Let the craziness begin!
So why would I even try to draw parallels between these two cities that seem to have nothing in common? Why not something more obvious like Paris VS Montreal? (Well, maybe one day) I moved to Paris in 2007 without ever having visited the storied French capital, and then moved to Toronto directly from Paris the next year with even less knowledge of my destination. Granted, I’m Canadian so I knew in general terms what Toronto was, but unlike Paris Toronto is a city unsung. I didn’t really know what to expect.
Obvious differences aside, these cities have some very key characteristics in common. First, they are the largest cities in their respective countries. Canada does not have quite the same master and servant relationship between it’s largest metropolis and it’s other population centers that is more common in Europe, but Toronto is without a doubt the closest thing Canada has to world city. As a result, much like Paris, Toronto attracts the best and brightest from around the country as most big industries are centered here in one form or another. (this differs from a country like Germany which is more decentralized) Because of this, both cities are under constant pressure to keep up with population growth and ever increasing demands on infrastructure.
The other main similarity is that multiculturalism is so integral to the characters of both cities, though they seem to approach them very differently. In Paris, roughly 20% of the population is foreign-born, a high proportion by European standards. 49% of Toronto’s population is foreign-born and visible minorities are expected to make up more than 50% of the whole within the next decade.
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