, especially starting with the gold rush in the late 1850s. Many influential historical figures in Victoria's history came from SF. SF has North America's oldest Chinatown, followed by Victoria and both were major cities and trading partners on the west coast until Vancouver eclipsed Victoria in the early 1900s.

[agrant]

Enough with the US comparisons. What about China?

[UrbanGreen]

Vancouver is definitely most comparable to Seattle.... housing wise anyway. Both cities sit between mountains and water, leaving them not a lot of space to build out. Drive around Seattle's suburbs and compare them to Vancouver's, you'll see both of them implement the same style of neighborhoods with similar looking houses and similar sized yards.

[Winnipegger]

Originally Posted by agrant

Enough with the US comparisons. What about China?

Toronto is Canada's Shanghai.
Montreal is Canada's Beijing.
Vancouver is Canada's Guangzhou.
Ottawa is Canada's Shenzhen.
Calgary is Canada's Tianjin.
Edmonton is Canada's Chongqing.
Quebec City is Canada's Hong Kong.
Winnipeg is Canada's Dongguan.
Hamilton is Canada's Nanjing.
London is Canada's Wuhan.

There, you happy?

[BretttheRiderFan]

Originally Posted by yyzer

no offence to the OP, but this is a real stupid & pointless thread...there are no direct correlations between any U.S. and Canadian cities - all are unique..

times 2

Well here's a list of the largest in America I'll try to find a similar-ish counterpart

New York....well I'll just say Toronto, the biggest, best skylines, centre of media, financial offices, etc

Los Angeles...the easiest is Vancouver, both centres of film making, west coast, with mountains, lots of homeless people lots of great food

Chicago- Winnipeg, the gateways to the West, long histories, the historical powerhouses of the regions, great culture, railways, crime

Houston- Calgary..known for cowboy culture, oil offices, more conservative cities

Phoenix- Kelowna...most desert-like Canadian city, home of many retirees

Philadelphia-Montreal...both very important in their nations histories, distinct cultures, cuisines, formerly the largest cities in the nations

San Diego...Maybe Victoria

Dallas-Edmonton fewer offices than their southern counterparts/interstateprovincial rivals, historically better sports teams

[dsim249]

^ So Regina, Saskatoon and Quebec City could all be New Orleans? Somethin' ain't right about that.

[c@taract_soulj@h]

Vancouver - Seattle
Victoria - Spokane/Bellingham?
Edm - Houston
Cal - Denver but could easily be a Texas city, duh!
Regina - Omaha?
Saskatoon - Des Moines?
Winnipeg - Minneapolis
Windsor - Detroit
Hamilton - Pittsburgh
Toronto - Philadelphia
Niagara Falls - Las Vegas yeah but funny...the strip in Virginia/Myrtle beach reminds me more of the Falls
Montreal - Boston
Halifax - Portland (Boston could work of course too)
St. Johns - Place reminded me of Ireland hands down...just sayin'

New York is incomparable...even to Toronto...sorry guys, just doesn't work (Yonge/Dundas Square-Times Sq. at best!)

[Tom Servo]

care for an american perspective?

to me, toronto is canada's chicago. i realize it's your nyc as in #1 city, but the two cities are just WORLDS apart. also philadelphia doesn't feel as big and metropolitan as toronto. as for the other cities, idk. i just wanted to through in my opinion about toronto...

[Boreal]

Just based on my own general feel, with different criteria adjoining each pair of cities my list is as follows:

Toronto and Chicago

Winnipeg and Milwaukee

Vancouver and Portland

Edmonton and Minneapolis

Calgary and Houston

Halifax and Boston

I think those are the closest comparisons of some of the largest Canadian cities. I can't think of good comparisons for Hamilton, Montreal or Quebec City. I think Winnipeg - Milwaukee, Edmonton - Minneapolis and Toronto - Chicago are the three most accurate comparisons. Of course, that's just my opinion.

[PPAR]

I find it difficult to figure out what the American counterparts to Montreal and Toronto would be. I suppose that speaks to a unique "sense of self" that those cities seem to have achieved.
Calgary and Denver definitely have a similar vibe. I know everyone likes to think of Calgary as Canada's Dallas- but this only really relates to the presence of oil companies, and is not reflective of the feel of the place. For one thing, Dallas is in a completely different league for population. Denver on the other hand does not seem massively bigger, has a very similar setting and both places have lifestyles that tend to look to the mountains for recreation.
Vancouver and Seattle are definitely similar. Although to my mind Seattle has a more business oriented vibe in comparison to Vancouver's resort town vibe. I think this is partially because the weather in Cascadia is considered crappy in an American context, but great in a Canadian one.

[MonkeyRonin]

If we're talking just what is most similar (not the equivalent in the other country, which has already been discussed to death), I'd say it'd go something like this:

Toronto - Chicago
Montreal - Philadelphia
Vancouver - Seattle
Calgary - Denver
Ottawa - New Haven maybe?
Edmonton - Minneapolis
Quebec City - Nothing
Winnipeg - Milwaukee
Hamilton - Pittsburgh
Halifax - Portland, ME

[Alexcaban]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Yes, this thread is pure crap, but its fun crap. And I am all for fun.

Toronto is the New York of Canada.
Toronto is the Sydney of Canada.
Toronto is the Paris of Canada.
Toronto is the Milan of Canada.
Toronto is the Frankfurt of Canada.
Toronto is the Moscow of Canada.
Toronto is the Stockholm oF Canada.
Toronto is the Sao Paulo of Canada.
Toronto is the Johannesburg of Canada.
Toronto is the Shanghai of Canada.
Toronto is the Tokyo of Canada.

HAAA if anything Montreal is the Paris of Canada and in the great words of Jean Drapeau "Let Toronto become Milan, Montreal will always be Rome."

[caltrane74]

Milan is the largest and most populous centre of Italy. So this makes more sense to compare Toronto than Rome, which is yesterdays city. Yeah, big deal, it was the capital of the western world, now it plays second fiddle to Milan in all respex. The Italians are more down with their Lombardo-Germanic roots than their great Latin past.

Frankfurt is the business capital of Germany, even if the Rhine Valley and Berlin are bigger.

Funny enough, Frankfurt, is actually named after the French.. Fort of the Franks. Yes, the French were Germans before they were French. If the French didnt pick up latin, they would be speaking low Frankish like their brothers in Holland, today.

[CorbeauNoir]

I'd say Halifax-Boston is pretty accurate. Halifax is obviously much smaller but that's not the real criteria here. Both are particularly characterized by their colonial origins, both are important port cities and have a highly prominent university and military presence. A link between the two already exists on account of the Explosion.

In fact Norfolk, VA is another strong candidate for comparison - and the two are sister cities at that.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Winnipegger

Toronto is Canada's Shanghai.
Montreal is Canada's Beijing.
Vancouver is Canada's Guangzhou.
Ottawa is Canada's Shenzhen.
Calgary is Canada's Tianjin.
Edmonton is Canada's Chongqing.
Quebec City is Canada's Hong Kong.
Winnipeg is Canada's Dongguan.
Hamilton is Canada's Nanjing.
London is Canada's Wuhan.

There, you happy?

Is Kitchener-Waterloo Canada's Kunming?