[Micand]

I moved to Toronto from Calgary four years ago to do my PhD at the UofT. I love Toronto.

* Toronto has a legacy as one of the best places to do ML, and while it felt like it was losing momentum, the Vector Institute's opening has infused the academic community with incredible energy. Vector's been recruiting top researchers from around the world, but particularly from the US -- there are a number of new Vector members who've come from the Boston/Cambridge area. The academic community in Toronto will only become stronger over the next few years, given how hostile the US has become to students from abroad.

* The strength of the academic community is fuelling a burgeoning startup scene. While it's still early days, there are a number of accelerators associated with the UofT and other entities, so given the talent coming out of the academic system here, I think the community will grow rapidly.

* Quality of life is fantastic. The food and music scenes are world-class, stemming largely from how diverse Toronto is. Downtown Toronto feels like a mixture of Manhattan and Brooklyn, just on a smaller scale. I don't own a car, and only use the subway perhaps once a week -- everything is in easy walking distance.

As to downsides:

* We have a reasonably cold winter from November to March. It's far less harsh than Calgary, though.

* Rent is expensive and rising. I've lived in the downtown core for all four years on a grad student's salary, so it's possible to make it work. But finding accommodations seems only to be getting harder.

* The political interests of the city are often overwhelmed by the sprawling suburbs surrounding it that make up the Greater Toronto Area. The new provincial government seems to be intent on attacking Toronto at every opportunity.

I've had the privilege to travel around the U.S. and Europe quite a bit during my PhD, and it's made me realize how well Toronto compares to the rest of the world. I plan to settle here after graduating -- the tech scene here seems like it's going to explode over the next decade, and it will be a lot of fun to be part of it.

[kambucha]

You need to realize that you, and your peers at Vector, are the exception, not the rule. I'ver heard Uber ATG is headhunting people with $500K/year salaries, right after PhD graduation.

Toronto's tech scene is not limited to that narrow and elitist scope of workers.

[serverascode]

I think it's easy to dismiss Toronto, but the quality of life items you listed are absolutely correct, as far as I'm concerned. If only housing weren't so expensive and we had a better transit system.

[adetrest]

Quality of life is low in Toronto IMHO. It's impossible to find a decent apartment to rent for most: not necessarily because rents are crazy high (2k/mo for a 1BR poorly built condo anyone?) but because landlords are so picky that if you don't offer more than the asking rent include a personal letter, and are luckier than the other 50 applicants, you'll never get a place to live in. The city is also overly crowded and polluted. Traffic is beyond ridiculous, cycling is a nightmare (most dangerous city to cycle in North America). People here are obsessed with money and with living to work. There aren't that many parks and green spaces but a lot of concrete, noise and pollution. A significant number of employers demand that you incorporate so they can "hire" you as a freelancer rather than an employee, and so that the tax fallout of being reclassified as an employee is all on you (because you incorporated.) Overtime is rampant, and most of my colleagues are happy to oblige. Really, Toronto is not a nice place to live. It's an interesting experience because of how diverse it is (I've never seen so many people from so many countries, and I've lived abroad a lot!), but don't come here for quality of life or to make a good living.