Translude15
Frank the Tank
Ok, Ive read this board long enough not to join into the fun, so here it goes.
I grew up in Mississauga, and Now live downtown. Ive lived in a big city, a medium sized city, a small town, in the sticks, and Mississauga. I have liked them all, except Mississauga. I describe it as growing up in some depressing industrieal suburb behind the iron curtain in the communist era. I know its not that bad, but the place just sucks the soul out of you. Miles and miles of simmilar houses, strip plazas, cookie cutter schools surrounded by vast brown fields and massive parking lots. A terrable place to raise a family in my opinion. Thank god my parrents moved away, so I never have to go back again!
Ok, so we all have a little dislike for the place we grew up, and I actually like some places south of the QEW. I grew up in the Mississauga built in the 1960's, so the housing stock and the properties are a bit better than what they build now. Anything north of Burnhamthorpe is garbage IMO.
This fourm is full of people who like urban environments, urban built form and genuine cities, the kind we used to build in North America before the war, before we sold our souls to the automobile. Mississauga is post war suburbia at its worst! Some people like having a house on its own piece of property, and enjoy driving everywhere, good for them. But I would bet, that if a lot of those mississauga types grew up in a streetcar suburb place closer to the core, they would question their knee jerk love of Mississauga, and see a better way to live.
OK, end of rant.
I've grown up in Mississauga, and yeah no doubt the place has its flaws. For one, the transit system here is horrendous, and unless you already have access to a car, it really is a last resort option of getting around. Personally, taking a cab is easier than taking the bus in this town.
There is no prototypical downtown/entertainment core as seen in large cities, yes, but if you know the right people and places, you can make a decent night out of nothing in Mississauga. There are numerous spots throughout the city that I would say adequately substitute an overly expensive night out in downtown TO.
I myself grew up in a beautiful, and wealthy area of Mississauga. (Clarkson-Lorne Park; by the Lake) Only here could my family have possibly owned property with a 1.5 acre backyard, with such close proximity to the central core, and at a far lower cost of living. The Clarkson GO is situated very close to this area, and can get you downtown anywhere from 20-35 minutes.
People here in Mississauga do not necessarily want to live in the anti-thesis of urban living, but the place offers many opportunities not easily found within the confines of a large, urban city. For one, purchasing a house is obviously much cheaper for most of Mississauga, not to mention the lower civil and property taxes. Many families prefer the tranquility of this suburb, and heck, all the best to them.
