Montreal just ranked among the top 10 best cities in the world—here's why
We like to think that Montreal is among the best cities in the world, and now we have the numbers to back that up.
The fourth annual Time Out Index just named the best cities in the world today, and Montreal ranks in at #6 after a top five of San Francisco, Amsterdam, Manchester, Copenhagen and New York.
What's the Time Out Index?
This year's ranking comes from more than 27,000 people from around the world telling Time Out about living and social life in their cities right now, and that data is used to determine where each city stands.
For 2021, cities weren't just rated for eating and drinking or culture and nightlife, but also for their community spirit and environmental initiatives. Those new avenues gave Time Out unique insights into how cities are thinking about their futures, as well as the present.
So how does Montreal rank so highly?
"When the pandemic hit last year, Montrealers rallied. This city is famous for its community spirit, and up against the biggest crisis in a generation, we showed enough of it to make any city proud," wrote Time Out Montreal's editor JP Karwacki. 61% of respondents to the Time Out Index said Montreal has community spirit, and that was high in comparison to other cities.
"As our famous music and politics make abundantly clear, conformity has never been in fashion here, and it’s those differences that bring us together: 73 percent of locals would describe Montreal as ‘diverse’, and even more (82%) say it’s easy to ‘express who you are’. O