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Old 03-01-2016, 08:38 PM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
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I know this started as a joke but it seems to be gaining some media traction. Cape Breton certainly has never gotten this much attention in the US before now that a local has put a web site saying that they would welcome Americans who may want to leave depending on who wins the White House.

So what is Cape Breton like and how does it differ from the rest of Nova Scotia, if at all? Is Sydney like a small Halifax?

Cape Breton if Donald Trump Wins

Canadian Island Offers Americans Refuge ‘If Donald Trump Wins’ | Here & Now

CNN crew descends on Cape Breton to talk Trump - Nova Scotia - CBC News

CNN reporting from Cape Breton as Trump inspired spotlight continues - Local - Cape Breton Post
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Old 03-01-2016, 09:09 PM
 
Location: Canada
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It's quite beautiful, the highland's especially are some of the most naturally picturesque landscapes in the Maritimes. Culturally, it's very interesting, there are several Mik'maq reserves on the island; there are pockets of Acadian culture, that is the old French speaking culture, who's ancestors settled the Maritimes prior to the British conquest in the early 18th century; there's the descendants of many Highland Scots who migrated on mass due to the Highland Clearances in Scotland and until recently it was the last bastion of the unique Canadian Gaelic dialect that's now only spoken by an elderly handful; and there's cultural influence from Newfoundland, with plenty of Newfoundlanders having migrated to the island in generations past to work in its then thriving industrial sector; and there's people descended from more 20th century waves of immigration, like Poles and Italians, mostly in the East near Sydney, the island's struggling post-industrial regional centre. The island is known for it's traditional fiddling traditions. The island these days is quite economically depressed and greying, having lost many of its main employers (steel and coal were big), which is part of why it's so open to having new, talented people come and help revitalize the area.
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Old 03-01-2016, 09:12 PM
 
Location: Southwestern, USA, now.
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All I know is PEI...Prince Edward Island...up close and personal.
It is a pretty darn slow way of living.
Like being in an Alaskan town of 300 ...that's a good description to me.
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Old 03-01-2016, 09:50 PM
 
Location: Canada
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Cape Breton Island is an interesting place. I would say Scottish Canadian culture is stronger in Cape Breton than on the mainland. There are also several communities of first nations people (MicMacs) and several Acadian french speaking communities as well. It doesn't differ a whole lot from other rural places in Nova Scotia except the scenery on the west side of the Island is spectacular, much nicer than anywhere the Mainland.

This might be the first time Cape Breton receives so much attention from the media, but it is not the first time Americans have had their eyes on the island. There have always been Americans that vacationed on the island during the summer. During the late 60 and 70s Cape Breton was a popular destination for draft dodgers, hippies and back to the landers. Many of them settled there, mostly on the west side of the island. They had a positive impact on the communities they settled in. I don't know if any are still around today, probably few. The leader of the Canadian green Party, Elizabeth May was one of these Americans that settled in Cape Breton during this period.

My first home in Canada was on Cape Breton Island, right off the southern tip of the Cabot Trail, near the town of Baddeck. Even though I didn't really like it when I was younger, looking back on it was a really really interesting experience. I met a lot of very nice local people and interesting people from other places as well.

For those that don't know what the Cabot Trail is...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabot_Trail#See_also
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Old 03-01-2016, 11:30 PM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
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It looks stunning.

I found one of the quotes from one of the pieces about Cape Breton interesting regarding the weather. I had assumed it varied between cool and wet and cold and snowy year-round but apparently not so:

Calabrese notes that unlike others parts of Canada farther west, Cape Breton Island boasts a temperate climate with balmy summers.

Is this the case? If so, why would it be warmer than other parts of Canada?
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Old 03-01-2016, 11:55 PM
 
Location: Alberta, Canada
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It's not necessarily warmer than other parts of Canada, but it is much like other parts of Canada. Most of southern Canada has warm, if not downright hot, summers.

I've been to Cape Breton a few times, always in summer. Never needed anything other than shorts, T-shirt, and sandals. Somewhere, I've got a photo of me agonizing over a blown tee shot on the Bell's Bay golf course (thanks, ex-wife), but I'm dressed in--you guessed it--shorts, T-shirt, and sandals.

I blow tee shots here in western Canada too, dressed much the same, but my ex-wife is no longer around to photograph my reaction.
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Old 03-02-2016, 12:28 AM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
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Sounds great though I assume the winters are still pretty harsh.
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Old 03-02-2016, 01:43 AM
 
Location: Alberta, Canada
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Define "harsh."

I note that you're from Texas, so my "harsh" may be different from yours. But I will say that it takes a helluva snowstorm to shut the place down totally. According to friends who grew up in Cape Breton (Sydney, specifically), snow may fall and ice may form, but life goes on. You still go to work and school, though you drive a little more carefully. You shovel the snow from your driveway, and you complain when the snowplow clearing the roads fills in your driveway after you've cleared it. But ultimately, you keep on keeping on until spring, and life goes on.

There are special gifts to a Canadian winter. First of all, the quiet--snow dampens sound, so city sounds are muted, and it is very quiet. Nextly, at night, the light of the moon and stars sparkles on the snow--take a walk, even just around the block, on a winter's night, and look for the pretty sparkles. And finally, there is a "we're all in this together" attitude, where neighbours help neighbours with snow shovelling, and such. And when spring comes, we emerge, with our new friends, having fought winter together.

Our winter may be harsh, however you define it, but it can be a beautiful time of year.
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Old 03-02-2016, 04:00 AM
 
35,309 posts, read 51,988,114 times
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I think anyone fleeing America because Donald Trump won an election would be into big time reconsideration after their first Canadian winter.
Also these perspective political refugees will still need to go through all the immigration procedures to become legal residents.
While Cape Breton maybe a scenic paradise in the Spring/summer and fall it becomes a cold remote and desolate place in winter.IMO
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Old 03-02-2016, 09:00 AM
 
10,839 posts, read 14,626,736 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChevySpoons View Post
Define "harsh."
Simple to define. For most human beings, if temperature is ever below -10C, that's harsh weather. If it snows before Dec 1 or after March 1, that's harsh. 90%+ of Canadians live under harsh climate.
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