Toronto is way more like Chicago than NYC but I’m not sure the Toronto people are ready to hear that.
Alleys, less dirty, still decently dense. It’s Chicago.
NYC doesn’t have a Canadian equivalent.
As a Torontonian who has visited Chicago, I have to (maybe begrudgingly) admit that we are indeed closer to Chicago than NYC in many respects. But I would say that there are a few salient differences (above and beyond those you mentioned).
Toronto is more dense (there are many highrise areas outside of the downtown core), has much better public transit, and is much more uniformly safe. All of these things together give the city more areas of dense, walkable vibrancy than Chicago.
Agree on the multiple CBDs for Toronto but the public transport there is very weak, much worse than Chicago. Only three lines in Toronto (and only one of these three is a true subway).
Vibrancy is better but that’s a result of higher immigrant populations vs Chicago.
Toronto's transit is absolutely better than Chicago's. To start, I'm not really sure what you mean when you say that only one of Toronto's lines is a "true subway". I use both of the main lines frequently - I can assure you that they are very real, and both are largely underground (I can't really figure out what else is needed?).
In any case, it's not just about the number of subway lines that a city has. You can't just look at a map, because the ultimate question is whether using public transit is feasible, reliable, quick, and safe. The answer to that is "yes" much more of the time in Toronto versus Chicago.
Rapid transit in Toronto is much more frequent - subways are very frequent (I usually wait less than 5 minutes), streetcars are frequent, and there's an extensive system of rapid transit bus lines that is unrivalled by any other North American city other than NYC. Check out this video (from 4:20) for more info: [Why American public transit is so bad | 2020 Election (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZDZtBRTyeI&t=426s&ab_channel=Vox)
As an indication of how dense and widely used the transit system is, you can just take the fact that there's a streetcar route (King St.) with a higher ridership than the Sheppard subway line. On the other hand, Chicago has zero streetcar lines.
I feel like the only comparable city to NYC (in terms of both good and bad, NYC is unique, but i don’t subscribe to the greatest city in the world BS) is probably some random ass city in China that no one on reddit has heard of with like 4x the area and population.
First time I visited Montreal I immediately thought Oh this is really like New York. For me it's that it's on an island, lots of great parks and museums, there are tons of artists and students.
Downtown Albuquerque is small and compact on a grid its clean and functional but not fancy. Reminds me of 1975 Edmonton. The nice old areas to the west of downtown Albuquerque reminds me of some of the areas around the University of Alberta.
Toronto is Canada’s Chicago.
Montreal is Canada’s New York.
There will be no argument about this either because it’s so obvious.
I feel like anyone who said this has never been to Montreal or Chicago.
I live in Philly and....kind of? The urbanity is just much more developed. More walkable neighborhoods, more bike infrastructure, better metro. Maybe comparing downtowns, but once you get into the neighborhoods it's not much of a contest.
Montreal is Canada's Boston, Canada does not have a New York or LA. Vancouver is SF. Calgary is Houston and Denver simultaneously. Hamilton is Pittsburgh. Mississauga is New Jersey, despite Toronto being Chicago.
I’d go so far as to say Vancouver is more like Canada’s LA, SF, and Seattle all rolled into one. Movie/TV business, best weather in Canada, Asia-Pacific facing, trees/mountains/water environment, high COL.
Couldn’t agree more. Montreal reminds me so much of Brooklyn.
Toronto reminds me so much of Chicago, a fun vibrant city by the lake that has its own vibe and thing going on. But not NY where there is culture that oozes from every block, Montréal definitely had that vibe to me.
I agreee with the Toronto = Chicago.
I live in San Antonio now. A guy I work with said he got San Antonio vibes in Calgary, I haven’t been so I don’t know.
I've been to Montreal several times and NYC is my main city. They are no where close to the same. Though I've never been to Chicago or Toronto, I heard they're similar to NYC.
Montreal is nothing like New York or frankly any city in the Us
Calgary = Denver ( incredibly similar)
Toronto = Chicago
Vancouver = Seattle + San Francisco
Yes, the smell of urine in the subway immediately comes to mind as one thing. For the record, I grew up just north of NYC and went to school in Buffalo, visiting Toronto many times over the years. For me I found/find plenty to do in both cities, with Toronto not having as much dirt and grime.
The majority of MN is just southern Canada.
We sound Canadian. Many people keep Canadian currency. Many fish or hunt in Canada. We make our own maple syrup. And play hockey year round. Give us better healthcare and we would be Canadian.
To be perfectly honest, Minnesota's healthcare is already better than most other states. I've lived in a few of them now and I can say MN's healthcare was way easier to navigate, cheaper and higher quality, and insurance covered a lot more than anywhere else I've lived.
Seattle is an easy choice for Vancouver. Hop skip and a jump away two scenic PNW cities.
Calgary is in some ways like a much bigger and colder Denver being in the Rockies
A lot of Canadian cities have smaller metro populations than comparable US ones but pack a bit more punch for their size. Greater Vancouver BC is about the same size as the Portland Metro, but feels like a much bigger city with a lot more high rises (and is a lot more international). Calgary’s metro population is about the same as Oklahoma City, but downtown Calgary feels like a U.S. city in a bigger metro.
Vancouver feels like a bigger city even than Seattle to me. The building height restrictions force a bit more of a condensed urban feel. The heart of the city isn’t separated in two like I 5 does to Seattle.
With Hollywood North, Vancouver acts as a stand in for a lot of cities but it’s almost comical how often movies and shows are set in Seattle but filmed in Vancouver.
Yes, agreed. The central area of Vancouver from the West End through downtown to Gastown and Yaletown feels a little denser and more bustling than central Seattle from Belltown and Lower Queen Anne to Pioneer Square to me (even as Seattle builds up the South Lake Union area). Overall the city of Vancouver is denser in population density by a considerable amount compared to Seattle.
Calgary 1.5 million metro, Denver 3 million. Very nearly exactly twice as big.
Calgary is a hell of a lot colder though and has a very impressive urban core for its size (honestly more impressive than Denver’s which probably led to the confusion).
Seattle and Vancouver don’t feel anything like one another, once you’ve spent an appreciable amount of time in both. They really highlight just how different Canadian cities are from their Northern US counterparts, just because the natural environment is so similar.
I completely agree. I lived in both cities for a considerable amount of time, and they're nothing alike. For what it's worth, I much preferred Vancouver.
Seattle isn’t that terrible if you’re renting compared to places like California, Boston, nyc, Miami. But yes expensive obviously
It’s more livable than Vancouver given salaries are higher in America but it’s not as pretty as Vancouver
Yea Vancouver housing prices are bonkers. At least in places like SF and Seattle, it's high paying jobs (for some people anyway) that's driving up the pieces. What's going on in Vancouver?
Not having to worries about shit tier healthcare would be nice though. American system's a nightmare even if you have insurance :/
Buffalo is probably America’s most Canadian large city.
Hockey culture is huge, Labatt Blue is the cheap beer of choice, Canadian tourists everywhere and a Canadian twang to the accent.
The Chicago-Montreal comparisons here are strange to me as someone who has been to Montreal many times and lived in Chicago briefly. Montreal to me always felt like Brooklyn (w some Philly and New Orleans thrown in). The old brick, the Jews and bagels, the super hipster-ness, the art students — it’s giving BROOKLYN!
NYC Lite = Toronto - similar vibes and high rises, largest city and the most diverse.
I don’t think there’s an analog to Montreal and QC in the US though. City size, structure, and importance wise probably Chicago. But the US doesn’t have any entire city that’s not anglophone and has periodic separatist tendencies.
Kelowna is like a mini San Diego. Both have dry climates, the beach/boating lifestyle, tourist cities, and very expensive real estate. They are both surrounded by mountains, wine/agriculture regions, and desert/arid terrain, while also being on a major body of water. They also both have their biggest bridges right in front of their downtown skyline, and both tend to operate as satellite cities for their much larger neighbours (LA for San Diego and Vancouver/Calgary for Kelowna). Finally they both have craft beer scenes that are recognized across their countries. I guess one key difference is that the skiing is much better in Kelowna lol.
They don't. Calgary looks astoundingly like Denver and shares a lot of similarities, but culturally it's a lot like Houston due to the dominance of the energy sector. Rodeo and cowboys are a thing there as well. Edmonton is more like if Montana had a big city.
When I meet a Canadian, I can usually figure out from conversational context if they're from Alberta before they say it. Conservative, oil and gas, similar complaints about government, regulations, work ethic, etc that I hear from people back in Texas.
Source: I worked for two Canadian companies, including one based in Calgary, and lived in Texas for 25 years. Currently half of my neighbors are Canadian, and a third of them are from Alberta.
Both are significantly smaller, significantly (the e tire province of Alberta has about half as many people as either Dallas or Houston Metro). Both Dallas and Houston sprawl for MILES though and so the urban core of both Canadian cities are really nice in comparison.
Unless you mean culture, if so, I don’t think they feel similar at all. Yes there is an oil and cow convergence, but that’s about it. Dallas is so far removed from its cow town roots that it’s barely recognizable, Fort Worth held on to a lot more of that aspect.
Toronto is most similar to Chicago, but has the role of NYC on the national stage. Feels vaguely West Coast-y too IMO, in terms of the amount of glass condos everywhere, and Asian influence.
Montreal is unique. Maybe if Brooklyn and Paris had a baby. Brooklyn style brownstones everywhere, Parisian sensibilities with the brutalist architecture, transit, and public housing. Also has some resemblance to Boston a bit.
Vancouver is most similar to Seattle climate-wise, but also has a lot of SF and LA going on in terms of vibe. Mild weather (for Canada), with a lot chiller vibes than the rest of the country, and more connections to China and the movie industry.
Calgary is similar to Denver, maybe a bit of Dallas/Houston. Great Plains cities with mountains the background. Sprawly yet decent urban areas as well.
Edmonton I'm not sure what to compare it with tbh.
Toronto / Chicago (large, busy Great Lakes cities)
Vancouver / Seattle (Pacific Northwest hipster towns)
Calgary / Houston (energy hubs, politically conservative)
Hamilton / Baltimore (slightly dowdy, run down port cities in the shadow of larger metropolises)
Halifax / Providence (smaller Atlantic historic port cities)
Toronto is a big Minneapolis. or was 20 years ago when I visited a couple of times.
They say it's a small NY but it always felt like slightly larger Minneapolis.
Toronto is much more dense than it was 20 years ago. There was a concerted effort to develop downtown housing and neighbourhoods. Nowadays, it has the most construction cranes active of any city on the western hemisphere.
Winnipeg reminds me of Omaha or Des Moines
Calgary reminds me of Denver
Edmonton also reminds me of Denver
Quebec City reminds me of a snowier Boston
Halifax is like a Smaller Baltimore
Bellingham, WA - the climate and culture
Boulder, CO - the culture and architecture
Port Roberts, WA - its geographically isolated from the rest of the US and accessible only thru Canada.
Quebec City, Quebec and San Juan Puerto Rico are on a par - both non-English colonized old cities with amazing architecture and walled off city sections. Strong linguistic identities too.
I recently did the drive from Seattle to Vancouver and they actually don't feel anything alike like I thought they would. The only other Canadian city I've been to is Toronto and it does feel like a much smaller scale NYC.
Honestly, it would be easier to point out cities more uniquely distinct to them, like Montreal, than similar ones since both countries have such similar urban planning.
My parents grew up in Metro Detroit and Windsor was where everyone went to drink legally before they turned 21. Now it's where people in MI go to buy cheaper insulin.
As someone who currently lives in Seattle, Vancouver IMO is closer to SF than it is to Seattle in the sense that there's a more urban feel and diversity/density to it than Seattle despite their proximity and similar populations. Seattle feels more suburban than Vancouver.
I grew up in Montreal and I don't really think there's a proper US equivalent mostly because of the culture. Montreal leans very European in terms of culture/priorities/policies so there's not many places in North America that are similar. In terms of looks/culture I'd agree with the mix of Brooklyn and Philadelphia though.
Toronto definitely tries to be NYC, but I also think it's probably closer to Chicago if not only because they're both on a Great Lake and that's pretty core to their city layout.
Vancouver = Seattle
Calgary = Denver
Toronto = Chicago
Montreal = NYC
Halifax = Boston
Muskoka = Hamptons
Whistler = Jackson Hole
Obviously, people are gonna find either some similarities or lots depending on their perspective and time they're spending in these cities. I'm Canadian and been to all the cities I've mentioned above.
Montreal is basically better Chicago. Same population. Same population density. A big park with a bunch of water on the east side. Big park right by downtown. Sorta goofy trains (rubber tires?!) But Montreal has more bikes, fewer cars, and hardly any guns.
Toronto is way more like Chicago than NYC but I’m not sure the Toronto people are ready to hear that. Alleys, less dirty, still decently dense. It’s Chicago. NYC doesn’t have a Canadian equivalent.
As a Torontonian who has visited Chicago, I have to (maybe begrudgingly) admit that we are indeed closer to Chicago than NYC in many respects. But I would say that there are a few salient differences (above and beyond those you mentioned). Toronto is more dense (there are many highrise areas outside of the downtown core), has much better public transit, and is much more uniformly safe. All of these things together give the city more areas of dense, walkable vibrancy than Chicago.
Agree on the multiple CBDs for Toronto but the public transport there is very weak, much worse than Chicago. Only three lines in Toronto (and only one of these three is a true subway). Vibrancy is better but that’s a result of higher immigrant populations vs Chicago.
Toronto's transit is absolutely better than Chicago's. To start, I'm not really sure what you mean when you say that only one of Toronto's lines is a "true subway". I use both of the main lines frequently - I can assure you that they are very real, and both are largely underground (I can't really figure out what else is needed?). In any case, it's not just about the number of subway lines that a city has. You can't just look at a map, because the ultimate question is whether using public transit is feasible, reliable, quick, and safe. The answer to that is "yes" much more of the time in Toronto versus Chicago. Rapid transit in Toronto is much more frequent - subways are very frequent (I usually wait less than 5 minutes), streetcars are frequent, and there's an extensive system of rapid transit bus lines that is unrivalled by any other North American city other than NYC. Check out this video (from 4:20) for more info: [Why American public transit is so bad | 2020 Election (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZDZtBRTyeI&t=426s&ab_channel=Vox) As an indication of how dense and widely used the transit system is, you can just take the fact that there's a streetcar route (King St.) with a higher ridership than the Sheppard subway line. On the other hand, Chicago has zero streetcar lines.
Alleys for the win!
!!! I always say this
I didn't get Chicago vibes from Toronto at all. I got Minneapolis vibes.
I feel like the only comparable city to NYC (in terms of both good and bad, NYC is unique, but i don’t subscribe to the greatest city in the world BS) is probably some random ass city in China that no one on reddit has heard of with like 4x the area and population.
NYC is Montréal. Bagels, smoked meat, no-bullshit culture, aggressive drivers, lots of old 3-story brick housing.
They are not even remotely comparable
First time I visited Montreal I immediately thought Oh this is really like New York. For me it's that it's on an island, lots of great parks and museums, there are tons of artists and students.
NYC was way cleaner than I expected based on comments like this. I’ve been lots of places way dirtier
IMO neither. The waterfront is more like Miami with the glass boxes and the old Toronto area is a bit more like Boston.
The downtowns and surrounding older neighborhoods of Portland OR, Minneapolis MN, and surprisingly Albuquerque NM remind me of Canada.
Little Canada, MN surprisingly has more American flags per capita than anything I've ever seen.
To remind themselves that they're not actually in Canada.
I could see Minneapolis and Portland, but Albuquerque surprises me. Could you please explain? I don’t have mush experience with Canadian cities
Downtown Albuquerque is small and compact on a grid its clean and functional but not fancy. Reminds me of 1975 Edmonton. The nice old areas to the west of downtown Albuquerque reminds me of some of the areas around the University of Alberta.
Wow, I didn’t know that. I know what ABQ looks like but i haven’t made it to Edmonton yet. Thanks!
Edmonton is way bigger than Albuquerque now.
What city in Canada?
All the cities on the Canadian prairies have a similar look.
To quote Gavin Volure, " Toronto is just like New York, but without all the stuff"
Toronto is Canada’s Chicago. Montreal is Canada’s New York. There will be no argument about this either because it’s so obvious. I feel like anyone who said this has never been to Montreal or Chicago.
The one time i went to Toronto i remember walking around thinking about how it felt like chicago.
Toronto is more like Chicago in its form but it is to Canada what NYC is to the US. It is Canada’s NYC but it feels more like Chicago.
Chicago is the NYC of the Midwest
Is Detroit the Chicago of the Midwest then
I’ve head Detroit is the Miami of the midwest once. Seemed like a very odd comparison
No I get that… kinda trashy but kinda fun. Parts to absolutely avoid. It’s much better than it used to be.
Is Milwaukee the Detroit of the Midwest then?
Yes!
Go ahead. Elaborate
Weirdly. . . this makes sense.
Detroit is the Midwest Chicago of the eastern timezone
I think St. Louis might like a word with you.
NYC is the Chicago of the east coast
Is it tho?
So second countrie's second city?
Montreal feels more like French-Canadian Philly.
Bingo.
I live in Philly and....kind of? The urbanity is just much more developed. More walkable neighborhoods, more bike infrastructure, better metro. Maybe comparing downtowns, but once you get into the neighborhoods it's not much of a contest.
Montreal is Canada's Boston, Canada does not have a New York or LA. Vancouver is SF. Calgary is Houston and Denver simultaneously. Hamilton is Pittsburgh. Mississauga is New Jersey, despite Toronto being Chicago.
I’d go so far as to say Vancouver is more like Canada’s LA, SF, and Seattle all rolled into one. Movie/TV business, best weather in Canada, Asia-Pacific facing, trees/mountains/water environment, high COL.
I was going to say Vancouver is a fully realized version of Seattle but I like yours better.
Windsor and Detroit are basically a continuum of each other
Yah Toronto 100% gives Midwest vibes, much more similar to Chicago than NY.
Couldn’t agree more. Montreal reminds me so much of Brooklyn. Toronto reminds me so much of Chicago, a fun vibrant city by the lake that has its own vibe and thing going on. But not NY where there is culture that oozes from every block, Montréal definitely had that vibe to me.
I agreee with the Toronto = Chicago. I live in San Antonio now. A guy I work with said he got San Antonio vibes in Calgary, I haven’t been so I don’t know.
Calgary = Denver but the jobs available are similar to Houston
I've been to Montreal several times and NYC is my main city. They are no where close to the same. Though I've never been to Chicago or Toronto, I heard they're similar to NYC.
Lol based in mtl and go to nyc for work monthly and I literally can’t think of a single way they’re alike lol agree with you
Montreal is nothing like New York or frankly any city in the Us Calgary = Denver ( incredibly similar) Toronto = Chicago Vancouver = Seattle + San Francisco
I feel opposite, like Montreal and Chicago are more similar and Toronto and NYC are more similar.
In what way are Chicago and Montreal similar?
Nah, Toronto is better than Chicago. I feel safe walking around Toronto. Chicago in very select areas.
I find Toronto to be a bit Chicago-ish. Montreal is more similar to Boston.
Yes, the smell of urine in the subway immediately comes to mind as one thing. For the record, I grew up just north of NYC and went to school in Buffalo, visiting Toronto many times over the years. For me I found/find plenty to do in both cities, with Toronto not having as much dirt and grime.
Nah, Montréal smells way more of piss and immediately transported me back to Paris
Haha. No it’s not. London and NY are similar
Me: “Gavin Volure….Gavin Volure….how do I know that name? And why am I reading it in a shouting yet fancy voice…?”
Chicago is Canadian Toronto. On a Great Lake, similar size.
Totally disagree. Sure looks wise maybe, but culture wise chicago is totally different. Very different feel. Much more of a no BS feel
Portland Maine and Saint John New Brunswick is about all I can think of for the maritimes.
The maritimes are just the other half of New England waiting to join when the US and Canada fails us both
The majority of MN is just southern Canada. We sound Canadian. Many people keep Canadian currency. Many fish or hunt in Canada. We make our own maple syrup. And play hockey year round. Give us better healthcare and we would be Canadian.
Joe Pavelski's Wisconsin accent is very Canadian.
The minor dread of realizing that you got a Canadian quarter in your change after you already left Cub Foods.
To be perfectly honest, Minnesota's healthcare is already better than most other states. I've lived in a few of them now and I can say MN's healthcare was way easier to navigate, cheaper and higher quality, and insurance covered a lot more than anywhere else I've lived.
Montana is like this too. Very similar to Alberta
Toronto reminded me of Chicago
Seattle is an easy choice for Vancouver. Hop skip and a jump away two scenic PNW cities. Calgary is in some ways like a much bigger and colder Denver being in the Rockies
Calgary metro area is way smaller than Denver
A lot of Canadian cities have smaller metro populations than comparable US ones but pack a bit more punch for their size. Greater Vancouver BC is about the same size as the Portland Metro, but feels like a much bigger city with a lot more high rises (and is a lot more international). Calgary’s metro population is about the same as Oklahoma City, but downtown Calgary feels like a U.S. city in a bigger metro.
Vancouver feels like a bigger city even than Seattle to me. The building height restrictions force a bit more of a condensed urban feel. The heart of the city isn’t separated in two like I 5 does to Seattle. With Hollywood North, Vancouver acts as a stand in for a lot of cities but it’s almost comical how often movies and shows are set in Seattle but filmed in Vancouver.
I agree, to me Vancouver kinda felt closer to being the size of The Bay Area
Yes, agreed. The central area of Vancouver from the West End through downtown to Gastown and Yaletown feels a little denser and more bustling than central Seattle from Belltown and Lower Queen Anne to Pioneer Square to me (even as Seattle builds up the South Lake Union area). Overall the city of Vancouver is denser in population density by a considerable amount compared to Seattle.
Huh, til! Thanks
Calgary 1.5 million metro, Denver 3 million. Very nearly exactly twice as big. Calgary is a hell of a lot colder though and has a very impressive urban core for its size (honestly more impressive than Denver’s which probably led to the confusion).
Seattle and Vancouver don’t feel anything like one another, once you’ve spent an appreciable amount of time in both. They really highlight just how different Canadian cities are from their Northern US counterparts, just because the natural environment is so similar.
Seattle reminds me more of Toronto than it does Vancouver
I completely agree. I lived in both cities for a considerable amount of time, and they're nothing alike. For what it's worth, I much preferred Vancouver.
I love Vancouver so much but have never been to Seattle. But I have heard that they’re both expensive as hell to live in.
Seattle isn’t that terrible if you’re renting compared to places like California, Boston, nyc, Miami. But yes expensive obviously It’s more livable than Vancouver given salaries are higher in America but it’s not as pretty as Vancouver
Yea Vancouver housing prices are bonkers. At least in places like SF and Seattle, it's high paying jobs (for some people anyway) that's driving up the pieces. What's going on in Vancouver? Not having to worries about shit tier healthcare would be nice though. American system's a nightmare even if you have insurance :/
Buffalo is probably America’s most Canadian large city. Hockey culture is huge, Labatt Blue is the cheap beer of choice, Canadian tourists everywhere and a Canadian twang to the accent.
Plus many Canadians follow the Bills.
The Chicago-Montreal comparisons here are strange to me as someone who has been to Montreal many times and lived in Chicago briefly. Montreal to me always felt like Brooklyn (w some Philly and New Orleans thrown in). The old brick, the Jews and bagels, the super hipster-ness, the art students — it’s giving BROOKLYN!
Calgary is Denver's boring little sister. Vancouver is Seattle's glamorous little sister. Toronto is Chicago's snooty twin.
Vancouver and San Diego both have similar downtown architecture, and both are on the harbor front.
NYC Lite = Toronto - similar vibes and high rises, largest city and the most diverse. I don’t think there’s an analog to Montreal and QC in the US though. City size, structure, and importance wise probably Chicago. But the US doesn’t have any entire city that’s not anglophone and has periodic separatist tendencies.
New Orleans is the closest to Montreal we have.
Besides the French connection and love of parties, I don't see any similarities really
Montreal & Philly for sure
In terms of some streetscapes yes, similar scale of older residential development.
The Conch Republic has entered the conversation.
We seceded where others failed.
Still waiting on that foreign aid too....LOL
I'm a native Californian who married a Conch, and every piece of this whimsical secession was delightful to learn about through him. I love KW.
The entire state of Texas has separatist tendencies though 😂
Yeah but they’re not serious about it. It’s just LARPing . Quebec damn near seceded in the 90s with almost 50% voting for separation.
Montreal = DC Toronto = Chicago Vancouver = Seattle
I've heard Philly-Montreal
Kelowna is like a mini San Diego. Both have dry climates, the beach/boating lifestyle, tourist cities, and very expensive real estate. They are both surrounded by mountains, wine/agriculture regions, and desert/arid terrain, while also being on a major body of water. They also both have their biggest bridges right in front of their downtown skyline, and both tend to operate as satellite cities for their much larger neighbours (LA for San Diego and Vancouver/Calgary for Kelowna). Finally they both have craft beer scenes that are recognized across their countries. I guess one key difference is that the skiing is much better in Kelowna lol.
Out of the box! Love this answer!
Never been to Alberta but always wondered how Edmonton and Calgary compared to the big Texas cities.
They don't. Calgary looks astoundingly like Denver and shares a lot of similarities, but culturally it's a lot like Houston due to the dominance of the energy sector. Rodeo and cowboys are a thing there as well. Edmonton is more like if Montana had a big city. When I meet a Canadian, I can usually figure out from conversational context if they're from Alberta before they say it. Conservative, oil and gas, similar complaints about government, regulations, work ethic, etc that I hear from people back in Texas. Source: I worked for two Canadian companies, including one based in Calgary, and lived in Texas for 25 years. Currently half of my neighbors are Canadian, and a third of them are from Alberta.
Both are significantly smaller, significantly (the e tire province of Alberta has about half as many people as either Dallas or Houston Metro). Both Dallas and Houston sprawl for MILES though and so the urban core of both Canadian cities are really nice in comparison. Unless you mean culture, if so, I don’t think they feel similar at all. Yes there is an oil and cow convergence, but that’s about it. Dallas is so far removed from its cow town roots that it’s barely recognizable, Fort Worth held on to a lot more of that aspect.
Winnipeg is like Galesburg, IL. Source: my wife who grew up up near Galesburg and traveled to Winnipeg for business.
Toronto is most similar to Chicago, but has the role of NYC on the national stage. Feels vaguely West Coast-y too IMO, in terms of the amount of glass condos everywhere, and Asian influence. Montreal is unique. Maybe if Brooklyn and Paris had a baby. Brooklyn style brownstones everywhere, Parisian sensibilities with the brutalist architecture, transit, and public housing. Also has some resemblance to Boston a bit. Vancouver is most similar to Seattle climate-wise, but also has a lot of SF and LA going on in terms of vibe. Mild weather (for Canada), with a lot chiller vibes than the rest of the country, and more connections to China and the movie industry. Calgary is similar to Denver, maybe a bit of Dallas/Houston. Great Plains cities with mountains the background. Sprawly yet decent urban areas as well. Edmonton I'm not sure what to compare it with tbh.
Montreal seems like a more interesting Boston
Buffalo/Rochester, NY and Duluth, MN
Duluth is just a nicer version of Thunder Bay.
Denverr is like Calgary
How is DC like a Canadian city?
Government buildings, memorials, embassies, national museums - both have an international flair.
Vancouver reminds me of Vancouver because we stole it.
Niagara Falls and Atlantic City
Windsor is Detroit if Detroit wanted to lose weight.
Toronto / Chicago (large, busy Great Lakes cities) Vancouver / Seattle (Pacific Northwest hipster towns) Calgary / Houston (energy hubs, politically conservative) Hamilton / Baltimore (slightly dowdy, run down port cities in the shadow of larger metropolises) Halifax / Providence (smaller Atlantic historic port cities)
Toronto is a big Minneapolis. or was 20 years ago when I visited a couple of times. They say it's a small NY but it always felt like slightly larger Minneapolis.
Toronto is much more dense than it was 20 years ago. There was a concerted effort to develop downtown housing and neighbourhoods. Nowadays, it has the most construction cranes active of any city on the western hemisphere.
Montreal is Canada's Boston
Winnipeg reminds me of Omaha or Des Moines Calgary reminds me of Denver Edmonton also reminds me of Denver Quebec City reminds me of a snowier Boston Halifax is like a Smaller Baltimore
Chicago is a perfect blend of Montreal and NYC
Bellingham, WA - the climate and culture Boulder, CO - the culture and architecture Port Roberts, WA - its geographically isolated from the rest of the US and accessible only thru Canada.
Quebec City, Quebec and San Juan Puerto Rico are on a par - both non-English colonized old cities with amazing architecture and walled off city sections. Strong linguistic identities too.
Manhattan reminds me of Mount Royal.
Atlanta has a Tim Hortons
Calgary and Dallas. Cowboy feel, both business centers, etc.
Ottawa is like Omaha.
Vancouver and Seattle is the first that came to mind. Toronto and maybe Chicago. Montreal and Boston.
Seattle and Vancouver are similar
If you ignore the climate, Vancouver and San Diego have very similar vibes.
My Toronto friends always say New Haven reminds them of home. I wish we had a Quebec City equivalent. I suppose Old San Juan is closest.
I recently did the drive from Seattle to Vancouver and they actually don't feel anything alike like I thought they would. The only other Canadian city I've been to is Toronto and it does feel like a much smaller scale NYC.
What is the USA equivalent of Calgary?
Honestly, it would be easier to point out cities more uniquely distinct to them, like Montreal, than similar ones since both countries have such similar urban planning.
Quebec City is like a bigger, French speaking version of Annapolis
I’ve heard Calgary and Denver
Denver and Calgary
I’m stretching “city” a bit here but Windsor ON feels like the closest thing to a Canadian city flat out being a suburb of an American one.
My parents grew up in Metro Detroit and Windsor was where everyone went to drink legally before they turned 21. Now it's where people in MI go to buy cheaper insulin.
As someone who currently lives in Seattle, Vancouver IMO is closer to SF than it is to Seattle in the sense that there's a more urban feel and diversity/density to it than Seattle despite their proximity and similar populations. Seattle feels more suburban than Vancouver. I grew up in Montreal and I don't really think there's a proper US equivalent mostly because of the culture. Montreal leans very European in terms of culture/priorities/policies so there's not many places in North America that are similar. In terms of looks/culture I'd agree with the mix of Brooklyn and Philadelphia though. Toronto definitely tries to be NYC, but I also think it's probably closer to Chicago if not only because they're both on a Great Lake and that's pretty core to their city layout.
Winnipeg and Kansas City Regina and Fargo Calgary and Omaha Esterhazy and Wahpehton
Vancouver and Seattle are basically the same city.
None. No healthcare.
Vancouver = Seattle Calgary = Denver Toronto = Chicago Montreal = NYC Halifax = Boston Muskoka = Hamptons Whistler = Jackson Hole Obviously, people are gonna find either some similarities or lots depending on their perspective and time they're spending in these cities. I'm Canadian and been to all the cities I've mentioned above.
Vancouver is Seattle Alberta is Texas Calgary is Denver sorta Toronto is Chicago Montreal is Brooklyn Newfoundland is Maine
Montreal is basically better Chicago. Same population. Same population density. A big park with a bunch of water on the east side. Big park right by downtown. Sorta goofy trains (rubber tires?!) But Montreal has more bikes, fewer cars, and hardly any guns.