Compare and Contrast: New England and The Maritimes

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

My inspiration for creating this thread was actually talking with a man from New Brunswick and finding out that lobster is one of their regional specialties. Furthermore, he claimed that New Brunswick harvests more lobster annually than Maine.

Geographically it makes perfect sense, but I had just never really thought much before about how similar New Brunswick and the other eastern provinces might be to my home area.

Take this photo for example. I could easily imagine seeing this scene or something similar somewhere on Cape Cod, Nantucket, or Cape Ann. For example, this image from Gloucester has a similar look.

...and Rockport, just beyond Gloucester, has even more of the look. More rocks, less population.

Interesting thread. (Guess I don't have to go there since they look so much alike!)

[BMI]

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

I understand. I mentioned Atlantic Canada to drive home the point that I haven’t visited any of it, and have limited knowledge of the area as a whole.

What exactly makes Newfoundland and Labrador so much different than New England and The Maritimes?

Newfoundland and Labrador only joined Canada in 1949.
It has a different unique culture and history from the Maritimes.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

What exactly makes Newfoundland and Labrador so much different than New England and The Maritimes?

I went to the Maritimes as a teenager and visited Newfoundland just a few summers ago in 2016. The biggest difference with Newfoundland is the topography, as it is a distant 1000 miles northeast of Boston. You won't find the same kind of rugged landscapes such as Gros Morne National Park in New England, and even the steep cliffs at Signal Hill by the edge of St. John's Harbor on the Atlantic are quite bit more striking than Acadia NP and the Maine coast. It's a remote giant rocky island, the forests aren't as thick, trees a bit more stunted, rocky ledges, rocky hills, rocky soil, everywhere. The earth seems a lot more exposed in Newfoundland. The people seem to have closer links to Ireland. The dialect and accents there lean closer to Irish than a standard Canadian accent, especially in smaller towns. I think its isolation has helped retain Newfoundland's authenticity and charms.

If you look at the Jellybean row homes in St. John's, they might be compared to the multi family homes one could find in corners of Boston and Portland, Maine. But walking the streets of St. John's gave off a completely different ambiance and colorful flair, hard to put in to words. Some of Halifax's neighborhoods do look very similar to Portland, Maine.

New England has grown and changed and become quite crowded in many spots, especially on the coast. What I like about the Maritimes is it kind of captures the New England ambiance but a little more frozen in time and the atmosphere I use to know in coastal New England towns, minus the crowds. One could get a similar effect of the wild dunes and beaches of Cape Cod up on Prince Edward Island. PEI is also unique in that its both coastal and very pastoral. I haven't seen a lot of Nova Scotia, but have been to New Brunswick and PEI. New Brunswick seemed very much similar to the deep northern woods and far downeast coast of Maine.

One big drawback to the Maritimes and more particularly Newfoundlound is it's subject to a lot of cooler and crappier weather than New England. The weather in St. John's is downright gnarly. I do like the Atlantic parts of Canada a lot though. The people were incredibly friendly, and I intend on getting back up there again at some point. I honestly couldn't get enough Newfoundland, fabulous place and the people up there are are a story telling bunch, they're a hoot!