TORONTO OR CALGARY : Which is better ?

[tran]

http://www.cbc.ca/fp/story/2010/01/13/2436737.html

 

[Mari_cnd]

too cold..... brrrrr

 

[qorax]

http://www.cbc.ca/fp/story/2010/01/13/2436737.html

Thanx Buddy, That was awesome !

I also found some interesting statistical info on Canadian cities. Thought it could be of interest to some. It says, Victoria-BC 'tops in all counts' :

Check@http://list.canadianbusiness.com/rankings/bestplacestolive/2009/Default.aspx?sp2=1&d1=a&sc1=6

Regards,
Qorax.

 

[AkkDivz]

Very informative link qorax!

thanks

 

[jnathan]

Undoutedly Toronto is the best. I loved TTC (Toronto Transit Commission). Excellent Subways. Decent cosmopolitan and Diversed in nature. People from all walks of lives, from many countries. Wide range of education facilities through Uni of Toronto. Never heard of mugging or other brutal crimes as in many other North American cities. Banks like Scotia, Royal, CIBC and many more ATMs in every convenient corners. but the rent of houses is a bit more still, comparing to the the expoures you'd get, theyre acceptable. I stayed in Markham, Warden, Scarborough. Just dreamlands.

Go and Enjoy !

 

[Roger55]

Qorax , check out London, Ontario . Great university UWO , beautiful town on the outskirts of toronto, affordable housing, multicultural.l I have been researching places to land and London is still my favorite. I first looked into Calgary and loved the place, but housing was way too expensive to land there, rentals are about $1,000.00 minimum. Salaries are better there and there seems to be a lot of " starter jobs " but since housing is so expensive I really do not want to take a chance. When I land I want to be sure I succeed. Check it out for yourself. Its called the forest city because of its beautiful parks and tree lines streets ( large mature trees ) . But if housing was cheaper in Calgary I would go there , its smaller than Toronto and the place is absolutely beautiful. Yes its colder , but its snows for less months than Toronto.

http://www.london.ca/

 

[Roger55]

Thanx Buddy, That was awesome !

I also found some interesting statistical info on Canadian cities. Thought it could be of interest to some. It says, Victoria-BC 'tops in all counts' :

Check @ http://list.canadianbusiness.com/rankings/bestplacestolive/2009/Default.aspx?sp2=1&d1=a&sc1=6

Regards,
Qorax.

yes , Voctoria tops it all, also tops it all with cost of living.

 

[ei8ht]

if i read the op right, he/she is looking for an overall picture between the two cities in respect of a business or retirement place. Obviously he is not looking for a job. under such circumstances, Calgary might be better suited for him.

Reasons: "In comparison to Toronto";
1. Lesser congestion compared to toronto.
2. Cleaner air, less pollution.
3. No waiting period for healthcare.
4. Good for small business, lesser tax (no provintial taxes).
5. Nice & quiet neighborhoods.
6. A little laid back attitude, good for retirees.
7. charming summers (less sticky than Toronto).
8. Less competitive business environs.

Winters, though colder than Toronto, but is quite manageable. and Housing, recreation, kids edn, transit system etc is similar to Toronto. In fact everything else is pretty much the same.

 

[Gregor]

if i read the op right, he/she is looking for an overall picture between the two cities in respect of a business or retirement place. Obviously he is not looking for a job. under such circumstances, Calgary might be better suited for him.

Reasons: "In comparison to Toronto";
1. Lesser congestion compared to toronto.
2. Cleaner air, less pollution.
3. No waiting period for healthcare.
4. Good for small business, lesser tax (no provintial taxes).
5. Nice & quiet neighborhoods.
6. A little laid back attitude, good for retirees.
7. charming summers (less sticky than Toronto).
8. Less competitive business environs.

Winters, though colder than Toronto, but is quite manageable. and Housing, recreation, kids edn, transit system etc is similar to Toronto. In fact everything else is pretty much the same.

Very constructive answer ei8ht, I would like to also add that Calgary has brilliant location. It’s very close to Cnamore/Banff, so you get world class skiing, climbing and mountain biking
So what is your intuition saying Qorax?
Cheers,
Gregor

 

[AkkDivz]

The link which qorax has posted above gives a very good overview objectively / numerically, of the various parameters based on which we can compare different cities in Canada.
With respect to the core topic (Calgary vs toronto), let me take a shot at it subjectively. I have actually stayed in both cities for quite a while (in Calgary for more than a year and in Toronto for a few months ) and this is my 2 cents to answer the OP:

1) Business : Though both the cities are prosperous and trade continues to flourish in them , Toronto is more aggressive in terms of business attitude . You can have a larger network in Toronto than in Calgary obviously because of the diverse population and extremely aggressive business culture . Calgary , as a lot of others have commented is a bit laid back and people there are more chilled out . But it is booming becauuse of its richness in natural resources and the housing prices have sky rocketed over the past decade.

2) Weather / nature: If you are a nature person , Calgary undoubtedly is the best place on earth .The beauty of the Rockies surrounding you is breathtaking . The drive from Calgary to Banff (more than an hour`s drive) is considered to be one of the most scenic drives in the world. If your dream is to ski, then Banff is the place where you want to be ! It gets colder in Calgary (real cold) as compared to Toronto , where the lake Ontario apparently never freezes.So , if you arent a winter person , you might have to face a couple of real harsh months in Calgary . But personally, my experience has been that "when the weather goes beyond -15 , it doesnt really matter whether its -25 or -40".You know what i mean?

3) Family life / entertainment : Toronto is more lively a city than Calgary . As i mentioned earlier , not only can you network better(for business purposes) in Toronto , but you tend to establish personal acquaintances pretty quickly there . Needless to say ,the Indian community is very prevalent there and the sense of community is pretty strong.In Calgary as well, you have a good presence of the Indian community . Have been to a couple of temples there and attended a couple of Dandia functions in Calgary as well . But obviously, the numbers are less as compared to Toronto.

Overall, it depends on what your prioroties are and what kind of a lifestyle you want to prefer.
My personal favourite is Calgary and i would pick that as I love to ski ,love to spend lesser time on the roads in jams and love nature!

 

[qorax]

if i read the op right, he/she is looking for an overall picture between the two cities in respect of a business or retirement place. Obviously he is not looking for a job. under such circumstances, Calgary might be better suited for him.

Reasons: "In comparison to Toronto";
1. Lesser congestion compared to toronto.
2. Cleaner air, less pollution.
3. No waiting period for healthcare.
4. Good for small business, lesser tax (no provintial taxes).
5. Nice & quiet neighborhoods.
6. A little laid back attitude, good for retirees.
7. charming summers (less sticky than Toronto).
8. Less competitive business environs.

Winters, though colder than Toronto, but is quite manageable. and Housing, recreation, kids edn, transit system etc is similar to Toronto. In fact everything else is pretty much the same.

Thanks 8.
Very well said. I, till recently, was destined for Calgary as well. But, letely something else came-up & now am heading for Toronto.
Regards.

 

[qorax]

The link which qorax has posted above gives a very good overview objectively / numerically, of the various parameters based on which we can compare different cities in Canada.
With respect to the core topic (Calgary vs toronto), let me take a shot at it subjectively. I have actually stayed in both cities for quite a while (in Calgary for more than a year and in Toronto for a few months ) and this is my 2 cents to answer the OP:

1) Business : Though both the cities are prosperous and trade continues to flourish in them , Toronto is more aggressive in terms of business attitude . You can have a larger network in Toronto than in Calgary obviously because of the diverse population and extremely aggressive business culture . Calgary , as a lot of others have commented is a bit laid back and people there are more chilled out . But it is booming becauuse of its richness in natural resources and the housing prices have sky rocketed over the past decade.

2) Weather / nature: If you are a nature person , Calgary undoubtedly is the best place on earth .The beauty of the Rockies surrounding you is breathtaking . The drive from Calgary to Banff (more than an hour`s drive) is considered to be one of the most scenic drives in the world. If your dream is to ski, then Banff is the place where you want to be ! It gets colder in Calgary (real cold) as compared to Toronto , where the lake Ontario apparently never freezes.So , if you arent a winter person , you might have to face a couple of real harsh months in Calgary . But personally, my experience has been that "when the weather goes beyond -15 , it doesnt really matter whether its -25 or -40".You know what i mean?

3) Family life / entertainment : Toronto is more lively a city than Calgary . As i mentioned earlier , not only can you network better(for business purposes) in Toronto , but you tend to establish personal acquaintances pretty quickly there . Needless to say ,the Indian community is very prevalent there and the sense of community is pretty strong.In Calgary as well, you have a good presence of the Indian community . Have been to a couple of temples there and attended a couple of Dandia functions in Calgary as well . But obviously, the numbers are less as compared to Toronto.

Overall, it depends on what your prioroties are and what kind of a lifestyle you want to prefer.
My personal favourite is Calgary and i would pick that as I love to ski ,love to spend lesser time on the roads in jams and love nature!

Dear AKK,

That was a wonderful insight !
Thanx. I guess, my present decision to land in Toronto is justfied then?

Qorax.

 

[AkkDivz]

i thought so qorax.

If i were self employed and business networking / growth would have been my priority , i would have preferred Toronto over Calgary too.

 

[satish_lkb]

Dear Friends,

Nice thread and good comments too... Am in the beginning stage only and have only 2 places to land in my mind... which is Ontario (may be Toronto) and Calgary....

Weather is an issue for me... but one of our friend rightly pointed... if its -15... then there is no diff in -30 or -40. But am from Finance field and Toronto seems ok.

Now making a detailed research so that a final decision can be made soon...

Thanks to all

Satish