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Toronto’s housing market may be super expensive, but at least it’s the coolest place in Canada. A new report analysed cities across the US and Canada to identify the 50 coolest cities, based on factors such as cultural and arts scene, lifestyle and recreation (e.g., attending a sports event, taking a shopping trip, enjoying a mindful walk in a public park), population/residents, dining and nightlife, social and community engagement, tech and connectivity, environmental sustainability, as well as trendiness and media coverage — and Toronto took the top spot in the country.
Categories were assessed using 19 relevant metrics and researchers created an index with a top score of 100 — the higher the score, the cooler the city.
“When all eight categories listed…are combined, from a city’s tech scene and connectivity levels to its environmental policies, social inclusion and general media coverage, we can measure how cool it is. While the largest cities such as NYC and LA are the most obvious, there are others that have made our list due to their unique personality and universal attraction,” study researchers stated.
Based on the data, Toronto, which the research notes “excels in nightlife and tech”, was listed as the 6th overall coolest city in North America and the no. 1 coolest city in Canada (it’s also the only Canadian city to place in the top 10), with a score of 40.94 out of 100. Vancouver, known for recreation and environmental sustainability, ranked 13th overall with a score of 33.25/100. Calgary, highlighted as being strong in social engagement and dining, came in 18th place with a score of 27.71. Montreal, recognized for lifestyle and recreation, came in 21st spot with a score of 25.48. Edmonton, known for social engagement and sustainability, was ranked 24th overall with a score of 24.97.
Other Canadian cities to make the list (albeit on a somewhat lower scale) are Winnipeg, which ranked no. 35 in North America, with a coolness score of 20.79 out of 100; Ottawa, which ranked 40th, with a score of 19.92; Quebec City ranked 45th with a score of 15.68; Kitchener ranked 46th with a score of 15.61; and Hamilton took 48th spot with a score of 14.91.
The top five cities with the highest coolness scores were all based in the U.S. New York City ranked first (with a score of 72.68), followed by Washington (with a distant score of 48.75), Los Angeles (48.66), San Francisco (44.63), and Portland (42.26) rounding out the top five.
When carrying out this research, some of the categories had a greater influence than others. For example, Google searches are weighted low while the number of historical places has a higher ranking, as this gives a fairer and more tangible representation of the city in question.
It’s no surprise that Toronto topped the list in Canada — the city is home to some of the best food, shopping, and city life around! If you’re trying to figure out what to do in the city amidst the overwhelming amount of options, check out our list of 200 of all the best things about Toronto, from the best burgers and pizzas to the best boutiques, bookstores, comedy bars, and more!.
