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Canadians don’t live as far north as you think

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Re: Canadians don’t live as far north as you think

#31

Post by icebraining »

noxToken wrote: post #19
ascorbic wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a little misleading, because climate zones are just based on minimum average temperatures. British winters are similar to Texan winters, but British summers are more like Alaskan summers.

> British winters are similar to Texan winters Hmm. That's not so bad. What does everyone complain about? > but British summers are more like Alaskan summers You poor, poor people. Though they probably say the same about our 100F (~38C) summers.

Though they probably say the same about our 100F (~38C) summers.

Considering how many of them come to our Southern corner to enjoy our 38C summers, probably not.

(And they're very welcome, by the way! I'm quite happy to see tourists around.)

Re: Canadians don’t live as far north as you think

#33

Post by douche »

kr7 wrote: post #22
parennoob wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In popular culture and public consciousness, the two are equated very often. See, for example, the latest hit show - Game of Thrones which shows a very cold, hardy North and a warm, indolent South. Now I know these specific books that the show is based on derive from the Wars of the Roses -- but have you ever a fantasy writer who put people on the Southern hemisphere of their planet and made the North warm?

> but have you ever a fantasy writer who put people on the Southern hemisphere of their planet and made the North warm? The Dragon Age series of games (and books).

Also Pillars of Eternity

Re: Canadians don’t live as far north as you think

#34

Post by vinay427 »

mabbo wrote: post #13
randlet wrote: post #2

A fun fact that usually trips people up is that the southern most point in Canada[1] is actually as far south as the North end of California. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelee,_Ontario

A favourite question of mine: Which reaches further south, Ontario or Oregon? As you said, the answer is Ontario, but it's counter-intuitive without a map.

Growing up in Michigan, this isn't all that counter-intuitive. ;)

What I initially found more confusing were climate patterns, thanks to the coastal effects on the west coast.

Re: Canadians don’t live as far north as you think

#35

Post by JoeAltmaier »

Saw a population map of Canada once. There's a thick line right along the US-Canada border. Its as if Canadians want to be Canadian, but really don't want to live there. They go as far south as possible while still technically being in Canada. (Not counting big coastal cities).

Re: Canadians don’t live as far north as you think

#36

Post by bryanlarsen »

adekok wrote: post #30
nommm-nommm wrote: post #5

A "fact" that usually gets thrown around is that 3/4ths (or more) of the Canadian population live within 100 miles of the US border. It's probably pretty accurate. https://www.quora.com/What-percentage-of-Canadians-live-with...

Because the rest is cold . ... says the guy who used to bicycle to university in -37C (-45 with wind chill!) Fun fact: the plastic buckles on knapsacks will shatter like glass in -45 weather. Try biking to school while holding a knapsack in one hand. On snow and ice. I'm smarter now.

Biking to school in -35C weather isn't too bad if you're properly dressed and practised at it. The trick is to avoid sweating.

It's when something goes wrong when you realize just how bad an idea biking in -35C weather. Being dressed for exercise in -35C weather means that you're severely underdressed for delicate bike repairs at the side of the road, and you can get dangerously cold very quickly.

- someone else who is also smarter now.

Re: Canadians don’t live as far north as you think

#37

Post by sandworm101 »

nommm-nommm wrote: post #28
sandworm101 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And that a large percentage of the US population lives near the canadian boarder. The line was drawn through the great lakes. So everyone in New England, Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati etc can be said to be living near the canadian boarder. It's not that canadians need to be near the US, but near the water routes for trade with the rest of the world.

>everyone in New England This is pretty silly. I just did some measurements in Google maps and not a single point in Massachusetts, Connecticut, or Rhode Island is even close to 100 miles from the Canadian border.

I didn't day 100 anything. I said near. The people of new england are near ports for trade with the "old world" of europe, just as canadians are near the great lakes. The boarder was all about ports, not population, even in the west. It's all about the waterways to the world, not being within some magic distance to any boarder as the crow flies.

Re: Canadians don’t live as far north as you think

#38

Post by tosseraccount »

sandworm101 wrote: post #18
nommm-nommm wrote: post #5

A "fact" that usually gets thrown around is that 3/4ths (or more) of the Canadian population live within 100 miles of the US border. It's probably pretty accurate. https://www.quora.com/What-percentage-of-Canadians-live-with...

And that a large percentage of the US population lives near the canadian boarder. The line was drawn through the great lakes. So everyone in New England, Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati etc can be said to be living near the canadian boarder. It's not that canadians need to be near the US, but near the water routes for trade with the rest of the world.

"Line was drawn through the great lakes".

You might want to check that.

Please examine the image very closely; it appears to be based on the border. Note Lake Superior and positions near lake Erie. https://qph.is.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-073611f762cf3ef329ee65...

About 45 pixels to border, which is down the middle of the lake.

Re: Canadians don’t live as far north as you think

#39

Post by mikeash »

sandworm101 wrote: post #18
nommm-nommm wrote: post #5

A "fact" that usually gets thrown around is that 3/4ths (or more) of the Canadian population live within 100 miles of the US border. It's probably pretty accurate. https://www.quora.com/What-percentage-of-Canadians-live-with...

And that a large percentage of the US population lives near the canadian boarder. The line was drawn through the great lakes. So everyone in New England, Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati etc can be said to be living near the canadian boarder. It's not that canadians need to be near the US, but near the water routes for trade with the rest of the world.

Chicago is over 200 miles from Canada. Lake Michigan is not part of the border with Canada, so the nearest point on the border is off in Lake Erie near Detroit.

Re: Canadians don’t live as far north as you think

#40

Post by jamesblonde »

ascorbic wrote: post #8
bnegreve wrote: post #3

It doesn't make much sense to compare temperatures at latitudes from different sides of the Atlantic ocean. The Gulf Stream [1] makes the European cost a lot warmer at the same latitude. E.g. NYC is colder than North of Spain despite being roughly at the same latitude. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Stream

Fun fact: The Shetland Islands off the north coast of Scotland have the same USDA climate zone as south Texas (9a), but are around the same latitude as central Alaska.

the outer Lofoten Islands at 68°N in Northern Norway are in zone 8, same as San Antonio, Texas!
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