Americans and Canadians culture Q&A Thread.

[Buzz Rules]

So, OP, what are American equivalents to Winnipeg, and Moose Jaw, and Frederickton?

Winnipeg=Minneapolis. I’m still thinking about the other two. I’ll get back to you.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Only while looking for UFO's.

(And the plural of moose is just moose.)

Weird Al would be proud.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Moose Jaw=Chicago and Frederickton=Mystic Seaport, CT (a personal favorite of mine known for more than pizza and that movie).

 

[Buzz Rules]

So, OP, what are American equivalents to Winnipeg, and Moose Jaw, and Frederickton?

What are your equivalents for Madison Wisconsin, Columbus Ohio, and Phoenix Arizona?

 

[mommasita]

Age of the city, European influences, being a significant battleground in the nation’s history, significant religious affiliations, and haunted places.
Also funny tourism advertisements:

i do not see this at all. The closest city in my opinion would be Brooklyn.
Have you been to Montreal ?

I was in Old Montreal last evening, ate there, walked through the old port. It is nothing, nothing like St. Augustine. Neither is downtown. Downtown is most on par with Brooklyn, add on a little European flavour/flair

 

[prairie_girl]

What are your equivalents for Madison Wisconsin, Columbus Ohio, and Phoenix Arizona?

No idea

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Moose Jaw=Chicago

The fact that Al Capone lived in both places does NOT mean that they are equivalent. (Plus, you know that was 100 years ago, right?) Trust me when I say that Chicago moved forward in time, while Moose Jaw stayed exactly the same, with the exception of adding a Canadian Tire at the top of the "hill". (You've got to use the term hill very loosely when you are talking about the otherwise flat prairies around Moose Jaw.)

Have you been to Moose Jaw? Have you been to Chicago? I have lived in both. You could not get two dramatically different cities in North America if you tried. There are 2.71 million people living in Chicago. They have towering skyscrapers, freeways, museums, restaurants, an international airport that you require light rail to travel around, and a humongous lake. I hated Chicago. I could not move away from there fast enough.

Moose Jaw, on the other hand, sits in the middle of the flat prairie and has a population of 33,890 people. It has a Smitty's Pancake House, some murals painted on the sides of some buildings, and of course, Mac the Moose. The most exciting thing going on each year is Sidewalk Sale Days, where stores pull their wares out into the middle of Main Street, they bring in some food trucks, and people get to wander and shop the WHOLE LENGTH OF MAIN STREET!!!! They SHUT DOWN MAIN STREET for SHOPPING! That's how not busy Moose Jaw is. The tallest building is a 16 floor apartment building (which pales in comparison to the 108 floor Willis Building in Chicago), but most buildings don't go over two or three floors high. Getting caught in rush hour traffic is what happens when Jack from down the road has to move his tractor from Field A to Field B and you are forced to drive 20 mph. down a dirt road for two miles with no way of going around. You can drive 10 minutes in any direction in Moose Jaw and find yourself in the middle of some farmer's field, unless you go south, then you might end up at the Canadian Airforce Base. Oh, and as far as lakes go? Drive 25 or so minutes outside of town, and you should find yourself at the man-made lake of Buffalo Pound, barely a drop in the bucket compared to Lake Michigan, which commands its own climate.

The city of Moose Jaw is one that I hold near and dear to my heart. Chicago, not so much.

My vote is for Moose Jaw does not equal Chicago in any way, and anybody who thinks otherwise and heads to either one, expecting them to be similar, is going to be sorely disappointed.

 

[Buzz Rules]

i do not see this at all. The closest city in my opinion would be Brooklyn.
Have you been to Montreal ?

I was in Old Montreal last evening, ate there, walked through the old port. It is nothing, nothing like St. Augustine. Neither is downtown. Downtown is most on par with Brooklyn, add on a little European flavour/flair

To be honest, I haven’t been there in person yet. I was basing this on historical similarities and some advertising I saw. You would know better than me since you live there.

The fact that Al Capone lived in both places does NOT mean that they are equivalent. (Plus, you know that was 100 years ago, right?) Trust me when I say that Chicago moved forward in time, while Moose Jaw stayed exactly the same, with the exception of adding a Canadian Tire at the top of the "hill". (You've got to use the term hill very loosely when you are talking about the otherwise flat prairies around Moose Jaw.)

Have you been to Moose Jaw? Have you been to Chicago? I have lived in both. You could not get two dramatically different cities in North America if you tried. There are 2.71 million people living in Chicago. They have towering skyscrapers, freeways, museums, restaurants, an international airport that you require light rail to travel around, and a humongous lake. I hated Chicago. I could not move away from there fast enough.

Moose Jaw, on the other hand, sits in the middle of the flat prairie and has a population of 33,890 people. It has a Smitty's Pancake House, some murals painted on the sides of some buildings, and of course, Mac the Moose. The most exciting thing going on each year is Sidewalk Sale Days, where stores pull their wares out into the middle of Main Street, they bring in some food trucks, and people get to wander and shop the WHOLE LENGTH OF MAIN STREET!!!! They SHUT DOWN MAIN STREET for SHOPPING! That's how not busy Moose Jaw is. The tallest building is a 16 floor apartment building (which pales in comparison to the 108 floor Willis Building in Chicago), but most buildings don't go over two or three floors high. Getting caught in rush hour traffic is what happens when Jack from down the road has to move his tractor from Field A to Field B and you are forced to drive 20 mph. down a dirt road for two miles with no way of going around. You can drive 10 minutes in any direction in Moose Jaw and find yourself in the middle of some farmer's field, unless you go south, then you might end up at the Canadian Airforce Base. Oh, and as far as lakes go? Drive 25 or so minutes outside of town, and you should find yourself at the man-made lake of Buffalo Pound, barely a drop in the bucket compared to Lake Michigan, which commands its own climate.

The city of Moose Jaw is one that I hold near and dear to my heart. Chicago, not so much.

My vote is for Moose Jaw does not equal Chicago in any way, and anybody who thinks otherwise and heads to either one, expecting them to be similar, is going to be sorely disappointed.

I googled Moose Jaw and I saw many sites say Chicago was the equivalent. Sorry if that seemed liked an insult. It wasn’t meant to be. I would love to see your list of American/Canadian city equivalents.

 

[SirDuff]

I googled Moose Jaw and I saw many sites say Chicago was the equivalent. Sorry if that seemed liked an insult. It wasn’t meant to be. I would love to see your list of American/Canadian city equivalents.

Can you share these many sites? I cannot find any (but I may be a poor Googler). I found articles about the Al Capone connections and the tunnels, but none suggesting that the two places are equivalent. It would be interesting to see what the my are basing this on.

 

[SirDuff]

i do not see this at all. The closest city in my opinion would be Brooklyn.
Have you been to Montreal ?

I was in Old Montreal last evening, ate there, walked through the old port. It is nothing, nothing like St. Augustine. Neither is downtown. Downtown is most on par with Brooklyn, add on a little European flavour/flair

I’m not seeing it at all either. Brooklyn I could see more (but think of the bagel wars )

 

[Frozen Canuck]

To be honest, I haven’t been there in person yet. I was basing this on historical similarities and some advertising I saw. You would know better than me since you live there.

I googled Moose Jaw and I saw many sites say Chicago was the equivalent. Sorry if that seemed liked an insult. It wasn’t meant to be. I would love to see your list of American/Canadian city equivalents.

I googled Moose Jaw and I saw many sites say Chicago was the equivalent.

Maybe at one point? I wasn't alive that long ago if they ever were. The only connection that I know of is the Al Capone one. He used to head to Moose Jaw to get away from the "heat," so to speak. (Not talking about outdoor temperatures here. Both places can be hot as Hades in the summer.) I assume that is partly because Moose Jaw was quieter than Chicago.

It isn't an insult to compare the two. It just doesn't make sense to try and force these associations. Not every place in the US needs to have a Canadian equivalent (or vice versa), whether it is just based on vibe or other factors. It is one thing to make a statement along the lines of, "Vancouver is a bustling city like New York," or "The old world style and buildings in Montreal remind me of downtown Boston," (they don't, but I'm too lazy to come up with a good example), and quite another to say that "Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan is equivalent to Chicago, Illinois." What factors are you basing your comparisons on? It doesn't even makes sense to me to say that Montreal is equivalent to New Orleans because they both have a "French" connection. You will never see my list of American/Canadian city equivalents, not because I don't want to share it, but because I don't have one. I don't think it is possible to make a list like what you are trying to achieve here. You might be better served by asking questions like, "What Canadian cities have a nightlife like New York?" or "Are there locations in Canada that have the heart of a genre of music similar to Nashville for country music or Detroit for Motown." There needs to be a point for comparison given first.

Otherwise you end up with Moose Jaw=Chicago..."What are two cities that Al Capone has lived in."

 

[ronandannette]

Moose Jaw=Chicago and Frederickton=Mystic Seaport, CT (a personal favorite of mine known for more than pizza and that movie).

LOLOLOL - unless this was satirical, I'm thinking you're not too familiar with Moose Jaw.

 

[ronandannette]

To be honest, I haven’t been there in person yet. I was basing this on historical similarities and some advertising I saw. You would know better than me since you live there.

I googled Moose Jaw and I saw many sites say Chicago was the equivalent. Sorry if that seemed liked an insult. It wasn’t meant to be. I would love to see your list of American/Canadian city equivalents.

Please link some - I find that almost mind-blowing.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Please link some - I find that almost mind-blowing.

Many was a exaggeration to be fair. I googled Moose Jaw American equivalent and Chicago was repeatedly showing up. I was tired last night so maybe I didn’t put to much thought into it. Both are known for similar weather and geography too.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4903855/moose-jaw-canadas-most-notorious-city/

https://www.sasktoday.ca/south/opinion/gangsters-scarface-and-the-moose-jaw-connection-4004709

 

[Frozen Canuck]

LOLOLOL - unless this was satirical, I'm thinking you're not too familiar with Moose Jaw.

Hey! You watch yourself @ronandannette! Them's fightin' words! Moose Jaw can be every bit as hip as Chicago!!! We have a casino, and a mineral spa, AND a tunnel museum. Chicago doesn't have any of those amenities. We are also (once again) home to the world's largest moose after we beefed up Mac's rack to beat out those Norwegians who were trying to steal our fame! Let me tell you, Moose Jaw is THE place to be!

 

[SirDuff]

Many was a exaggeration to be fair. I googled Moose Jaw American equivalent and Chicago was repeatedly showing up. I was tired last night so maybe I didn’t put to much thought into it. Both are known for similar weather and geography too.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4903855/moose-jaw-canadas-most-notorious-city/

https://www.sasktoday.ca/south/opinion/gangsters-scarface-and-the-moose-jaw-connection-4004709

The word Chicago literally doesn’t even show up in the first article.

The second talks about the connection with Capone and bootlegging tunnels but says nothing about being similar.

 

[Buzz Rules]

The word Chicago literally doesn’t even show up in the first article.

The second talks about the connection with Capone and bootlegging tunnels but says nothing about being similar.

If you google little Chicago, Moose Jaw comes up. I’m trying to find some of the other articles I read last night. It’s not meant to be a direct comparison. I was trying to see how they were similar.

 

[prairie_girl]

The fact that Al Capone lived in both places does NOT mean that they are equivalent. (Plus, you know that was 100 years ago, right?) Trust me when I say that Chicago moved forward in time, while Moose Jaw stayed exactly the same, with the exception of adding a Canadian Tire at the top of the "hill". (You've got to use the term hill very loosely when you are talking about the otherwise flat prairies around Moose Jaw.)

Have you been to Moose Jaw? Have you been to Chicago? I have lived in both. You could not get two dramatically different cities in North America if you tried. There are 2.71 million people living in Chicago. They have towering skyscrapers, freeways, museums, restaurants, an international airport that you require light rail to travel around, and a humongous lake. I hated Chicago. I could not move away from there fast enough.

Moose Jaw, on the other hand, sits in the middle of the flat prairie and has a population of 33,890 people. It has a Smitty's Pancake House, some murals painted on the sides of some buildings, and of course, Mac the Moose. The most exciting thing going on each year is Sidewalk Sale Days, where stores pull their wares out into the middle of Main Street, they bring in some food trucks, and people get to wander and shop the WHOLE LENGTH OF MAIN STREET!!!! They SHUT DOWN MAIN STREET for SHOPPING! That's how not busy Moose Jaw is. The tallest building is a 16 floor apartment building (which pales in comparison to the 108 floor Willis Building in Chicago), but most buildings don't go over two or three floors high. Getting caught in rush hour traffic is what happens when Jack from down the road has to move his tractor from Field A to Field B and you are forced to drive 20 mph. down a dirt road for two miles with no way of going around. You can drive 10 minutes in any direction in Moose Jaw and find yourself in the middle of some farmer's field, unless you go south, then you might end up at the Canadian Airforce Base. Oh, and as far as lakes go? Drive 25 or so minutes outside of town, and you should find yourself at the man-made lake of Buffalo Pound, barely a drop in the bucket compared to Lake Michigan, which commands its own climate.

The city of Moose Jaw is one that I hold near and dear to my heart. Chicago, not so much.

My vote is for Moose Jaw does not equal Chicago in any way, and anybody who thinks otherwise and heads to either one, expecting them to be similar, is going to be sorely disappointed.

Just goes to show not everything can be answered with a Google search…which is kinda the point I was trying to make when I posed the question.

 

[SirDuff]

If you google little Chicago, Moose Jaw comes up. I’m trying to find some of the other articles I read last night. It’s not meant to be a direct comparison. I was trying to see how they were similar.

Yes, it was a nickname due to Al Capone and the bootleg tunnels. It does not make them, as you claimed the « many sites » stated, equivalent.

 

[SirDuff]

Just goes to show not everything can be answered with a Google search…which is kinda the point I was trying to make when I posed the question.

Though it does turn out that there is a store called Moose Jaw in Chicago.