Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
Exactly what differentiates Calgary from Edmonton? Seriously? Putting the long standing rivalry aside, what makes Calgary bigger or better than Edmonton? Population? They're both middling sized cities? Economics? I think Calgary is hurting just as bad as Edmonton at the moment. Not much difference. Political influence? Edmonton has Calgary there. Education facilities? U of A is a much better university than U of C. Cultural attractions? Edmonton has a definite facilities advantage and continues to extend that edge. It's great to make fun of Edmonton and the sweat pant wearing mullet set up in the City of Chumps, but I don't see Calgary having much that makes it better than their provincial counterpart, outside of proximity to the Rocky Mountains. |
I've spent a fair bit of time in both cities and it's not even close. Calgary . Edmonton.
You can't look at economics in a snapshot. Historically Calgary has been an economic driver. It has had, for the last 30 years or so, the second most corporate head offices in Canada (after TO). It has way more direct flights to and from major cities in the world than Edmonton. This speaks to foreign travel to this Calgary compared to Edmonton. Calgary has a slight size and income advantage, and I suspect a larger percentage of the population has higher education. Calgary has a significantly lower violent crime rate (Edmonton's is second only to Winnipeg and just ahead of Vancouver while Calgary is second lowest after Ottawa). Calgary's downtown makes Edmonton's look silly.
I don't know where you get the notion that U of A is a far better university than U of C. For my three degrees it wasn't more highly regarded, and I'm pretty sure the Business and Engineering faculties in Calgary are more highly regarded.
Facilities? The Jack Singer is better than Edmonton's concert hall. Sports? Well sure, they got their new arena and McMahon is a dump. But that's kinda the whole point, no?