Canadian cities broken into tiers

[bizkitgto]

Originally Posted by GGG

There is a huge Climate difference between Edmonton and Calgary. The Chinooks make a huge difference to livability in winter.

One thing that hasnt been discussed in this thread directly is corporate head offices. Calgary being at number 2 behind Toronto. This is a big difference between here and edmonton.

Define huge?! After living in both cities I can say that Edmonton has slightly warmer summers and colder winters.....and make no mistake - both cities are freaking cold in the winter.

[V]

Yeah, he's overstating it more than a little.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by bizkitgto

Define huge?! After living in both cities I can say that Edmonton has slightly warmer summers and colder winters.....and make no mistake - both cities are freaking cold in the winter.

Average high in January Calgary -1, Edmonton - 6
Average Low Calgary - 13, Edmonton -17

So about 5 degrees warmer in Calgary which is significant in the winter. Even more significant is the chinooks which gives you respite from the cold. I grew up in Saskatoon and Calgary is significantly warmer in winter than there. The difference in the morning between -13 and -17 is a weight class of coat.

Calgary winter on most days you can go out and enjoy it. I would take Calgary's winter over Vancouvers rain any day of the week.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by bizkitgto

Define huge?! After living in both cities I can say that Edmonton has slightly warmer summers and colder winters.....and make no mistake - both cities are freaking cold in the winter.

According to official calculations, you're incorrect:

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tabl...hys08b-eng.htm

- Calgary and Edmonton are nearly identical on average during it's warmest month (Calgary is slightly warmer)
- Calgary is much warmer on average during it's coldest month (av. High/Low of -2.8/-15.1 for Calgary, -8.0/-19.1 for Edmonton)
- Calgary is, on average, always warmer than Edmonton. Calgary is comparable temperature wise to Montreal and Ottawa (albeit with a dry prairie climate, which makes the summers cooler) while Edmonton is comparable to Regina and Winnipeg.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by flameswin

This. As much as we make fun of Edmonton, their music and arts scene has been quietly putting Calgary's to shame for years now.

This was undoubtedly the case ten years ago, but with the growth of the Folk Fest, new events like Sled Island, X-Fest and Chasing Summer and the general increase of festivals and live music at more venues, Calgary has rocketed up the music scene.

[takinghits]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

This was undoubtedly the case ten years ago, but with the growth of the Folk Fest, new events like Sled Island, X-Fest and Chasing Summer and the general increase of festivals and live music at more venues, Calgary has rocketed up the music scene.

I have never heard of any of these events in my 3 years in Calgary

Tier 1
Toronto
Vancouver
Montreal

Tier 2
Calgary
Ottawa
Edmonton

[trackercowe]

Why are people always complaining about the weather? I'll take -30 any day of the week over +40. Heck last week in the office I was wearing shorts and a golf shirt, while others were wearing two sweaters and still complaining that the AC was on too high. Maybe I am wired differently after living in Fort Mac for a couple years, but I find the weather to be absolutely unbearable when it climbs up over 30.

At least when it's -30 outside you kinda feel clean and dry, but at +30 you can't generally do much and just sit around stewing in your own juices feeling as dirtier than a Frenchmen.

[strombad]

Nothing is worse than stewing in your own juices.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by takinghits

I have never heard of any of these events in my 3 years in Calgary

There's dedicated sled island and x-fest threads on CP. And they're advertised all over town...

Originally Posted by trackercowe

Why are people always complaining about the weather?

I'm with you. Having different seasons, and a lack of swealtering heat or humidity keeps me planted firmly here. Spent a week in September in Toronto a few years ago and thought I was going to die. Coundn't spend a summer there if my life depended on it.

Different strokes though, but I find Calgary's poor weather is very much exaggerated.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by strombad

Nothing is worse than stewing in your own juices.

Stewing in someone elses?

[Sr. Mints]

T1
Toronto
Vancouver
Montreal
Calgary

T2
Edmonton
Ottawa
Winnipeg
Halifax

T3
St John's
St John
Quebec City
Saskatoon
Regina
Charlottetown
Victoria
Kelowna
Laval, maybe

[bizkitgto]

The big three will always be on their own:

1. Toronto: financial capital
2. Montreal: old financial capital, major party/tourist destination
3. Vancouver: world's most livable city, largest port in Canada, warmest city in Canada

The rest:

4. Ottawa: The Capital
5. Calgary: oil and gas hub
6. Edmonton: oil and gas staging and support center

[strombad]

Originally Posted by bizkitgto

The big three will always be on their own:

1. Toronto: financial capital
2. Montreal: old financial capital, major party/tourist destination
3. Vancouver: world's most livable city, largest port in Canada, warmest city in Canada

The rest:

4. Ottawa: The Capital
5. Calgary: oil and gas hub
6. Edmonton: oil and gas staging and support center

Vancouver is 3rd most liveable, and Toronto and Calgary are 4th and 5th.

Canada, overall, is a pretty liveable place to be.

[pylon]

Oops, I posted this in the Edmonton jealousy thread, I meant to put it here:

For anyone claiming we are a tier 2, or low class city:

Forbes:

Calgary top 5 in the world.
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eglg45fkfdk/calgary/

EIU worldwide ranking #6:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's...livable_cities

Even Toronto said we're better than them, Toronto region board of trade #2 globally for world prosperity ranking:

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/02/26...perity-ranking

You can google best cities in world lists for pretty much any variable and category you want, and Calgary always pops up in the top 10, and constantly beats Cities like London, Paris, Melbourne.... and is sometimes behind, but very close. So to answer the question, Calgary is a Tier 1A city. People come from all over the globe to plant roots here.

Population is one factor, but when you look at the quality of life, opportunity, affordability (for a world economic leader) and how incredibly close and accessible the most spectacular back yard (Rocky Mountains) on the face of earth, you cannot argue we live in an incredible place. Sure we have urban sprawl issues, but being far enough away from the mountains, that development can continue indefinitely, means you can live in this amazing city, and not have to spend 1-2 million for a beautiful home.

When I deal with foreign professionals (doctors, engineers, educators) in my profession, almost every single one, is here with the intention of staying permanently. And many of these people come from the stereotypical world leading cities. They are blown away with what we have to offer, and the diversity of things to do. Sure we don't have the worlds best entertainment or architecture, but this City is too young to have those things...yet.

You are all already living in one of the best places on the face of the earth.

Also, Edmonton is no good.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

Originally Posted by bizkitgto

3. Vancouver: world's most livable city, largest port in Canada, warmest city in Canada

Most temperate of the bigger cities. Summer rarely sees >25C and winter averages around 2-3C. Downside is all the wusses around here. There are people breaking out the parkas in Sept. It's been around 20C this past week and there are still a lot of sweaters being worn.

[Daradon]

Obviously I'm biased, but I gotta think that Calgary is a tier above Edmonton for the simple fact that it often gets included in world rankings and metrics and in many of them Edmonton isn't even mentioned because it's 'basically like Calgary' The world livability expat ranking (I forget what it's called) comes to mind.

That's basically suggesting it's similar to Calgary for comparison, but a little worse.

Whether or not Calgary fits in with the big three is certainly debatable. But it's definitely a tier above Edmonton. Better downtown, better weather, cleaner (not a slight against Edmonton, but we won the cleanest city in the world so obviously Edmonton is dirtier), bigger population, lower crime, more wealth per capita, internationally known more (through the Stampede and Olympics through other things).

Edmonton has a lot of things to like about it, and while I love bashing it and it's teams, it's a nice city. But it has definitely become the second most important and second best city in Alberta, without question.

[Erick Estrada]

Has Hamilton been mentioned in this thread? 9th largest city in Canada and it's like it doesn't even exist. It's not the greatest city for sure but it deserves mention on a list.

[rotten42]

This conversation would turn into Armageddon on SSP. lol

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

I think Calgary has almost .4 more people than Edmonton. Edmonton gets to use their metro area in their counts, if Calgary got to include Airdrie, Okotoks, Cochrane etc it would be higher too.

Edmonton doesn't do annual censuses, but the 2011 federal census had the capital at 812,000 for city, and 1.16 million metro. Calgary is 1.1 million city, and 1.21 million metro in the same census. However, Calgary's CMA has a seriously goofy definition according to StatsCanada. Our metro literally ends at the southern border of the city - places like Okotoks, Strathmore and MD Foothills aren't included. Add those in (which form the "Calgary region"), and Calgary rises slightly to 1.28 million.


As far as the culture argument goes, I find that anyone who argues Edmonton has a better cultural scene than Calgary can only make that argument by discounting the Stampede entirely. I realize that some people (especially locals) like to crap all over it, but there are only a few municipalities in all of North America that has something that matches the Stampede. Edmonton most certainly does not.

Objectively, Calgary and Edmonton probably belong in similar tiers. But at the same time, Calgary has a world presence through the Stampede, Olympic legacy and our place as one of Canada's key business centres (particularly through oil and gas) that Edmonton generally lacks. So even if the two cities were in the same tier, it would still be a 2A-2B situation in my view.

[V]

Honestly, does Edmonton have anything going for it past the river valley and its festivals? I'm actually surprised to see some pretty hardcore Calgarians even consider Edmonton in the same tier as Calgary. I've lived in both cities (well, Edmonton metro at least) for significant parts of my life and I don't think it's that close. They're at least a full tier apart, not 2A-2B.

Although I maintain that the best part of Calgary by far isn't even in Calgary, so I'm not sure it should count.