# Toronto vs NYC



## Atterberg (Mar 11, 2012)

Hi all,

This may be an abstract query, but I was wondering if anyone here has lived in both Toronto and NYC and what they believe to be the pros and cons of each. I currently have job offers in both areas and I am excited about both opportunities so it is difficult to decide, but one major difference is location.

Any thoughts or insights are appreciated.


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## Regillus (Mar 15, 2011)

Some magazine once rated Toronto as the world's best international city to live in. The greater Toronto area has over 5.5 million residents. It's the commercial capital of Canada. However; New York City is the commercial capital of the USA. 8 million residents and another 2 million commute to NYC daily. I lived on Long Island once so I made several trips into Manhattan. I had friends who lived in Valley Stream so when I attended parties there - there were plenty of folks from NYC there. When I was in college I knew a girl from Toronto so we talked about what it was like there. I have been through part of Canada when I traveled to Alaska in a Ford van. While Toronto is a nice place; hands down I'd go to Manhattan if I could afford the rent/mortgage there. If you prefer an area with fewer people and more greenery check out the Riverdale-Fieldston area in the Bronx, or City Island or someplace close to Pelham Bay Park. One reason I favor NYC is that once you are there and have the time to get to know the area - and I mean this from a business perspective - you'll become aware of business opportunities that you can take advantage of. Heard of the Greenpoint-Williamsburg project? It's still in development and there's still time to grab a piece of the action.


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## hockeyinsider (May 8, 2006)

Atterberg said:


> Hi all,
> 
> This may be an abstract query, but I was wondering if anyone here has lived in both Toronto and NYC and what they believe to be the pros and cons of each. I currently have job offers in both areas and I am excited about both opportunities so it is difficult to decide, but one major difference is location.
> 
> Any thoughts or insights are appreciated.


In my opinion, Toronto is one of the best cities in the Western world. While it doesn't have the history or a considerable amount of old architecture (it's a fairly young city) compared to Montreal, Quebec City or European cities, it offers the same contemporary, urban lifestyle of New York without the size, high cost of living and crime. Toronto, while a big city, is still fairly small in that it is easy to get about and learn where everything is. I also believe Toronto is one of the fastest growing cities in North America due in large part to the relatively strong Canadian economy (they never really sustained the economic collapse as New York and the U.S. writ large did).


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## wrwhiteknight (Mar 20, 2012)

Toronto _feels_ as big or bigger than New York in many ways, all of them bad. The traffic is ridiculous. If you think New York is bad, and LA is worse, Toronto is off the chart. The subway system is also paltry when compared to NYC, so getting around is much less convenient in that regard.

Culturally, and in terms of the Metropolitan aspects of city life, both are excellent. Your day to day enjoyment of the city will be fantastic in both places. If you like to do something, anything at all, you will have 10 options for that thing in Toronto, and 50 options in NYC.

In terms of nature enjoyment, NYC of course has Central Park, while Toronto has High Park, and has the Don Valley. Both cities have access to "wild" outdoor areas within 1-2 hours outside of the city. I used to get out of work in Toronto at 5 and go mountain biking in the Don valley from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. Very fun.

If I had to choose, and I may in the future, I would choose NYC hands down. Toronto is just not a very user friendly city. Also, notwithstanding other comments, Toronto is no cheaper to live than NYC, and also is not a "small" big city. 1/3 of the Canadian population lives in Toronto and the surrounding 100km perimeter.


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

First, congratulations on your job offers! Getting two at once is a remarkable rarity these days.

Oddly, I just sent flowers to a funeral in Valley Stream.

Toronto is generally cleaner, and there are large stretches of downtown that can be traversed without ever going outside (a major feature in inclement weather). 

New York has more theater, more shopping, more restaurants, and more museums. 

However, you're not going as a tourist, you'll be living there. I always say that any place loses its glamour once you have to pay the light bill and buy toilet paper. You'll find your local grocery, your local restaurants, and generally only go to well-known places when you're entertaining out of town friends, unless you actively fight the urge for complacency.

I would pick New York because as an American I think it would easier to start a job there and to leave it if it didn't work out well. If a job in Canada didn't work I don't know that I've have the support structure and network in place to find something else quickly enough.


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