Quote:
Originally Posted by emathias
I've never heard of anyone excited by the prospect of living in Toronto ... I mean, there's nothing much wrong with it, it's just never struck me as exciting.
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The excitement in Toronto is how fast it's changing and appears to be hitting a critical mass in terms of new development, street life/activity, nightlife, and entertainment options. The difference between walking around Downtown and the immediate neighbourhoods to the West 10 years ago vs. today is astounding. Anecdotally, people on the Canada forum and who I've encountered around town that had the same impression of Toronto in the early 00's (ie. "it's fine and all but not really exciting") have been blown away by more recent visits.
I think it has a feeling like getting in on the ground floor of a new hot product or technology or something. The city is more prominent in pop culture now than it maybe has ever been, and it's attracting a ton of young people from across the world. Seems like every time I'm out on a weekend I'm meeting a ton of twenty-somethings from Brazil, Ireland, UK, Australia, etc.
Not as many Americans around which makes sense I think. For most, Canada is mostly still the quiet neighbour, America-lite and whatnot. Probably doesn't really feel like any reason to go to Toronto over any of the premier domestic destinations. Among the commonwealth countries though, it's a destination in itself, a place that has part of that North American Grandeur but in a country that's at least perceived as more liberal and familiar.