Quote:
Originally Posted by MolsonExport
Aside from the geographic similarities (proximity to the sea), I find Atlantic Canada more similar to central Canada than to New England. OK, maybe there are built-form similarities along the coast, but the feel of Atlantic Canada is distinctly Canadian. Boston is just a different league.
|
There are differences in architecture even between St Stephen NB and Calais ME, and these are sister communities on either side of the St Croix River!! Speech is also different. In Calais, there is a heavy "downeast" accent, while in St. Stephen the accent is much more like the Canadian mainstream. Every time I cross the border, you notice the differences immediately.
someone123 is correct. The "ties that bind" started unravelling in the Revolutionary War, and were completely gutted by Sir John A's National Policy. There continued to be extensive family connections to New England, even up to the mid 20th century (mostly due to the Canadian diaspora migrating to New England factory towns), but the old folks have died off, and the cousins don't know each other any more.
The Maritimes are much more firmly linked to Ontario and Alberta now than they are to New England. I think with the overall thickening of the border, and the increasing cultural dissimilarities between Canada and the US, that the two countries will continue to drift apart over the next century.