Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
I actually started a similar thread on which place is a "microcosm" of Canada a few years ago. Though I did not touch upon the "least Canadian" city, which is an interesting angle.
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...ight=microcosm
For this thread, I don't think there is a better answer to "Most Canadian" than Ottawa(-Gatineau).
Its demographics are quite representative of the country as a whole (as close as you're gonna get), and at least in its capital-esque aspects it tries hard to be representative. On a municipal level it's a bit of a different story, and both Ottawa and Gatineau generally tend to be run as if they were just run-of-the-mill cities in Ontario and Quebec.
In terms of activities, there aren't many metros in the country where you have Québécois sugar shacks and bars with chansonniers, Scottish Highland Games, country music festivals, Chinese dragon boat races, indigenous festivals, plentiful live theatre in both English and French, passion for curling and the CFL, Newfoundland pubs and stores, etc.
Plus the region has a Dfb climate which is the classic Canadian climate which means abundant snow and ice in the winter with stereotypical Canadiana like backyard skating rinks, ice fishing, snowmobiling, skiing, etc. part of the local culture in the winter. |
You make a great case for Ottawa. To the point where I think you may have swayed me.
What really makes a smaller city a must for "most Canadian" is the willingness to embrace smaller, more home-spun things that the big 3 would ignore, like local country music, curling and such. There's a reason Toronto never hosts the Brier anymore, for example.
Ottawa gives off the "big, important city" vibes but it also seems capable of relaxing and having a good time without worrying too much about image. I like that trait.