Quote:
Originally Posted by pip
What I was thinking
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Exactly and my city of Vancouver exemplifies this beautifully. Often it does well on international ratings and the city certainly does a lot of things right and offers a great lifestyle but only IF you can afford it. London, NY, Amsterdam, Toronto, Paris, Sydney are all great cities but not for the average person. All the theatre, restaurants, shopping, nightlife, sports, galleries, and museums in the world mean nothing if you can hardly even pay your rent.
In terms of at least Canada with populations over 1 million, I would say there are only 2..........Montreal and Calgary even though the 2 cities couldn't possibly be any more different if they tried. Both are affordable for the average person but the similarities end there.
Montreal is a beautiful historic city with gorgeous architecture, a nightlife the stuff legends are made of, tons of interesting areas with cafes and restaurants all over with wonderful parks, a vital urban form, endless festivals, with a liberal and bohemian attitude. She was built as a place for people and it's laid back attitude is obvious as soon as you set foot in her while simultaneously being a city that refuses to be anything but centre stage. Montreal's Quebecois culture is unique and the city is a feast for the senses. Montreal is truly a magical metropolis that one can't help but fall in love with.
Calgary on the other hand is a very new city that does sprawl but it's inner city is vibrant with tons of interesting neighbourhoods with a 500km cycling system. The city has the best transit system for any city under 2 million in NA and blows every US city of up to 5 million right out the window. It was recently ranked as the world's cleanest city and I believe it. From fresh crisp air, sparkling rivers from the Rockies, to streets that you could literally eat on. It's incredibly well planned and offers very high civic services along with the highest income levels in the country in a province with the lowest taxes all while enjoying a low crime rate. It's Canada's 3rd most cosmopolitan city which is on full display with its large food scene. All this with incredibly beautiful parks, huge reserve areas within the city limits, and backdropped by the Rockies. It's doesn't enjoy Montreal stylish flair but it offers a very high quality of life to her citizens.