# Is slamming Winnipeg a thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2018, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004 "2018-04-23T23:56:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Athabasca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Athabasca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athabasca)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/21 "2018-04-24T23:30:02Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Winnipeg is the capital city of Manitoba, a chunk in the middle of Canada that is almost as big as Texas (though in the shape of a tall rectangle) but a whole lot colder. It’s famous for being too cold in the winter, but fairly hot in the summer by Canadian standards. > > Murdoch Mysteries is old-fashioned, right? Before modern transportation, Winnipeg meant a long long train ride, temperature 40 below zero, a big stockyard, and nothing to do. Old-fashioned Winnipeg was probably sort of like if you took old-fashioned Omaha and plunked it in the middle of Alaska. 🙂 Winnipeger here…in the 1870s up to about 1910 or so Winnipeg was called the Chicago of the North. It was BOOMING with commerce, industry, yes, hordes of cattle that put Chicago to shame, lol, and with all the attendant social problems. So, from Murdoch’s perspective, it was a happening place. I don’t know about Omaha but Wpg is about 850,000 strong if you count all the outlying areas. Btw, a lot of us shop in Fargo and Minneapolis. It’s a shortish drive for good deals. The Jets are ours. Can’t wait to see them play the Preds! About mosquitoes, or skeeters as we fondly called the buggers, because they haven’t bugged us for about 5 years, thanks to early larvaciding and hordes (again) of dragonflies and damselflies. At long last I can go berry picking outside the city and grill in my backyard. Winters are coltish but getting milder, last winter we had very little snow and only one serious cold spell in Feb. in my 35 years here, I can honestly say the winters are more tolerable, and the summers getting better too. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/22 "2018-04-24T23:32:27Z")
Winnipeg, lose a peg. It was once known as the Chicago of the North, and was the third largest city after Montreal and Toronto, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/23 "2018-04-25T00:17:27Z")
Plus Winnipeg and Chicago are known for their murders, though the difference is large when you compare the two. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/24 "2018-04-25T02:11:00Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Does Winnipeg tout it’s relationship to **Winnie-the-Pooh**? There is a lovely statue and plaque in the zoo area of Assiniboine Park (large urban forest). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/25 "2018-04-25T02:17:04Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > Winnipeg, lose a peg. It was once known as the Chicago of the North, and was the third largest city after Montreal and Toronto, FWIW. I had to look this up and, yes, this was true in [the 1921 census](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_Canadian_cities_by_census). But, even disregarding that that was nearly a century ago, I’m actually surprised that it was the fourth largest city as recently as 1996. I simply had no idea that it was that big. And looking at the top ten largest cities from the latest census, I realize how distorted my idea of Canadian city populations centres are. I would have thought Vancouver much higher and Quebec City to at least crack the top 10. And I had never heard of Mississauga or Brampton (although, looking at the map, it seems I must have driven through or really close to them when I drove from Chicago to Montreal.) ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/26 "2018-04-25T03:44:51Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > It’s not for everyone, but it’s a pretty amazing place (and still better than Regina). 😃 Better than Regina is a pretty low bar. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/27 "2018-04-25T04:24:49Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Better than Regina is a pretty low bar. 😛 I’ll bet it’s better than Dog River, too! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/28 "2018-04-25T04:31:26Z")
Many people who mock Winnipeg have never been there. Though I’ve heard The Forks area is nice, the Peg has a reputation (fair or not) for harsh winters and some rough areas. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/29 "2018-04-25T09:55:59Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > There is a lovely statue and plaque in the zoo area of Assiniboine Park (large urban forest). Ah, cool. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/30 "2018-04-25T10:39:28Z")
And many people who mock Winnipeg, HAVE been there. (me included!) ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/31 "2018-04-25T14:24:25Z")
Ah Regina, the city that rhymes with fun… I grew up in Winnipeg and still remember that eclipse. Best one I’ve ever seen. Yeah, it has crime, wind, cold and mosquitoes that can carry off small domestic animals. It also has a world class symphony, ballet, is in the top 5 for most restaurants per capita in N.America (and a fantastic food culture), one of the world’s best beaches a short-ish drive away (Grand Beach/ Grand Marais), The Forks and some of the best early 20th c. architecture around in the downtown Market Square area. As much sass as people put on it, it was a great place to grow up. Also, Go Jets! ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/32 "2018-04-25T14:26:34Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I had to look this up and, yes, this was true in [the 1921 census](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_Canadian_cities_by_census). But, even disregarding that that was nearly a century ago, I’m actually surprised that it was the fourth largest city as recently as 1996. I simply had no idea that it was that big. And looking at the top ten largest cities from the latest census, I realize how distorted my idea of Canadian city populations centres are. I would have thought Vancouver much higher and Quebec City to at least crack the top 10. And I had never heard of Mississauga or Brampton (although, looking at the map, it seems I must have driven through or really close to them when I drove from Chicago to Montreal.) To be fair, Mississauga is now contiguous with Toronto, so if you were driving in that direction you could easily be forgiven for thinking it was just more Toronto. Toronto has grown by absorbing a bunch of what used to be separate municipalities (Etobicoke, for example, where I live now, was a separate city until 1998, when it merged with a bunch of others, absorbed into Toronto). Like some sort of municipal amoeba, Toronto just keeps eating other cities and growing … 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/33 "2018-04-25T15:04:36Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Many people who mock Winnipeg have never been there. Though I’ve heard The Forks area is nice, the Peg has a reputation (fair or not) for harsh winters and some rough areas. I have a good friend who has lived his whole life in Winnipeg, and that’s exactly what he’s told me – that there are some areas of the city that are rather sketchy, and that the winters are brutal. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/34 "2018-04-25T16:22:41Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > And many people who mock Winnipeg, HAVE been there. (me included!) Most of the people making fun of it in music etc are from there. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/35 "2018-04-25T16:57:23Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > To be fair, Mississauga is now contiguous with Toronto, so if you were driving in that direction you could easily be forgiven for thinking it was just more Toronto. > > Toronto has grown by absorbing a bunch of what used to be separate municipalities (Etobicoke, for example, where I live now, was a separate city until 1998, when it merged with a bunch of others, absorbed into Toronto). > > Like some sort of municipal amoeba, Toronto just keeps eating other cities and growing … 😃 When I tell people who have never been there what Toronto is like, I always compare it to London, England. The City of Toronto is actually quite small, while the Greater Toronto Area is HUGE! Muscovites understand this very well. In 1989, their city had grown by a factor of nine since the end of WWII. No idea what it is today, but it too continues to gobble up the municipalities on its limits. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/36 "2018-04-26T06:42:07Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Better than Regina is a pretty low bar. 😛 Says the guy whose city doesn’t even have a pair of aggressive geese living in their Costco parking lot. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/37 "2018-04-26T20:11:50Z")
What does a “rough area” mean in Canada? When _you_ bump into someone, do they _not_ say “Sorry, entirely my fault.”? ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/38 "2018-04-26T20:36:37Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > What does a “rough area” mean in Canada? Drug/alcohol addiction and/or inherited poverty. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/39 "2018-04-26T20:42:05Z")
Anywhere (or any thing) that calls itself world-class, isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004/40 "2018-04-27T14:22:59Z")
They didn’t, many others have. Start with the links if you don’t believe me. Also, 😛 . [Royal Winnipeg Ballet - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Winnipeg_Ballet) > **[One of Playboy's Top 10 in the World... - Grand Beach Provincial Park, Grand...](https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g2155130-d287945-r125322399-Grand_Beach_Provincial_Park-Grand_Marais_Manitoba.html)** > > Grand Beach Provincial Park: One of Playboy's Top 10 in the World... - See 266 traveler reviews, 149 candid photos, and great deals for Grand Marais, Canada, at Tripadvisor. > **[Winnipeg arts and culture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg_arts_and_culture)** > > Winnipeg is well known across the prairies for its arts and culture. > After the railways came to Winnipeg, the Exchange District area was developed with many fine warehouses, offices and banks and became the original site of commerce in Winnipeg. Many of these buildings are still standing and are unrivalled in Canada. The district illustrates the city's key role as a centre of grain and wholesale trade, finance and manufacturing in two historically important periods in western development: betwee... Winnipeg; Thank God it’s not Toronto! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slamming-winnipeg-a-thing/813004.md?page=3)