Toronto/Chicago comparisons

[denfromoakvillemilton]

No it isn't. The Greater Golden Horseshoe has an area of around 30 000km^2, which is nearly identical to the area of Chicagoland; They have 8 700 000, and 9 200 000 people, respectively. Oh, and before you bring up the commuting/dependency argument, you should look up what "Chicagoland" is. Hint: It isn't a CMA, it's a Combined CMA, meaning more than one CMA (without much in relation, aside from location) being combined to form a larger "urban" area.

Thanks. I was going to say it's not. Typo on my part. I agree with you.\

Most of the loop is dead by 20:00, let alone 1 or 4. Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Boystown, etc. might have some late night activity, but it's not even comparable to Yonge/Dundas.

P.S. It's a little excessive to reply 3 times in a row...

Yonge Dundas is a ripoff and dead by 1:30. Toronto's drinking laws are archaic. There are several things in Toronto I would mention before YD

 

[Torontovibe]

That's nice, all stuff that shuts down at 1:30am. Chicago you can stay out until 4am in some places. And you don't have to travel to see them. Like I said Toronto probably has better stuff, too bad your average tourist does not go to see them.

Where do you see people out in Chicago at 4am? The sidewalks of Chicago are pretty much empty after 8pm. Places like the Loop and Michigan Avenue are crowded during the day but once the sun goes down, it's like a ghost town. Even a nightlife area like Boystown, is pretty quiet at night. When I was in Chicago a few years ago, I went to a different bar in Boystown & Andersonville, every night of the week, for 10 straight (or in this case, gay) days in a row. Even on weekends, it felt deserted. Church Street in Toronto is so much more animated and lively.

I've been to Chicago on numerous occasions and I still haven't found an area that's lively at night. People in Chicago tell me to go to Wicker Park but I don't see anything interesting or lively about it. It's nothing like Queen West, The Distillery or Kensington. Those places have character but Wicker Park just seems like any other bland, ordinary part of Chicago. I think Old Town is much nicer, with better buildings and restaurants but again, it's pretty quiet at night.

On thing Canada does right is cities. We may not have many big cities but all of our big cities (Toronto, Montreal & Vancouver) have a lively, cool street vibe, day and night. The only American city that has a better street vibe at night is New York City. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are great places to walk at night. They all feel safe, are lively and interesting to walk around. Toronto's animated area keeps expanding year after year and the sidewalks become more crowded too. It's a really exciting time to be a Torontonian. We have so many interesting areas with the population density exploding and street life developing. You can't really say that about Chicago. I've been going there for years and I don't notice new animated areas or more people walking around. (especially at night)

Oh, and another thing, Torontonians are much more eccentric, exotic and interesting. You do not see freaks, hippies, punks, queers and the quirky mix of people we see every day in Toronto. The people of Chicago look much more conservative/conventional than Torontonins. I noticed that on my very first trip to Chicago. Toronto really has a large number of quirky, eccentric, distinctive people who live here and are not afraid to let their freak flag fly. I think people just feel more free to be different in places like Toronto and Montreal.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Where do you see people out in Chicago at 4am? The sidewalks of Chicago are pretty much empty after 8pm. Places like the Loop and Michigan Avenue are crowded during the day but once the sun goes down, it's like a ghost town. Even a nightlife area like Boystown, is pretty quiet at night. When I was in Chicago a few years ago, I went to a different bar in Boystown & Andersonville, every night of the week, for 10 straight (or in this case, gay) days in a row. Even on weekends, it felt deserted. Church Street in Toronto is so much more animated and lively.

I've been to Chicago on numerous occasions and I still haven't found an area that's lively at night. People in Chicago tell me to go to Wicker Park but I don't see anything interesting or lively about it. It's nothing like Queen West, The Distillery or Kensington. Those places have character but Wicker Park just seems like any other bland, ordinary part of Chicago. I think Old Town is much nicer, with better buildings and restaurants but again, it's pretty quiet at night.

On thing Canada does right is cities. We may not have many big cities but all of our big cities (Toronto, Montreal & Vancouver) have a lively, cool street vibe, day and night. The only American city that has a better street vibe at night is New York City. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are great places to walk at night. They all feel safe, are lively and interesting to walk around. Toronto's animated area keeps expanding year after year and the sidewalks become more crowded too. It's a really exciting time to be a Torontonian. We have so many interesting areas with the population density exploding and street life developing. You can't really say that about Chicago. I've been going there for years and I don't notice new animated areas or more people walking around. (especially at night)

Oh, and another thing, Torontonians are much more eccentric, exotic and interesting. You do not see freaks, hippies, punks, queers and the quirky mix of people we see every day in Toronto. The people of Chicago look much more conservative/conventional than Torontonins. I noticed that on my very first trip to Chicago. Toronto really has a large number of quirky, eccentric, distinctive people who live here and are not afraid to let their freak flag fly. I think people just feel more free to be different in places like Toronto and Montreal.

I think Vancouver is boring. It's the ultimate no fun city. I can complain about Toronto all day but Van City is a place that shuts down. Like I said before, Toronto probably has more interesting stuff, and you mentioned them (Not Yonge Dundas though) but look at how spread out it is though. Queen West, that strip is very large, Kensington is on the out skirts of downtown as well. The neighborhoods in Chicago are not as good as you mentioned but look how easy it is to get there. on the blue and red lines. You have to travel to all these place in Toronto. This is why I think Chicago transit is better.

 

[RC8]

It's better the Toronto way. You are much more likely to be within walking distance of a lively neighbourhood regardless of where you live than in the likes of Chicago.

I wasn't too into the main-street format of Toronto's cultural scene when I first moved here, but now I've come to believe it is in fact better than the multi-block district approach I was used to.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

It's better the Toronto way. You are much more likely to be within walking distance of a lively neighbourhood regardless of where you live than in the likes of Chicago.

I wasn't too into the main-street format of Toronto's cultural scene when I first moved here, but now I've come to believe it is in fact better than the multi-block district approach I was used to.

I'm still not.

 

[freshcutgrass]

Second City Chicago > Second City Toronto

Are you kidding me? What an absurd thing to say. SC may have originated in Chi, but it was Toronto that took it and ran. Second City as an institution isn't what it used to be in either city mind you. Like Chicago, it's had it's heyday.

Like most large NA cities, Chicago was enjoying a downtown rebirth for a while, but clearly it is Toronto that has excelled in that area. In the 5 short years between 2006 & 2011, the Downtown Toronto residential population grew by an amazing 37 thousand! The 2016 census will show an even greater 5-year growth.


Chicago has been on a 60-year long population decline, while Toronto has been on a constant population rise. That's why we are having this conversation now, and wouldn't have 20 or 30 years ago. That whoooshing sound you hear is Toronto passing by. They don't call it the Windy City for nut'n you know!

 

[M.R.Victor]

Oh, and another thing, Torontonians are much more eccentric, exotic and interesting. You do not see freaks, hippies, punks, queers and the quirky mix of people we see every day in Toronto. The people of Chicago look much more conservative/conventional than Torontonins. I noticed that on my very first trip to Chicago. Toronto really has a large number of quirky, eccentric, distinctive people who live here and are not afraid to let their freak flag fly. I think people just feel more free to be different in places like Toronto and Montreal.

This is very true, not only with the fringe micro-cultures but also in the "mainstream" ones. I've personally come across ultra-fashionable Japanese and Koreans, highly metrosexual straight men, prim and proper Sikh business people, the highly quirky art dealing scene, the moneyed, eccentric, post-smoking, old-Canadian anglo-saxons that reside in the Annex and parts of Rosedale, etc. Although queens, queers and hipsters are the focus of much attention in terms of urban culture, in Toronto these groups are a few among many colorful and delightful personalities that make urban life worthwhile.

 

[King of Kensington]

Chicago is a little too much "Midtown Manhattan surrounded by Cleveland." And a lot of Torontonians only seem to see the "Midtown Manhattan" part, which is why so many seem to come back raving about how much better Chicago is than Toronto!

 

[JasonParis]

Chicago is a little too much "Midtown Manhattan surrounded by Cleveland." And a lot of Torontonians only seem to see the "Midtown Manhattan" part, which is why so many seem to come back raving about how much better Chicago is than Toronto!

I was in Chicago three weeks ago for the first time. In may ways I loved it, but your above comment is quite right. The "Near North" especially felt like Midtown Manhattan which is always thoroughly impressive.

I think I'd put the T.O. vs. CHI comparisons this way... "Chicago, more impressive. Toronto, more interesting."

 

[TOareaFan]

Yonge Dundas is a ripoff and dead by 1:30. Toronto's drinking laws are archaic.

Toronto does not have drinking laws that are any different than the rest of the province. I get that it means little if you are comparing two cities (and if that is a factor in your comparison) but Toronto does not control its' own destiny here.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Take a look at the racial/ethnic distribution in these two cities. Each dot represents 25 people in Chicago, and one person in Toronto. The contrast between the two cities is amazing. In Toronto there are areas where there are be a higher concentrations of a certain race, but it is impossible to define a clear geographic divide between races. They're very well mixed together. And if you look closely at areas where a race may be more concentrated, you can still see plenty of people of other races living with them. In Chicago the geographic divide is remarkably clear. One side of the street may belong to blacks and the other to hispanics. And there are almost no people of other races living in areas where one race is dominant.

Chicago:

Large

Toronto:

Large

 

[DtTO]

^ That is really cool; thanks for posting. What's interesting is that the city of Toronto is even more racially integrated than the rest of the GTA. When zoomed in, it's nearly impossible to find areas that consist entirely of one race, like you see in Chicago. As you said, even in areas where there is a single majority race, there are still many people of other races present.

*Zoomed in screenshot of above image, posted by TheTigerMaster.
**Source

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

I was in Chicago three weeks ago for the first time. In may ways I loved it, but your above comment is quite right. The "Near North" especially felt like Midtown Manhattan which is always thoroughly impressive.

I think I'd put the T.O. vs. CHI comparisons this way... "Chicago, more impressive. Toronto, more interesting."

I agree with this

Toronto does not have drinking laws that are any different than the rest of the province. I get that it means little if you are comparing two cities (and if that is a factor in your comparison) but Toronto does not control its' own destiny here.

Noted.

~~~~~~~~~~


I wasn't aware Toronto even had one of those maps.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Hey Torontovibe, TigerMaster M.R, Junctionist


Where is it easier to make friends? Toronto or Chicago? I say here.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Hey Torontovibe, TigerMaster M.R, Junctionist


Where is it easier to make friends? Toronto or Chicago? I say here.

Toronto for sure. The people are more welcoming, friendlier, less likely to give cold shoulder. This reminds me of when a friend of mine visiting from Stateside described us Torontonians as, "a little weird" because we "aren't total a-holes". Apparently it was a little unsettling (I think he was exaggerating a bit... maybe) .

And as MR Victor mentioned, Toronto has many more personalities.