American Cities and their foreign counterparts

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by paull805

Zurich closest would be DC do you not think.

I guess I was more attuned to the natural setting since American and European cities generally are very different from each other in most other regards... but I can see the DC similarity in a certain light. But if you were to pick up Zurich and drop it down where Couer d'Alene is there wouldn't be too much difference in the natural setting. They both have a very similar climate and geography except smaller mountains surrounding Couer d'Alene and CDA being a bit drier and a bit cooler in winter.

[FBF]

Both New York and London are often compared to one another, but I have find the latter more appealing.

London is vigilant against terrorism like New York, but there is far less profiling and paranoia than New York and the tube and most areas are much cleaner (though, it is more expensive).

[fikatid]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

What would be a good American counterpart, if any, for Zurich, Switzerland? And what about a European counterpart to Portland, Maine? I always thought it had a certain European feel to it but cannot pinpoint a particular city.

For Zurich I initially thought maybe Denver or Boulder due to both being in mountain settings but the similarities seem to end there. Plus can't really find a city with a similar lake setting to Zurich. Then I thought about Couer d'Alene which does have the lakes and mountains but obviously is very small. Maybe if it was 5x the size.

For Zurich, if we count Canada, maybe Toronto? Lakefront street car cities, efficient (Toronto in relative North American standards :P), business oriented cities.

Portland reminds me of costal, industrial British cities. A city like Portsmouth I think!