[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).

[mfoy_]

http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-166536/Population-de...

Note the population density in relation to bodies of water. It has less to do with borders than you seem to think.

[bryanlarsen]

It's the same as every other country. All big cities and population centres are on major waterways. The major waterway in Canada is the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence, which is often the border, or else very close to it. Vancouver is on the Fraser, close to the border. Ottawa/Gatineau is on the Ottawa, close to the border.

[cmrdporcupine]

Or how about the other way around -- Americans just didn't want to be part of the old dominion anymore, and split off, leaving a chunk of population separated by a border? The settlement patterns existed before the American revolution. We settled where the land was good and the resources and fresh water and trade routes were.

[logfromblammo]

Only about 12% of George III Loyalists moved to Ontario or New Brunswick after 1783, and some of them later moved back to the former colonies while they still had the opportunity.

[cmrdporcupine]

You missed my point. I'm not talking about the loyalists who moved. I'm talking about the people who stayed. The settlement along the great lakes was already here before the American revolution, both in English/French settlements, and the natives who were here in high concentrations before that.

Modern day settlement along the border reflects a continuation of patterns that were already here.

Though Toronto being a huge population centre instead of Hamilton or Niagara area apparently has to do with the need to be some distance from the border with the expansionist militaristic 19th century Americans.

[stan_rogers]

Toronto had the dual advantages of a nice big natural harbour and several handy mill streams in one tidy little location, along with navigable trails and rivers leading to timber and fur resources. It also used to have a lot of prime agricultural land within spitting distance; most of that has since been paved over.

[nommm-nommm]

It takes a serious flaw in reasoning to look at a map, see a large population lives near an international border, and then conclude that those people don't want to live in their country.

[typon]

I wonder what you'd say about all the Americans living near the US-Mexico border.

[bhandziuk]

San Diego sounds pretty Mexican to me!