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With the exception of the Maritimes, the Canadian provinces are generally much larger by land area than US states. So I’d ask that we try not to base this judgement/comparison too much on physical size. I’m more interested in things like topography, culture, relationship, architecture, national function (e.g. Michigan and Ontario seem to have a closer relationship, but New York and Ontario both have the countries’ biggest cities).
Yeeeeah, I knew it was a bit of stretch. Quebec just doesn’t really compare to US states well. Like maybe Texas (big, populous, independent identity, and talks of succession) would more apt?
Topography changes over vast areas of land. So comparing Washington to BC, by size is valid in that particular category. The example of The Rockies is one.
Culture. Well if you are talking about Euro - Centric culture, I can see some similarities, It gets a bit tricker with indigenous people, since again, because of the size difference, indigenous culture of BC north, are different than what is in Washington State. For example there are 198 distinct First Nations in BC, each unique. Washington State has 29. So I'm afraid, size does impact culture in that regard.
For what I see as being similar to Washington and BC is still going to just be lower BC. The lay of the land is the same, until you get to the Rockies. Going east across both areas you go from rainforest, to mountains, to an almost desert like landscape. There is the Okanagan in BC and the Okanogan in Washington State. Same name, different spelling.
Wine growing is popular in both those areas.
On the lower coast you can't tell when sailing from the Gulf Island into the San Juan Islands, they look much the same.
The capital cities of each are vastly different. Olympia is nothing like Victoria, and IMO a rather bland capital.
Comparing Seattle and Vancouver has been done to death, with many assuming that since the climate is pretty much the same, that the cities are. There is a fair amount of traffic between the two cities. A lot of people from Seattle know Vancouver, and vice versa. I've often said, Vancouver is a much softer city than Seattle. I'm speaking of their respective downtowns. Vancouver has done a much better job at having people live downtown, creating new parks, a great bike infrastructure etc.
Canada doesn't have the same staunch conservative views in its rural areas that we have in the US. So it's probably a state that has liberal rural areas, which likely means somewhere in New England.
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Culture. Well if you are talking about Euro - Centric culture, I can see some similarities, It gets a bit tricker with indigenous people, since again, because of the size difference, indigenous culture of BC north, are different than what is in Washington State. For example there are 198 distinct First Nations in BC, each unique. Washington State has 29. So I'm afraid, size does impact culture in that regard.
Good post! To what extent do people in northern and southern BC interact? Is the province’s large indigenous population an important aspect of the identity of people living around Vancouver?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheTimidBlueBars
Canada doesn't have the same staunch conservative views in its rural areas that we have in the US. So it's probably a state that has liberal rural areas, which likely means somewhere in New England.
Opinions are mixed on that but it's very ironic to me that it's seen in some circles as perfectly "liberal" to give an institutional and governmental blessing of sorts (via an openness/eagerness to have cops and others wear it) to something that women are often compelled or coerced into wearing, with the subtext that women's hair is somehow obscene and must be covered up so as to not provoke men.
BC is Canada's California. Ontario is Canada's New York. Alberta is Texas. Nova Scotia is Massachusetts. Manitoba and Saskatchewan are random Midwestern states. Quebec is........ France.
Doesn't get much more disconnected from reality than this. Yikes.
There are similarities, sure. The area around Rockport, for example, seems a lot like much of Nova Scotia with the rocky coast and the painted wooden houses. Wood as a primary construction material ties MA to NS in general it seems. For example, this street in Halifax could easily be anywhere in suburban MA (perhaps West Roxbury).
However, MA is just way more urban than NS. Even with its current building boom, Halifax is nothing like Boston. Outside of Halifax, NS has nothing like Worcester, Springfield, Holyoke, Salem, Lowell, Lynn, Brockton, etc. Not to mention, I don't think NS has many (if any?) sandy, swimmable beaches like the National Seashore in MA. I maintain that Maine is much more similar to NS than MA is.
The question then becomes: which province is ME more similar to: NS or NB? I agree with another poster that interior ME (Augusta, Waterville, Bangor, and especially Presque Isle) is more similar to NB while coastal ME (Kennebunkport, Portland, Bath, and especially Acadia/Penobscot Bay) is more similar to NS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
Opinions are mixed on that but it's very ironic to me that it's seen in some circles as perfectly "liberal" to give an institutional and governmental blessing of sorts (via an openness/eagerness to have cops and others wear it) to something that women are often compelled or coerced into wearing, with the subtext that women's hair is somehow obscene and must be covered up so as to not provoke men.
It's not ironic at all: the liberal belief is that woman shouldn't be coerced into doing anything. They should be allowed to wear a hijab if they want, or to go without one if they don't.
Either way, the ban is clearly an example of conservatism in Canada. (QC in particular)
There are similarities, sure. The area around Rockport, for example, seems a lot like much of Nova Scotia with the rocky coast and the painted wooden houses. Wood as a primary construction material ties MA to NS in general it seems. For example, this street in Halifax could easily be anywhere in suburban MA (perhaps West Roxbury).
That street could be in any well-to-do neighborhood in any part of the upper Midwest. It is so generic Americana. But then you go a couple blocks onto Quinpool Rd in Halifax, and it looks quite different from New England. https://www.google.com/maps/@44.6463...7i16384!8i8192
Massachusetts, Maine and Nova Scotia have a ton of shared culture. Nova Scotia’s population ballooned after the Revolution when Loyalist New Englanders were deported to Canada. Maine and Niva Scotia both have an Acadian heratige. As well has a smattering of small fishing towns and a couple of larger ones.
There are similarities, sure. The area around Rockport, for example, seems a lot like much of Nova Scotia with the rocky coast and the painted wooden houses. Wood as a primary construction material ties MA to NS in general it seems. For example, this street in Halifax could easily be anywhere in suburban MA (perhaps West Roxbury).
However, MA is just way more urban than NS. Even with its current building boom, Halifax is nothing like Boston. Outside of Halifax, NS has nothing like Worcester, Springfield, Holyoke, Salem, Lowell, Lynn, Brockton, etc. Not to mention, I don't think NS has many (if any?) sandy, swimmable beaches like the National Seashore in MA. I maintain that Maine is much more similar to NS than MA is.
The question then becomes: which province is ME more similar to: NS or NB? I agree with another poster that interior ME (Augusta, Waterville, Bangor, and especially Presque Isle) is more similar to NB while coastal ME (Kennebunkport, Portland, Bath, and especially Acadia/Penobscot Bay) is more similar to NS.
It's not ironic at all: the liberal belief is that woman shouldn't be coerced into doing anything. They should be allowed to wear a hijab if they want, or to go without one if they don't.
Either way, the ban is clearly an example of conservatism in Canada. (QC in particular)
BC is Canada's California. Ontario is Canada's New York. Alberta is Texas. Nova Scotia is Massachusetts. Manitoba and Saskatchewan are random Midwestern states. Quebec is........ France.
Gonna have to agree and disagree here. Ontario is definitely Canada's New York, but only due to Toronto. Very dissimilar otherwise. BC is considered "The West Coast" of Canada, but few associate it with California (except for maybe the film industry there that absolutely loves to have Vancouver stand in for Seattle, but that is another thread). However, Alberta is not Texas, it is Colorado. Manitoba is North Dakota/Minnesota. Quebec is the perhaps the most major "French"-like province with the cities, but its surroundings are nothing like France. You didn't mention Montreal, also with a French lean, but perhaps more like a combination of Chicago, Boston, and Portland, Oregon at the end of the day. I have always thought Montreal's skyline reminded me of Portland.
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