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Originally Posted by hipster duck
That definitely explains most of what is happening although there are still some other things at play. American cities a level or two smaller can often be more urbane than nearby cities of a million, even if those cities are, themselves, secondary places that aren’t really regional centres. Asheville, NC or Santa Barbara, CA are two examples. I took cities that aren’t very large in their regional context and aren’t home to a major university- at least not a university that dominates the local economy. If I included those, then there also be cities like Ithaca, NY or Ann Arbor, MI and many others.
The US is a place where people move much more frequently and sort themselves into places that fit their values, often far from their birthplace. But Americans of all stripes don’t necessarily gravitate to the largest cities.
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There is definitely more diversity in American cities. Most major Canadian cities draw a broad spectrum of people from some hinterland (plus get lots of immigration). Many American cities are specialized. One symptom of this is the ads you see, which are often much more targeted there. In the Bay Area, a lot of ads are for tech company recruitment or business services, not consumer products.
Along the west coast, there's a significant difference in appeal between LA, Portland, and Seattle. In terms of major metro areas Canada only has Vancouver and it features a mix of people who in the US would have moved to different cities. I kind of like this. It seems to me like it's easier for Americans to live in bubbles. Professionally that can give you a lot of opportunity though.
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